from Vol. 22 | Issue 3 | July 2003
10 Ways Bosses Break the Law to try to Stop You From Unionizing
By Bill Murnighan
Canadian laws say that workers have the right to join a union, free from interference by their employers. But that is not the way it always works: employers regularly cross the line. Here are 10 common ways that employers break the law during organizing drives (and if they do any of the following, let your union representative know):
1) They unfairly discipline union activists;
2) They threaten closure or layoffs if the union gets in;
3) They force meetings with the workforce to talk down the union;
4) They unfairly ban union insignia (hats, buttons, t-shirts);
5) They change working conditions (e.g. give workers a sudden pay increase;)
6) They fire union activists;
7) They voluntarily recognize an in-house "employee association;"
8) They unfairly communicate with workers (e.g. send letters or videos to workers’ homes);
9) They intimidate or threaten workers, and;
10) They force one-on-one meetings with workers and ask them if they support the union.
If you've had other experiences besides these ones, send a description of them, attention "The Things Bosses Do" to Our Times Editor, P.O. Box 182, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia B2H 5E2. E-mail: editor@ourtimes.ca
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