UFCW 1518 Update

WINTER 2016

UPDATE

U N I T E D F O O D A N D CO M M E R C I A L WORKERS UNION

LOCAL 1518

TOGETHER, WE BUILD A BETTER LIFE FOR ALL BRITISH COLUMBIANS

INSIDE THIS EDITION:

A Union In Your Community pg.4 Headstart Program pg.6 Fight for 15: A Movement for All Workers in BC pg.18

WISHING YOU A Safe and Happy holidays

fic ufcw1518.com

YOUR LOCAL 1518 EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS: Ivan Limpright, President, Abbotsford Kim Novak, Secretary-Treasurer, Coquitlam Nan Fredericks, (Recorder) Mackenzie Co-op, Mackenzie Rod Anderson, PriceSmart, Coquitlam Terry Archibald, Prince George Community Care, Prince George Susan Bayly, Safeway, Victoria Ken Bellows, Colonial Farms, Armstrong Harminder Bhupal, Save-On Foods, New Westminster Connie Buckner, Cowichan Home Support, Duncan Laura Cipolato, Save-On Foods, North Vancouver Ravi Dhindsa, Sunrise Poultry, Surrey Dave Diamond, Save-On Foods, Kelowna Sherry Earl, Overwaitea, Fernie Christine Holowka, Save-On Foods, Prince George Danette Lankmyer, Safeway, Surrey Michelle Metcalfe, Shoppers Drug Mart, Coquitlam Robert Milan, Safeway, Kelowna Erin Moore, Coquitlam, Safeway Kari-Anne Neave, Overwaitea, Burns Lake Connie Oxales, Sofina Foods (PoCo plant), Pitt Meadows Matt Rose, Safeway, Cranbrook Wes Schellenberg, Save-On Foods, Clearbrook Eleanor Smith, Penticton Home Support, Penticton Jennifer Vecchio, Nelson Home Support, Nelson Dave Wilson, WE Insurance, Burnaby

LOCAL 1518 SERVICE DIRECTORY ALL MEMBERSHIP SERVICES – UNION HEADQUARTERS 350 Columbia Street, New Westminster, B.C., V3L 1A6 Phone: 604-526-1518 | Fax: 604-540-1520 Toll Free 1-800-661-3708 HEALTH AND WELFARE TRUST Safeway Members 1-888-310-1318 ext. 3381 Overwaitea Food Group Members 1-877-643-7200 DENTAL PLAN 1-888-818-3368 UFCW 1518 PENSION 1-888-345-8329 HEALTH CARE SECTOR MEMBERS 1-800-367-8111 HEALTH CARE BENEFIT TRUST 1-888-736-2087 MUNICIPAL PENSION PLAN 1-800-668-6335 EDUCATION 1-800-661-3708 ORGANIZING 1-888-581-1518 WEBSITE www.ufcw1518.com © UPDATE is a publication of UFCW 1518 design by talkingdog.ca

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40064629 2

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

A MESSAGE FROM YOUR

EXECUTIVE

P R E S I D E N T,

I VA N L I M PR I G H T Together, we build a better life for all British Columbians.

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his past year has been one of growth and new initiatives. We have welcomed hundreds of new members into new units, negotiated contracts that have seen wage and benefits improvements, put dollars back into our members pockets through grievance and WCB Appeal wins, as well as developed stewards as upcoming leaders through our Headstart program. We have had all of these successes amidst constant challenges from various Employers in various sectors and that is because of the hard work and dedication of our staff, stewards and activists.

As we move into 2017, we know we have a lot of work to do, both internally within our organization and in the communities we live in. In May 2017 we have a provincial election, and it is very important that our members, like all British Columbians are aware of the issues that affect them the most so that they make an informed vote about who they feel best represents their interests in parliament.

As your union, we are going to continue to provide the highest level of representation for our members, to be active in the communities we work and live in and commit to our mission of building a better life for all British Columbians.

We wish you and your families a happy holiday season and a we look forward to working with you in 2017.

Ivan Limpright President, UFCW 1518

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

S E C R E TA R Y-T R E A S U R E R

K I M N OVA K

A strong Union has Deep Roots in the Membership

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ember engagement has been a critical part of making 2016 such an important year for our union and we want to thank all of our members, stewards and activists who have taken the time to provide your feedback on the work we do as your union.

Our union was established in British Columbia over 117 years ago and in order to stay relevant and effective, we are constantly evolving as an organization. In order to do this in a way that meets the needs of our membership, we have been conducting various online surveys, receiving staff reports and talking with our stewards and activists about what is important to you. We are going to continue to seek your input on what you want to see from your Union while implementing more initiatives that improve the lives of our members at work.

