Glossary

Glossary of Union Terms

• Bargaining Unit: A group of workers who bargain collectively with the employer. The unit may include all the workers in a single location or in a number of locations, or it may include only the workers in a single craft or department. 
•  Base Rate: A wage excluding premiums, benefits and incentive bonuses. 
•  Bumping: In a layoff, a worker takes over the job of a worker with less seniority. 
•  Business-Representative: A full-time representative of a Local Union whose job is to represent members in the Local. Paul Barton, and Mike Christensen, are the full time Business-Representatives for Local 464. 
•  Bylaws: A Local Union’s bylaws state how the Local is organized and what rules it must follow. Each Local develops its own bylaws, following the parent union’s constitution.
•  Certification: Official designation by a labour board of a labour organization entitled to bargain as exclusive representative of employees in a certain unit. 
•  Collective Bargaining: A process which workers, through their bargaining committee, deal as a group to determine wages, hours and other conditions of employment. Normally, the result of collective bargaining is a written contract, or Collective Agreement, that covers all workers in the bargaining unit. 
• Craft Union: A union whose membership is restricted to workers possessing a particular skill. Most craft unions today, however, have broadened their jurisdictions to include many occupations and skills not closely related to the originally designated craft. Local 464 started out representing dairy works and continues to today however we also represent office workers, carpet cleaners and bakery and retail workers. 
•  Delegate: Person who represents the membership of the Union such as someone elected to attend a convention.
•  Grievance: Any worker dissatisfaction. The definition of a grievance is usually part of the contract, and therefore may vary from one contract to another. 
•  Grievance Procedure: A procedure usually established by a Collective Agreement to resolve disputes, problems or misunderstandings associated with the interpretation or application of the Collective Agreement. It consists of several steps with the last step of the procedure usually being arbitration. See your Collective Agreement for the Grievance Procedure at your workplace. 
• Job Classification: A group of jobs paid at the same wage rate. Joint Council: A Joint Council is an entity that co-ordinates the activities of Local Unions within your Province or your region. Local 464 affiliated with Joint Council 36. 
•  Jurisdiction: The specific industry, or area that a Local Union is chartered to organize and represent. 
• Just Cause: A reason an employer must give for any disciplinary action it takes against an employee. All Local 464 contracts have just cause requirements which place the burden of proof on the employer. 
• Letter of Understanding (LOU): An agreement between the Union and the employer. A LOU is often attached to a Collective Agreement. 
• Local Executive or Executive Board: Members elected as Officers of a Local Union. Offices and duties are set out in the Local Union’s bylaws and constitution. See Officers. 
• Local Union: A union organization formed under the constitution of a national or parent union. Local 464 is under Teamsters Canada and The International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Local Unions such as 464 have their own bylaws and elect their own Officers. 
• Made Whole: A catchall phrase used in grievance and other legal action where a remedy is sought from an employer. Often used in discharge and discipline cases where the Union seeks to have a worker who had been wrongly discharged or disciplined returned to work and reimbursed all wages, benefits, or other conditions lost due to an employer's unjustified action.
• Management Rights: The employer’s right to operate the worksite as set out in a clause of each Collective Agreement and limited by other clauses. 
• Mediation: Efforts of a third party to help the Union and management reach agreement in a labour dispute. Mediators are sometimes brought in to clarify issues and suggest possible solutions.
• Member: Members are the backbone of the Union. They are the working men and women who belong to the Union. 
• Member in Good Standing: A union member in good standing is one who has fulfilled requirements for the organization and who has not voluntarily withdrawn from membership, been expelled, or suspended. 
• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA): A written, signed agreement that identifies what the Union and employer have agreed to in settling a Collective Agreement or other dispute. The Union and/or the employer may have to ratify the agreement before it becomes a Collective Agreement.
• Merit Increase: Increase in wages given to one employee by the employer to reward good performance. Unions often oppose merit increases because of a general lack of objective criteria for awarding increases, and thus allowing favouritism to enter into the decision to award the increase. 
• Officers: Members elected to act on behalf of the Union. Examples include the Secretary-Treasurer, President, Vice-President, Recording-Secretary and Trustees. Officers’ duties are set out in the bylaws or constitution. [link to Teamsters leadership] 
• Past Practice: How a union and employer acted in the past.
•  Probationary Period: The time during which an employer decides whether a newly hired worker is suitable. A worker has greater protection against being fired after completing the probationary period. 
•  Ratification Vote: A vote of bargaining unit members to accept or reject a proposed Collective Agreement (or other agreement). Every active member of Local 464 has a say in whether a contract is accepted or rejected. 
• Recall: The process for bringing laid off workers back to work. Retroactive: A change comes into effect on a date that has passed. For example, if the Union negotiates a wage increase during bargaining, you may be owed that increase back to when the Collective Agreement starts. 
• Seniority: A listing of workers in order of length of service or time worked. Employers often use seniority to decide who will be promoted, laid off or recalled. Seniority is usually applied across the bargaining unit, but it may be limited to a department or classification. 
• Shift Differential: Extra pay you earn when you work outside your regular daytime hours. 
• Rank and File: The members of a union. 
• Ratification: Formal approval of a newly negotiated agreement by vote of the Union members affected. 
• Teamsters Canada: A labour organization with over 125,000 members across Canada and affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters. Established in 1992, it is also affiliated with the Canadian Labour Congress. 
• Trustee: An elected union official whose duty is to monitor the finances of a Local Union, Joint Council, or the International Union [link to the bios for our trustees]. 
• Union Label or Bug: An imprint on an item or paper to suggest it was made with union labour. The "bug" is the printer's symbol.
•  Withdrawal Card: A card given by the Union, upon request of the member within 90 days of taking leave from the employer. Failure to request a Withdrawal Card will make you responsible for all back dues and possibly a re-initiation fee. Your request should be submitted before the end of the month in which you last worked. A Withdrawal Card allows a member to maintain his or her membership on an inactive basis. In other words, you will not owe union dues for any months you did not work after you obtain the Withdrawal Card. Additionally, this allows you to avoid paying a re-initiation fee when you return to employment.