YOUR COMPANY, YOUR CHOICE.

THINGS HAVE BEEN GOING WELL – NOW IS NOT THE TIME TO CHANGE

It is no coincidence that we have built a great company by hiring and investing in amazing people and having a fantastic culture. We want to continue building a great company, and want to continue to do that directly with you, without the interference of a third party.

OUR CUSTOMERS VALUE THE WAY WE DO BUSINESS

The majority of your work comes to us because our customers value the quality of our people, our flexibility, and our competitive rates. The IBEW will do nothing to contribute to this.

COLLABORATE WITH US TO BUILD YOUR CAREER

With our scale and breadth of offerings and willingness to invest in mentoring, coaching, and on-the-job training, you have the opportunity to build your career.

WE VALUE AND INVEST IN YOUR CULTURE

From fishing trips to branch events that we all enjoy to our recently completed employee culture survey, we are working with you to build the kind of company that you are proud of.

KNOW THE FACTS

We don’t know everything that you’ve been told. However, we do know that the IBEW shared a website with some of you. Some of this information may be misleading or may not be completely accurate.
We want to ensure you have the right information so that you can make the best choice for you and your family.

Rates from the union website may not apply.

The rates posted are province-wide construction rates – and much of our work is not construction. If Spark were unionized, there could be a separate negotiated agreement for non-construction work.

For our construction work, the collective agreement already exists, which includes many rigid rules and far less flexibility. The existing agreement is negotiated on a province wide basis without taking into account your interests or our business.

We are not working with the union.

Some of our employees have reported that union representatives have contacted them and suggested that the company is working with the IBEW to unionize – this is absolutely not true.

In addition, many of our employees have expressed frustration that their personal contact information has fallen into union hands.

We did not authorize this and we are upset that this has happened.

With the union, you lose the ability to deal directly with us.

We enjoy dealing with you directly. We feel that is very positive.

If the IBEW becomes your union, we will have no choice but to deal with it on all matters concerning the important terms of your employment, such as compensation, hours, and work locations.

Unfortunately, this means important decisions that affect you and your family, such as whether or not to go on strike, would be made by union representatives outside of our business.

Hourly rate matters, but hours worked matters just as much.

We know you are concerned with your total take-home pay. We work hard to ensure that all of us are consistently working.

If the union is successful, the agreement will impact our flexibility and ability to assign work to you.

Your decision affects everyone.

If the IBEW becomes your union, even those of you who do not want the union are bound by its rules.

You don’t have a choice – you will be required to join the union to continue to work at New Electric.

Limits your opportunities.

Right now, we work hard to ensure that everyone is busy by sharing our workforce between branches when necessary. Union rules would significantly restrict that ability.

In addition, as we grow, some of our employees have enjoyed opportunities to work out of province or for other Spark Power companies. This would become extremely difficult..

Signing a membership card is a big decision.

What a union really wants is your signature on a membership card, especially if it can obtain it electronically. Your signature is precious to them. Don’t give it away without a lot of thought because it may be impossible to withdraw it later. The decision to join a union is entirely up to each individual employee. You are as equally free to refuse to join a union as you are to join one.

A small number of people can bring in the union.

It’s actually 55% of the technicians working on the day the application is filed by the union with the Labour Board that matters. If the union has at least 55% of those working that day, New Electric will automatically be certified, without a vote. As unfair as it sounds, this means that a very small number of people would be making the decision for everyone. It’s one of the reasons that signing a union card (even electronically) is so important.

Unions are a busines.

Unions are a business which sell services. Their primary source of income is the collection of union dues and fees from you.

Unions have been in decline for the past several decades and are under pressure to increase their membership.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

I have invested my hard-earned money into Spark Power through the ESOP program. What will happen to my investment if we were to unionize?

