In order to join IBEW 213 as an industrial (or "BA") member, you must be hired by a signatory employer or a majority of the employees who work for your non-signatory employer must apply for membership and vote in favour of IBEW 213 representation.

Under the Labour Relations Code, IBEW 213 can apply for certification if 45% of the employees who work for a non-union employer apply for membership within a 90-day period. In practice, we know that many employers try to inflate the number of employees eligible to sign cards and vote. They might claim that managers and persons who are not at work are also employees. Accordingly, we require more than 45% support before we apply for certification.

Membership applications are confidential. Neither IBEW 213 nor the Labour Relations Board will tell your employer or coworkers who has applied for membership.

After it receives the certification application, the Labour Relations Board will tell your employer that we have applied for certification. The Board will then ask an Industrial Relations Officer to inspect your employer's payroll records to determine whether at least 45% of the employees have applied for membership. If the Industrial Relations Officer finds that they have, s/he will schedule a "representation vote" that will be held within 10 days of the application date. If more than 50% of the employees vote in favour of representation, the Labour Relations Board will issue a certification. IBEW 213 will then serve your employer with notice to commence collective bargaining. Under the Labour Relations Code, the parties must meet within 10 days, commence bargaining, and make every reasonable attempt to conclude a collective agreement.