We know many of you have signed a Unifor membership card and many more are interested, but sometimes workers have concerns about confidentiality and who might know that you have signed a union card. Let us reassure you that signing a union membership card is completely confidential.
Once the card is signed and handed over to your Unifor organizer, it is sent to Unifor’s head office and stored in a secure locked location. Once Unifor has enough cards to file for an application to the Canadian Industrial Relations Board (CIRB, labour board), the cards are submitted to the CIRB. The labour board will count the cards and compare them to the employee list to confirm that the union has the required majority support for certification.
The membership cards are never given to the employer. Employers never get to see the cards and will not know who signed the confidential Unifor membership card. The only way the company will know you signed a card is if you tell them. Your confidentiality is very important to us.
Can you lose anything when you join the union?
No. Once a union applies for a certification vote, the Labour Board requires that all terms and conditions of employment are “frozen” and cannot be changed without the union’s consent. Section 24 (4) of the Canada Labour Code. That means that if the union gets certified, then bargaining would start from your current conditions and move up from there.
Can my employer take any action against me for joining a union?
No. The decision to join is solely up to the individual without any undue influence, threats or coercion from management. Section 8 of the Canada Labour Code.
When you or your coworkers are ready to sign a Unifor membership card please follow the following instructions to ensure your vote counts.
Three easy steps
Joining Unifor is simple, but there are rules that need to be followed to meet federal labour laws. It can be done in three simple steps:
- Please read the Unifor membership card carefully and fill it out in full.
- Please place the card and $5 in the enclosed envelope. This fee is a legal requirement.
- A self-addressed stamped envelope has been provided. You can use this to return the card and the $5 payment to Unifor
Contact us! Talk to our organizing representatives! All calls are confidential.
Ontario
Billy O'Neill, Unifor
[email protected] | 416-605-1443
Quebec
Ada Zampini, Unifor
[email protected] | 514-701-6227
Prairies
Bruce Fafard, Unifor
[email protected] | 587-341-0945
British Columbia
Simon Lau, Unifor
[email protected] | 778-928-9630
Atlantic
Patrick Murray, Unifor
[email protected] | 506-850-7996
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