We know that our members want to see their union fighting more for the issues that matter most to them, providing more training and skills development for activists in their units and being more present and active in their communities to name a few.

One of the major focuses in the New Year will be to launch a new training and education program for Shop Stewards that will offer Basic and Advanced Steward Training courses several times throughout the year so that our activists can continue to develop and refine their skills on an ongoing basis.

We look forward to a very exciting 2017 and wish you all a very happy and healthy holiday season!

Kim Novak Secretary-Treasurer

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nion members and activists are a part of much more than just their workplace. When we go home, we think about a lot more than just what happened at work and what we can change to make it better. “As your union, we know that UFCW Local 1518 is a part of a much larger community of unions, activists, workers and people with various needs,” says UFCW Local 1518 President Ivan Limpright. “That’s why your union takes time to get out into the community.”

On March 11th, UFCW members and staff attended the 29th annual West Coast LEAF Equality Breakfast. As a Union we have sponsored West Coast LEAF for many years, as they are the province’s leading organization who is promoting women’s equality through the law, raising funds for litigation, law reform, and legal education programs.

UFCW Local 1518 A Union In Your Community On April 1st, UFCW Local 1518 members joined BC Federation of Labour in the early morning of April 1st, or April Fools’ Day, in support of the Fight for $15 campaign. On that day BC’s minimum wage became the lowest in the country. And, even though we’re no longer at the very bottom, the signs from that day, reminding us that “living on minimum wage is no joke”, are as true as ever.

When MoveUP’s members, employed by another union, the BC Nurses’ Union (BCNU), went on strike near the end of July because their employer wanted to cut sick leave, medical appointment leave, and family responsibility leave, your union stood alongside them on the picket line.

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UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

UFCW 1518 staff and executive board members, Danette Lankmayr, Kim Balmer, Tony Evangelista, and Patrick Johnson were there, calling for a better offer from BCNU. On August 5th, your union joined two more picket lines. The Education and Training Employees’ Association (ETEA) Local 9 and 11, representing private instructors at the Vancouver English Centre, which has since been shut down, and Hanson International Academy, went on strike to sign contracts that ensured better wages and the end of unpaid work. UFCW 1518 staff were at both picket lines and instructors at Hanson now have their first collective agreement.

On Labour Day, September 5th, UFCW Local 1518 took part in picnics and celebrations throughout the province. Members and staff shared information about your union at events at Burnaby’s Swangard Stadium, in Kelowna, the Fraser Valley, Prince George and the Campbell River/Courtenay Region.

“We sold some of our union oils and vinegars and the money went to our member’s emergency fund,” says Danette Lankmayr, and executive board member who helped organize the UFCW’s presence at the Burnaby event. “We gave away crayons, pens, toques and water bottles. We saw a lot of our members and shop stewards - a lot of labour friendly people.”

Members, and even HeadStart participants, also took part in the Metro Vancouver Alliance’s Community Leadership Training on November 7th. They were joined by 34 labour, faith community and educational organizations and learned about innovative approaches to community organizing.

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

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HeadStart Program Identifies Leaders within UFCW Local 1518 Membership

UNION UPDATES

Program Identifies Leaders within UFCW Local 1518 Membership

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eadStart is a 3-month program for the next generation of Union Representatives and Leaders, where participants learn how to conduct grievance handling, organizing, membership orientations, steward training, and more. Participants are paired up by current representatives. And, because of its success, the program will return in the spring.

When Kaci Martens started working at a Save-OnFoods in Prince George at the age of 16, she initially thought she’d get in management, but she eventually realized that wasn’t for her. “I’ve always had an overwhelming need to help people,” the UFCW 1518 member says. “I became a shop steward and got really involved with that. I took some youth programs and steward training and just realizing how much I love doing this. I just got that fire under my belly.”

Her passion for working with members only grew when she found out about your union’s HeadStart program, a 3-month, full-time program that offers

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training for stewards who will become the next generation of union representatives and leaders.

Martens is one of four participants who are paired up with a staff member and are learning grievance procedures, proper scheduling, conflict resolution, how to run new membership orientations and member engagement. “I learned a lot about different people’s personalities,” says Ronda Melbourne, one of the participants from Vernon, “and how to connect with certain people when you get talking to them.”

The participants are even getting to work outside their sector. Brittany Roche, from a Save-On-Foods in New Westminster, has been doing a lot of work with health care workers. “Their collective agreement and what I’ve had to learn on that spectrum is completely different than retail,” she says. “They have a totally different way of doing things. It’s been a huge learning curve.” Roche also had a chance to work with the Metro Vancouver Alliance, participating in their Leadership Institute where she learned about

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

engaging different workers, negotiations, and even community mobilization.

