Canadian HR Reporter is the national journal of human resource management. It features the latest workplace news, HR best practices, employment law commentary and tools and tips for employers to get the most out of their workforce.
Issue link: https://digital.hrreporter.com/i/249256
16 ROUNDTABLE January 27, 2014 CANADIAN HR REPORTER LABOUR PAINS Unionization rates may have stabilized, but can unions keep up with an ever-changing labour landscape? By Sabrina Nanji / Photos by Sandra Strangemore W hat have you done — and more importantly — what have you done for me lately? Those questions — posed at Canadian HR Reporter's roundtable discussion by Elaine Newman, an arbitrator, mediator and instructor at Queen's University in Kingston, Ont. — were directed towards the universal union movement. It's no secret the labour movement has taken a slow, steady hit over the past 30 years. Unionization rates across the country have crumbled, settling in at less than 30 per cent, according to Statistics Canada. But this most recent decade has seen that decline taper off and the numbers hold steady. As unionization rates stabilize, now marks a watershed moment for organizing efforts — with unions sitting on a powder keg that could restore the labour movement to its former glory. The revolution has already begun. The fall of 2013 saw the birth of Unifor — the fusing together of the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) and Communications, Energy and Paperworkers (CEP) unions to create the largest private sector union in the country, representing about 300,000 employees across 20 sectors. The gloves are off. Unifor has come out of the gate full speed, targeting workplaces with precarious and young workers that have rarely been the subject of unionization bids. It has donated 10 per cent of its resources, $10 million, to organizing efforts. Rocky road ahead for union organizers Canadian HR Reporter recently mediated a roundtable discussion on the future of unions in the private sector with a slew of expert panellists representing both labour and management. The conclusion? Unions face a rocky road ahead, littered with obstacles. But the current climate lends itself to the natural next step in evolution, said Bill Peter Edwards, vice-president of HR and labour relations at Canadian Pacific, said unions will have to overcome an attitude that "we're all on our own." Murnighan, director of Unifor's research department. Perhaps one of the most challenging hurdles facing the union movement is the PR battle. Often, perception dictates reality, and Unifor's public image may be in need of a makeover before new and non-traditional workplaces rally behind the labour movement. "Unionized workers, particularly workers in the private sector, have gone through tremendous job loss, stagnated wages and reductions in their incomes. So the idea of jobs for life or gold-plated working conditions is not the reality," said Murnighan. It has become clear traditional organizing tactics are no longer relevant. When the majority of us think of unions, we think of the union our parents belonged to. That is, unions that fought for and won vacation days, reduced working hours, benefits and the creation of the middle class, said Peter Edwards, vice-president of human resources and labour relations Elaine Newman, an arbitrator, mediator and instructor at Queen's University's Industrial Relations Centre, says the union movement's best weapon is education. at Canadian Pacific. Typically, most people envision unionized workers as blue-collar or government employees, which means Unifor's challenge will be to reel in the rest of the working world with tailored, appealing incentives. "The question is, what does the future hold for me? You can call it a PR war, you can call it an advertising campaign — how do you create a vision for people, how do you then put the leadership behind it and attract people to what you do? Where do I fit in? Where are the people like me? And what can you offer me in the future?" said Edwards. "Also, creating a collective sense of responsibility that we may not have in the measure that we had before. We tend to split up our benefits packages so 'You get exactly this and you get exactly that, and you can tailor it to your individual needs' — but we don't think of a broader need. And that's sort of led to the attitude that we're all on our own." Ted Mallett, vice-president and chief economist at the Canadian Federation of Independent Business, said the public has a "very different perspective" on the workplace than unions.