FAQs
YOUR QUESTIONS, ANSWERED
Explore some of the most frequently asked questions about joining a union, including dues, how strikes work, and why you should join the Public Service Alliance of Canada.
What exactly is a union?
A union is a democratic organization formed by employees who join together and use their strength to have a voice in their workplace. Through a union, employees have the ability to negotiate from a position of strength with employers over wages, benefits, workplace health and safety, job training and other work-related issues. Unions use employees’ collective strength to ensure management acts fairly and treats them with respect.
Why does CMHC need a union?
With workforce restructuring imminent, CMHC employees need a way for our voices to be heard so that we can protect our compensation and benefits. We pride ourselves on a culture of collaboration and flexibility at CMHC-–but this isn’t something we should take for granted. A collective agreement will ensure that employee voices are respected for the long term.
What is a collective agreement?
A collective agreement is a contract that is negotiated between an employer and employees with the support of a union. It can cover our compensation, benefits, working conditions, leave provisions, severance packages, and more. While a union cannot prevent all changes within a workplace, a collective agreement can define how these changes impact employees. As soon as we certify our union, our working conditions, pay and benefits would freeze in place as of the day of our certification. We will then elect a local bargaining committee, made up of CMHC employees and PSAC experts. Through a fully participatory and democratic process the committee will involve all employees in the development and prioritization of bargaining proposals.The bargaining team will then go to the table knowing what matters most to CMHC employees and with the goal of improving our working conditions, safeguarding our job security and protecting our rights.
Will unionizing mean that we are covered by the same union contract as federal government workers?
No.
Once CMHC employees successfully unionize, we will elect a bargaining team made up of our colleagues. This bargaining team, together with a PSAC negotiator will begin with the employment agreements we already have and compare these with other unionized workplaces in our sector. This will create foundation from which to advocate for specific workplace issues.
Together, CMHC employees will provide input and determine our priorities. The negotiations will reflect those priorities. Members have the right to ratify any settlement that is reached by secret ballot vote.
Why join PSAC?
PSAC already represents employees in federal crown corporations and agencies — including the CMHC employees at Granville Island. PSAC is one of the largest public sector unions in Canada, representing over 240,000 workers.
Creating a PSAC bargaining unit at CMHC means we have autonomy over bargaining decisions and support from the PSAC as a whole. PSAC has fought hard against federal government return-to-office mandates and has considerable experience navigating this issue.
Years before the pandemic, CMHC was proud to offer a flexible, results-oriented work environment. Hybrid work arrangements were a major job benefit advertised by the employer. With PSAC’s expertise, a union of CMHC employees will challenge “return-to-office” mandates and seek to negotiate remote work provisions that support both our productivity and our work life balance.
Click here for more information about the remote work campaign
Federal unions join forces to launch new remote work campaign | Public Service Alliance of Canada
How would a Union fight back against job cuts or jobs being transferred to the new entity Build Canada Homes?
By forming a union, a bargaining team will negotiate on everyone’s behalf to make sure our pay and benefits are protected in the event of an Interchange or secondments.
A collective agreement could include better severance packages including payment amounts for completed (or expected) years of service, support to retrain, and even more notice when the decision to cut back is made.
Would a union at CMHC create more bureaucracy and slow down our work?
A union can improve labour relations between employees and management. For example, regular joint labour-management meetings could offer space to accomplish shared goals, if we push for them in our collective agreement.
CMHC employees care about our work. Our goal is to improve our working conditions so that we can achieve the best results possible for Canadians.
Who can be part of this Union at CMHC?
Anyone who does not have the authority to hire, fire or discipline another employee can join. This means that contract employees, Advisors, Specialists, Officers, Analysts, Administrators, etc. are all eligible to sign Union Cards.
Will my employer know that I signed a union card?
A collective agreement is a contract that is negotiated between an employer and employees with the support of a union. It can cover our compensation, benefits, working conditions, leave provisions, severance packages, and more. While a union cannot prevent all changes within a workplace, a collective agreement can define how these changes impact employees. As soon as we certify our union, our working conditions, pay and benefits would freeze in place as of the day of our certification. We will then elect a local bargaining committee, made up of CMHC employees and PSAC experts. Through a fully participatory and democratic process the committee will involve all employees in the development and prioritization of bargaining proposals.The bargaining team will then go to the table knowing what matters most to CMHC employees and with the goal of improving our working conditions, safeguarding our job security and protecting our rights.
How much are union dues?
Union dues are approximately 1.6% of gross salary.
Nobody pays union dues until we have bargained a first collective agreement and have voted to accept it..
Union dues are a pool of resources for members to use for: negotiations, bargaining, member education and legal resources. Union dues are fully tax deductible.
How do strikes work?
Members vote whether to strike or not. No strike can occur without a democratic majority vote by secret ballot.
Although the vast majority of contracts are achieved without a work stoppage, a strike vote raises the stakes in negotiations and is often used as bargaining leverage.
When will the Union be in place?
It all depends on how quickly employees sign their Union Cards. Once 50% of eligible employees have signed a card, we can apply to the Canada Industrial Relations Board to be certified without a vote and move on to the collective bargaining process.
Visit this link to Sign a Card and learn more.
GO DEEPER
Our Victories
PSAC has a long history of securing important wins on behalf of its members and all Canadians. Click below for more information about PSAC’s history and victories.