September 1st, 2010
By Jim Sinclair, Special to the Sun
As we get ready to celebrate Labour Day and the contributions made by workers and unions, it is inevitable we will hear another message as well. It will come from business groups or an anti-union “think-tank” and it will predictably go something like this: “We needed unions a hundred years ago, but we don’t need them today.”
People who push this view reluctantly acknowledge the role unions played in winning gains for all workers: increased wages, the five-day work week, pensions, maternity benefits, unemployment insurance, safer workplaces, compensation for injured workers, minimum wages and paid vacations, to name just a few.
Having won these important gains, their suggestion is that unions should simply fold their tents, that government agencies and employers will protect and respect workers’ rights. Experience tells us otherwise. It tells us that workers had to fight hard to win these gains and that workers must fight just as hard to keep them. Nearly every bargaining table in the province has seen a long list of concessions demanded by employers.
Market forces are not kind to the people who go to work every day. They never have been and they never will be. With globalization, stagnant or declining wages, increasing economic uncertainty and a shrinking middle class, we need unions today more than ever.
Try telling Khaira Enterprises tree planters they don’t need a union. Explain that various government regulations and agencies will protect them. Experience has taught them otherwise. Two dozen Khaira workers were rescued from a squalid work camp outside Golden in July. They hadn’t been paid. They were malnourished. The camp was dangerous and basic safety requirements were nonexistent.
Try telling minimum-wage workers they do not need a raise or a union. Most are 20 or older and trying to make ends meet. These workers haven’t seen a salary increase in nine years and are now the lowest-paid workers in all of Canada. Businesses almost always argue against wage increases, which we can sort of understand. What is difficult to understand is the Liberal government’s refusal to increase the minimum wage and the government’s abdication of its responsibility to protect the poorest workers in the province.
Try telling farm workers they don’t need a union, or temporary foreign workers or the tens of thousands of people who work full-time but are paid less than they need to provide the basics for themselves and their families.
Last year the average unionized worker earned $24.47 an hour, while non-union workers were paid $19.89, a difference of $4.58 an hour. Unionized part-time workers earned $7.63 an hour more than non-union part-time workers. Unionized women on average earn 35 per cent more than women who do not belong to a union.
The more unionized workers we have in our province, the stronger our province will be. Main Street merchants understand this. Well-paid workers spend their paycheques in their communities and keep local businesses alive. They also pay the bulk of the taxes that pay for critical public services such as health care and education. The inverse is true too. When unions are under attack, just as they are now, salaries are pushed down, working conditions deteriorate and jobs disappear.
The trade union movement salutes the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians who toil to make the province work.
We pledge to continue to build a labour movement and a province that fights for everyone, not just those fortunate to have the dignity a union provides them.
Happy Labour Day.
Jim Sinclair is president of the British Columbia Federation of Labour.
Tags: employment law, hours, pay, trade unions, unionized, unions, worker
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August 26th, 2010
NASCO Promoters have approached United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1518 about forming a union to get better pay, respect from management and fairness.
The Union has learned NASCO has hired a lawyer and is coaching supervisors on what to tell you about the Union.
You deserve accurate information in order to make an informed decision about forming a Union.
- Supervisors have been instructed to ask if you signed a union card. You DO NOT have to tell them (management) or anyone else if you signed a union card. It is unlawful for them to even ask!
- NASCO might hire more Promoters making it even harder to get the hours you need to live on!
- They might circulate something called a “Revocation Card”
- They might circulate a leaflet with half truths about what it means to be in a union
1. NASCO management might tell you forming a union will not guarantee you a wage increase.
What NASCO WILL NOT tell you:
- All of our current Union members receive regular, scheduled wage increases – compare that to your situation right now.
- Every contract our Union has negotiated contains guaranteed wage increases.
- Do you think you will get any wage increases without a union?
2. NASCO management might tell you the only thing guaranteed by joining the Union is you will pay union dues.
What NASCO WILL NOT tell you:
- YOU WILL NOT PAY UNION DUES until you vote to accept a contract that has wage increases and improvements you want!
3. NASCO managers might tell you the Union is a “middleman”, or a “third party”, or “prevents you dealing with issues on an individual basis”.
What NASCO WILL NOT tell you
:
- As a Union member, you still have every right to discuss issues with your supervisors – the difference is having a union means you have someone on your side.
