The Confederation of Canadian Unions continues to lobby on behalf of our membership against Bill C-377 and Bill C-525. These two anti-union, anti-worker bills are before the Senate and must be debated there before they return to the House of Commons.
We will continue to defend the rights of Canadian workers and to oppose legislation that is intended to violate the rights of workers and increase income inequality in our economy.
This is our economy. These are our workplaces. This is our Government. Let’s make our voices heard! Please sign the petition at the bottom.
CCU President John Hanrahan’s Letter to Senators
The Senate of Canada
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A OA4
Dear Senator,
I am writing you on behalf of the Confederation of Canadian Unions on the subject of Bills C-377 and C-525.
As you surely are aware, these proposed laws institute changes with respect to the legal aspects of financial reporting for unions and the certification processes that apply to unions under federal jurisdiction. We hold that unions are vital to sustainable economic growth that benefits all Canadians.
The purpose of this correspondence is to inform you on how legislation that weakens the union movement will only further promote income inequality and stifle opportunity for the average Canadian family to share in the growth of our economy.
Also, more specifically, we wish to point out the significant problems we see with both pieces of legislation. Our concerns with Bill C-525 are largely policy oriented, while those with C-377 are related to its lack of legality and constitutionality.
Let us deal with each piece of legislation separately.
Bill C-377
First and foremost, we ask the Senate to engage in the proper due diligence and seek the appropriate expert input as to the constitutionality of C-377. The Confederation of Canadian Unions agrees with the Canadian Bar Association’s view that the Bill is patently unconstitutional in a number of areas.
Please see the Association’s press release and their letter to the federal government.
We ask the Senate to institute amendments to address the widespread constitutional and legal problems with C-377, as happened the last time this piece of legislation was before the Chamber.
Bill C-525
The International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have all recently released statements asserting that income inequality is a significant inhibitor to economic growth.
Please see the following documents from the ILO , the World Bank and the Guardian, quoting the IMF.
Income Inequality by Country
Note: A Gini coefficient of zero indicates full income equality. One indicates full inequality
Union Density by Country
By comparing the statistics, one can see that countries with the highest union density experience the lowest rates of income inequality.
It is the position of the Confederation of Canadian Unions that Bill C-525 mandates certification processes that make the unionization of workplaces to be far more difficult. It also makes it easier for employers to prevent unionization, as under the scenario of a 40% card signing and subsequent vote, for example, the employer can contest the organization drive at the Public Service Labour Relations Board and delay the vote for months.
This, along with rules making it easier to decertify unions, provides anti-union employers with more tools to combat unionization. This will further stifle economic growth by driving down union density rates and real wages in Canada, and create higher levels of economic inequality.
For this reason, we ask the Senate to amend Bill C-525 to read that a majority of cards signed provides automatic certification, subject to the results of a secret ballot vote, or alternatively, that 40% of cards signed automatically triggers a vote within two weeks, with certification automatic by a majority vote, and subject to challenge by an employer after the union is certified.
We additionally ask the Bill be amended to read that a democratic majority of bargaining unit members are required to initiate a decertification.
If you have any questions or comments about the Confederation of Canadians Unions and its views on Bill C-377 and C-525, please do not hesitate to contact me. I look forward to hearing from you. Thank you.
Respectfully,
John Hanrahan
President, Confederation of Canadian Unions
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