Coming together with your colleagues to form a union is about gaining strength in numbers, securing a voice at work, and ensuring you have an equitable seat at the table with management. As a union member, you don’t have to try to address issues with your job on your own. Instead, you and your coworkers bring your collective strength to negotiations with management on wages and benefits, staffing and workload, overtime and differentials, continuing education and training, and other terms of your employment. A union ensures that the agreements you reach are codified in an enforceable union contract, so the employer can’t change things just because they change their mind. Being part of a union also gives you ways to take action if you can’t reach agreement with your employer.

In addition to allowing you and your coworkers to bring your collective strength to the negotiating table, a union ensures professional dignity and respect in your workplace and gives you access to a fair, transparent process to resolve disputes in the workplace. Beyond the workplace, a union also gives you an effective channel to advocate for your interests with legislative and regulatory bodies that have an effect on your work as a professional.

Forming a Union

Getting legal recognition as a union requires a series of steps that can vary depending on your employer and whether you’re in the public or private sector. However, forming a union is above all a process of gaining support for union representation amongst your coworkers through organizing. Are you already taking steps to organize with your coworkers, or ready to start? Our union may be able to support you through the process. Please fill out this form to get in touch and learn more about organizing with ESC.