Unifor’s Community Chapters are a new form of union membership that aims to reach out to groups of workers that are generally excluded from union membership.

Potential groups of people may include workers in workplaces where organizing campaigns have not yet succeeded; workers in precarious jobs; unemployed workers; students and any other group of workers hoping to improve their economic and social conditions.

Why start a Community Chapter?

• Because you want to improve the working conditions in your workplace
• Because you are a precarious, contract, freelance or self-employed worker or any other kind of worker that is traditionally excluded from collective bargaining
• Because you are unemployed and know other people in the same situation who want to improve their conditions of work and life
• Because you want to help redefine how people see and understand unions
• Because you think unions should work to defend the rights of all working people
• Because you think we’re stronger when we work together

Forming a Community Chapter

Becoming a Unifor Community Chapter member is much more than just choosing, as an individual, to join the union. It is rooted in a process of building the collective power of working people.

Community Chapters may be formed where there is a critical mass of interest among people who are not members but who wish to come together. By uniting under a Community Chapter, they can form a new structure to work together for economic and social justice in their workplace and community.

The criteria to determine if a group is eligible to create a community chapter include:

• Commonality: The potential Community Chapter members must share some common interest that creates the potential for sustained shared activity. This point of commonality can be based in a workplace, a community or an interest.
• Critical mass: The potential Community Chapter must show the commitment of a sufficient number of dedicated and active members.
• Action plan: The potential Community Chapter must submit a clear strategy for how they will use the collective power of the union to better their conditions and win victories from employers, governments, or other campaign targets.
• Union principles: The potential Community Chapter members must support the founding principles of Unifor and adhere to the Unifor Constitution.

Interested? Contact Local 1996-O!

Unifor Local 1996-O is actively involved in helping potential members start their own community chapters.

Local 1996-O would love to hear from you and your co-workers in person. Contact us at local1996@gmail.com for more information or to set up a meeting. You can also reach us at 416-237-1996. We look forward to working with you to build a stronger tomorrow!