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VICTORIA—Workers in B.C. will have fewer barriers to unionization, thanks to new legislation introduced by the Horgan government today.
“Precarious part-time and temporary work is on the rise. These are the workers that deserve more access to the power of a union,” said Gavin McGarrigle, Unifor Western Regional Director. “This government was elected to help create good jobs and protect vulnerable British Columbians. Returning to single-step unionization does both.”
Over the last two decades after single-step certification (“card check”) was scrapped by the B.C. Liberal government, unionization rates in British Columbia fell from the highest in Canada to among the lowest.
Single-step certification allows a union to be formed after a majority of workers in a given workplace voluntarily sign a union card. This helps minimize interference from aggressive managers during the second step of the unionization process. The threshold established in the B.C. legislation is 55% or more of workers at job site signing a card.
“Sixteen years of the anti-labour B.C. Liberals only made matters worse for workers, effectively stalling the province’s unionization rates. B.C. employers took full advantage of the situation for nearly two decades, enjoying unprecedented success in blocking workers from forming unions,” said McGarrigle.
Unifor members in B.C. campaigned tirelessly for single-step certification in public communications, multiple lobby sessions, and research papers.
Unifor is Canada’s largest union in the private sector, representing 315,000 workers in every major area of the economy. The union advocates for all working people and their rights, fights for equality and social justice in Canada and abroad, and strives to create progressive change for a better future.
