Over the past month or so, the Union of Northern Workers has been involved in contract negotiations with a number of our bargaining units, some of which have recently been mentioned in the news.

When people in the North hear 'UNW', they likely think of our larger bargaining units SA国际影视传媒� GNWT, NTPC, City of Yellowknife, Ekati, etc SA国际影视传媒� because these are the ones that seem to spark the most media interest.

In fact, the UNW represents 32 bargaining units across the NWT and Nunavut. Our largest unit, the GNWT, has over 5,000 members, while our smallest units can have as few as three to four members.

One of the benefits of membership in an SA国际影视传媒渦mbrella unionSA国际影视传媒� such as the UNW (which in turn is a component of the Public Service Alliance of Canada), is that smaller units can stand up to employers knowing they have the support of a larger community of members.

When UNW members at the City of Yellowknife went on strike in 2023, members from several different UNW and PSAC bargaining units in Yellowknife (and beyond) visited the picket lines to show support, contacted their city councillors, and donated to the workersSA国际影视传媒� strike fund.

Last week, there was a solidarity barbecue in Fort Simpson in support of the UNW members with the Fort Simpson Housing Authority. This is a small but mighty bargaining unit, who were mobilizing for a potential strike starting Oct. 1 if their employer couldn't bring a respectful deal to the table.

Small units like the one in Fort Simpson may not have strength in numbers, but they have strength in solidarity; the UNW and PSAC will fight with every resource we have for all of our bargaining units, no matter the size.

This bargaining unit has less than 10 members, not the kind of numbers that attract media attention the way some of our larger units do. But this doesn't mean that their issues are less important, or that job action won't affect anyone.

While there are benefits to being part of a larger bargaining unit - especially when it comes to mobilizing members, and the potential impacts of job action SA国际影视传媒� being part of a smaller unit also has benefits. For example, every memberSA国际影视传媒檚 vote and voice carries more weight.

One of the common myths about unionizing that is sometimes perpetuated by anti-union employers is that you need a large group of workers before you can organize a workplace. While there are laws concerning what types of workers can unionize (doctors, for example, are typically not allowed) the number of workers is not a consideration.

Another myth is that only workers who are unhappy with their working conditions need to unionize.

In fact, unionizing a workplace and establishing a collective agreement between workers and an employer takes pressure off both sides when it comes to wages and benefits.

A collective agreement, if applied correctly, means that terms of employment are established and applied to everyone consistently. While some employers may encourage secrecy and competition within a workplace, for many employers, a collective agreement is a simple solution to reinforce expectations and obligations for both the employer and the workers.

ItSA国际影视传媒檚 important to note, though, that organizing must be member driven SA国际影视传媒� unions here donSA国际影视传媒檛 just show up at workplaces and start recruiting members. Unionizing a workplace is a democratic process that requires the majority of workers to agree before the process can even start.

You gain strength beyond your numbers if you choose to be part of a larger component like the UNW, and the even larger PSAC family.

Even broader than that, the labour movement as a whole operates on the principles of solidarity and standing with unionized workers no matter what union they belong to or who their employer is.

Unions take these principles seriously. Union leadership and members will show solidarity and support by not crossing other unionsSA国际影视传媒� picket lines, by making donations to strike funds to support workers and their families during job action, signing petitions, writing letters, wearing buttons, etc.

Unions use our collective voice to lift up our fellow members and show them that it doesn't matter if your bargaining unit has less than 10 members or thousands of members. We're all in this together, and we will stand together to improve wages, benefits, and working conditions, and raise the bar for all workers.