By Staff
August 15th, 2024
BURLINGTON, ON
After the BC NDP government lifted the ban on “card check” union certification imposed by the previous BC Liberal government, BC’s unionization rebounded to 30.8 per cent by January 2024.
In Ontario, where a ban has been in effect for most workers since the Mike Harris PC government, union rates now stood at 26.1 per cent in January 2024. Only Alberta, at 25.0%, had a lower union rate.
Despite the current Doug Ford PC government positioning itself as pro-union and pro-worker, it has given no indication when it plans to end the card check ban or what position it would take on a bill by the opposition NDP to end the ban.
Card check ban gives management chance to counter union vote
To trigger a legal duty for management to collectively bargain with workers, the union’s representation of the workers must be verified then certified by a government tribunal, usually a provincial labour board.
The standard “card check” certification system was created by the federal government in 1944 under wartime emergency powers.
When a quasi-judicial labour board verified at least 55 per cent of workers had signed a union membership card, the board would certify the union, obliging management to meet and bargain in good faith.
After wartime emergency powers ended and provincial jurisdiction was restored, provinces established their own labour relations acts, including the card check process.
The card check system offers workers privacy from their employers when deciding whether to form a union.
