Add Comment Question: I was in a union and wanted to talk to a lawyer about an issue at work and no lawyer would talk to me. They kept telling me to talk to the union but I could not because they were part of the problem Why wouldn't a lawyer talk to me? Answer: Unionized employees are subject to the collective agreement negotiated by the union on their behalf. The union is your representative and you cannot hire your own lawyer. Comment: Fine but if the union negotiates a contract and we vote for it and then the employer does not honour the contract and the union does not represent the employee what does the employee do if they can't talk to a lawyer. This is what happened to me. Our contract said term employees were to be made permanent after 3 years. The employer refused and the union did not want to represent me and force the issue. Where does the employee go? Your Comment * Your Email * Your Name * Your City Note, your name, city and email is not displayed on the website. It is used to notify you that we have approved your comment.