Why Would You Need A Union?

Different employees want union representation for different reasons.

• Some want better wages.
• Some want better working conditions.
• Some want health insurance and retirement benefits.
• Some want the protection of an organization to represent them with the employer.

Without union representation, employers can pay you anything they want, from minimum wage on up. There is no law that requires them to pay anything more than minimum wage.

Wages

"It has long been known that unionized employees make more than non-union workers, a fact confirmed by this new earnings data from the Labour Force Survey," says Statistics Canada in its summer 1998 Labour Force Update.

Average Hourly Wage Rate	Union Employees	Non-Union Employees
All employees	$18.57	$14.04
Full-time employees	$18.84	$15.18
Part-time employees	$16.74	$ 9.76

"The average employee covered by a collective agreement made about $19 per hour in 1997, 32% higher than the average of those without coverage," according to the Update.

Benefits

Without union representation and a contract, an employer has no obligation to provide you with benefits such as health care coverage or retirement savings plans. For those of you who are working nonunion, you know this is true now.

Who Receives Benefits	Union Employees	Non-Union Employees
Pension / Group RRSP	82.8%	32.9%
Supplemental Health Care	83.7%	44.4%
Dental Care	77.0%	41.9%
Paid Sick Leave	77.2%	44.7%
Paid Vacation Leave	84.1%	65.3%

Source: Labour Force Survey

Protection

Without union representation, you can be fired for any reason - or no reason at all. The IATSE has been successful in negotiating contracts that provide protection for employees from being disciplined or discharged by employers, without just cause. In addition, there are representatives who, if you wish, can represent you in your problems with management. You do not have to confront the employer over his failure to properly pay you or for unfairly disciplining you.