Union and contractors at odds over proposed provincial labour law changes
Proposed changes to Alberta’s labour laws are “undemocratic” and could discourage investment in the province, the head of a contractors’ organization says.
The government introduced legislation this week that includes removing the requirement for a secret ballot by people considering organizing their workplace if 65 per cent of them sign an authorization form, or card, stating they want union representation.
The move is part of the first major overhaul of provincial laws regulating union and management relations since 1988, but Progressive Contractors Association of Canada president Paul de Jong said Thursday employees have the right to vote on such an important issue.
“It seems entirely inconsistent and undemocratic that we would have an automatic certification,” said de Jong, whose member companies employ more than 25,000 construction workers.
“We don’t propose that a union is going to come in and do harm to a workplace, but the concern is you always want these things to be transparent and democratic so how it comes about was completely objective and fair.”
He argues that this proposal and others, such as allowing arbitration to settle first contracts if negotiations between an employer and a newly certified union are unsuccessful, could deter investment in Alberta.
That’s a position shared by the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, which says in a written statement Alberta’s economic growth over the past 30 years is largely due to investments in the energy industry that might not have happened without stable labour conditions.
“The province is currently focused on attracting international investment in diverse sectors of the economy, and these efforts will be undermined if the (labour) code swings out of balance.”
However, an official with Canada’s largest private-sector union calls the new legislation a balanced approach to modernizing Alberta’s “antiquated” labour code.
Joie Warnock, western regional director for Unifor, is pleased the Labour Relations Board will get more power to penalize employers who commit unfair labour practices, including being able to certify workplaces if there has been extreme interference with organizing drives.
As well, eliminating mandatory secret ballots reduces the chances of management pressuring staff, said Warnock, whose union has 15,000 Alberta members, most working in energy, manufacturing, transportation and warehousing.
“The real issue around a secret ballot vote is about avoiding employer interference and opposition … Card-based certification denies employers the ability to intimidate and interfere.”
She’s also pleased arbitration will be allowed to settle first contracts, saying companies can drag out negotiations to put pressure on newly unionized staff.
She doesn’t expect the labour code amendments will hurt investment in the province.
“If (the employer groups) were being really honest, they would look at these standards applied across other jurisdictions and know it’s not true … The laws in Alberta have been so unbalanced, this just brings them into the 21st century.”
It seems entirely inconsistent and undemocratic that we would have an automatic certification.