How to Join a Union In Alberta

Step 1: Contact UFCW Canada

Contact UFCW Canada or one of our Local Unions. Ask to speak with an organizer. He or she is a specialist in Canadian labour law and will answer all your questions. All contacts with UFCW are confidential. No obligation.

Step 2: Sign UFCW Canada Membership Cards

With the guidance of an organizer, you and your co-workers sign UFCW Canada membership cards or a petition. The signatures on the cards or the petition cannot be older than 90 days. Your employer will not see the cards or the petition.

When at least 40% of the employees have signed a union card or a petition UFCW Canada can apply to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for certification. The Labour Board will likely hold a hearing within 10 days of the union's application. The purpose of the hearing is to make sure 40% of the employees have signed either a union card or a petition

Step 3: Vote for UFCW Canada

Two weeks after UFCW Canada has applied to the Alberta Labour Relations Board for certification the board can conduct a vote of all the employees to see if a majority want the union. The vote is generally held at the Labour Board Office. It is a secret ballot vote. No one will know how you voted.

Step 4: Now that you have a Union.

Your employer and UFCW Canada representatives (including workers from your bargaining unit) can sit down to negotiate a collective agreement. This agreement - the union contract - sets out the wages, benefits, working conditions, job security and other rights of the workers.
 

UFCW Canada has experienced, professional negotiators who know your industry and what is realistic. We've been representing Canadian workers for over 100 years.

You and your co-workers have the final say on any collective agreement, once again, through a secret ballot vote. UFCW Canada is a democratic union.

UFCW Canada Will Protect Your Rights Under Alberta Labour Law

Most employers would rather not have their employees represented by a union. But the choice is not theirs. Under Alberta labour law, your employer cannot interfere with your decision to join a union. Employers can talk about the union generally but are forbidden from making any promises or threats, or to do anything that might prevent employees from making a free decision.

If your employer breaks the law, UFCW Canada can take legal steps to enforce your rights.

What are you waiting for?

If you think you need a union, you probably do. UFCW Canada is one of Canada's largest and most respected unions. A better life for you and your co-workers is just a phone call or email away. Contact us today.