1. The Canadian Labour Movement and Collective Bargaining

2. History
Since the 1920's, the Canadian labour movement has fought for, and achieved, numerous improvements in the workplace.
Among these are:
An end to child labour
The 40-hour work week
The minimum wage
Health & safety standards
Employment insurance
Vacation pay

3. Changes in the Canadian Worker
The typical worker in the 1950's was a white male working in logging, mining, farming, or manufacturing
They kept the same job often for 30 to 35 years.
The worker earned enough money to support himself and his family.

4. Profile of a Typical Worker
Profile of the typical worker has changed.
Variety of factors have led to a change in the typical worker profile, among them:
Automation
Feminism
Globalization
Government policies

5. Profile of a Typical Worker
Today, workers are male and female, and often working in a service industry.
The typical Canadian will change jobs five times in a lifetime.
Many jobs are part-time minimum wage jobs, sometimes called “McJobs.”
Typically, these jobs do not have many benefits or union protection.

6. Collective Bargaining
Collective bargaining consists of negotiations between an employer and a group of employees.
The result of collective bargaining procedure is called the collective bargaining agreement or CBA.
Often employees are represented in the bargaining by a union or other labour organization.

7. Collective Bargaining
Unions and management engage in negotiations in order to reach a CBA agreement (contract).
The law requires that both sides "bargain in good faith."
This means that they both must come to the table willing to give and take.
Often, though, each side feels a need to "push" the other side in order to get what they want.

8. Collective Bargaining
Management might, for example, engage in a publicity campaign against the union, temporarily laying off workers, or lock them out of the workplace.
In the past management took certain actions which are now illegal including the hiring of armed thugs!

9. Collective Bargaining
Unions also have a variety of weapons at their disposal.
They might have a mass sick out, slow downs or have picket lines.
They might engage in a boycott of the manufacturers product and they also might engage in a publicity campaign.
Of course the last resort and strongest weapon for a union is the strike.

10. Unions in Canada
Almost one of every three Canadian workers belongs to a union.
According to Statistics Canada, roughly 3.6 million employees in the Canadian Workforce in 1998 were union members.

11. Benefits of Unionization
Some of the reasons why people may choose to join unionized workplaces include:
Job security
Improved wages
Health care and other benefits
Pension plans
Health and safety
A stronger voice through collective bargaining
A right to vote on your contract

12. Drawbacks of Unionization
Some drawbacks to unionization include:
Driving the price of production up
Too much power sharing between management and employees
Red tape – e.g. difficult for management to fire a bad employee
Politics and pettiness
Loss of individualism
Salary often based on seniority, not skill