You can download our Collective Agreement and other documents by visiting the Documents page. Also, the Employer must ensure that all Employees receive a hard copy of the Collective Agreement. If you do not have a current Collective Agreement, contact your supervisor and request one. The Collective Agreement may also be on the EMC employee/website.

Union dues are currently 2.0% of your earnings from regularly scheduled hours and are automatically deducted from your pay by your Employer and electronically remitted to the Union.

Full-Time Employees: Dues are calculated on your regularly scheduled hours paid at your regular rate of pay. Overtime premiums are not subject to union dues.

Part-Time and Casual Employees: Dues are calculated at the same 2.0% rate on all regular hours worked. Wages paid at an overtime rate are not subject to union dues.

All members—including Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual, and members on an approved leave—must also meet a minimum monthly dues requirement. The minimum is equal to one hour of pay at Step 1 of your job classification. Effective November 1, 2025, this minimum has been set at a flat rate of $25.00 per month for all job classifications.

Yes. Members who are away from the workplace and are not receiving an EMC paycheck from which union dues are automatically deducted are still responsible for paying union dues.

This may include periods when a member is on Short-Term Disability (STD), Long-Term Disability (LTD), Workers' Compensation (WCB), a Leave of Absence (LOA), educational leave, or any other period during which they are not performing Bargaining Unit work and dues are not being remitted to the Union by the Employer.

Effective November 1, 2025, the minimum monthly union dues payment is $25.00. Members are responsible for ensuring their dues remain current while away from work.

Paying union dues while away from work has always been a requirement for members whose dues are not being deducted and remitted by the Employer. This requirement was reaffirmed by the membership at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 27, 2022.

Members who are not receiving a paycheck from the Employer, and therefore are not having union dues automatically remitted to the Local Union, are responsible for paying their dues directly to the Union.

Effective November 1, 2025, the minimum monthly dues amount is $25.00 for all job classifications.

If, during the month you begin your leave, the dues deducted from your pay are less than the required monthly minimum, you will be responsible for paying the difference. For each full month thereafter that you remain on leave and are not having dues remitted by the Employer, the minimum monthly dues payment of $25.00 will apply.

Union dues payments can be made by logging into your member profile and accessing the Dues & Pay section, or by using the payment link included in your emailed invoice.

Invoices are sent to the email address listed in your member profile. Please ensure your email address is current to receive invoices, reminders, and other important Union communications.

Dues may also be paid by mailing a certified cheque or money order to:

IUOE Local 727
PO Box 38013
Dartmouth, NS B3B 1X2

Cash payments may be made in person to the Office Manager at:
202 Brownlow Avenue, 3rd Floor, Suite 420
Dartmouth, NS

Cash payments are accepted by appointment only between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. and 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Members who are required to pay union dues and fail to do so may lose certain membership rights and privileges until their account is brought up to date.

Examples of rights and privileges that may be affected include:

• Loss of Good Standing status
• Suspension from employment
• Voting in Union matters, including tentative agreements and elections
• Access to the member website and other member-only resources
• Attending and participating in Union meetings
• Eligibility to serve as a Steward or on Union committees
• The ability to file certain grievances

Dues Arrears Timeline

• 30 days overdue: Member status changes from Good Standing to Bad Standing.
• 3 months overdue: A $10.00 late fee is added to the member's account.
• 4 months overdue: An additional $20.00 late fee is added.
• 5 months overdue: An additional $30.00 late fee is added.
• 6 months overdue: Member status changes to Suspended, and the following charges apply:
  • $150.00 reinstatement fee
  • Additional $30.00 suspension fee
  • All outstanding dues, fines, fees, and assessments owing at the time of suspension

A suspended member is suspended from both the union and employment and must pay all outstanding amounts, including any applicable fees, before their membership can be reinstated.

Expulsion

Members who remain in arrears for 36 months may be expelled from the Union in accordance with the applicable governing rules and bylaws.

Returning to Good Standing

Once a member has paid their full outstanding balance, including any applicable late fees, suspension fees, and reinstatement fees, their status will be restored to Good Standing.

Yes. In addition to regular union dues, the following fees may apply:

Initiation Fee – $5.00
All new members are required to pay a one-time initiation fee of $5.00 when joining the Union.

Re-Initiation Fee – $25.00
Members who leave the Union and return after more than six (6) months are required to pay a $25.00 re-initiation fee. Examples include members whose status changes from Active to Inactive, Withdrawal, or Resigned, and who later return to Active status. Members who leave and return within six (6) months will not be charged a re-initiation fee.

Reinstatement Fee – $150.00
A reinstatement fee is different from a re-initiation fee. Members who are suspended due to unpaid dues must pay a $150.00 reinstatement fee, along with any outstanding dues, fines, fees, and assessments, before their membership can be restored to Good Standing.