Gaining these skills is more important than ever.

Adam Matran, from the Sofina Foods turkey plant in Abbotsford, has seen many members experience challenges. “Our members at the workplace sometime face very rough times with the management, staff, supervisors and sometimes even co-workers,” he says. “The hard part is the bullying and harassment coming from the management team. Sometimes they’re deeply stressed and they at that time they need our help.” Like Roche, Matran also had a chance to work with people in different sectors, mainly retail foods workers in his case.

With so many more members who are passionate about their union, the program will return in the spring. It might even expand to include more members who aren’t necessarily elected stewards, and it’ll certainly look to

“Sometimes it’s hard to recognize in yourself,” Martens says, “but friends and family are saying: “You seem different, confident in what you’re talking about now, and ready to take on the world.”” represent the diversity of the membership more. But what’s certain is that the participants have gained so much.

Martens called it being empowered and even people in Roche’s life see the difference.

“Sometimes it’s hard to recognize in yourself,” she says, “but friends and family are saying: “You seem different, confident in what you’re talking about now, and ready to take on the world.””

It’s about gaining skills that help members work together before challenges even arise. “I think it’s important to stick together when things are good as well,” says Melbourne. “We need those relationships. Good or bad, we are a union.”

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

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We wanted to send a message that your Union stands with all LGBTQ2

More Pride than ever this Year

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FCW Local 1518 participated in Prince George’s 19th annual Pride Parade on July 9th, with Shop Steward Carol Harrison from Parkwood Save-On-Foods helping organize your union’s participation. It marked the first time UFCW Local 1518 was a part of Prince George’s parade. We were also involved in pride parades in Victoria and Vernon.

On July 31st, we took part in Vancouver’s Pride Parade. UCFW young workers organized our participation in the event following a UFCW Youth Conference where they decided that the parade should be their focus. They used the hashtag

#ufcwyouthsupportspride for social media, and asked all UFCW locals across Canada to use it for all their pride events. We were very happy to see an unprecedented number of UFCW Local 1518 members come out to join us in the parade.

“Being a part of this is extremely important for our organization, as we know that this is something that represents our members,” says Ashley Campbell, a union representative and shop steward who helped organize your union’s involvement in the parade. “We wanted to send a message that your Union stands with all LGBTQ2. This is about being inclusive, and showing our pride and support for the community.”

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

MEET KIM NOVAK

This is about being inclusive, and showing our pride and support for the community.

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

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Annual Picnics: Great fun from New Westminster to Vernon

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ometimes the members of your union need to take a break and just enjoy each other’s company and there is probably no better way than annual picnics, which are organized by the union’s executive board.

On June 5th, members and their families came together at New Westminster’s Queen’s Park. We had barbeque up and running along with many other activities including facepainting, and hula hoops for the kids, music and prizes. For those who got too warm in the summer weather, there was a water park and the union brought tents for some shade.

A couple months later, on August 4th, members in the Vernon/Armstrong/Enderby area met at the Kin Beach Picnic Shelter.

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UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

From Olympian Filed Hockey Player to BCNDP Candidate:

Ravi Kahlon W

hen the two-time Olympian with the Canadian field hockey team, and the gold medal winner in the 2007 Pan American Games, thought about what he wanted to do next, the general public might not have thought it was working with the BCNDP. But, for Ravi Kahlon, that was actually a natural decision.

“My family’s been heavily involved in the NDP when I was a child,” Kahlon says. “My grandfather was very involved. As a young child I used to work on campaigns, helping door knock.”

So when Adrian Dix essentially knocked on his door, saying he should work for the caucus, as director of stakeholder relations, he jumped at the chance. And it’s a position he’s held for six years.

In that role, he’s stayed in touch with labour movements, the business community, First Nations leadership, and environmental leaders. “It was an amazing experience,” he says. “I got to see the things this government is not doing. I learned about opportunities that this province has. And I was positioned to be able to talk to a wide variety of people.”

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

Now Kahlon is taking the next step and throwing his hat in the electoral ring. He’ll be running for the position of MLA in Delta North, a district he calls an amazing and diverse community, which shares many of the issues other districts have. “We’ve got access to senior care issues,” he says. “A lot of seniors who are isolated from all the major hubs. We have lack of transit options, traffic gridlock, schools that don’t have enough funding.”

But, Kahlon believes, these are problems the community can overcome. And he’s committed to being a part of that. Kahlon, after all, grew up in the neighbourhood and has lived there for more than a

“WHEN I SEE THINGS HAPPENING AND NO ONE’S SPEAKING UP I FEEL LIKE I HAVE TO SPEAK UP. I WANT TO MAKE MY COMMUNITY A BETTER PLACE.” decade with his young family, coaching and mentoring young athletes there. All that has given him a strong sense of community.

