Good to know for unions

October 22, 2026· 1:00PM · online

The BC Labour Relations Board recently advised the labour law bar that, of approximately 300 decisions issued by the Board so far in 2026, approximately 200 have involved duty of fair representation complaints brought by members against their unions. The Board has observed what appears to be an increase in these cases, coinciding with the growing availability of AI tools that can assist self-represented litigants in preparing and advancing complaints.

This changing landscape warrants a more deliberate and strategic approach by unions when a member expresses dissatisfaction with how their concern, grievance or potential grievance is being handled.

The objective should not simply be to successfully defend a duty of fair representation complaint once it is filed. The better strategy is to recognize the warning signs early and manage the member’s concern in a way that reduces the likelihood of a complaint being filed at all.

AI-assisted case preparation also changes the practical stakes. Complaints may be easier for members to prepare and pursue, while responding to increasingly detailed complaints can require substantial union time, legal expense and organizational resources.

Join GoodWin Law for a hyper-focused webinar on what unions can do before a member’s dissatisfaction becomes a DFR complaint. We will walk through the practical plan we recommend unions implement from the first indication that a member believes their issue is not being adequately addressed.

The session will focus on how union representatives can respond strategically, communicate effectively, document the union’s decision-making, and preserve the relationship with the member—while ensuring that the union is well positioned should a complaint ultimately be filed.

The goal is straightforward: preserve the member’s relationship with their union, protect union resources, and reduce unnecessary DFR litigation. But where, despite the union’s best efforts, a complaint is ultimately filed, the same plan serves a second important purpose: the union has been preparing its response from the moment the member first expressed dissatisfaction. Rather than reconstructing the history and rationale for the union’s actions after the fact, the union will have developed a clear record at every step of the concerns raised, the decisions made, the reasons for those decisions, and the union’s communications with the member. The result is a union that is not only better positioned to avoid a DFR complaint, but also better prepared to respond efficiently and effectively if one cannot be avoided.

At a broader level, fewer avoidable DFR complaints also mean that the Labour Relations Board can devote more of its resources to the important applications unions bring forward on behalf of workers and the labour movement.