A recent Supreme Court decision in the United States will allow workers in the government sector to decide whether they pay union dues or not.
union dues
Without a secret ballot, union organizers may pressure workers into supporting union certification.
For many Canadians, Labour Day is an opportunity to take a break from the day-to-day hustle of work, and relax or do something fun. But it’s also a good time to reflect on ways to improve our country’s labour relations laws, which govern the interaction between workers, unions, and employers.
Ontario, once Canada’s flourishing economic and manufacturing hub, is in steady decline with slow economic growth and rapidly expanding government debt being a sad yet reoccurring story.
With Labour Day fresh in our memory and Ontarios unemployment rate having recently increased to 7.6 per cent, the province would do well to follow Indiana and Michigans lead and adopt worker choice laws. Doing so would make Ontario a significantly more competitive jurisdiction for business investment and provide a much needed shot in the arm for the provinces struggling manufacturing sector.
In 2012, both Indiana and Michigan enacted worker choice laws and there is a reasonable likelihood that Ohio may soon do the same.
As labour and capital have become more and more mobile, jurisdictional competitiveness is becoming more important in securing and maintaining economic prosperity. A minimum requirement is to have taxes, regulations, and other important policies competitive with competing jurisdictions. To gain an advantage, jurisdictions need policies that differentiate themselves from competing jurisdictions.
As BCs recently minted Clark government works through its economic priorities, it would be well advised to consider worker choice laws.