Once at least 40% of Brock University Faculty of Education sessional instructors sign a membership card, CUPE will submit an application to the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB).
The OLRB will hold a vote within 1 week to see if workers want a union.
The OLRB holds a secret ballot vote of all workers in the bargaining unit (management does not vote). If the majority of workers who cast ballots vote to unionize, the union is certified.*
The union will serve notice to your employer to begin bargaining your first collective agreement. You will elect a bargaining committee of your coworkers who will be trained and given resources on how to go through the process.
This information is confidential; your employer never gets to see who signed union cards.
Your Union, Your Rights
You have a right, protected in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, to join a union. You are also covered under the Labour Relations Act (LRA), guaranteeing protection from:
- Employer interference, coercion, or intimidation during a union organizing campaign
- Interference in the formation or administration of a union
- Interference with the union representing its members
- Discrimination because of union activity or membership
If, at any point, your employer does engage in any of these prohibited tactics, please reach out to your CUPE Organizer so we can fight together.