- A Union means you have the ability to join with other Promoters to deal with common issues.
- A Union means the ability to have meetings and get to know each other. You are the union.
NASCO is more worried about you joining the Union than issues that matter to you:
- Stagnant wages
- Last minute scheduling
- Respect from management
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August 23rd, 2010
UFCW 1518 is the largest professional and representative union for pharmacists in British Columbia.
Membership is open to all registered pharmacists in British Columbia.
As pharmacists, our commitment is to deliver a quality, accessible, personal and professional service that puts the patient first.
- To promote and advance the professional and economic welfare of our members;
- To conduct negotiations on behalf of members to ensure that they are adequately remunerated for the professional services they provide;
- Proper pensions;
- Guaranteed payment for overtime;
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August 23rd, 2010
UFCW 1518 has received a few phone calls from employees at Thrifty Kitchens.
If you’d like more information about about the union being formed at Thrifty Kitchens please contact union organizer Patrick Johnson at 604-786-5905.
Tags: Thrifty Foods Kitchen, Thrifty Kitchens, ufcw, union
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August 20th, 2010
Unions in BC exist to represent employees in a particular sector and to improve the living standards and rights of members.
When you get a union you can negotiate your working conditions, rates of pay, break, vacations, and schedules.
In British Columbia you get a union through a vote conducted by the BC Labour Relations Board. There are specific steps on how to get a union in BC and UFCW 1518 can guide you through the process to get a union.
Instructions to Get a Union
- Contact a union organizer at UFCW 1518. It’s easy and confidential to find out how to get a union at your job site. The organizer can answer any questions you may have about the process and all conversations are confidential.
- Know your rights! You cannot be fired or disciplined for joining a union. The law protects the right of all workers to get a union of their choice. If your employer breaks the law – UFCW 1518 will take your employer to the labour board and make sure your rights are respected.
- Find others at your workplace who are interested to get a union. The worksites that have the best success rates at getting a union are the worksites that build a broad base of support in all departments and all shifts. United you are strong.
- Sign union cards. To have a vote conducted at your workplace to get a union – you must demonstrate to the Labour board that a majority of your co-workers are interested in forming a union. These cards are confidential.
- Vote yes! Within 10 days of having a majority of your co-workers sign union cards a secret ballot vote will be held at your workplace.
Tips
Tags: bc, bc labour relations, bc labour relations board, british columbia, confidential, get a union, how to, how to get, labour, trade unions, ufcw, union organizer, unions, vote, workplace
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August 18th, 2010
The decision whether or not to help form a union at your workplace is an important one. I faced this decision when I was working in a department store a few years ago.
The staff organizer told me that to win we needed a committee of employees, but I wasn’t sure I would be a good committee member.
I was pretty shy, had just a small group of friends and didn’t know very much about unions. I was very scared.
It just seemed to me that it might be better if I just signed a union card and left the work of organizing a union to others. In the end, though, I decided that if I really wanted to have a union, I needed to jump in and help out by joining the committee.
All these years later, I can say that organizing my workplace is one of the best decisions I ever made. It was hard, and took time, but eventually we did win.
I still feel pride in having helped improve the conditions for myself and my co-workers and many others who came later. Even more, I had an experience I will always cherish.
At first I had a hard time stating my opinions publicly, especially when my managers did not approve or agree. But I found that by speaking from my heart I earned the respect of my co-workers.
Most surprising to me, my managers confided to me sometime later, that my leadership in the union organizing effort actually earned me their respect as well.
I believe that since we spend so much of our lives at work, we should take all possible steps to achieve fulfillment and respect on the job. We don’t have to accept things as they are.
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August 18th, 2010
Even though every job is different, there are basic steps that every group of workers needs to complete.
You should quietly talk to some of your co-workers that might be interested in joining a union. If there is interest from your co-workers you should contact our union office and find out more information. We can meet with you and your co-workers in confidence and discuss how to start a union at your workplace.
How to Start a Union: 5 Basic Steps
Step One: You can’t do it all alone. You need to find other co-workers in other departments that can help you. Everyone needs to ensure they have a way to put their issues on the table.
Step Two: Find issues that matter. What is going on at your worksite? What would you like to change? The whole point of joining a union is to make your workplace a better place to work. What are issues that everyone has in common?
