What do I need to know about my union?
The APTS is a key player in Québec’s public health and social services system. Representing 65,000 university and college graduates working in 47 institutions, it embodies expertise that is both extensive and varied. APTS members, 86% of whom are women, hold over one hundred different job titles in five different sectors: diagnostic services (laboratories and medical imaging), rehabilitation, nutrition, psychosocial services, and prevention and clinical support. They work in facilities serving a variety of missions, including hospitals, youth centres, rehabilitation centres, residential care centres and CLSCs.
The APTS brings together the great majority of professionals and technicians in Québec’s public health and social services system. As the only union representing this group exclusively, it provides members with services and political representation specifically tailored to their concerns.
How do I become an APTS member?
As an employee unionized with the APTS, you have access to a variety of services (among other things, the APTS will defend your rights and provide advice on social security). However, to participate in APTS decision-making bodies, you must fill out and sign our online membership form below.
What is the APTS rate for union dues?
Union dues are set at 1.6%, and the amount deducted from your pay is calculated on your basic salary. Only the APTS Convention can change the dues rate.
Why does everyone have to pay union dues?
Under Section 47 of the Labour Code, employers are obliged to deduct union dues from the pay of every employee covered by a given bargaining unit once a majority of them has voted to be represented by the union. Given that all employees reap the benefits of the collective agreement, whether or not they are APTS members, it makes sense that they should all pay union dues.
What are the advantages of belonging to the APTS?
- It represents technicians and professionals in the health and social services system, and no one else
- It knows and defends the professional and ethical issues specific to the kind of job you hold
- It stands for a society that values justice, equality, and respect for the environment
- You benefit from a strong collective agreement
- Your contract is legally recognized under the Labour Code – your working conditions cannot be changed unilaterally
- You participate in the process of negotiating your working conditions
- an official complaint procedure (the grievance procedure) when your collective agreement is not followed
- counselling provided by the social security team for any question related to your pension plan or group insurance plan
- if you are on disability leave and are required to take steps with the insurance company
- if you have a work-related accident or occupational disease that is not recognized by the CNESST
- if someone reports you to your professional order or files a complaint against you
I need information about my rights – who can help me?
Your local union team is there to welcome you, support you, and answer your questions about your working conditions. Your union representatives come from a profession like yours. They take part in decisions at all levels of the APTS, making sure your voice is heard at province-wide meetings and in specific committees.
Our labour relations counsellors work with you directly. In cooperation with members of your local executive, they represent you in dealings with the employer if there is a dispute.
I’d like to get involved in union activities. Who should I contact?
To join in your union’s activities, contact your local union office. Whatever your availability and level of interest, you can make a contribution to your local team. Every APTS member can do something that will make a difference and improve working conditions in the workplace.
How can report a change of address?
To report a change of address, simply notify your employer. One of the employer’s obligations is to provide the union, on a regular basis, with an updated list of all employees’ names and contact information.