Photo Consent & Member Media

Before you raise the camera

Not every union moment needs a face online. Run this gate before you shoot or export.

• Wide crowd, no single subject. Picket lines and rallies: backs and signs often suffice. Still avoid tagging individuals or geotagging the gate.
• One member is the story. Spotlight graphics, quote cards with a face, and Reels need explicit consent and the checklist below.
• Filming inside the workplace. Check CA and employer policy first. Probationary and precarious workers face real retaliation risk — default to no unless the member initiates.
• Strike or discipline context. Extra caution. A solidarity photo can become evidence management uses. Read the Strike Guide consent lines before you post.

Why consent is solidarity

Consent protects members from employer watch and from each other’s good intentions.

Match the ask to the room

The same photo rules are not the same in every space.

• Public rallies and picket lines. Wide shots when no one person is the subject. Verbal yes before a close-up. Tell people you may post to the local page.
• Closed meetings and internal events. Announce at the start that photos may be taken. Point to a no-photo zone. Honour opt-outs without debate.
• High-risk workplaces and small shops. Explicit yes from each identifiable person before you post. Small groups are easy for management to recognize.

What to say out loud

Short, direct asks work better than forms nobody reads.

• Member spotlight. “We would like to feature you on the local Facebook page and maybe the website. You can say no or ask us to take it down anytime. Is that okay?”
• Start of meeting. “Photos may be taken for the local page. If you do not want to be in frame, sit in the no-photo corner or tell any officer.”
• Group photo. “Everyone in frame — we are posting this to the member group. Anyone need to step out?” Wait for heads to nod.
• Reels and Shorts. Same ask, plus: “This may include your voice and face on Instagram or YouTube.” Point to the short-form video guide for filming basics.

Record consent locally

You do not need a database. You need a paper trail when someone asks who approved a post.

• Who consented. Name (or member ID if your local uses numbers), date, and which officer asked.
• Where it will appear. Facebook, website, board PDF, Reel — list channels. Update the log if you cross-post later.
• Verbal or written. Text or email counts. Note “verbal yes at membership meeting” if that is what happened.
• Keep logs with officers. Spreadsheet or notebook in union custody — not on employer systems or public Google accounts tied to work email.

Before you post

Confirm each item before using a member photo in graphics, flyers, board notices, or social posts.

• Consent captured. Written or verbal yes from the member — logged with date and officer name.
• Audience clear. The member knows which channels will see the image and that they can withdraw consent.
• No confidential context. Caption and background free of grievance details, medical info, or bargaining leaks.
• Group photo sweep. Everyone identifiable is covered — or crop, blur, or pick another image.
• Minors and dependents. Follow local executive and union policy before you publish.
• Background check. Badges, lanyards, and faces behind the subject count. Crop or wait.
• Location off. Strip geotags before publish. Do not film confidential casework or medical spaces.
• Takedown officer named. Members know who to text for removal — see below.

If a member asks to come down

• Same day. Delete or replace the post. Archive exports on officers’ devices if needed — do not leave old graphics in the group photo album.
• Every copy. Facebook, Instagram, website hero, printed board — check each place you cross-posted.
• Note the withdrawal. Update the consent log so volunteers do not repost the same image next month.
• Thank the member. “Done — thanks for telling us.” No guilt trip.

Privacy and employer watch

Member faces are personal information. Consent must be informed.

• IPC Ontario. Video and photo capture in workplaces should follow proportionality and notice principles — see sources below.
• PIPEDA baseline. When employers or vendors collect images, consent must be meaningful — union practice should be at least as careful.
• Collective agreement. Posting and filming rules may live in your CA or employer policy. Stewards check before filming on employer property.
• Strike and discipline. Extra risk during crises. Pair with the Strike Guide — solidarity photos are not worth a member’s job.

Worked walk-through: member spotlight graphic

A steward wants to celebrate a member who spoke at a rally. You will post a Graphic Maker portrait to the closed Facebook group and the local website.

1. Before the event — Steward uses the spotlight script. Member agrees to Facebook and website. Officer logs name, date, and channels in the consent notebook.
2. At the rally — Wide shots during speeches. After, take the portrait away from employer logos. Member reviews the frame on the phone.
3. In Graphic Maker — Upload photo — complete the consent dialog. Export PNG. Second officer reads caption for confidential details.
4. Publish — Post to group with alt text. Upload to website news section. No location tag.
5. If they ask to remove — Comms officer deletes both posts before end of day, updates log, confirms by text.

Facilitator note

In lunch-and-learns, practice the ask script and the Graphic Maker consent dialog together.

Pause on the consent step, walk the checklist once, assign takedown officers, and link Comms Resources plus Privacy. Same rules apply before filming a Reel — see the short-form video guide.