employment canada labor-law british-columbia unions
Union fees were deducted but was never told there was a union
<p>I ask this question just out of curiosity. Please advise if it's a better fit for workplace or some other site.</p>
<p>I was hired to work at a store. I quit after having worked 2 hours. Part of the reason I quit so fast was because there was no paper work aside from the welcome email from HR. I finally received pay but given various union deductions the payment was very small (~$10). I had no idea there was a union or that this was a union job. Is this legal? Is there an upper limit to how much union fees can be taken off? Is it possible to be in a union and not know it (not withstanding union bylaws e.g. in another job management was required to periodically announce how members can contact the union and no retaliation will come for doing so)?</p>

<p><a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/L-2/section-70.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Labor Code §70</a> states that</p>
<blockquote>
<p>(1) Where a trade union that is the bargaining agent for employees in
a bargaining unit so requests, there shall be included in the
collective agreement between the trade union and the employer of the
employees a provision requiring the employer to deduct from the wages
of each employee in the unit affected by the collective agreement,
whether or not the employee is a member of the union, the amount of
the regular union dues and to remit the amount to the trade union
forthwith.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>so yes, it is legal to deduct union dues. There is no requirement to notify a prospective employee that they will be required to be a member of a union. The employer is required to inform you of deductions for taxes and union dues, under §254, when they pay you, which is why you know that you were a member of a union. That is what labor law gives you, but a union contract could impose other obligations on the employer. It is a matter of public record that a certain workplace is unionized, so you can find out, they just don't have to volunteer that information. There is no statutory limit on union dues, that is a matter set by the union.</p>
