As many as 1,650 employees of Agricore United could be voting this
spring on whether to be part of a union.
The Grain Services Union and AU management are working out the final
details, including exactly how many workers will be eligible to vote.
But both sides say they agree the employees have the right to determine
whether they want the GSU to be their collective bargaining agent in
contract talks with Canada’s newest grain company, created last fall by
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GSU general secretary Hugh Wagner said he is confident a vote will take
place.
“There’s just a few details to iron out in relation to who is eligible
to vote, the vote procedure itself, the protocol of the campaign, the
time frame and so forth,” he said.
AU spokesperson Tracey Bryksa said the company has always supported the
idea of a free vote to determine union representation.
“At this point things are moving along well and I would say that a vote
is the very likely outcome,” she said. “But at this point we’re not
saying it’s 100 percent certain.”
The union wants all grain, agro and maintenance employees in the four
western provinces who have not officially received severance from the
company to be eligible to vote.
It says about 1,650 employees should be eligible. About 700 of those
workers are members of the GSU by virtue of their previous employment
with Agricore, while another 950, former employees of UGG, are not
union members.
The company has not said how many it believes are eligible to vote.
The two sides have agreed that until a vote occurs, AU employees who
came from Agricore will continue to be covered by the collective
agreement between the GSU and Agricore.
Wagner said the union will have campaigners and organizers “on the
ground” in all four western provinces as soon as the vote gets under
way.
“It’s going to be a very large task,” he said. “This is not something
anybody takes for granted and we are going to work hard to make sure
it’s successful.”
He said the current environment in the grain industry could help the
GSU as it tries to convince the employees of the benefits of belonging
to a union.
“It will be clear that union members have very distinct advantages in
terms of income protection, severance, benefits and options for dealing
with elevator closures,” he said.
Bryksa said the company’s role would be to give employees the facts
they need to make an informed choice.
“If there is a vote … it’s a matter of providing our employees with
all the information they need to know about their employment
conditions,” she said.
This won’t be the first time the GSU has tried to organize employees of
UGG. In 1988 it fell short of the majority needed in a membership
sign-up campaign, then receiving only 32 percent in a subsequent vote.
Wagner said the vote is also important for the future of the union.
Depending on the outcome, the GSU will either gain more than 900 or
lose 700 dues-paying members. Either way will have big financial
implications for the union, which has already seen its membership rolls
take a hit as a result of layoffs and cutbacks at Saskatchewan Wheat
Pool.
“It’s a significant challenge and it’s a risk,” said Wagner.
“But what happens in the event of a negative vote is not at the top of
our minds at the moment.”
Western Producer reporters are members of a different local of the GSU.