“When I see things happening and no one’s speaking up I feel like I have to speak up,” he says. “I want to make my community a better place.”

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Proud to Represent Health Care Members Throughout British Columbia

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FCW Local 1518 has a long and proud history of representing health care members in Community Health, Community Social Services and private facilities throughout BC.

“We represent over 2,700 Health Care members today,” says President Ivan Limpright. “We are dedicated to providing the highest level of representation to all of our members. We know the work that our members in the Health Care Sector not only positively changes the lives of the people they work with, but also their families and the communities they work in.”

As a union, our focus next year and the years to follow will to be continue to engage and grow the health care component of our organization. We will be reaching out to our Shop Stewards, activists, and health care members with various ranges of experience to hear directly from you on how UFCW Local 1518 can continue to effectively work as your health care union.

JOINING THE UNION:

UFCW Local 1518 Welcomes New Members from Community Connections

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on Redman, a Residential and Community Support Worker with Kelowna’s Community Connections Support Services, is now one of 40 new UFCW 1518 members. Community Connections has provided support to people living with a disability since 1991. Redman works with clients in home environments, with residential services being offered 24-hours, and facilitates group programs like cooking clubs, trips to sports events, and lunches - basically anything clients have an interest in around their community.

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“I’m excited to become part of UFCW 1518,” Redman says of their November 2nd certification, “so there is support for individuals, especially for ones that don’t have a voice at the workplace or for people that don’t want to rock the boat.”

And that support will deepen when they sign their first contract. UFCW Local 1518 has been reaching out to the new members and will be electing bargaining committee members who will lead bargaining efforts in the near future.

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

Feeling Empowered:

UFCW Local 1518 Members at First United Church

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n August, when the roughly 80 employees at First United Church in the Downtown Eastside, voted to form a union by an overwhelming 85 per cent, Brock Fingland wasn’t surprised. He’s a shelter resource worker there, doubling as a shift supervisor, doing the front line work of servicing the immediate needs of the attendants of the shelter and he’s seen a lot.

First United is a low-barrier shelter, meaning the staff work with people with advanced behavioural issues, from alcohol and drug issues to mental health health issues. Typically, people working in a low-barrier shelter earn around 20-something an hour. First United staff earn $16.75. Fingland says that about 48 per cent of the staff are casual workers. “People would be called at all hours to come and do these shifts,” he says. “If you’re trying to plan your life and you’re basically fishing shifts out of a bucket for 16.75 an hour you’re not doing very well at all.”

When staff experienced injuries during work, there wasn’t proper follow-up and they couldn’t’ access medical services. “It just wasn’t addressed,” says Fingland. There were even improper dismissals.

Eventually it became too much to take. Fingland and his co-workers decided to form a union and they thought of UFCW 1518. Once they made that decision, they hit the ground running. “I think the actual conversation which started it was in early UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

July,” Fingland says. “A month later we were certified.

We did a lot of footwork.” That involved talking with members individually and hearing their concerns.

And, now, even though a collective agreement is still being worked on, they’ve already seen important changes. Schedules are now prepared in advance.

And there’s due process for hirings and firings.

A cook who was improperly dismissed has even been supported by our union, which won a case, concluding that he deserves back pay and the option to return to work.

More than anything, Fingland says, that victory led many of his co-workers to see the real value in having a union. “People needed to see that in order to comprehend that the change has finally come,” he says. “Now this process is going to be more democratic.”

Fingland’s co-workers are more likely to stand up for themselves. While all workers deserve a union, the stress, low wages, and mistreatment the new First United members experience means they could really use the support. And they found it, both in the union and in themselves.

“The air has lightened in that whole building and people are a lot more hopeful,” he says. “There’s more of a “We”. There’s more of an idea of “We” rather than the segmented, compartmentalized First United.”

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hen UFCW Local 1518 members at eCycle Solutions joined the union in 2013 they were already doing important work. The members recycle small household electronics, like laptops, TV sets, and small household appliances such as microwave ovens from across the province.

And, with electronic waste being the fastest growing kind of waste in landfills, the members could use improvements in their workplace.

When they signed their second contract in April, they won wage improvements of 1.5%, 2.25%, and 2.5% over the three-year contract, and improvements to their safety footwear allowance.

eCycle Solutions Members See Improvements Interview with Samantha Monckton, a Member and the Brainchild of Talking Dog Communications

What is

Talking Dog Communications?