Step Three: Sign union cards. You and your co-workers will now start to ask others to sign union cards. You want to sign up at least two thirds of employees where you work. Not only is signing union cards a legal requirement to get a vote to join a union – it also ensures that everyone at your worksite is united. Sign up as many people as possible.
Step Four: UFCW 1518 will provide the union cards to the Labour Relations Board of BC. No one ever sees the cards except for you and the labour board. Your boss will never know who has signed a union card. Within 10 calendar days of all cards being provided the labour board will schedule a vote at your workplace on joining a union.
Step Five: You have your union! You now have a legal right to negotiate improvements to your worksite and conditions of work.
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August 2nd, 2010
You may have recently seen a leaflet in your store that looks like this.
London Drugs employees at several stores are discussing how to make London Drugs an even better place to work, and are considering forming a union. There has been lots of discussion about what is happening inside of stores and the need for increased employee hours to make London Drugs run more effectively.
The parent company of London Drugs,HY Louie, has unionized cashiers at IGA that are members of United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW). These unionized cashiers of UFCW local 1518 are paid up to $23 an hour, and receive medical, dental and pension benefits.
HY Louie, the parent company, successfully runs unionized stores; if they have no problem paying cashiers at IGA up to $23 an hour then shouldn’t pharmacy techs, cashiers and sales staff at London Drugs be paid a more appropriate wage and receive more hours?
London Drugs employees need the facts to decide if forming a London Drugs Union is a good fit for their store.
What Do You Think?
Should Your Store Have a Union?
Here are some common questions employees have asked about a London Drugs Union:
Can we be fired for forming a union at our store?
No. Workers in BC join unions every day. BC’s labour code protects a workers right to be a member of the union of their choice. No one lost their job or was disciplined when IGA stores owned by HY Louie formed a union of their own with UFCW 1518.
Does every store in the province have to join?
No. A single store is eligible to join. If a majority of employees at a single store vote in favor of having a union you can form a London Drugs Union at your store.
Will my employer find out I called a union?
Not unless you tell them. We protect the confidentiality of those who contact us about forming a union. It is unlawful for the labour board or a union organizer to tell an employer who has signed a card.
What will be in our contract if we form a union at London Drugs?
That’s up to you! After forming a union you will sit down with your co-workers and put together a list of proposals that you would like to see in your new union contract. You have the right to vote on what the contract looks like. You probably wont get EVERYTHING you are looking for in your first contract, but we guarantee it will be an improvement.
If you have any more questions you’d like to have answered submit them below.
Tags: cashier, employee, iga stores, join union, london drugs, london drugs union, stores, union contracts, unions
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July 9th, 2010
The Self-Employment and Entrepreneur Development Society (SEEDS) cast a unanimous vote in favour of joining UFCW 1518.
SEEDS is a registered non-profit society that has supported more than 1,800 people, since 1997, in entering the self-employment and entrepreneur domain.
“This is a very exciting time for UFCW, as SEEDS is the first organization of its kind to become a part of Local 1518.
I would like to welcome our newest members to UFCW 1518,” says Ivan Limpright, President. “Joining Local 1518 means SEEDS employees will have a union that will support them as they continue to make a difference for entrepreneurs and for those who are self-employed.”
Local 1518 will now advise the employer that we are prepared to negotiate a collective agreement for our new members.
About UFCW 1518
Today, UFCW Local 1518 represents 26,000 workers employed in a broad range of industries. The union’s members work in the retail food industry, food processing, commercial retail, drug stores, the health care industry, poultry processing, and other industries. UFCW 1518 negotiates and polices over 150 Collective Agreements that provide union members with fair wages, benefits, working conditions, job security and a voice in their work place.
Tags: join a union, non-profit union, seeds, union
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June 15th, 2010
We’ve received several calls from workers at Winners regarding joining a union.
You’ve told us you’re concerned that Winners
- Hires new people while existing staff don’t have enough hours
- Doesn’t provide benefits to part time workers
- Doesn’t pay you fairly for the hard work you do
Employees from Winners have asked us if they can join the United Food and Commercial Workers 1518, the union for retail workers in BC.
We’ve helped BC retail workers like you get higher pay, more hours and respect at companies like
Zellers
Canadian Tire
The Bay
Shoppers Drug Mart
Rexall Drugs
United Furniture Warehouse
If you’d like to join at your store or find out how to start a union contact Jason at 604-250-3704
Tags: labour union, winners
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