How to Join a Union In New Brunswick
Step 1: Contact UFCW Canada
Call or email UFCW Canada. Ask to speak with an organizer. He or she is a specialist in 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. The employer never sees these cards. UFCW Canada organizers are sworn to protect confidentiality.
If at least 60% of the employees in your work place sign a union card, the New Brunswick Labour Relations and Employment Board can certify the union.
Step 3 (if necessary): Vote for UFCW Canada
If between 40% and 60% of the employees sign a card, UFCW Canada may apply to the Labour Board to hold a vote of the workers. The secret ballot vote is then conducted by the Labour Board in your workplace. No one will know how you voted. If a majority of employees vote YES, the Labour Board can allow you and your cowokrers to join the union.
Step 4: Now that you have a Union.
Your employer and UFCW representatives (including workers from your bargaining unit) then 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 New Brunswick Labour Law
Most employers would rather not have their employees represented by a union. But the choice is not theirs. Under New Brunswick 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.