UNIONS AND

MANAGMENT
UNIONS: ARE THEY GOOD OR BAD IN 2017 IN CANADA

ADMN 1300
ERICA HORTON SUPERVISORY SKILLS
OCTOBER-24-17 UNIONS: ARE THEY GOOD OR BAD IN CANADA IN 2017 ERICA HORTON

"Unions are about fairness: workplace fairness; economic fairness; opportunity fairness;

political fairness; and democratic fairness. Unions promote fairness, not just for their members,

but for all Canadians. ("James Clancy, National President, National Union of Public and General

Employees"). Unions have existed in Canada for 150 years and have been influential in

advancing wages, benefits and working conditions for all Canadians. The decline in union

strength over the past few decades can be attributed to the changing atmosphere of the job

market, positions are now created as part-time or contract positions. (Appendix 1) The need to

modernize the union mentality will educate Canadian youth as to the importance of labour

unions in Canada in 2017 and the future.

Currently, 30% of the Canadian workforce belongs to a union and support Canadians

employed in education, medical, manufacturing, trades, and retail. Unions have had a positive

influence on Canadian workers and the economy. Many historians attribute unions to the rise

of Canada's middle class and the general prosperity of the country. By helping more workers

make decent wages with more job security, unions are largely responsible for stabilizing the

economy and stimulating its growth. Because of unions, more working people can afford

houses, better food, clothing, cars, and other consumer goods. Increasing demand for these

things creates more jobs and even more economic growth. (Facts about unions.). Unions

collectively bargain with management to negotiate decent wages, health benefits and promote

job security. Through unions, working people have a collective voice at work and an avenue

to equality, fair treatment and economic security. They provide a powerful check to the almost

total power of management in the workplace and ensure workers have a voice in workplace

decisions that affect them. ("Unions in society"). Unions have been instrumental in the
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implementation of health and safety programs to ensure the safety of Canadian workers.
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In Canada, union membership has decreased in the past 30 years a result of the failure

to attract and educate Canadian youth on the benefits of membership. Unions need to

modernize, unions need to try new models so they appeal to younger workers who arent

necessarily working full-time, permanent jobs like their unionized parents did. (Abedi 2017).

Unions in Canada need to make changes in order to attract the younger generation. Currently,

unions support the older workforce rather than an entry-level youth. One way unions can

upgrade their image is by removing rules that benefit older employees to the disadvantage of

younger workers (Abedi 2017). Seniority lists do not benefit the younger generation, as they

are more likely to get unattractive shifts, or a higher chance of being laid off.

Youth in Canada in 2017 are being influenced by social media, music and news. These

forms of information can be biased to negative opinions about unions. For example, a song

released by a Canadian band from Kingston, Ontario, The Glorious Sons in 2014 called The

Union has a chorus That I'd never join the union, 'Cause I never wanted it easy. (The Union,

by The Glorious Sons 2014). This song portrays that once you gain membership to a union you

are protected even though some employees should not be protected based on their work ethic.

The benefits that unions provide their members with job security can also hinder

managements ability to terminate an employee based on performance as the union protects

the workers rights.

In conclusion, unions are a positive part of Canada in 2017. Unions will continue to fight

for the Canadian workforce, but need to educate the younger generations of the importance a

union can make. Maybe a subtle reminder that the 8-hour work day and weekends were

brought to the Canadian workforce by the labour union movement.

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APPENDIX 1

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Works Cited

James Clancy, National President, National Union of Public and General Employees.
Labourrights.ca, labourrights.ca/content/james-clancy-national-president-national-union-
public-and-general-employees-0, Accessed October 18, 2017

Facts about unions. UFCW Canada - Canada's Private Sector Union,

www.ufcw.ca/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=29&Itemid=49&lang=en.
Accessed October 23, 2017.

Unions in society. Labourrights.ca, labourrights.ca/issues/unions-society. Accessed October

18, 2017.

Abedi, Maham. Unions in Canada need to modernize, but are still relevant: experts. Global
News, 14 July 2017, globalnews.ca/news/3595658/unions-in-canada-westjet/. Accessed
October 23, 2017.

The Union, by The Glorious Sons. The Glorious Sons, 16 Sept. 2014,
theglorioussons.bandcamp.com/track/the-union. Accessed October 23, 2017.

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