Unionisation
Factsheet
A contract is enforced by a grievance
procedure, ending with binding arbitration before a neutral third
party, rather
than Carleton administration, as is currently the case. Without a
contract,
Carleton has the unilateral ability to decide and change our wages,
benefits,
and working conditions. Recently the administration
introduced a voluntary
health and dental plan for Postdocs--with no consultation on the scope
of the
plan, its costs or its structure. As a result, the voluntary plan has a
prohibitive monthly price, which is entirely borne by Postdocs
themselves (as a
point of comparison, equivalent coverage through Blue Cross is almost
17%
cheaper and the Student Health and Dental plan at Carleton is over 85%
cheaper). Under collective bargaining, Postdocs would be able to
negotiate the
terms and conditions of a health plan that suits us.
Compensation
is another issue. The minimum stipend for Postdocs at Carleton is
$25,000. If we worked 40 hours a week, this would be an hourly
rate of
roughly $12.02 an hour. We know that most Postdocs work upward
of 40 hours
a week, pushing the hourly rate very close to minimum wage. In
contrast,
Graduate Student Teaching Assistants at Carleton make $38.21, with no
PhDs and
for more basic work. Even Undergraduate Teaching Assistants
make $21.62 an
hour. There are, of course, many other benefits to unionization besides
money,
such as access to third-party conflict resolution processes, advanced
protection from and recourse for workplace harassment and
discrimination,
expanded health and safety coverage, and the ability to negotiate
collectively
with the employer for further improvements to our working conditions,
rather
than doing this one-on-one in what are always power-imbalanced
situations.
Moreover, the Postdoctoral researchers at the University of Massachusetts ratified their first contract in March 2012, with raises and new benefits. The Postdocs will gain a 2 percent increase in wages immediately, another 2 percent in September, with 3 percent increases the following two years. Benefits in the new contract include partial reimbursement for child care expenses, paid holidays and sick time equivalent to those offered other employees. In addition, all of those in the bargaining unit will now have health coverage.
What is the
Unionization Process?
The first step is to sign a Union Card. In order to get to step 2, the Union must have at least 40% of those eligible to join sign a card. In practice, you want more than that in order to create a safety buffer. These cards are kept by the union at this stage, and the employer will not know that you have signed a card unless you tell them.
Once you have the required number of signed cards (or the number you determine above it), you apply for certification to the Ontario Labour Relations Board. At this point, the Union Cards are given to the Labour Board. However, the employer never sees the cards or is aware who signed them. The Labour Board will, at this stage, obtain a list of employees from the employer in order to verify that the union has valid cards. If the Board is satisfied the Union has the required number of cards, it will conduct a vote. If 50% plus 1 of those who vote, vote yes, then you are unionized.
Now that you are unionized, your first goal is to bargain a Collective Agreement (the document the union and the employer bargain and sign). A team, drawn from the members of the workplace (but with support of the Union), will bargain with the employer about all terms of employment. Once an Agreement is reached, members will vote about whether or not to accept it.