Rodger Cuzner moved, — That the Committee invite officials from the Canada Industrial Relations Board to appear as witnesses to answer questions regarding the implementation and administration of Bill C-525, An Act to amend the Canada Labour Code, the Parliamentary Employment and Staff Relations Act and the Public Service Labour Relations Act (certification and revocation – bargaining agent), and that answers to the following questions be provided in writing to the Chair of the Committee by 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, February 12, 2014:
1. How many certifications/revocations has the Board granted each year over the last ten (10) years?
- How many certifications required a vote?
- In certifications that did not require a certification vote, what percentage of the workers signed up for union membership?
- How many founded Unfair Labour Practice complaints have been made regarding organizing campaigns and by whom (i.e. employee, employer, union)?
2. What protections are in place to ensure there is no coercion from i) the organizing union, and or ii) the employer?
3. How do you deal with a union intimidating, misleading or misinforming workers in order to get them to sign cards?
4. How do you deal with an employer intimidating misleading or misinforming workers in order to get them not to sign cards?
5. Can the system be improved to ensure no coercion exists or that if it does it is discovered more easily?
6. Is the Canada Industrial Relations Board confident that workers who sign cards understand what that means (i.e. it constitutes a vote for exclusive representation by the union and that if 50%+1 membership is achieved there would be no certification vote)?
7. When a union tries to organize an employer, does the employer have an obligation to give the organizers a list of their employees to the union?
8. Does the employer have an obligation to provide the organizing union access to its property during the certification drive?
9. Is it legal for employers to meet with employees one-on-one or in groups to discuss the certification?
10. Are there any limits on employers distributing information to employees about the union certification?
11. How long is a union membership card valid for during a union certification drive?
12. Are employees able to revoke their signatures on a membership card? If so, how?
13. Is remedial certification a permitted remedy when an employer commits an Unfair Labour Practice?
14. What is the annual cost to administer the current law concerning certification/decertification?
15. What is the expected additional annual cost to administer the changes proposed in C-525, including any expected increase in personnel?.