Who is involved in this union drive?
The drive was started by your co-workers, and they remain the heart of the campaign. They are supported by a CUPE staff member, and several members of CUPE. Some crossing guards are approached by co-workers and others will be approached by CUPE members from other bargaining units who care deeply about helping workers win a strong voice and fairness in their workplaces.
Is CUPE a business?
Employers tend to copy from a common playbook, and one of the lines they use is that unions are businesses. This is not true. They say it to make you believe that we work from a profit motive just like them. This too is false. The reality is that Carraway and ASP’s focus is on profit. As a union, CUPE is non-profit by definition. More than that, we are 100% member driven. If you join, you will decide on your bargaining priorities, your dues rates, and elect your leaders and bargaining committee members.
Are you pretending to be managers to get people to sign cards?
No. That’s never something we do. It’s a tactic that only exists in your employer’s imagination. If anyone ever does approach you about this drive saying they’re a manager, please contact Daniela Scarpelli at 416-458-0588 or dscarpelli@cupe.ca. It is illegal for your employer to corner you about your involvement in a union drive.
What are my rights?
Your right to join a union is protected by the Canadian Constitution. In Ontario, it is illegal for your employer to seek to dissuade you through threats, intimidation, coercion or promises. You have a right to talk with co-workers or organizers about forming a local union, and you have the right to not have those conversations as well.
If you are approached by a CUPE representative, we encourage you to take the information and card, and find a time to have a chat after work or on a break. If you choose to sign a card, we can arrange to have someone pick it up.
What is a union card and why am I signing one?
A union card is your declaration that you want to form a union in your workplace. For CUPE, it’s an application for membership, but legally it’s also the evidence we need to provide to the Ontario Labour Relations Board that there is sufficient interest to hold a vote.
A vote cannot happen until at least 40% of workers have signed cards.
Will my employer know if I sign a union card?
No. Your card is only ever seen by your union and the Ontario Labour Relations Board. Neither your card nor your name are ever provided to the employer. Thousands of workers go through this process every year to join CUPE.
How do dues work?
Dues exist because there are costs to negotiating and defending your rights. In CUPE, dues are typically 1.5% of base wages. So there are no dues if you’re on an unpaid break, like when school breaks for summer. Dues vary from local to local in CUPE, because the local membership (i.e. you) decides on the local portion of their dues.
Union dues are fully tax-deductible and are often recouped through negotiations in the first year of your collective agreement.
Can CUPE guarantee job security?
While most things need to be negotiated, joining CUPE does immediately give you some protection. Right now your employer can fire you without cause and is only required to provide the week or two of severance included in the Employment Standards Act.
Immediately upon becoming a CUPE bargaining unit, the law prohibits the employer from firing you without cause. And it gives you a strong union with an expert in-house legal team to support you if the employer violates your rights.
Other rights are negotiated, but collective agreements normally include a great deal of language around job security.
How does CUPE work?
Everything works democratically. After you vote to join CUPE, you will elect your executive and your bargaining committee. Your elected bargaining committee works with your National Staff Representative to survey members on bargaining priorities and prepare the package we will table during negotiations. You will see that package before it goes to the table. At the end of bargaining, the committee will bring any agreement back to you for a vote on whether to accept it. Every member has a role to play in deciding.
If you want to know the rules that govern how CUPE functions, read our Constitution at cupe.ca/cupe-constitution
What is an “exclusive bargaining agent”?
That’s what the Ontario Labour Relations Act calls a union. Right now, your employer can pay everyone differently, play favourites with shifts or locations, or take advantage of people who aren’t as good at self-advocacy. In a unionized workplace, there is one set of negotiations that brings fairness and equality for everyone.
Do I have to get involved in the union?
No, you don’t. But as a group, you will be more successful if more people are involved. At a minimum you will pay your tax-deductible dues and have the protection of the collective agreement and the same representation as all members. We strongly encourage all members to participate in union meetings and to run for executive and committee positions, and to become stewards. There are lots of opportunities for people to get involved. After all, it is your union.
Where can I get more information and a union card?
If you want more information about CUPE feel free to contact me any time at dscarpelli@cupe.ca or 416-458-0588. I would be more than happy to discuss anything that you might be concerned about with the information that Carraway or ASP is providing and answer any of your questions regarding CUPE.
For other recent information about the campaign please check out our latest updates.
If you are interested in signing a union card select the link below