A union holding a strike vote is a common occurrence in collective bargaining and does not mean a strike will occur.

Employees cannot lawfully strike unless a strike vote by secret ballot is taken by the Society within 30 days of the collective agreement expiring or at any time after the agreement expires, and more than 50 per cent vote in favour of the strike. A strike vote must be by secret ballot and all people eligible to vote must have ample opportunity to do so. All employees in a bargaining unit, whether or not they are trade union members, are entitled to participate in such a vote. (See Section 79 of the Labour Relations Act, 1995).