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alking Dog Communications (TDC) is the affordable, innovative and effective one-stop communications shop I started in 2005. TDC has over 22 years of experience in graphic design, communications, media relations, publishing, strategic planning and campaign development for all levels of political parties and issue-based campaigns such as InSite: Canada’s Safe Injection Site, the Fahmy Foundation, BC Compassion Club Society and Protein for People.

I first came to Vancouver in 1993 and began my career as a publisher, creating magazines and directories for non-profit organizations. I later became involved in different political and grassroots movements throughout the decade, such as the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, Vision Vancouver, the BC NDP, UFCW 1518 and CUPE BC.

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“The new contract increased the number of shop stewards that represent the members, giving them more ability to participate in resolving problems from day to day,” according to Bruce Temple, the Union representative at eCycle, commending the greater ownership of workplace issues members at eCycle now have. “If members were to get a discipline they have the ability to advocate during that process. They’re part of the early steps of a new grievance procedure.”

When did you become a member of 1518?

In 2007. I decided to unionize even though my business is a sole-proprietorship. I wanted the security of being with UFCW1518 as well as show solidarity to other unions who support union shops.

I’m proud to be able to put the UFCW union bug on all my artwork.

How has it been being a member of the union?

It’s opened up a different world. I am able to participate in education, conventions, rallies, and other events that the union movement supports. It’s a great community, and an active union.

You’re both a member and help with the communications of your union. What’s that like?

It’s great because I also designed the UFCW 1518 logo and union bug that our shop and others use.

And seeing as we never had a professional division before, it’s like being a part of history in the making where UFCW 1518 now represents many small businesses. I’m honoured to have been helping UFCW 1518 develop a brand that has lasted for the past 9 years, and look forward to evolving the organization into the future.

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

Open early 2017 I

t has been a very challenging year fighting with Sobeys in the “Safeway Extra” dispute which begin in the spring of 2016. In April, the union found out that Sobeys West intended to change the Willowbrook Safeway in Langley and the Dawson Creek Safeway into Safeway Extra stores.

The Employer claims that doing so activates the New Banner language in the collective agreement, where a change in name, size or type of operation requires a new collective agreement. The clause was first negotiated into the Safeway Collective Agreement back in 1997 because it had just been negotiated into the Save on Foods/Overwaitea Collective Agreement a few months prior. It was intended to be a protection for our members against facing the prospect of a new banner opening non-union and then being put in competition with unionized stores. But UFCW 1518 argued that a new banner, in this case, should not affect the current collective agreement, and the union filed a grievance making to that effect.

Sobeys rejected the grievance, saying they would like the matter to go directly to arbitration. In June, the arbitrator issued a decision recognizing Safeway Extra as a new banner, meaning that a new collective agreement would have to be negotiated at both the Willowbrook and Dawson Creek stores. Despite that decision, the current collective agreements remained in effect.

The union was surprised and disappointed by the decision and decided to continue exploring its legal options as it began the process of negotiating a new collective agreement, with the goal of securing wages, seniority, benefits, and working conditions that are comparable to the conventional Safeway Stores. Your union also sought a job security guarantee. The union consulted members from both stores and selected a bargaining committee. Negotiations began in midAugust.

Sobeys, unfortunately, offered a number of insulting items during negotiations, including a reduction to UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

pensions and vacation, and clauses that could lead to rollbacks to wages and benefits.

At the second meeting, in late August, the employer tabled their final offer which contained no job security guarantee or protections from rollbacks to wages and benefits for Grid A employees at converted stores, otherwise known as grandfathering. The union felt it wasn’t right to withhold job security from people who have given their careers to building the company.

A new name, alone, isn’t enough reason to leave them unprotected. The union therefore rejected the employer’s offer.

However, because an agreement couldn’t be reached, the matter had to go to Final Offer Selection arbitration for a decision on what the terms of the Collective Agreement would be.

Final Offer Selection (FOS) requires an arbitrator to choose between the final offers of the employer and the union. One of those two offers becomes the final award, the new collective agreement.

Your union developed a final offer in consultation with legal counsel, the negotiating committee members, and our union’s leadership and presented it to the arbitrator in early September. The strategy was to be reasonable in our overall demands so as to give ourselves the best chance of winning the final offer selection arbitration.

The union intended on putting forward a final offer that is fair and reasonable, containing grandfathering for senior employees and a job security guarantee.

In late September, the arbitrator made a decision regarding the final offers. While the new contract for Safeway Extra will not be of the same high standard as the conventional Safeway Collective Agreement, members in the Dawson Creek and Willowbrook can take solace in knowing that they will not be subject to the deep wage and benefit roll backs sought by Sobeys.

