Change in pay rates made for all employees in a workplace or particular group.

 

The equivalent to grievance arbitration; a method under the Public Service Employees Relations Act of providing a settlement of disputes arising out of the terms of any Agreement.

 

A union which is a member of a group of unions.

 

A clause in a collective agreement similar to the Rand Formula.

 

AGREEMENT, COLLECTIVE

A contract (agreement and contract are used interchangeably) between one or more unions -- acting as bargaining agent -- and one or more employers, covering wages, hours, working conditions, fringe benefits, rights of workers and unions, and procedures to be followed in settling disputes and grievances.

 

A method of settling disputes through the intervention of a third party whose decision is final and binding.  Such a third party can be either a single arbitrator, or a board consisting of a chairperson and one or more representatives.  Arbitration is often used to settle major grievances or for settling contract interpretation disputes.  Voluntary arbitration is that agreed to by any parties without statutory compulsion.  Compulsory Arbitration is that imposed by law.  Governments sometimes impose it to avoid a strike or to end one.

 

Special charges levied by the unions to meet particular financial needs.

 

Union designated by a labour relations board or similar representative of all employees in a bargaining unit for the purpose of collective bargaining.

 

Union designated by a labour relations board or similar representative of all employees in a bargaining unit for the purpose of collective bargaining.

 

Group of workers in a craft, department, plant, firm, industry or occupation, determined by a labour relations board or similar body as appropriate for representation by a union for purposes of collective bargaining.

 

The lowest rate of pay, expressed in hourly terms, for the lowest paid qualified worker classification in the bargaining unit.

 

Production and maintenance workers as contrasted to office and professional personnel.

 

CANADIAN LABOUR CONGRESS
Canada's national labour body representing over 80 per cent of organized labour in the country.

 

Official designation by a labour relations board or similar government agency of a union as sole and exclusive bargaining agent, following proof of majority support among employees in a bargaining unit.

 

A clause in a collective agreement authorizing an employer to deduct union dues and, sometimes, other assessments, and transmit these funds to the union.  There are four main types, the first 3 apply to union members only: (1) Voluntary revocable, (2) Voluntary irrevocable, (3) Compulsory, (4) Rand Formula -- dues deducted from union and non-union employees.

 

A job evaluation method based on a comparison of jobs against a money scale.

 

A provision in a collective agreement whereby all employees in a bargaining unit must be union members in good standing before being hired, and new employees hired through the union.

 

COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT -- See AGREEMENT.

 

Method of determining wages, hours and other conditions of employment through direct negotiations between the union and employer.  Normally the result of collective bargaining is a written contract which covers all employees in a bargaining unit, both union members and non-members.

 

A one-company group of employees, frequently organized or inspired by management and usually dominated by the employer.

 

A process which attempts to resolve labour disputes by compromise or voluntary agreement. By contrast with arbitration the mediator, conciliator or conciliation board does not bring in a binding award and the parties are free to accept or to reject its recommendation.  The conciliator is often a government official while the mediator is usually a private individual appointed as a last resort, sometimes even after the start of the strike.

 

Practice of employer having work performed by an outside contractor and not by regular employees in the unit. Not to be confused with subcontracting, which is the practice of a contracter delegated part of his/her work to a subcontractor.

 

CONTRACT -- See AGREEMENT.

 

Proposed changes to the collective agreement put forward by the union or the employer and subject to collective bargaining.

 

Periodic pay increase based on changes in the Consumer Price Index, sometimes with a stated top limit.

 

Also called horizontal union.  A trade union which organized on the principle of limiting membership to some specific craft or skill (i.e. electricians, plumbers, etc.). In practice, many traditional craft unions now also enrol members outside the craft field, thereby resembling industrial unions.

 

Withdrawal by a Labour Relations Board of its certification of a union as exclusive bargaining representative.

 

Transferring an employee to a job involving reduced responsibilities and duties and possibly a reduction in pay.

 

A section of a collective bargaining agreement reserving to management the right to penalize employees for disobedience.

 

Period when a machine is not operating due to mechanical failure, lack of materials, etc., through no fault of the operator, but with the machine operator still on the job.  Under a union contract, down time is usually paid for.

 

DUES
Periodic payments by union members for the financial support of their union.

 

A federation, chartered by the Canadian Labour Congress, grouping local unions and labour councils in a given province.

 

Non-wage benefits, such as paid vacations, pensions, health and welfare provisions, life insurance, etc., the cost of hwihc is borne in whole or in part by the employer.

