Have you signed your union card?

It is now easier than ever to sign your union card, ensuring you are a CIU member in good standing! If you have not signed your membership card yet, you can do so electronically.

 SIGN YOUR UNION CARD TODAY  

Note: You will have to specify your Employer/Agency. For Canada Border Services Agency employees, this means Treasury Board (employer) and CBSA (agency).

You can also sign a new card if you are currently a member and you want to update your personal information (for example, if you have moved to a new address or if you have transferred to a different position).

Questions? Please contact membership@ciu-sdi.ca.

Why sign a membership card?

While all workers pay union dues, only members who have signed a union card are considered to be ‘members in good standing’ (MIGS), as per the PSAC Constitution, and in line with the 1946 Rand Decision.

In 1946, Justice Ivan Rand issued a landmark legal decision following a strike in Windsor, Ontario, involving 17,000 Ford workers. As part of the settlement to the Ford labour dispute, Rand granted the union the compulsory check-off of union dues, reasoning that all workers in a bargaining unit benefit from a union negotiated contract and therefore must pay union dues, although they do not have to join the union. This means that all workers in a unionized workplace pay full union dues whether or not they are union members.

By signing a union card, you therefore ensure that you become a full member of the union, which means you can vote in union elections, attend conventions, run for a union position, etc.

Are you a ‘MIGS’ or a ‘Rand’?

As per the PSAC Constitution, a member in good standing (MIGS) is someone who is currently paying union dues, who has signed a PSAC membership card, whose membership is not under suspension and who, while on Leave Without Pay, still meets the situations outlined in the “Member on Leave Without Pay” section, below.

A Rand member is a worker who has not signed a union card and who, therefore, cannot enjoy the full benefits of being a union member.

Member on Leave Without Pay

While they do not pay union dues, members on Leave Without Pay (LWOP) for reasons of disability, maternity, paternity, adoption or care of family members are still considered to be members in good standing. Since PSAC has no automatic process in place to determine the employment status of members when dues are not collected, it is necessary for any member who wishes to maintain their membership in good standing, while one is in the situation(s) mentioned above, to make a written request to the PSAC and CIU National Presidents.