For many workers, the line between in-scope and out-of-scope work isn’t always clear on the shop floor. You spend long hours collaborating on projects and sharing lunches, so when a new opportunity comes along that takes you out of the bargaining unit, it’s easy to accept it without fully realizing how it could affect your role and protections.

“A common issue arises when former members move to work just outside the scope of the collective agreement,” explains GSU staff representative Mason Van Luven. “Someone might leave the unit, realize the new role isn’t what they expected, and find that the rights and protections they had under the collective agreement no longer apply. Employers often don’t extend the same protections to out-of-scope workers as they do to members.”

It’s important to think carefully about what you could lose by leaving the bargaining unit—things like transparent pay, representation, and other protections that matter in both good times and bad.

This reflects a long-standing challenge between unions and employers. We advocate for rules that reduce arbitrariness and ensure workers have basic protections, while employers often resist extending them. A new position may come with higher pay, but it can also mean giving up important protections such as notice, severance, and representation—protections that make a real difference when things don’t go as planned.