Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Of Shirts and Slogans: A Labour Board Decision That Sees Through the Silliness

When CLAC Representative Kyle Reenders showed up at a labour board vote wearing a CLAC-branded pullover, the UFCW cried foul. The board promptly dismissed the complaint

Blogs National

By Randall Boessenkool, General Counsel

Well, would you look at that—a whole labour board proceeding because a CLAC scrutineer wore . . . wait for it . . . a shirt. Yes, a shirt. A clean, quarter-zip, grey pullover with a modest CLAC logo and the tagline a union that works. Can you imagine! Call the democracy police!

One can only marvel at the boundless capacity of our friends at United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 401 to find scandal in stitching. Evidently, when a CLAC representative shows up looking professional, respectful, and (dare I say?) stylish, bells start ringing over at UFCW headquarters. The vision of Kyle Reenders, a CLAC representative in the Calgary Member Centre, coming to an Alberta Labour Relations Board-ordered vote dressed in a tidy CLAC-branded shirt seems to have been simply too much to bear.

You might think that in the middle of a serious labour dispute—with real issues on the table like worker representation and the future of collective bargaining—all parties might focus on matters . . . well, that matter. But instead, we got a full-blown electioneering complaint—not over campaign leaflets, coercive tactics, or loudspeaker truck parades—but over tasteful branding.

To the board’s credit, Vice-Chair Jeremy Schick responded with common sense. In his July 29, 2025, ruling (see Retail, Health Care and Service Employees Union, CLAC Local 301 v 2319068 Alberta Ltd. and UFCW Local 401, 2025 ALRB 89), he swiftly and sensibly affirmed that the appearance of a small logo and the unobjectionable tagline “a union that works” on a shirt worn by our scrutineer amounts to nothing more than modest organizational identification. No sinister subliminal messaging. No rousing battle cry. Just a union rep with a name tag, a logo, and a jacket that fits.

Drawing on the board’s own precedent in a 2002 case where a scrutineer named Dewey Funk (you can’t make this stuff up!) wore a similarly branded shirt, the vice-chair found that this was not electioneering—and frankly, I couldn’t agree more. The ruling also helpfully confirms that professional, branded attire isn’t out of bounds so long as it doesn’t create an atmosphere of pressure or interference for voters. Common sense prevails. Oh, and the UFCW rep showed up at the next voting session wearing a UFCW-logoed shirt and name tag!

But let’s zoom out for a moment.

CLAC is a union that shows up: in deed, in word, and, apparently, in quarter-zips. A union that works isn’t just a tagline. It reflects our commitment to real partnership, constructive labour relations, and representing workers with integrity. That simple statement, stitched on a pullover and worn by Kyle with the quiet confidence of someone doing their job honourably, speaks volumes, not only in words but in witness.

CLAC has revived a phrase that rings true and still resonates. We’ve captured something essential: We are a union that works—for our members, for our workplaces, and yes, even for a democracy resilient enough to endure the occasional hissy fit over logo placement.

So, here’s to reasonable decisions, to zip-ups with zip, and to doing the work that actually matters.

Let’s keep at it—professionally branded and unapologetically proud.

Photo submitted to the labour board hearing of Kyle Reenders wearing his CLAC-branded shirt at the board-supervised vote

Of Shirts and Slogans: A Labour Board Decision That Sees Through the Silliness

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