Should we, the workers of 300 Queen St. West, be ORGANIZED or DISORGANIZED?
or
Currently we are DISORGANIZED.
When we are disorganized it is easy for the company to get its way. They negotiate with us one at a time. This isn't much of a negotiation at all. Your only leverage is to threaten to quit, which is not much leverage at all. MEC can easily replace a single worker.
If we organize ourselves into a union, MEC will have no choice but to negotiate with all of us as one big group. MEC cannot function without its staff. As a group we have lots to leverage.
Signing a union card is CONFIDENTIAL. No matter what happens in the future, management will never be able to learn who did or didn’t sign a card. The card requires your personal contact information. This will be kept under lock and key and will never be passed to a third party.
Voting will be CONFIDENTIAL. Management will never be able to learn who voted which way.
Companies do not generally want their workers unionized. Companies prefer to make all decisions on their own. Workers tend to want things that make their lives better. This can get in the way of increasing profits for a company’s owners.
What sort of things can make OUR LIVES better?
Once we unionize, that will be up to us to discuss and decide. Here’s what other workers have won:
Workers at Springhill Suites
Highlights
• Significant wage increases of 13% over 4 years
• Negotiated an extra personal day, making it a total of 3 personal days plus a day off with pay on birthday
• Negotiated a premium wage rate for training new hires
Workers at Baton Rouge
Highlights
• Wage Increases
• Increased Vacation Time
• Scheduling Improvements
What to expect from THE COMPANY:
We’ve seen in Vancouver and Victoria that MEC will not hesitate to use the union-busting playbook.
Read more at CBC News
The Company: “Unionized stores make less. Although we’d like to increase their wages, we cannot since they are locked into a contract.”
The Reality: With a contract wages cannot be reduced, but they can certainly be increased. If MEC tries to pay unionized stores less, it is a union-busting tactic. It is potentially illegal since they are legally bound to negotiate in good faith.
The Company: “We pay high wages already.”
The Reality: MEC pays what it pays because it has little choice. Our last wage increase occured days before the legally mandated minimum wage increase.
The Company: “Union dues are expensive.”
The Reality: Union dues range from $8.32 to $11.32 per week, depending on how many hours you work. We would never agree to a contract that does not at least cover this small amount.
Want to Support our Efforts?
We greatly appreciate your support in the following ways:
• Following our instagram @mectorontounion
• Call into the store at (416) 340-2667
• Leave a google review expressing your support
• Come to our rally on Sunday, October 22nd from 3pm to 6pm outside MEC Toronto (300 Queen Street West)
Connect with us via email at: mecqueenst@gmail.com