Effective unions have nothing to worry about
Vancouver Sun--Jan.27, 2001
The B.C. Labour Relations Board has ruled that union members can, under certain circumstances, quit their unions. While employer groups rejoice at this policy change by the board, union leaders are outraged. Jef Keighley, an official with the Canadian Autoworkers Union, says the decision weakens the labour relations code, and thus is, by definition, an attack on labour.
But we find it difficult to understand how a decision can be an attack on working men and women when all it gives them is the choice of not just joining a union, but also leaving one. In fact, we think workers can expect to be better served by their unions now that there is a real prospect that an ineffective union could lose its members and their dues.
The ruling, based on an old precedent, is in response to a specific case. In November 1999, the board ruled that 48 unionized employees at a White Spot Restaurant on Georgia Street couldn't quit their union because it would adversely affect the larger bargaining unit of 1,000 White Spot employees in 15 locations.
The decision made it difficult, if not impossible, for any group of employees to leave a bargaining unit. Now, in reversing its decision, the board concludes that the precedent no longer makes sense because bargaining units are large, diverse and often in different geographical locations. So some employees may be able to leave without jeopardizing the union's ability to represent those who want to stay.
The ruling means employees who want to leave a union have to prove that their actions won't weaken the bargaining power of the folks who are left behind. The board decision, therefore, has safeguards built in to protect all workers, not just those who want to leave. Mr. Keighley's protestations notwithstanding, this is not an attack on labour.
Furthermore, there's nothing to stop employees who leave one union from joining another one.
This ruling does not even go so far as to say the Georgia Street White Spot employees can leave the union -- it merely opens the door for them to make their case at another hearing.
But we're pleased that they -- and others who might feel the same way -- now have a fighting chance to leave a union if they feel their needs aren't being met. It's not a bad thing when any organization -- unions included -- are required to prove their worth to the people who pay their bills. |
