Join the Union
Whatever industry you’re in—retail, hospitality, meatpacking, cannabis, warehousing, healthcare, or somewhere else—you can form a union with UFCW. The process of organizing your workplace may seem like a big job to take on, but we’ll provide support, advice, and resources that can help you and your coworkers win improvements like wage increases, benefits, and protections on the job.
Steps to Joining a Union
1
Meet with one of our union organizers for a confidential conversation. You can ask whatever questions you want about unions and the organizing process to figure out whether or not UFCW is a good fit for your workplace.
2
Identify a few coworkers you trust and invite them to form a group that will take training in how to organize and plan out how to ask the rest of your coworkers to sign union cards. The ideal organizing committee is about 10% of your coworkers across every department in your workplace.
3
Meet with your coworkers one-on-one to talk to them about forming a union. This is the point in a campaign where it starts being possible that management will find out you’re organizing. Plan ahead and discuss with your coworkers what potential retaliations management could try as a way to inoculate yourselves against their scare tactics.
4
If at least 40% of your coworkers signed cards your Labour Board will schedule an election (if in Newfoundland or Nova Scotia) or let you choose between an election and a card-check (if in New Brunswick or PEI). To win an election you need 50% +1 of your coworkers to vote “YES”. To win a card-check you just need over 60% of your coworkers to have signed a union card.
5
Once you win your union, you’ll start negotiating your first round of workplace improvements through collective bargaining. During this time your working conditions are frozen, meaning management can’t cut your wages or take any benefits away from you.
You do not pay dues while bargaining your first collective agreement. You’ll only pay dues after a majority of your coworkers vote to agree to a collective agreement your union negotiates with your employer.
