Union members pay dues and deserve to know where their money is being spent. Many workers feel they should be able to reject a first contract offer without going on strike. Our proposals would ensure that employees' true wishes are respected by requiring separate votes for ratification and strike action in first-contract situations. Currently, information on decertification is in short supply in Ontario workplaces. Unions do not provide this information, and employers are forbidden to do so.
Many workers have no idea how to go about decertifying their union.
Our proposals would make it mandatory for neutral, factual information on decertification to be posted in every unionized Ontario workplace. We will expand the time period when decertification applications can be made from 60 to 90 days at the end of a collective agreement. Many employers are telling us that the productivity of their workplaces is affected by repeated unsuccessful union drives. To aid workplace stability, our proposals would introduce a one-year cooling off period between failed certification drives. Mr. Speaker, the government's Throne Speech made a commitment to improve competitiveness in the construction sector.