Members can stay involved and informed in several ways:

• Complete surveys when they are made available to help provide province-wide feedback on union issues
• Attend or log in to union meetings and encourage other members to participate
• Regularly check the union calendar and member website for updates and announcements
• Ensure your email address is up to date in your member profile so you receive important communications and notifications
• If you have questions or hear information that may be unclear or inaccurate, contact the Union directly for clarification

Staying informed through official Union communications is the best way to ensure you are receiving accurate information.

You may request Union representation whenever you are required to meet with your Employer for matters outside of regular day-to-day business. This includes, but is not limited to, meetings related to investigations, complaints, performance concerns, or any situation where discipline may be discussed or could reasonably be expected to arise.

If you are unsure whether representation is required, you should:

• Ask your supervisor what the meeting is regarding and whether it may involve disciplinary action
• Contact your Shop Steward or Regional Steward for guidance
• Follow the direction provided by the Steward or the Union Office, if needed

Please do not wait until shortly before a scheduled meeting to request representation, as stewards may not always be available on short notice.

Steward contact information can be found in the Shop Steward Directory on the member website. If your worksite does not have a steward, please contact the Local Union Office for assistance.

Members who are interested in becoming a steward are encouraged to contact their Regional Steward or the Union Office for more information.

A grievance is a formal complaint by a Bargaining Unit employee that the Employer has violated the Collective Agreement, applicable laws, or established workplace policies or standards.

If you believe such a violation has occurred, you should contact your Shop Steward for direction. If your workplace does not have a steward, contact your Regional Steward or the Local Union Office for assistance.

Grievances are filed through the Union. Only authorized Union representatives (such as stewards, regional stewards, or Union staff) may submit a grievance on your behalf. Both the employee and the Union representative must sign the grievance form before it is submitted to the Employer. (See Article 11.0 of the Collective Agreement.)

Key Steps and Timelines (Article 11.0)

• Before filing, you should first raise the issue with your supervisor and allow up to 24 hours for it to be addressed. In some cases, the grievance form may be introduced at this stage.
• If the issue is not resolved, the grievance must be filed within the timelines set out in the Collective Agreement:
  • Within five (5) days of becoming aware of the issue, or
  • No later than thirty (30) days after the occurrence of the event, if it could reasonably have been known at that time
• Ensure the grievance form is completed correctly and signed by both the employee and the Union representative before submission

Following these steps helps ensure your grievance is filed within the required timelines and processed appropriately under the Collective Agreement.

Information about the dates and times of Union meetings and other events can be found on the Calendar page under the Members tab.

Union meetings are facilitated by the Union Office or Regional Stewards. Membership Meetings are held in person, while Information Sessions may be held either in person or online to allow more members to participate.

Check the dates for the next planned Information Session and send your question/concern at least two weeks before the posted session date you wish to attend. These can be emailed to kevin@iuoe727.ca and cc info@iuoe727.ca.

All members in good standing can attend membership meetings regardless of classification.

Members in good standing may submit either a bylaw amendment or a general business motion for consideration at the Annual General Business Meeting (AGM).

All motions must be submitted in writing to the Recording Secretary at least 30 days before the AGM (Article VI, Section 2(b)). Bylaw amendment motions must identify the specific Article, Section, and Sub-section being amended and show the proposed changes in the required format (Article VI, Section 2(e)). General business motions must clearly state the proposed action and its purpose and include the submitting member's name and signature (Article VI, Section 3).

Substantive new motions cannot be introduced from the floor during the AGM unless they arise directly from business already on the agenda and are permitted by the Chair under Robert's Rules of Order (Article VI, Section 4).

In-person proposal meetings will be scheduled when negotiations are being planned. Members in good standing may attend these meetings and submit their proposals to the business manager. If you cannot participate, please give your proposal to a fellow medic to submit on your behalf

A negotiation committee is a group of up to six union members responsible for representing the membership during collective bargaining. Their job isn't to decide what members want on their own—it's to gather input from members, develop bargaining proposals, negotiate with the employer, and keep the bargaining process moving forward.

The collective bargaining process involves several steps and may vary depending on the circumstances. In general, the process follows these stages:

1. Notice to Bargain: The Union provides the Employer with written notice that it intends to negotiate changes to the Collective Agreement. This notice can only be given within the two months before the agreement expires (see Article 36.01).
2. Exchange of Proposals: The Union and Employer meet to exchange their proposed changes. These meetings are for presenting and explaining proposals, not for negotiating them.
3. Negotiation Meetings: After proposals have been exchanged, the parties begin negotiating. Because the Employer is funded by the Province, time is often needed between meetings to review proposals, consider counteroffers, and receive Provincial direction before negotiations continue.

Coming soon...

Registering as a member of this website, you enter your personal information into the union’s new database. This allows the union to have accurate membership statistics and up-to-date mailing addresses for voting ballots and other correspondence. In addition, surveys will be used to gather opinions and feedback.

The Union can monitor all aspects of the website. In cases of improper use and sharing of confidential or other sensitive or private information, the union can block a/the member from using the website. In cases of extreme issues, the Union may immediately ‘block’ the use of the website without warning.