Joining a union is the best way to achieve fairness and respect in your workplace. Unionization gives you a strong voice in the workplace and the ability to seek:
- Improved pay with regular wage increases
- A pension plan and enhanced benefits
- Paid sick leave
- Improved vacation entitlements and other leaves
- More control over hours of work and breaks
- Proper attention to health and safety
- Protection against unjust discipline and dismissal
- Access to a grievance process
Without union representation, employees have no collective voice and no ability to seek lasting improvements in wages, benefits, and working conditions in a legally-binding collective agreement.
According to the most recent statistics, union members in Canada are paid, on average, an extra $5.26 an hour, $180 more weekly, and over $9,000 more per year than non-unionized workers. This union wage premium is about 20 per cent higher than non-unionized wages. Union members are also much more likely to have a workplace pension plan, extended benefits, and better paid leave provisions than their non-union counterparts.