Frequently asked questions

Below, you will find answers to questions most frequently asked by Toronto City Council staff members.

Will my employer find out that I signed a union card?

No. Cards are confidential. Only AMAPCEO representatives and the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) officials saw the cards. Your employer found out how many cards were submitted to the OLRB, but not who signed them. That information is not released by the OLRB.

How does unionization work?

In Ontario, the process of forming a union is a straightforward, two-step process that involves:

• card-signing by at least 40% of eligible employees in a workplace; and
• a secret ballot vote, where a majority of those voting —50%+1 —vote YES to form the union.

Once that happens, you will have formed your union and all Toronto City Council staff will be represented by AMAPCEO.

Toronto City Council staff have filed for certification with over 60% support for forming their union. Learn more about how unionization works here.

Who is part of the Toronto City Council staff union? Is it just one union for everyone?

Employees (non-management staff) for all Toronto City Councillors and the Mayor will be in the union and will be covered by one collective agreement that you negotiate with your employer, the City of Toronto. 

When it comes time to vote, will my employer know how I have voted? Can they make me disclose this information?

No. The vote conducted by the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB) is a secret ballot vote. The ballots are counted by the OLRB, and your employer never has access to them. The only way your employer will learn about how you voted is if you volunteer to make that information public. It is unlawful for your employer to require you to disclose how you intend to vote or how you voted. 

Is it lawful for the Toronto City Council or my manager to lay us off in response to our forming a union?

No. It is unlawful for your employer or manager to retaliate against employees for exercising your right to form a union. It is also unlawful for your employer or manager to imply that these scenarios will play out if you form a union. 

Can I lose my current terms and conditions of employment?

Once an application for union certification is filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), your existing terms and conditions of employment were “frozen” until your first collective agreement is negotiated.

This “freeze” on your terms and conditions has already occurred with the filing of the application on March 6. This legal protection means that your employer cannot retaliate against you for unionizing.

It means that your employer cannot change the terms of your employment—like your salary, benefits, and any other employment practices in place—without seeking and obtaining the union’s consent. If your employer wants to increase your compensation or address job classification, for example, before a first collective agreement is concluded, Toronto City Council leadership and your union, AMAPCEO, could come to an agreement. This right is protected under Section 86 of the Ontario Labour Relations Act.

When negotiating your first collective agreement, the goal is to formalize any beneficial terms of employment employees already have and to seek improvements to them.

Will being part of a union change my work environment and make it impossible for me to talk to my manager?

No. You still have the opportunity to discuss anything you want with your manager. A collective agreement simply establishes a clear, fair, and mutually agreed-upon process for addressing issues or concerns that you are not able to resolve on your own.

AMAPCEO takes a principled, problem-solving approach to labour relations and always works with members to address issues with management informally as a first step to preserve healthy working relationships.

Can we be forced to go on strike?

The decision to strike can only be made by you and your colleagues in a vote. Only a majority vote by the affected employees can authorize a strike, which would only ever occur as a last resort if negotiations were irreparably stalled.

In over 30 years of existence, AMAPCEO members have achieved meaningful gains through negotiations without needing to resort to striking. AMAPCEO has a problem-solving approach to labour relations, while being principled and firm in representing members’ interests. In fact, most collective agreements across the country are negotiated without union members striking.

How much are AMAPCEO membership dues?

Membership dues are 1% of your gross salary and are taken by payroll deduction. Union dues are 100% tax deductible. All AMAPCEO dues go to provide services and support for members.

You will not start paying dues until after your first collective agreement has been successfully negotiated and approved by you and your colleagues. Dues are not retroactively collected.

Why should I vote to form a union?

By forming a union, you can engage with your employer from a position of strength to negotiate a legally binding contract that provides clarity, consistency, and protections—a contract that you and your colleagues have a say in negotiating. This contract will also include a formal, fair mechanism for resolving any disputes or workplace issues. It will help ensure fairness and transparency at work. 

All of this is done under the umbrella of the Labour Relations Act, which protects unionized employees’ rights to representation by ensuring they do not face retaliation from their employer for exercising these rights. These protections apply before, during, and even after the first collective agreement is negotiated.

By contrast, in a non-unionized environment, workplace rules can be changed unilaterally by the employer at any time, without regard to how they may impact employees.

Why AMAPCEO?

AMAPCEO is a member-driven, non-partisan organization of over 17,000 professional employees, dedicated to providing outstanding representation and other services to our members.

AMAPCEO has over thirty years of experience negotiating collective agreements with governments from all three major political parties and with a number of employers in the public service and a growing number of provincial agencies, boards, and regulators.

AMAPCEO aims to defend members’ rights, protect Ontario’s public services, and advocate for better working conditions. AMAPCEO works hard to ensure fairness at work. Together, we can protect your future.

Learn more about the benefits of joining a union—and hear directly from AMAPCEO members—here.

I still have questions. Who can I talk to?

For more information or support, contact Jennifer Pacheco, Team Lead, Membership Services at 416-899-8713 or at pacheco@amapceo.on.ca.