Overwhelming Majority of Ontarians Support Secret Ballot Votes when Joining a Union


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Overwhelming Majority of Ontarians Support Secret Ballot Votes when Joining a Union

Ottawa, Ontario - Merit Ontario released a poll today showing an overwhelming majority of Ontarians (72%) support having a secret ballot vote when joining or decertifying a union.

Merit Ontario believes a secret ballot is one of the fundamental pillars of a democracy, and that it is impossible to argue otherwise. However, under current rules, a workplace can be unionized if a union provides the Labour Board with cards it claims have been signed by employees representing 50% + 1 of the target workplaces. This is a system ripe for intimidation and manipulation, as has been documented in hearings before various Labour Boards across Canada.

“In a democracy, we all believe that voting should be private. It’s a fundamental right that protects us against coercion and intimidation. Most workers in Ontario already have this right but not construction workers and this is wrong” Said Michael Gallardo, President and CEO of Merit Ontario.

“This poll shows that the vast majority of Ontarians (72%) in every region of the province support our position and we are calling on the Ford government to change the labour code and give construction workers the same rights as others workers in Ontario.”

The Survey of 1,001 Ontarians conducted using a sample from an online nationally representative sample. Margin of error is +/- 3.1%. The Data was collected between June 18 and 19, 2020 and results have been weighted by region, age, and gender using the most recent census data. For complete survey results see https://www.meritontario.com/secretballotpollresults/

For more information
Michael Gallardo
President and CEO
416-818-9292
mgallardo@meritontario.com