After decades of research throughout Canada and the western world, the evidence is clear: there are enormous advantages of being in a union. Higher income, safer and healthier working conditions, stronger benefits, better pensions, longer paid vacations, stable work schedules, and most importantly, more rights on the job.
For workers looking to join a union throughout British Columbia, it’s a big decision, but one which will benefit themselves and their families for the rest of their lives.
But the Union Advantage is about more than just numbers. It’s about respect. Workers who belong to a union like the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers (CUSW) aren’t taken advantage of by employers and bosses who want to play by their own rules.
Workers in British Columbia without a union are at the mercy of the employer, and policies that negatively affect their jobs can be implemented at any moment. Workers are forced to resolve issues or unfair workplace practices with their employer all by themselves. But unions provide workers with a collective strength that no one individual could have on their own.
That’s because unionized workers have a collective agreement, which is a legally binding contract that provides guarantees covering pay, benefits, and other rights that aren’t available to non-unionized workers. CUSW members throughout British Columbia are protected by experienced union stewards and officials who know the ins and outs of their agreements and are ready to defend their interests when called to do so.
That’s all part of the union advantage. And you don’t even have to take our word for it. The Big Business community in Canada complain about the Union Advantage all the time (as if it’s actually a bad thing). But working people and wage earners know otherwise.