 

Complaint against management by one or more employees, or a union, concerning an alleged breach of the collective agreement or an alleged injustice.  Procedure for the handling of the grievance is usually defined in the agreement.  The last step of the procedure is usually arbitration.

 

A headquarters from which a union fills requests for workers. A central hiring hall is a plce where union workers gather for referral to seasonal or casual jobs.  A joint hiring hall is sponsored by employers as well as a union.  A preferential hiring hall is one in which union members get first referrals to jobs.

 

INDUSTRIAL UNION
Also called Vertical Union. A trade union which organizes on the principle of including all workers from one industry, regardless of their craft or whether they are skilled or unskilled.

 

Method of pay which varies according to the production. Pay may depend upon number of pieces of work completed by the individual or groups of workers. Wages may be paid on a piece, bonus or premium basis. Contracts guarantee incentive workers a minimum hourly rate.

 

A court order restraining an employer or union from committing or engaging in certain acts.

 

An international trade union body formed in 1949. Composed of a large number of national central labour bodies such as the Canadian Labour Congress.  It represents 125 million members in non-communist countries.

 

Tripartite world body representative of labour, management and government. An agency of the United Nations. They disseminate labour information and set minimum international labour standards, called "conventions," offered to member nations for adoption.  Headquarters are located in Geneva, Switzerland.

 

A union which has members in both Canada and the United States.

 

Investigation of duties and operations of a job to determine its requirements in terms of human abilities and relationships.

 

Job rating based on an analysis of the requirements of the work.

 

A part of job evaluation involving a review of the nature of the work, its relation to other jobs, the working conditiosn, the degree of responsibility and other qualifications called for by the work.

 

A system designed to create a hierarchy of jobs based on factors such as skill, responsibility or experience, time and effort.  Often used for the purpose of arriving at a rational system of wage differentials between jobs or classes of jobs.

 

A provision in a collective agreement protecting a worker's job, as in the introduction of new methods of machines.

 

A dispute between two or more unions as to which one shall represent a group of employees in collective bargaining or as to whose members shall perform a certain kind of work.

 

Institute of high education for trade union members, operated by the Canadian Labour Congress for the purpose of providing a training ground for future trade union leaders.

 

Organization composed of locals of CLC-affiliated unions in a given community of district.

 

A board established under provincial or federal labour relations legislation to administer labour law, including certification of trade unions as bargaining agents, investigation of unfair labour practices and other functions prescribed under the legislation.

 

Temporary, prolonged or final separation from employment as a result of lack of work.

 

Permitted absence of an employee for a limited period, ordinarily without pay.

 

Also known as lodge or branch.  A basic unit of union organization. Trade unions are usually divided into a number of locals for the purposes of local administration.  These locals have their own constitutions and elect their own officers; they are usually responsible for the day-to-day administration of collective agreements covering their members.

 

A labour dispute in which management refuses work to employees or closes its establishment in order to force a settlement on its terms.

 

A union whose membership is confined to Canada only.

 

NEW DEMOCRATIC PARTY (NDP)

A contract clause limiting the freedom of workers to strike during the life of the agreement. Used when the contract provides for final settlement of grievances through arbitration. Compulsory in all provincial labour contracts.

 

A Paris-based forum of the 29 richest countries, including the European Union, Japan, Korea, Australia, Canada, U.S. and Mexico.

 

A shop in which union membership is not required as a condition of security or retaining employment.

 

Hours worked in excess of a maximum regular number of hours fixed by statute, union contract or custom.  Clock overtime is a premium, paid-for work during specified working hours, required by collective bargaining agreement.

 

Higher rate of pay fixed by statute, union contract or custom for hours worked in excess of a specified straight time maximum.

 

Regular payments by a local to its national or international union, labour council or federation, or by a union to its central labour body. It is based on the number of members.

 

Patrolling near employer's place of business by union members -- pickets to publicize the existence of a labour dispute, persuade workers to join a strike or join the union, discouraging customers from buying or using employers' goods and services, etc.

 

A form of incentive pay under which wages are paid according to the number of pieces produced.  Pay may be relted to individual or group production. Unlike an hourly rate of pay under which a worker receives a flat fixed rate which does not vary with output.  Most contracts guarantee piece rates workers a minimum hourly rate.

 

Required display of the vacancies available for completion within the bargaining unit.

 

A system under which employers agree to hire only union workers so long as the union is able to fill demands for workers.

