Secretary-Treasurer's Message

Achieving positive change every day: The Importance of Collective Agreement Language

There have been many times, and I expect we’ll continue to see times ahead, when passionate protest and legislative reform have been the only way to protect and improve workers’ rights.

Whether in the form of large, long-lasting, impactful strike action; judicial decisions on the legitimacy of laws enacted by politicians who are not worker friendly, or; real improvements to protections for working people across the country or province, these milestones are vital to our history as working people.

But not every substantial win comes with sweeping legislative changes or as a result of thousands taking to the streets in protest.

The day-to-day wins are often overlooked by history even though they can mean the most to working people.

As President Tosato noted, our rights have never been just handed to us. The fact that working people still have to fight for decent wages, job security, and often their very own safety and health, is evidence that corporate greed is not going anywhere anytime soon.

This is why having a collective agreement is incredibly important. Because even good laws can be undone by politicians in an instant.

But, to change your collective agreement, you and your co-workers have to vote to approve those changes.

In fact, one of the first things I encourage any Union member to do, especially new members, is to read their collective agreement and to ask questions.

Every bit of language in your agreement is a piece of history.

Collective agreement language has been built off the hard-fought wins of the past and enshrined in contract after contract across many industries and sectors.

And, some of the language in your agreement is more specific to your workplace, job, and sector. Those provisions are also built off hard-fought wins at the bargaining table with each and every round of negotiations.

I encourage you to check out the negotiation updates on pages 12 – 16. It’s important to see and understand these examples of the day-to-day wins that can be achieved through collective bargaining.

And on page 10, you can learn more about 'Minimum Wage +' language, which is a good example of how a Union contract can be proactive and help future-proof your wages.

I was so happy to see so many Members out to celebrate Labour Day this year. Whether at the bargaining table or marching in the streets, the commitment and solidarity of our members is always inspiring.

In Solidarity, Jim McLean treasurer@ufcw175.com