Membership Associations

Membership associations don’t come in one size or shape: they are as varied and dynamic as the types of memberships they are entrusted to represent. They vary from small organizations focused on the delivery of membership services, grappling with traditional employment, human rights and privacy issues, to large operations with substantial workforces to manage, to employer organizations engaged in complex and highly strategic province-wide labour relations.

From a business perspective, these organizations must all balance unique workplace labour and employment needs with the interests of their memberships.

For over 50 years, Hicks Morley has partnered with membership associations to provide not only practical human resources support, but strategic advice, training and stakeholder advocacy to ensure your membership obligations are met. We understand your challenges—and we’re ready to help.

Clients

Our clients in this sector include:

  • business associations (chambers of commerce, manufacturers’ associations, trade associations, construction associations)
  • professional organizations (engineers’ and advertisers’ associations, as well as professional standards review boards)
  • civic and social organizations (student and community associations and private-member clubs)
  • political parties
  • regulatory athletic associations and sports leagues

Services

Tailoring our services to reflect the unique environment in which they operate, we advise membership associations on a full range of labour and employment matters including:

  • employment and service agreements and minimum standards compliance
  • human rights issues with respect to employment and services including harassment complaints, workplace disability and accommodation issues and AODA compliance
  • privacy issues with respect to members
  • a full range of labour relations activity from certification to province-wide bargaining, to strategic collective bargaining negotiations and strike preparation advice including illegal strikes, labour injunction, picketing and unfair labour practice matters
  • administration, interpretation and enforcement of the collective agreement including grievance arbitration
  • workplace safety investigations and proceedings including with respect to workplace violence and sexual harassment, and contraventions of the Occupational Health and Safety Act
  • information management, privacy and access to information matters including employee surveillance issues and responding to freedom of information requests
  • stakeholder advocacy and intervention on matters of public policy that impact the industry
  • current awareness training to keep you—and your membership—apprised of the latest labour and employment developments

Our lawyers have also conducted a number of practical seminars for contractors on how to manage their sites under construction industry collective agreements.