 

A wage rate higher than straight time, payable for overtime work, work on holidays, night shifts or scheduled days off, etc., or for work under extraordinary conditions such as dangerous, dirty or unpleasant work.

 

Trial period. Time during which a new employee is on trial by the company and is subject to discharge without union challenge except where the discharge is discriminatory.

 

Advancing an employee to a position paying a higher salary.

 

An attempt by one union to induce members of another union to defect and join its ranks.

 

Also called Agency shop. A union security clause in a collective agreement stating that the employer agrees to deduct an amount equal to the union dues from all members of the bargaining unit, whether or not they are members of a union for the duration of the collective agreement.  See Checkoff.

 

Employer acceptance of a union as the exclusive bargaining representative for the employees in a bargaining unit.

 

RED CIRCLE RATE
A rate of pay for a particular employee which is higher than the maximum rate range or the rate for the work that the employee is doing.  For example, because of old age, disability or the like, an employee may be demoted to easier, typically lower-paying work with no reduction in pay.

 

REOPENER
A provision calling for reopening a collective agreement or a specified time prior to its expiration of bargaining on state subjects such as wage increase, pension, health and welfare, etc.

 

Term used to designated an employee's status relative to other employees, as in determining order of lay-off, promotion, re-call, transfer, vacations, etc.  Depending on the provisions of the collective agreement, seniority can be based on length of service alone or on additional factors such as ability or union duties.

 

Lump sum payment by the employer to a worker laid off permanently through no fault of the worker.

 

The stated daily working period for a group of employees, e.g. 8 am-4 pm, 4 pm-12 midnight, 12 midnight-8 am. See Split Shift.

 

Added pay for work performed at other than regular daytime hours.

 

SHOP STEWARD
A union official who represents a specific group of emembers and the union in union duties, grievance matters, and other employment conditions.  Stewards are usually part of the work force they represent.

 

A deliberate lessening of work effort without an actual strike, in order to force concessions from the employer.  A variation fot his is called a work-to-rule strike -- a concerted slowdown in which workers, tongue in cheek, simply obey all laws and rules applying to their work.

 

Division of an employee's daily working time into two or more working periods, to meet peak needs.

 

An unbearable increase in the worker's pace.

 

A cessation of work or a refusal to work or continue work by employees in combination or in accordance with a common understanding for the purpose of compelling an employer to agree to terms or conditions of employment.  Usually the last stage of collective bargaining when all other means have failed.  Except in special cases, strikes are legal when a collective agreement is not in force.  A Rotating or Hit-and-Run strike is a strike organized in such a way  that only part of the employees stop work at any given time, each group taking its turn.  A Sympathy Strike is a strike by workers not directly involved in a labour dispute -- an attempt to bring pressure to an employer in a labour dispute. A Wildcate Strike is a strike violating the collective agreement and not authorized by the union.

 

Also known as SCABS.  A person who continues to work or who accepts employment to replace workers who are on strike. By filling their jobs, he/she may weaken or break the strike.

 

Vote conducted among members of a union to determine whether or not to go on strike.

 

A layoff from work or from union membership as a disciplinary measure.

 

Technical changes to production methods such as the introduction of labour-saving machinery or new production techniques. These often result in person-power reductions.

 

Workers organized into a voluntary association, or union, to further their mutual interests with respect to wages, hours, working conditions and other matters of interest to the workers.

 

The taking over of the administration of a local union's affairs, including its treasury, by the parent body.

 

Those employer or union activities that are classified as "unfair" by labour relations acts.

 

Also known as a BUG.  A tag, imprint or design affixed to a product to show it was made by union labour.

 

Provision in collective agreements designed to protect the institutional life of the union.

 

A place of work where every worker covered by the collective agreement must become and remain a member of the union.  New workers need not be union members to be hired, but must join after a certain number of days.

 

An employer and a trade union may agree that the employer shall recognize the trade union as the exclusive bargaining agent of the employees in a defined bargaining unit.

 

Loose term for a strike.

 

Term applied to workers in offices and other non-production phases of industry.

 

A Geneva-based organization with 130 member countries.  It is the principal forum for managing global trade and investment.

 

A practice whereby workers obey all laws and rules pertaining to their work, therby effecting a slowdown.  A refusal to perform duties which, though related, are not explicitly included in the job description.

 

Conditions pertaining to the workers' job environment, such as hours of work, safety, paid holidays and vacations, rest period, free clothing or uniforms, possibilities of advancement, etc.  Many of these are included in the collective agreement and subject to collective bargaining.