GFX - What is Collective Bargaining?
Many Ground Effects workers in Whitby are preparing for their first union job. It's normal to wonder what collective bargaining means.
Today, Ground Effects decides almost every aspect of your workplace, including
✔ Job assignments
✔ Productivity expectations
✔ Work changes
✔ Scheduling
✔ Health and safety procedures
✔ Cross-training opportunities
✔ Discipline
✔ Workplace policies
✔ How work is performed
With a union, those decisions don't automatically become union decisions.
Instead, workers gain the legal right to sit down with Ground Effects and negotiate many of the rules that affect their jobs. Together, the union and Ground Effects negotiate a collective agreement that both the company and workers must follow.
A collective agreement is a legally binding document. Once it's negotiated, Ground Effects cannot simply ignore it or change it whenever it chooses.
Did You Know?
A union doesn't replace management. Ground Effects continues to operate its business. Collective bargaining simply gives workers the legal right to negotiate many of the rules that affect their jobs.
What Does This Mean for Ground Effects Workers?
Collective bargaining is about balance. Instead of one side making every workplace decision, workers gain a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect them every day.
That's why reaching a first collective agreement is such an important step, after we vote YES for Unifor.
Ask yourself: If Ground Effects makes all of the workplace decisions today, shouldn't workers have a voice in decisions that affect them every day?
John MacDonald
[email protected]
416-998-4835
