Unions and Professional Associations

Across Canada, people who do similar work are often organized into trade unions or professional associations.

The main purpose of a union is to provide a common voice in negotiating a contract or collective agreement for its members. This sets out the terms and pay rates under which union members will work for an employer, over and above the minimum standards set by provincial or federal labour laws. Unions have a leadership elected by the members, and each individual workplace has a local branch. Unions in Ontario are grouped into provincial and federal associations, the Ontario Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress.

A well-know union is the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW). Its 215,000 members are found not only in the auto industry , but also in industries as diverse as aerospace, mining and smelting, and hospitality. In addtion to negotiating contracts, the CAW provides services to its members and is active on social issues that affect them, such as advocating on behalf of a national child care policy.

Professional associations are similar to unions in many ways, except that they tend to represent individual members of an entire profession. They present a common voice for their membership, establishing fee schedules and sometimes lobbying governments for legislative change. They also provide services for their members. The Ontario Medical Association is a well-known example of such an association.

Professional associations are different from regulatory or governing bodies, which set the standards that individual members of a profession must meet, and give them licenses to practice. Ontario examples of regulatory bodies include the Law Society of Upper Canada, the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario. Many other professions, such as nurses and registered social workers, are governed by similar bodies.