Labour unions are indeed at a crossroads as one SFU expert tells us on page 28 of today’s paper.
Unions are facing globalization, changing labour codes making it easier for employers to influence the unionization process, an aging union membership and an economic marketplace that is cutthroat for workers. It’s no wonder that recent statistics show a declining rate of unionization in B.C.
Statistics Canada says B.C.’s unionization rate was 36 per cent in 1997, 33 per cent in 2005 and 31 per cent in 2012. That’s not a good trend for unions.
It’s not that unions can’t make a powerful case for workers to join their organizations. Unions can provide job security, good benefits, fair processes and health and safety standards not found in many workplaces. No, they can’t guarantee that your company won’t be sold from under you, but they can negotiate severance packages, which provide some cushion in tough times.
But joining a union requires some commitment – even if it is just signing a membership card and saying no to the boss. But in these tough economic times sometimes workers are too scared to do that. And who can blame them? Take the current teachers’ labour dispute. No matter which side you support, it’s pretty clear that the teachers will lose more than they will gain when all is said and done.
Gone are the days when union members would come out of ratification meetings clapping each other on the back, bearing collective agreements with large pay increases and more benefits. Nowadays union leaders are pleased to support contracts that don’t have clawbacks in them.
But for those who think that only unions are losing ground, think again. We all benefited from what unions fought and gained over the decades, and, to be sure, we will all bear the consequences of what unions are losing in today’s battles.
