CANADA – The Manning Centre has released data that shows workers could be adversely impacted by the federal government’s plan to get rid of secret ballot votes when workers have to decide if they want to unionize (in workplaces covered under federal labour legislation).
Currently, Parliament is reviewing legislation that would replace the secret ballot vote during a union certification process with a system whereby workers are asked to openly sign cards in support of joining a union; a process that could subject workers to intimidation. Data from five provinces shows the percentage of employees who sign cards is often higher than the percentage of employees (at the same workplace) that vote in favour of unionizing through a secret ballot.
“Secret ballot votes protect the privacy of both those who are for and against joining a union,” said Colin Craig, the Manning Centre’s Director of Communications and author of Policy Brief: A Closer Look at Secret Ballot Union Certification Votes. “Government data we obtained shows the best way to determine what workers truly want is to let them decide by a secret ballot vote. Workers will often sign cards, but vote privately against joining a union.”
The Manning Centre examined data from five provinces (BC, AB, MB, NL, NB – all from 2009-2015), focusing on data from union certification processes that included two steps:
- The percentage of employees at a workplace who signed cards, triggering a secret ballot vote on the matter.
- The percentage of employees at the same workplace who subsequently voted in favour of joining the workplace.
The numbers showed there were at least 81 instances of support for joining a union dropping by 15 percentage points or more once employees could vote on the matter in private. There were several instances where support dropped by more than 50 percentage points. (See table below)
“Just as we elect politicians by secret ballot votes, workers should have the same right to decide privately if they want to join a union,” added Craig.
