The Equal Pay Coalition was formed in 1976 as a coalition of organizations to seek the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value both through legislation and collective bargaining. The Coalition has over 39 constituent and partner groups which represent Ontario women and men who support equal pay for work of equal value . See About Us for more information.
Overview
Unionization is one of the most effective ways for women to achieve non-discriminatory wages. Women in unionized jobs earn, on average, $2 more than non-unionized women in similar jobs.
Almost one of every three Canadian workers belongs to a union. According to Statistics Canada, roughly 3.6 million employees in the Canadian Workforce in 2006 were union members.
Some of the reasons why people may choose to join unionized workplaces include:
Unionized workers in almost all countries earn higher wages than otherwise comparable non-union workers . This is referred to as the “union wage premium”, or “union wage advantage. The hourly union wage premium has been generally estimated to be in the range of 7% to 14% in Canada. Wages are only one part of the union advantage, which includes much higher non-wage benefits, such as pensions and health plans, and much more paid time off the job. Union members in Canada are about three times more likely to be covered by an employer-sponsored pension plan than non-union workers, and twice as likely to be covered by a medical or dental plan.
- Job security
- Improved wages
- Health Care, Pension Plans, and other Benefits
- Health and Safety
- Scheduling of hours
- A stronger voice through collective bargaining
- A right to vote on your contract
Countries with high levels of unionization, such as many European countries, have relatively equal wagesso that the incidence of low pay and earnings inequality are both much lower than in countries with much smaller unionization rates like Canada. About one in four full-time workers in Canada in the mid-1990s (23.7%) were low paid -- defined as earning less than two-thirds of the median national full-time wage -- compared to just one in twenty (5.2%) in Sweden, and only one in eight in Germany and the Netherlands. One-third of women in Canada were low paid, relative to the national median wage, compared to just 8.4% in Sweden. A recent OECD analysis finds that higher levels of unionization are still significantly associated with a higher level of overall pay equality and pay equity as between women and men at the national level.
Unionization tends to minimize some of the most overt forms of discrimination on the basis of gender and race, and many unions have consciously tried to promote pay and employment equity for their lower paid and women members through bargaining. Over the past two decades and more, the voice of women within most unions has become stronger, and the gender balance of elected leadership and staff in unions has become more equal (though still far from equality). In practice, unionized workers are also most likely to benefit from legislated pay and employment equity laws than are non-union workers because unions have the resources to make these laws effective.
Unions will clearly be a greater force for equality and higher pay for women if union coverage is high in sectors and occupations which would otherwise tend to employ many low paid and precarious workers, and if unions also pursue equality goals in collective bargaining. While higher wages for current members are obviously a key concern in union bargaining, the key goal of labour movements should be to expand the range of collective bargaining and to increase union density over the workforce as a whole.
For more information see:
Andrew Jackson, “Gender Inequality and Precarious Work: Exploring the Impact of Unions Through the Gender and Work Database” September 2004. CLC Research Paper #31
www.genderwork.ca/conference/Jackson_edited_final.pdf