We are working very hard to build a valuable company. As we have communicated to you over the last several months, we continue with our program to grow and continuously improve the performance of the business. This includes adopting a regional strategy (well underway), consolidating brands (also underway), increasing cross selling opportunities, and establishing ourselves as our customers’ Trusted Partner in Power™. We believe that this will create stronger connections with our customers, and in turn tremendous opportunities for our people – and increased value in the shares we all own. We are concerned about anything that may affect these plans.

In a union environment, seniority is a key concept that will protect me and my long service with Spark Power in the event of a work slow-down, correct?

Under the IBEW agreement, seniority does not generally play a role in dealing with work slow-downs.

The IBEW is making promises to make things better for me, including most importantly my pay. I did not read anything from New Electric with promises of its own, especially since I really feel some things need to change. Does Spark Power not care?

Spark Power cares very much. The way the law works is that the union can make all the promises it wants during a campaign – and in this case the IBEW has made many. However, New Electric is not allowed under Ontario law to make promises of its own in order to influence your decision. We respect the law, and your choice as to whether or not to join the union. However, we stand by what we have already been able to achieve together. Our recent culture survey suggests that there is room for improvement, and we are committed to following up on that. Remember, the survey was implemented well before we knew anything about the union drive.

I had suggested to a friend of mine that he should apply for a job with Spark Power. How will it work for new employees if the union gets in?

If the IBEW is successful, there are important rules that must be followed by Spark Power for hiring new employees. Firstly, new hires would all be or become IBEW members to work at Spark. Secondly, while Spark Power can suggest names of employees we want to hire for membership to the union, the union also has a right to send us union members directly from the hiring hall. We will be required to hire the employees referred by the union, even if we do not feel they are the right people for the job or our company. We are very concerned about the impact this will have on our culture, as we work very hard to hire not only the best people for the job, but the best people for our company and for you (given that you work alongside everyone we hire).

Even though I signed a card, will there be a vote?

Not necessarily. You only get a vote if 40% to 54% of technicians who worked the day of application signed a membership card. Since we are likely dealing with a construction application, votes are very uncommon. The union is aiming for automatic certification. If at least 55% of workers who worked on a given day have signed cards, then certification would be automatic and there would be no vote. This literally means that if 3 people were working and 2 signed cards on the date of application, New Electric would become unionized.

If I’ve signed a membership card, especially online through the union website, and now would like to change my mind, can I retract my signature?

Yes, if you’ve changed your mind, or did not understand what you were being asked to sign, it is important that you notify the union immediately you would like to rescind your indication of interest/membership, and request written confirmation from the union. Please be aware that this can only happen before the union has applied to certify the company. If you have signed a card already, the union is under no obligation to tell you when or if it will be applying to unionize.

I’m really not interested in joining a union. Is there anything I can do to help us continue to be non-unionized?

We encourage you to continue respectful dialogue with your colleagues and team. If you feel you have been unfairly treated or harassed by the IBEW, you should contact the Ontario Labour Relations Board, or seek some advice from a qualified expert on your own.

If Spark Power becomes certified by the union, do I have to join and pay dues?

Yes. Under the law, if the IBEW succeeds, in order to work at New Electric, all employees must join and pay dues – even if the union was automatically certified.

If Spark Power becomes certified by the union, can we try it for a while and then decertify?

It is very difficult to decertify a union in Ontario, and it can only be done at very limited times. If the union is certified, it is likely staying.

What can I do if the union or one of my colleagues is pressuring me to sign a card?

Unions are not allowed to organize on company time. This includes calling you and texting you during work hours, so you are free to ignore their overtures. Union organizers are also not allowed to come on to company property. If you are being bothered at home, tell your supervisor. You have a right to sign a card if you wish. But you also have a right not to sign one and to be left alone.

I really like how we deal with power tools, use of company vehicles, the crew that I work with, and the opportunity to sleep at home every night. Would those things change?

Our relationship with you would be governed by the collective bargaining agreement.

Can we force a vote to demonstrate that we are not interested in a union?

No. The IBEW controls the process. It is likely that they want automatic certification without a vote.

DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS?

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