WORKERS’ RIGHTS
Ontario union helps advocate for labour rights for migrant workers
MIGRANT farmworkers in Ontario aren’t allowed to join a union, but that hasn’t stopped unions from trying to support them. One example is a pilot project to help Mexican workers who’ve come to Canada through the seasonal agricultural workers’ program (SAWP) to stay safe and healthy on the job. Called the Migrant Workers Representation Pilot, the project is a partnership between the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) and governments in Mexico. Through the program, UFCW delivers labour rights workshops to migrant workers before, during and after their work terms in Canada. The initiative, says the union, shows the role organized labour can play in protecting migrant workers from “the abuse of exploitative and irresponsible employers.”
Organized labour can play a role in protecting migrant workers, even without a union. Reverend Antonio Illas, who works with with the Migrant Farmworkers Project through the Anglican Diocese of Niagara in Ontario, says agricultural workers in the region need this kind of support. “They are totally a vulnerable and
marginalized community here, to a point where I would say it’s a legal form of cheap labour for Canada.” While Illas isn’t involved with the UFCW program, he comes from Mexico and lives in Ontario where he provides social services for migrant seasonal farmworkers. He says union initiatives such as the UFCW’s play an important role in advocating for migrant workers in a province where labour laws prevent them from officially unionizing. Many who come through the SAWP have only an elementary school education, and spend their entire careers working in Canada, doing farmwork for minimum wage – work that Canadians aren’t willing to do, Illas explains. Their employers are responsible for providing them with housing, which often results in substandard living conditions. Their families aren’t allowed to come with them, and they can only return to Mexico for a few months a year. Despite this, these workers for the most part aren’t eligible for permanent residency or citizenship in Canada. “They are a community of workers that cannot organize and cannot vote, so they are totally without political power or labour power,” Illas says. The need for protections and worker power while in Canada is something that governments in Mexico also recognize.
PROTECTION NEEDED | Many Mexican farmworkers spend their entire careers in Canada, but can’t join a union and aren’t eligible for permanent residency or citizenship.
They have launched campaigns to help their citizens return home from seasonal farm jobs free from workplace injury, stress and health complications. The partnership with UFCW is supporting these efforts. While many migrant workers shy away from unions for fear that involvement will affect their work permits, Mexican governments are encouraging their citizens who work in Canada to connect with
the UFCW. Illas dreams of a day when labour laws change, and seasonal agricultural workers are allowed to formally unionize and get permanent residency. “Organization provides empowerment and a voice,” he says. Until then, unions like UFCW and civil society groups will play an important role in raising awareness about the rights of workers.
NEWSBITES New fund offers relief for HEU members In June, HEU established a Disaster Relief Fund to provide short-term financial support to members directly impacted by natural disasters like floods and wildfires. Eligible HEU members can apply for $500 to offset costs associated with evacuations including shelter, food, and transportation costs. These funds can supplement other assistance members receive through the Red Cross, disaster relief agencies, or government authorities.
To date, 272 members have accessed $136,000 in funding. Visit heu.org/disaster-relief-fund.
New facility gives boost to seniors’ care HEU recently helped launch the grand opening of a new 150bed, long-term care facility in Vancouver. Dogwood Care Home features shared living, dining and kitchen spaces and private bedrooms, and an innovative design that includes traditional Coast Salish house posts and house boards created in collaboration with the
Musqueam Indian Band. HEU’s financial secretary Betty Valenzuela and Vancouver Coastal regional vice-president Karen McVeigh, who works at the facility as a care aide, attended the opening ceremony along with B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix and Parliamentary Secretary for Seniors’ Services and Long-Term Care Harwinder Sandhu. “Building a public health care system that works for everybody means also increasing long-term care capacity to meet the growing demands for acute care and need-specific seniors’ services,”
WELCOME HOME | HEU financial secretary Betty Valenzuela, along with Dogwood local member and HEU regional vice-president Karen McVeigh and HEU’s Mike Old, join B.C. Minister of Health Adrian Dix at the opening of the new Dogwood Care Home in Vancouver. FALL 2023 | GUARDIAN 11
