I think the CAW logo would look dashing on Mountie Red, don't you?

This one's from last week: what with the protests and settlements (y'all have been busy!) I missed it.

RCMP officers in two provinces--Ontario and B.C.--have challenged the federal law that prevents the 16,000-strong police force from unionizing. They are the only police force in the country that doesn't enjoy this particular form of right to association, and according the Globe and Mail every other major police force in Canada has in fact availed themselves of this right.

This is not just a case of "we want what everyone else has," though that is part of what's going on here. The officers behind the filing say they need a union's protection because they claim that harassment (sexual or otherwise) is pervasive within the RCMP.

To their point, we have been subjected to some pretty horrific stories about the conduct of some senior RCMP officers over the years. One case in B.C. involved conduct so egregious that the complainant was awarded $950,000 plus "costs" in damages by the court.*

It stands to reason that, after several years of these kinds of complaints, employees might be thinking the current "internal investigation system" could use some, well, teeth.

The case is a constitutional challenge, so it will be a long while before there's any resolution. That's a good thing, I think, given that management has apparently not really grasped WHY the officers involved are fighting to unionize. The RCMPs press flack focused entirely on the fact that RCMP officers are compensated fairly and favourable compared to other forces, and already have "staff relations" councils to represent their interests.

Does anyone else recall a poll that was done several years ago on workers who join unions? Higher pay proved to be the second most popular reason for joining a union. The most-cited reason for unionizing was to provide employees with more of a say in what goes on in their worklife. Somebody in the RCMP may want to take note...


* NO. That's not a typo. See for yourself: Sulz v Canada (2006). If you want a REALLY good read, I also suggest you see Rees v. Canada (2004), another RCMP case from Newfoundland that landed an award of $516,000 plus costs. The judge in that case has a flair for the written word. Note that while Rees was lost on appeal, the appeal ruling was based on a bit of provincial legislation not applicable to private sector employees, so the original ruling is still an on-going concern for employers.