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Preparations for the Save-On Foods & Sobeys/Safeway Contract Re-Opener

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hile both Major Foods Collective Agreements do not come up for a reopener until March 31 2018, UFCW Local 1518 will be organizing a bargaining conference in the fall of 2017.

“We know there are significant issues our members are facing in these stores today, with both companies,” says UFCW Local 1518 President Ivan Limpright.

“While we have seen some very significant improvements for our Grid B members since the last round of bargaining, we know we have a lot more work to do. We have also been facing attacks from both Employers on Grid A benefits. This round of bargaining is going to be challenging – and we need to hear from our members directly on what matters most to them.”

More information on the bargaining conference will be distributed in the Spring/Summer of 2017.

Updating Our Communications

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ver the past several months, UFCW Local 1518 has been working a Communications firm to update how we communicate who we are as an organization and what we represent. We are dedicated to ensuring that our values as a union are represented in everything we do – including how we communicate and connect with our members.

We want to thank all of our members who have participated in online and telephone surveys, and to those who participated in focus groups. Your feedback has been a fundamental part of this process.

You will likely start to see some changes in the New Year based on the feedback we have received from you, our members. This doesn’t mean we are changing who we are, rather we are committed to providing more consistent and effective communications to you. We look forward to this exciting refresh, which we expect to launch in early 2017.

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About our writer for THIS ISSUE OF Update MAGAZINE Daniel Tseghay is a freelance writer who reports for Rankandfile.ca, a labour news website, and who has written for the Toronto Star, the Georgia Straight, and rabble.ca among others. He has also worked as a labour organizer and a union representative with various unions in BC.

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

The Liquor Server Minimum Wage is Discriminatory & Unfair

by Kaitlyn Matulewicz & David Fairey

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f the provincial government doesn’t think that liquor servers should be paid the same minimum wage as other workers, the least it could do is to regulate tips and tip pooling — a common practice of tip redistribution — as Ontario has done with its Protecting Employees Tips Act. In September, B.C.’s minimum wage increased 40 cents to $10.85 per hour, and the province also raised its other minimum wage, the one for liquor servers, to $9.60 per hour. B.C.’s liquor server minimum wage was established in 2011 and the gap between it and the regular minimum wage has steadily grown from 25 cents to $1.25.

owners. Statistics Canada data shows that 81 per cent of food and beverage severs in B.C. are women, meaning the lower liquor server’ minimum wage is especially unfair for women.

Recent research conducted in B.C. by Kaitlyn Matulewicz found that the dependence workers have on customers for tips leaves them vulnerable to enduring sexual harassment and sexualized behaviour from customers as a “price” to be paid for a tip — a form of institutionalized quid pro quo.

If workers do resist by, for example, speaking up against customers who are harassing them, they risk losing a tip. Over time, sexualized behaviour from customers can become normalized - something workers simply put up with to earn a living.

In short, the liquor server’ minimum wage supports customers paying workers, and in doing so, reinforces the sexual harassment of women who work as servers, bartenders and hostesses, and contributes to the sexualization of food and drink serving overall.

Meanwhile the province of Alberta has just abolished its liquor server minimum wage with its commitment to establish a $15 minimum wage for all workers by 2018.

B.C.’s liquor server’ minimum wage resulted from strong pressure by employer groups during a stakeholder engagement process. The government did not — and has still not — researched the impact of this lower minimum wage on employees or employers in the restaurant industry.

Tipping means that customers assume a responsibility usually reserved for employers: paying workers for their labour. The liquor servers’ minimum wage in effect legitimizes tipping and gives an unprecedented wage subsidy to restaurant and bar

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

Some employers also use the promise of earning higher tips to entice workers to accept discriminatory gender-based dress codes that require workers to wear make-up, high-heeled shoes, low-cut tops and high-cut skirts. In short, the liquor server’ minimum wage supports customers paying workers, and in doing so, reinforces the sexual harassment of women who work as servers, bartenders and hostesses, and contributes to the sexualization of food and drink serving overall.

Research from the US Restaurant Opportunities Center United revealed the connection between tipping and sexual harassment in restaurants.

According to their report, The Glass Floor: Sexual Harassment in the Restaurant Industry, women restaurant workers in states with a sub-minimum tipped wage are twice as likely to face sexual harassment than women restaurant workers in states that pay a full minimum wage to all workers.

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Our research suggests that the reliance workers have on customers for tips is heightened under the precarious working conditions faced by restaurant industry workers, a situation worsened by inadequate employment standards legislation in B.C. In jobs where there are no paid sick days, extremely variable work schedules that include open-ended or on-call shifts (if you’re not called in, you’re not paid), and no regulations for employer collection and distribution of tips, the power imbalance between employers and workers — and between customers and workers — are intensified.

The B.C. government must address these inequities and violation of human rights in restaurants and bars

throughout the province. The liquor server’ minimum wage should be eliminated, and ownership of tips received by all service workers should be regulated.

Laws that allow employers to pay workers a lower minimum wage because they receive customer tips increase these workers’ reliance on customers for their livlihood. The impact is not gender neutral and it contributes to the normalization of sexual harassment and sexualization of the workplace for food and drink-serving businesses. _____________________________ Kaitlyn Matulewicz is an organizer with the Retail Action Network, Doctoral Candidate in Law and Society at the University of Victoria, and has extensive experience as a server in the food and beverage industry. David Fairey is a Labour Economist, a Research Associate of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC, and Co-Chair of the BC Employment Standards Coalition.

FIght for 15:

A Movement for all Workers in BC

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es Alford, of Sooke BC, works at a grocery store and takes her job seriously enough to regularly arrive early. But she makes less than $11 an hour, according to a report about low-wage workers.

Working part-time, with kids and a husband living with a disability, Alford’s income of about $400 a week just isn’t enough. She collects bottles and cans on the weekends, visits food banks, and usually only eats one meal a day to get by.

Alford is just one of 120,000 other British Columbians working for the minimum wage of $10.85 per hour.

Many are below the poverty line even if they work full-time - especially so if they have dependents.

Another half a million people in BC earn less than $15 an hour. And of those, about 60 per cent are women.

Like Alford, a lot of people are really struggling.

They’re making tough choices about basic

necessities like what and how often to eat. They’re putting a lot of their income towards their housing.

They are struggling with debts and, often, it looks like there is no end in sight with a provincial government that only raises the minimum wage incrementally, with the last raise at only 20 cents.

More people than ever are working hard and still living in poverty.

The Metro Vancouver area, in particular, is really challenging. It has the second highest working poverty rate (where you earn more than $3,000 a year but somewhere below the Low Income Measure of $25,000) in Canada, according to a Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives report called Working

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UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

Poverty in Metro Vancouver. In part, this is because Vancouver’s rents are one of the highest in the world, with a two-bedroom apartment going for nearly double that of one in Montreal. It is so bad that workers can’t even take a day off. “I think the Fight for 15 is important,” says Jessica Fitch, a UFCW member and steward at a Save-On-Foods, “because I know a lot of people in our store struggle each day and they have to come to work even if they’re sick, just to get by.”

Clearly, workers in BC deserve better than to struggle and barely get by. And one campaign, the Fight for 15, is looking to do something about that. It is a campaign calling for a provincial minimum wage of $15 an hour and it is led by the BC Federation of Labour. Many BC unions vocally support the campaign and you can find volunteers on the streets on any given weekend having conversations with people about the campaign. They’re getting people to sign the petition and learning about how earning below $15 an hour affects different people.

Volunteers are reporting extensive support from BC workers for the campaign. Maybe that should not come as surprise considering that, on top of everything, a better wage benefits local businesses too since they need customers themselves. But UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

the ease with which volunteers are getting people to sign a petition calling for an increase to the minimum wage shows just how important it is to BC workers. People like Jes Alford, who work in retail or the service industry across this province, and who have to make tough choices about important matters, deserve a wage they can depend on.

Ashley Campbell, a union representative and shop steward:

YOUNG WORKERS FACE MANY CHALLENGES BUT UFCW 1518 LENDS A HAND

O

n October 25th, during the Canadian Labour Congress’s Young Worker Summit, Justin Trudeau took the stage.

But his reception wasn’t as warm as he might have expected. Dozens of the 400 young union activists from various locals and sectors throughout the country in the venue turned their back on the Prime Minister as he spoke.

They were protesting his support of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) and the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA), and his opposition to a $15 federal minimum wage, among other policies they believe disproportionately affect young workers. Just a few days before the demonstration, Finance Minister Bill Morneau said Canadians should get used to “job churn”, short-term and precarious employment. The young demonstrators probably felt they were already familiar with it and shouldn’t have to get used to it any longer.

UFCW Local 1518 is proud to represent a great number of young workers. “About 60% of our retail membership fall within the youth category,” says Ashley Campbell, a union representative and shop steward. Members in sectors represented by the union are facing the same challenges unionized and non-unionized young people experience across the country. “There’s a turnover in our workplace with young people because many of them go to school,” says Jessica Fitch, a UFCW member and steward at a Save-On-Foods. But the union is working hard to be a place where young workers can weather some of the storm. For those going to school, for instance, members can apply for scholarships if they, or their families, are attending post-secondary school.

“UFCW cares for young workers,” says Becky Axon, a young worker at a Campbell River Save-On-Foods. “I’ve had the opportunity to go to various conferences. I did the Youth Internship Program, a week-long seminar that teaches you about arbitration and what young workers have access to, like within the workplace, or what they can do to make a difference.”

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“About 60% of our retail membership fall within the youth category.”

Jessica Fitch, a UFCW member and steward at a Save-On- Foods:

“There’s a turnover in our workplace with young people because

many of them go to school” Becky Axon, a young worker at a Campbell River Save-On-Foods:

“UFCW cares for young workers.

I’ve had the opportunity to go to various conferences.

I did the Youth Internship Program, a week-long seminar that teaches you about arbitration and what young workers have access to, like within the workplace, or what they can do to make a difference.”

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

UFCW Canada advances worker issues at Parliament Hill meetings

Originally published in the Directions Newsletter, on November 17

U

FCW Canada National President Paul Meinema and UFCW Local Union presidents and activists from across the country recently gathered in Ottawa to participate in political action meetings with government ministers and Members of Parliament.

Leadership and activists from UFCW Canada Local Unions and the National Office met with a number of ministers and MPs on November 15 to advance the voice and interests of UFCW Canada members.

“The decisions made by political parties and elected officials affect UFCW members in their workplaces and in their communities,” says National President Meinema.

“To ensure that our political leaders understand and act on the hopes, interests, and concerns of UFCW members, it is essential for our union to be politically

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

active at all levels of government, and that is why meetings like this are so important.”

The meetings served to introduce federal politicians to the membership and work of UFCW Canada and UFCW Canada Local Unions, and also provided activists with an opportunity to discuss a number of key issues with MPs and their staff, including closing the gender wage gap; the impact of international trade deals; labour law reform; the development of a national food policy; immigration reform; energy policy; and working towards Reconciliation with First Nations.

Throughout the day, UFCW Canada leaders and activists met with Thomas Mulcair, leader of the NDP; Rhéal Fortin, leader of the Bloc Québécois; Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture; the staff of Status of Women Minister Patty Hajdu and Natural Resources Minister Jim Carr; Sheri Benson, NDP Critic for Labour; and Ruth Ellen Brosseau, NDP Critic for Agriculture and Agri-Food.

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UFCW Canada fight against the TPP goes the distance

W

hen thousands of dairy farmers from eastern Ontario and Quebec converged on Parliament Hill this January, they came with their cows and tractors. Some shouted “forts et unis” (strong and united), while others performed street theatre. They were there to protest the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a proposal that would free up trade among 12 countries, including Canada. The tariff-free, cross-border trade, the dairy farmers believe, would flood the market with inferior products and kill jobs.

The TPP is still being discussed, but, if it’s ratified, it certainly will have serious effects on labour in Canada, and, in particular, on UFCW members.

According to Mark Hennessy UFCW Canada’s Director of Political Action, and Special Assistant to the National President, it would affect about 15,000 members, primarily in the poultry, auto parts, and dairy sector. “In Ontario employers have said there’d be no point in staying here,” says Hennessy.

The TPP would reduce or even eliminate tariffs on goods and services. With the auto sector, 45 per cent of the costs would have to come from other TPP countries, reducing production in Canada. It would make it easier for international employers to bring their own workers to Canada, deepening the temporary foreign worker program.

And maybe worst of all, the TPP includes an investorstate dispute settlement provision that allows companies to sue the Canadian government if they face regulations which limit their profits. “We keep getting sued by all of these deals,” says Hennessy.

But, the fact that our own government could be sued by international companies does not mean it isn’t interested in the trade deal. Hennessy points out that the Canadian government has said that if the United States ratifies it, Canada will also. And the United States, despite President-elect Donald Trump’s criticisms of TPP, is positioned to do just that.

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“I am concerned that President Barack Obama supports it and the best way to pass anything is right now during the lame duck period,” says Hennessy.

“It really comes down to who out of the Republicans and Democrats were actually elected in the States.

If they’re pro-TPP they can easily push this through and Obama has actually come out and said that he would.”

But UFCW Canada is fighting back while there’s still time to prevent TPP’s ratification. “We’ve already presented to the committee for the government, completely opposing the deal,” Hennessy says of the process which has been extended to January 27.

“On our website we’re running a campaign asking the Prime Minister to oppose the deal. We’ve been running some digital media strategies on raising issues around the TPP.” According to Hennessy, this is the time to mobilize a mass movement which opposes the deal and protects industries and jobs.

“Now’s the time,” says Hennessy. “Basically you have to ask government not to ratify this deal or build up enough pressure that they can’t ratify a certain portion, which can then spark re-negotiations.”

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

UFCW 1518 UPDATE • WINTER 2016

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