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Your local union has a key role to play in supporting disability rights, including the right to be accommodated at work. Your union can take a number of steps to ensure that all members understand their workplace rights and employers’ obligations relating to a disability.

Union dues are the way workers who have decided to form a union pool their resources to enable the work of the union. Union dues fund the cost of bargaining, the cost of enforcing the collective agreement, and the cost of campaigns union members instruct their union to conduct.

The following organizations offer valuable services and resources for persons with disabilities.

The word disabled means many different things to different people. People frequently picture wheelchairs, guide dogs, and other more obvious examples of disabilities. However disabilities often cannot be seen just by looking at a worker. Not all workers with mobility issues require a wheelchair, and not all visually impaired workers are completely blind. Other medical conditions can also be disabilities. For instance, people with occupational asthma may be completely free of symptoms as long as they work in an area with no irritants.

Flexible benefit plans are an attack on traditional benefit plans. Calling them ‘flexible’ makes them sound better than they really are. Flexible plans are also referred to as ‘cafeteria’, ‘supermarket’ or ‘smorgasbord’ plans.