2014.02.07
Harper fast-tracking legislation that would impose ‘outrageous, fundamentally unfair’ voting rules on unions
CWA Canada joins a rising chorus of condemnation of proposed legislation that would impose ridiculous voting rules on unions.
C-525, a private member’s bill that is being fast-tracked by the Harper government, would make it extremely difficult to certify, and very easy to decertify, a union in a federally regulated workplace such as the CBC.
It would do away with card check — automatic certification of bargaining units — which ensures that workers who want to unionize can do so without fear of intimidation and reprisal from employers.
Under the bill, in the event of a certification or decertification effort, a vote of the majority of all workers would be needed — not just the standard 50 per cent plus one of those who actually vote. It means workers who don't cast a ballot would be counted as No votes against the union.
"That's outrageous and fundamentally unfair," said CWA Canada Director Martin O'Hanlon. "Under this bill, getting a majority of the votes is not good enough — now you need a majority of all eligible votes. No one else in our society has to meet such a standard, including MPs, many of whom are elected with far less than 50 per cent of the vote."
"Imagine if this system was imposed on MPs. Almost no one would be elected because it would be nearly impossible to get the support of a majority of all eligible voters, especially given that up to 40 per cent of eligible voters don't bother to vote."
The bill, put forward by one of Harper’s Alberta backbenchers, would amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employee & Staff Relations Act and the Public Service Labour Relations Act. It has passed second reading in the House and been referred to the Human Resources Committee, which will limit witness testimony to just a few hours next week, rather than the usual five days.
One of those addressing the committee will be Ken Georgetti, president of the Canadian Labour Congress. “Never before in the history of our country has there been such a targeted and deliberate attack by a federal government on the institutions that have made the lives of the 99 per cent of Canadians who work for wages better off. The unilateral and unrelenting destruction of these rights should be a concern to everyone,” he wrote in a Huffington Post article.
The Broadbent Institute said “Bill C-525, like Bill C-377, is further evidence of a Conservative government bent on undermining Canada’s unions. We view this bill as part of a broader assault on our democracy that includes shutting down debates in Parliament to ram through legislation, muzzling government scientists, and intimidating civil society groups.
“Much like Bill C-377, which will force over-the-top disclosure laws on our unions, Bill C-525 is a Republican-style attempt to destabilize Canada’s labour movement at a time when workers are still feeling the squeeze from the recession. It is another attack on the right of employees to organize and maintain unions that promote fairer wages and better workplace conditions for all Canadian workers.”
During debate in the House, Liberal MP Rodger Cuzner, noting Bill C-525 would have an impact on thousands of employers and some 600,000 workers, said the decision to either pass or defeat it “will come down to whether we believe it upholds the principles inherent in making good labour laws through a legitimate process ... driven by the groups directly affected, employers and unions, through a real consultative and consensus-building process that is based on the principles of balance, fairness and mutual respect.”
He pointed out that “Almost no Conservative members in the House stood up for those principles in what was another anti-labour Conservative bill, C-377. ... It took a small group of Conservative senators, led by Senator Hugh Segal, to stand with all of my Liberal Senate colleagues and oppose the bill in the Senate. In the coming weeks, as we debate Bill C-525, I ask my Conservative colleagues opposite to have the courage to uphold these principles (and) base their decision on what is right, not what they are being told is right by the Prime Minister’s Office.”