Crossword Genius

Speed unions insist upon to get the job done (4)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

rate

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'speed' is the definition.
(the speed at which something happens)

'unions insist upon to get the job done' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'the' could be 't' (the is pronounced as a 't' sound in some dialects) and 't' is found within the answer.
The remaining letters 'rae' is a valid word which might be clued in a way I don't understand.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for rate that I've seen before include "Cost" , "Think highly of - price" , "standard levy" , "Assign a value to, appraise" , "Be worthy of, merit" .)

I've seen this clue in The Globe and Mail.
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