Magna Autosystems employees!
Did you know you can make a difference at work and for your family by forming your own Steelworkers union?
Join the United Steelworkers union, where we we have thousands of members who work in 273 auto equipment plants, 97 parts manufacturing plants and 40 parts dealerships.
If you are tired of:
• No guaranteed annual wage increases when the cost of living is skyrocketing;
• Your Health and Safety being gambled with on the job;
• The inequality caused by favouritism in the workplace;
• Having to work mandatory overtime;
Then its time to form your own United Steelworkers union!
The USW union advantage:
There is strength in numbers! The United Steelworkers Union (USW) is the largest private sector union in North America with more than 225,000 members in Canada and more than 1.2 million active and retired members across Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. The USW are in every sector of the economy, from steel and saw mills, to automotive, manufacturing, telecommunications, education and healthcare.
Every year, thousands of workers choose to join the USW because of our strong track record of creating safer workplaces, and negotiating better working conditions and fairer compensation. After all, you work hard at your job, so do we.
Employees at Magna Autosystems in Belleville want and deserve respect on the job, equity and transparency in job postings and hiring practices and fairness in wage and benefit compensation at work.
You don’t have to accept things as they are. You have a voice. Your co-workers have a voice. And when workers stand together, positive changes are possible!
Being a union member means you have...
• A real say in your workplace.
• A strong collective voice that allows you and your coworkers to deal with management as equals and put an end to "one way" decision-making.
• Job promotions, transfers, layoffs, recalls that occur without favouritism.
• A way for your concerns and problems to be taken seriously and resolved.
• Support and Representation when dealing with Workers Compensation, health and safety, and other workplace issues.
• Access to union services, resources, and training needed to protect and improve your rights at work.
• The right to speak up without fear of being disciplined or fired.
• The Steelworkers' Union is its members - You are the Union in your workplace!
Here today, gone tomorrow...
It's true that many non-union companies provide competitive wages, benefits, and bonuses BUT nothing is guaranteed or protected without a union contract.
Why is a union contract important?
Your contract is a legally binding document between workers and the employer. It provides an opportunity to negotiate regular pay increases, benefits, and bonuses and address other issues important to you and your coworkers, such as job postings, unfair disciplines, unreasonable company policies, shift schedules, health and safety, and more.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Can I legally join a union?
YES. The Ontario Labour Relations Act guarantees your right to join a union and to participate in its lawful activities. The law also gives you the right to help your coworkers join the union too.
Can my employer, threaten or fire me for helping organize a union?
NO! It's your Constitutional right as a Canadian! The law protects you and the USW makes sure the law is upheld. The Labour Relations Act says it is illegal for your employer to fire you, suspend you, or punish you in any way for joining the USW or helping your coworkers join.
Aren't there laws that protect us?
Yes. There are laws that set out the minimum standards an employer has to meet, but those are only the basics, such as minimum wage. Also, laws can change, and not always for the better...
How much does it cost? Where do my union dues go?
Dues are only 1.55% of gross wages plus 2 cents per hour worked. For example, if you're earning $1000 a week. Your weekly dues are 1.55 percent of $1000 which works out to be $15.50 (plus 2 cents per hour worked.) And because dues are tax deductible, it's a lot less. Dues are collected and banked in Canada for the benefit of our Canadian members.
Also, you won't pay dues until you and your co-workers and vote to accept your first union contract.
Unions: myth vs fact
Myth: Unions are outside, third party, special-interest groups.
Fact: You are the union! A union is simply working people standing up for their right to protect improve the workplace. For example, your union leadership and bargaining committee at your workplace is democratically elected, by you, from your group of employees to bring up YOUR issues at the bargaining table.
Myth: Unions just want workers' dues.
Fact: Unions are not-for-profit organizations. The improvements workers win in pay, benefits and fair treatment through their unions are far greater than the cost of dues. In addition, union dues are tax-deductible. Dues pay the cost of contract negotiations, grievance and arbitrations, training for members, legal fees, and much more so the worker will never have to go at it alone.
Myth: Unions are strike happy.
Fact: Unions negotiate for agreements - not strikes. Interestingly enough, 97% of collective agreements in Canada are negotiated without a strike. In fact, more working days are lost each year to workplace accidents and injuries than are lost to striking employees.
Myth: Unions should be a thing of the past.
Fact: Well that line goes back as far as 1886 when the Toronto Globe used it in an editorial. Let's see, since then, unions have fought and gained; pension plans, medical plans, disability protection, minimum wage, health and safety, education programs, pay equity, vacations and vacation pay, and much more. Without unions, the balance of power shifts dramatically to the desires and decisions of the employer only.
Myth: Unions only protect the lazy... the people that should be fired.
Fact: No union contract requires an employer to keep a worker who is lazy, incompetent, or constantly absent or late. What the Union does is make sure dismissals are for "Just Cause" - for real reasons - not, for example, personality clashes between the management and an employee.
Myth: Unions mean more conflict in the workplace.
Fact: Unions and management are not on opposite sides of a spectrum - both want the same thing, for company's to be a success and keep workers employed. A union contract allows the company and workers to sit down as equals and discuss problems as they come up. Without a union, workers have no say, no protection and management is always right.
I invite you to check out the info we put together for you and learn what you have to gain by joining the USW. Click here to learn about the union.
The first step to forming your own Steelworkers union is to sign a union membership card. You can sign it online - from your phone, tablet or computer and card signing is 100% confidential.
Once 40% workers have signed cards, the Ontario Labour Board will conduct a vote where you get to vote YES to join the USW.
We will keep you updated every step of the way.
Have questions? –Let’s chat!
Darlene Jalbert, USW Organizer
613-362-4414
djalbert@usw.ca
Amanda Zakhour, USW Organizer
902-219-3544
azakhour@usw.ca