Kinosis Lodge workers win the right to choose their own union

Workers at the Kinosis Lodge near Fort McMurray, Alberta are one step closer to achieving their goal of unionizing with UFCW Canada Local 401 after the Alberta Labour Relation Board (ALRB) threw out the Christian Labour Association of Canada’s (CLAC) unionization application and fined Aramark for providing inaccurate information to the Board. With this decision the ALRB has enabled Kinosis workers to freely choose their own union.

The Board commented that "the employer provided unlawful support to CLAC contrary to (the Labour Relations Code). This breach undermines the employee support for CLAC’s certification application and amounts to an 'other relevant matter' under section 39 (of the Code). We dismiss CLAC’s application as a result. In addition, we find the Employer interfered with the UFCW's representation of employees."

The ALRB went on to award the cost for legal representation, stating that "the  employer’s overall response to CLAC’s certification application amounts to an abuse of the Board’s process, justifying an award of cost against the Employer in favour of the Applicants under...the Code."

The ruling is a decisive victory for Kinosis Lodge employees and UFCW Canada Local 401, who have been fighting against CLAC - Aramark’s chosen union - since July 2012.

"We hope that this decision can put an end to this issue and we can move on to negotiating a fair union contract that will benefit the employees and allow the employer to prosper," says UFCW Canada Local 401 President Douglas O’Halloran. "However, the ALRB's ruling will not stop us in our fight against CLAC, as we still do not believe that they are a real union."

For more information about how CLAC works with employers to become management's union of choice, visit getarealunion.ca or thetruthaboutclac.ca. You can also read the Board's decision here.