Some industries are more suitable to unions than others. For example, the auto industry is excellent for this because it depends on large factories that are built at great expenses and remain there for a long time. But what about the landscaping and garden maintenance industry? Is it suitable for unions? Let us explore this idea.
Lawn Care Industry.
Gardening Industry
First of all, let’s consider that the lawn cutting and garden maintenance industry is a multi-billion dollar industry in Canada and the United States. In some cities around Toronto, residents pay a great deal of attention to their grass, their gardens and even to their weed!
That said, is it important to understand the nature of the grass cutting industry. Most of the companies working in the lawn care field are small businesses run by the owner, or sometimes they are comprised of a larger company that runs multiple franchise divisions. However, each division is managed on its own, so it essentially acts as a standalone landscaping or gardening business. Recently, I visited a number of grass cutting providers in Richmond Hill Ontario and was impressed with the level of equipment that they had. At gardeniacanada.ca there are a variety of services that require lawn mowing, garden maintenance and more.
The equipment that is needed for this type of work is not massive. Of course, a lawn mower is necessary, and some of the ones that are larger are much more useful because they can cut the grass in the backyard and front yard much faster than conventional lawn-mowers. Essentially it is possible to start this business with a truck and a lawnmower. Of course, there are other aspects such as marketing that are needed as well.
So would the owners of these small lawn mowing companies be interested in a union? Well, there is another issue, and that is there is no higher authority that they report to. The customers are usually homeowners who want their grass to be cut, their lawns to look nice and their weed to be removed. They are interested in weed control, grass cutting, lawn mowing and sometimes landscaping. So, who is going to be the area that manages the union.
Difficult Challenge
Considering all the different aspects of the gardening industry, it is very difficult for a union to be formed. Homeowners are the primary customer, so there is no larger company or government body that is responsible for the larger lawn care business as a whole. And that is why it is very unlikely that we will see a union forming in the lawn cutting business anytime soon.