The first step in standing up for your rights is to know your rights – and Unifor is here to help.

As Canada’s largest private sector union, with more than 300,000 members in every major sector of the economy, Unifor has the people to help you with whatever your concern might be. Whether its basic worker rights, health and safety issues or the benefits of collective bargaining, Unifor has the tools you need to make positive change in the workplace.

Worker’s Rights

You have rights. Rights that the law says must be respected, just as you and your co-workers must be respected as individuals.
 
Canadian laws set out the basic terms of employment in this country – hours of work, overtime, vacation and more. All workers have these rights, but too often those without a union find their employers abusing these rights. By joining a union, you can not only make sure your basic rights as a worker are respected, but start improving on the conditions of your work.

Health & Safety

Unionized work places are safer work places. Study after study proves that – and it’s not hard to understand why.

Workers in a union are better able to refuse unsafe work than those who fear losing their job if they say anything. But it’s more than that. Workers in unionized workplaces take an active role in setting out the conditions of work. This helps to prevent things from getting unsafe or unhealthy in the first place, which benefits everyone. With a union, you’ll have a chance to raise health and safety concerns before anyone gets hurt. Because sometimes it’s not just the work that’s unsafe – sometimes, speaking out isn’t safe, either. And a union can address both kinds of safety.

Benefits of Collective Action

By joining together, you and your co-workers can have a greater voice in your workplace and your community.

Having a union means you get to sit down with your employer and negotiate the terms of your employment. It’s called collective bargaining, and is entrenched in Canadian law as a way to bring fairness to the workplace. Statistics show that unionized workers have better access to benefits such as pensions and medical benefits and unionized workplaces are more likely to be safer and healthier places to work. By joining with your co-workers to form a union, you can start to improve your working conditions.