Unionized Canadians say unions provide the best job security
The majority of non-unionized Canadian workers are not interested in joining a union, according to a new poll.
Nanos Research surveyed 1,001 employed Canadians by telephone between July 20 and July 25, 2011, finding that about 33 per cent of respondents belonged to a union. Of the remaining 67 per cent, eight out of 10 non-unionized indicated they did not wish to be part of a union.
“The State of the Unions 2011” survey was commissioned by The Canadian LabourWatch Association. According to the organization’s website, its purpose is to assist employees in making informed choices when it comes to unionization.
Eighty-three per cent of the participants also said Canadian law should require both public and private sector unions to be financially transparent with the public. About 73 per cent of respondents were against union dues being used to pay for political attack ads.
"When it comes to giving the union bosses carte blanche on spending worker dues on politics, Canada stands alone," said LabourWatch president John Mortimer. "In virtually every other major economy, including the 47 nations composing the Council of Europe, Australia and the United States, the law bars unions from forcing unionized workers to pay dues for politics or be fired from their jobs."
In contrast, 80 per cent of respondents said that unions have a positive impact on job security and 54 per cent currently or formerly unionized respondents stated they believed their union dues were well-spent.
The margin of error for the survey is plus or minus 3.1 per cent, 19 times out of 20.
