10.11 Summary

Unions have a long history in Canada. Workers join unions for many reasons that include better wages/benefits, job security, and creation of seniority lists. Business unionism and social unionism are changing how unions manage their policies and policies. Human Resources is impacted by both types of unions as they work to improve working conditions and social conditions. As well, non-union workers have benefited from unionization. Unions have several structures that include the local union, parent union, national union, international union and central labour organizations.

The government of Canada sets the framework for unions and management through laws, both at the provincial and federal levels of government. The Labour Relations Boards ensure labour relations between management and unions is enforced. Workers go through several steps to organize unions. If they are successful, the workers negotiate a contract, in good faith, with management. Both parties are legally bound to participate actively and find a basis for agreement. Once a contract agreement has been reached, the contract needs to be monitored by both parties.  Grievances are a formal procedure when a violation of the grievance has occurred. Human Resources is involved with unions in bargaining, grievances, communication and attempts to help management and unions find common goals.

The labour movement is facing challenges in the form of decreasing union membership, globalization, and employers’ resistance to unions. In Canada and the US, there has been a steady decline in union membership since the 1950s. This has been attributed to cultural shifts towards individualism, globalization leading to outsourcing of jobs, management’s resistance to unions, and negative perceptions of unions due to past corruption and hard-line tactics.

On a global scale, while unions are declining in most countries, European countries still have higher levels of union coverage. This poses pose challenges for unions as companies outsource jobs to countries with lower labour costs, resulting in loss of membership and union values. Unions have attempted to demand more governmental control, but success has been limited.

Companies often resist unions due to increased costs and reduced management control. They strive to maintain a union-free work environment by providing higher wages and benefits to discourage workers from joining unions. Retention strategies and policies are constantly monitored by companies to stay union-free.

Another option for companies is employee relations which is the relationship between the employee and employer without a union and collective agreement.  Employees are protected by common law a legal term for non-unionized workers that describes anyone who performs services if the employer can control their work. Employment contracts are agreed upon and signed by both parties and cannot be changed.  Constructive dismissal and wrongful dismissal are covered under Common Law when an employer has breached the contract, or when an employee is terminated.  Employee rights of privacy are important in today’s workplaces.  The federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) regulates an employer’s collection of data related to its employees.  Other issues of concern are the use of social media in the workplace. Ethics in employee relations helps employers and employees understand what is acceptable behaviour and what is not acceptable behaviour on the job.