Win for safety: family name no longer required on name tags

The backing of members across the country in support of CEIU’s challenge to Service Canada’s name tag policy has led to a clear victory. The employer had previously insisted that name tags bear the employee’s family name, but this position has been withdrawn.

Staff working with the public will be required to wear a name tag that identifies them, but can choose to display only their first name if they wish. Other combinations are possible, including family name only, initial and family name or first and family names – but the choice rests with the individual staff member.

National President Jeannette Meunier-McKay called the new approach to name tags an important victory, "For our members, this was always about safety, and with the employer dropping the requirement to display family names, our workplaces have become a safer place to serve the public."

Members from across the country filed grievances and provided the national office of the union with important evidence and arguments on the issue. In addition, eight CEIU members participated in the employer’s risk assessment working group that examined the name tag question.

The union is requesting that the employer respond to all grievances filed by members in connection with the name tag issue.

The implementation date for the new name tags is July 31, 2009.