Case Studies

United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1000A Membership Bargaining Survey

UFCW Local 1000A used Union Calling to survey over 14,000 supermarket members throughout Ontario on their bargaining priorities. In several subsequent calls, President Kevin Corporon kept members continuously updated during prolonged contract negotiations. The knowledge gained from the survey was invaluable in giving the bargaining committee the confidence that they were speaking for the members. The bargaining update calls created an unprecedented solidarity that resulted in an excellent settlement that raised wages and protected jobs even though the employer was experiencing marketplace difficulties and was undergoing major restructuring.

Saskatchewan Nurses - Working Conditions Survey

Saskatchewan Union of Nurses President Rosalee Longmoore, called over 8,000 SUN members to survey them on what they would do if working conditions for nurses in the province did not dramatically improve over the next three years. Saskatchewan is currently short over 1,000 nurses and the stresses on existing nurses are becoming intolerable.

Quarter-million calls made during Toronto CUPE Strike

In the longest-ever strike in Toronto Civic workers’ history, the 26,000 members of CUPE Local 79 and TCEU Local 416 staged an epic showdown with Mayor David Miller, who was determined to wring massive concessions from City employees. Miller particularly targeted the longstanding sick day banking system that had been negotiated years ago in lieu of a wage increase. Over the course of the nearly six-week strike, Local 79 President Ann Dembinski and Local 416 President Mark Ferguson used Union Calling several times to update members on bargaining, quash rumours, announce rallies, bolster morale and, finally, announce a settlement that was a clear victory for the unions. A total of more than 250,000 calls were made and Union Calling statistics revealed that the vast majority of members listened to their presidents’ messages from start to finish.

PSAC calls on members to join Ottawa museum picket lines

Picket lines at Ottawa’s Museum of Civilization and the Canadian War Museum were swollen with members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada following a PSAC call to tens of thousands of its members in the National Capital Region. The call was made by a PSAC member, one of the 420 who work at the museums, asking for picket line support. The message was recorded and edited in both English and French and delivered to separate English and French phone lists provided by the union. Main issues in the strike are job security and a redress of the much lower wages of these workers compared to other museum workers in the Region.

OPSEU invents new way to use Union Calling to interact with members

Two days before his one-on-one meeting with Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) President Warren (Smokey) Thomas used Union Calling in a unique way to bring his members' personal views to the table. Thomas called members throughout the province to ask them to email directly to him what they would like him to tell the Premier. He provided his email address in the phone message. Thomas reported he was "overwhelmed" by the response. Over 1,000 pages of thoughtful and creative emails came in within 48 hours, providing a powerful foundation for his message to McGuinty that provincial employees deserve fair treatment, not wage freezes.

Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation - Call to "Rally of Respect"

OSSTF District 12 President Doug Jolliffe calls over 6,500 members to a negotiations "Rally of Respect" outside the offices of the Toronto District School Board to protest the employer's refusal to move from its position of an increased workload with no improvements to benefits. Despite the bitter cold, thousands of members show up in response to Jolliffe's call and noisily support their union.

Ontario Council of Hospital Unions - Protest at Ontario Legislature

Ontario Council of Hospital Unions President Michael Hurley hospital workers throughout southern Ontario to call them to a rally at Queen's Park to join the Ontario Health Coalition in protesting the Liberal government's plans to close Emergency Rooms and, in some cases, entire hospitals in smaller population centres. "This is our opportunity to tell the government we will not allow them to put the health of our loved ones at risk." Thousands showed up at the rally, which garnered extensive media coverage.

Nurses' unions call members about H1N1 protection

Nurses' unions used Union Calling to alert their members to precautionary standards for dealing with known or suspected H1N1 cases. United Nurses of Alberta president Heather Smith called all 28,000 UNA members to explain in detail the conditions under which N95 masks, gowns, gloves and goggles must be worn. Nova Scotia Nurses' Union president Janet Hazelton broadcast a similar message to all 5600 NSNU members, as did Debbie Forward, president of Newfoundland and Labrador Nurses' Union to all 5300 NLNU members. All presidents urged members to contact their union representative if proper protective equipment was not being supplied.

NSGEU One-day Strike Ends in Union Win

In 36 dramatic hours, aided by Union Calling, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union planned, staged and resolved a one-day strike at Halifax's IWK Health Centre. Four calls were made by President Joan Jessome during the day and a half, one as late as 10:30 p.m. Each of the calls was recorded, edited, programmed and broadcast within 90 minutes.

NSGEU - School Bus Drivers' Settlement

Martha Brown, 1^st Vice President of the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union, pre-recorded two messages to the 294 members who drive school buses in Halifax: 1) "I am pleased to inform you that the bargaining committee has reached a tentative settlement..." and 2) "I am disappointed to inform you that the bargaining committee was unable to reach an agreement..." Round the clock bargaining concluded with a settlement at 3:30 a.m. on a Sunday morning. Union Calling sent the call out at 9:00 a.m. telling members of the settlement and calling them to a meeting that afternoon to conduct the ratification vote.

Nova Scotia Nurses - Halifax Legislative Protest

Nova Scotia Nurses' Union President Janet Hazelton calls all members to urge them to attend a major protest rally at the Nova Scotia Legislature Opening to protest the Conservative government's plans to introduce legislation outlawing strikes in the health care sector. The colourful, upbeat rally attracted 500 health care workers from NSGEU, CUPE, SEIU and other unions.

MGEU - Healthcare Benefits Improvement

The Manitoba Government & General Employees' Union calls over 5,000 members to advise them of improvements to the Healthcare Employees' Benefits Plan and alert them to the information package being mailed. Members are urged to complete and return the benefits forms and given information on where to call if they have any questions.

Manitoba Nurses' Union - Wage Increase Announcement

MNU President Sandi Mowat calls all members to report that recent discussions with the provincial government have resulted in an additional wage increase that puts Manitoba nurses fourth in Canada in terms of wages. Members are referred to the union's website to see the new wage scales.

Majority in Toronto think union gains are at risk today says Union Calling/Forum Research poll; 75% support right to strike

In the first poll by the new partnership of Union Calling and Forum Research, it was found that the majority of Torontonians are aware of the historical contributions the labour movement has made to life in Canada, and they understand that some of these gains could be at risk if not defended with the same fervour that characterized the union movement in the past. Three out of four Torontonians support the right to strike and 62% believe that unions are as necessary today as they ever were. See full report. Union Calling, Canada’s largest provider of telecom technology services exclusively to unions and their allies has teamed up with Forum Research, one of Canada’s most respected opinion research firms to offer fast, accurate and inexpensive polling to unions that want to measure membership and general public opinion. “We are pleased to be able to now offer our clients top flight polling in cooperation with a company whose track record for accuracy is unparalleled,” said Bill Reno, Union Calling founder and president. “Precise knowledge of membership and public opinion empowers unions to conduct more successful and economically efficient campaigns." The poll on public attitudes towards unions was conducted by the Union Calling/Forum Research partnership for Toronto’s Local 113 of the Amalgamated Transit Union on August 13 and 14, among a randomly selected sample of 1207 Toronto adults 18 years of age and older. The poll was conducted by Interactive Voice Response (IVR) and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3%, 19 out of 20 times.

LIUNA - "Vote against Harper and the Conservatives!"

Mike, Ryan, Business Manager for Sudbury Local 493 of the Labourers' Union, calls all members to urge them to get out and vote in the October 2008 Federal election. Ryan tells members who they vote for is ultimately their choice but asks them to "Show Steven Harper and the Conservatives not to mess with Union Labour."