The Supreme Court rules that unions can picket sites other than the main employer site
Secondary picketing is legal, according to a decision recently handed down by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Secondary picketing is picketing in support of a union which occurs at locations other than the employer’s. For instance, in 1997, Pepsi workers picketed retail outlets carrying Pepsi products. This is the case upon which the Supreme Court made its decision.
Workers on strike at Lafarge Cement near Kingston, Ont. have already taken advantage of the decision. They have begun picketing a hospital construction site in Cobourg, Ont.
The union for the workers says that any construction site using cement is likely using a Lafarge product and is a potential site for pickets.
The decision has ramifications for HR practitioners, who will have to be aware, not only of their own union activities, but of what’s happening with suppliers’ unions as well.
Secondary picketing is picketing in support of a union which occurs at locations other than the employer’s. For instance, in 1997, Pepsi workers picketed retail outlets carrying Pepsi products. This is the case upon which the Supreme Court made its decision.
Workers on strike at Lafarge Cement near Kingston, Ont. have already taken advantage of the decision. They have begun picketing a hospital construction site in Cobourg, Ont.
The union for the workers says that any construction site using cement is likely using a Lafarge product and is a potential site for pickets.
The decision has ramifications for HR practitioners, who will have to be aware, not only of their own union activities, but of what’s happening with suppliers’ unions as well.
