Our Goal is to improve the lives of our union members and the health of the communities they live in. We service our members’ needs by negotiating and enforcing good Collective Agreements for their workplaces but also by fighting inequality, fighting discrimination and by fighting for dignity.
We know we make a difference because we negotiate with employers in almost every sector of the economy.
MYTHS ABOUT THE UNION
The Union does not want us they just want the Company.
It does not benefit us to organize the company and cut the employees loose. The union has long understood that the only way we can insure decent wages and working conditions for all UNION workers, is to manage the supply of skilled manpower.
If the Union comes in they will get rid of us and bring in their own people.
Again this will not benefit us in any way. We want you to become union members and stay employed with your current employer.
ENOUGH IS ENOUGH
Have you been treated unfairly?
Mistakes on your paycheque
Lost wages due to bankruptcy
Arguments over hours worked
Unfair disbursement of overtime hours
Unpaid coffee and lunch breaks
Irregular starting and quitting times
Failure to sign you as an apprentice
Fired without just cause
Being a union member
Somethings you may want to know about being a union member:
Because they bargain collectively, union members earn about 27% more than their non-union counterparts.
Union members and their family enjoy health & welfare coverage that only a small fraction of their non-union counterparts enjoy.
Unions help local communities by generating more revenue for workers and that contributes to better schools, public works and other community programs.
Earlier union members fought for many of the benefits we now take for granted. The eight-hour day, overtime pay, health care coverage, occupational safety laws, workers’ compensation, minimum wage, retirement security and unemployment insurance were unheard of until the advent and continuing efforts of the Labour movement.
Unions have been a strong advocate of the working family. Thanks to unions, workers have had the option of working stable hours-allowing them time to provide for family stability. Unions have also been at the forefront of medical and family leave efforts that allow parents to stay home with their children or care for an elder.
Today, the Labour movement serves as a powerful voice for working families in the global economy.
Unions are fighting outsourcing and the exploitation of cheap Labour overseas while curbing abuses of part time and temporary Labour here at home
Union Dues
Each production shop will have a CHECK-OFF OF $20.00 DOLLARS A MONTH AND 1 % OF THE GROSS MONTHLY WAGES.
The employer will deduct the production member’s dues and remit them to the union hall IN MOST CASES.
Wages - There are a variety of Production shops represented by Local 540. Each company has its own classifications, wages and collective agreements
