Collective Bargaining

the central importance of bargaining/video of Danika

Collective bargaining is the central activity of all unions. The collective bargaining process allows workers the opportunity to decide as a group on common goals that can be pursued at the bargaining table.

Once the members of the union have decided on the priorities for a round of bargaining, the union, through its bargaining committee, can devise the best strategy for achieving or moving closer to the bargaining priorities. The result is a collective agreement, which sets out in writing the working conditions negotiated between the union and the employer.

Unfortunately, not all workers have the right to bargain collectively with their employers. More than 60 percent of Canadian workers do not yet belong to unions and therefore they do not have any bargaining rights.

Moreover, many unions, especially public sector unions, are prevented from bargaining about certain issues or do not have the right to strike to back up their bargaining goals. These kinds of restrictions affect many CUPE members. For example, CUPE members working for the provincial government in New Brunswick are prohibited by law from negotiating several important issues, such as the employer’s job classification system, while CUPE hospital workers in Ontario are prohibited by law from engaging in strike action. In both cases the restrictions placed on bargaining make it difficult for the unions involved to represent the interests of CUPE members.

The collective bargaining system offers the best way for workers to gain a voice and some measure of control at the workplace. This important union right cannot be taken for granted. It took decades of persistent and often violent struggle for Canadian workers to force employers and governments to recognize the right of workers to bargain collectively about working conditions. Today, these rights are being attacked by right-wing politicians and employers. As trade unionists we must be prepared to fight to defend and extend free collective bargaining rights for all Canadian workers.

Learn more about the importance of bargaining, right from other members: