The Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union said members will vote on whether to take action, citing a failure by the company to give assurances on the future use of guards on trains.
The union is involved in a row with Southern Rail on the same issue and also recently announced a ballot of its members on Merseyrail.
Northern called the move to ballot staff "extremely premature".
Arriva Rail North, which operates Northern trains, provides services between cities and towns across the north of England.
The union said its position on Driver Only Operated (DOO) vehicles, meaning the drivers would be in charge of opening and closing the carriage doors, was clear.
Mick Cash, RMT general secretary, said: "We will not agree to any extensions of DOO and will fight to retain the safety-critical role of the guard and to keep a guard on the train."
"This dispute, and the ballot for industrial action, were entirely preventable if the company had listened to the union's deep-seated safety concerns, had taken them seriously and had put passenger safety before profit."
Arriva North could not guarantee a conductor on all of its passenger services, he added.
A company spokesman said: "We are in the early stages of developing our modernisation plans to bring customers a better railway, so we believe the RMT is extremely premature in calling a ballot for strikes.
"We want to protect jobs and pay as we work together to provide safe, secure and accessible services for our customers."
Northern rail conductors are to be balloted for strike action.