UFCW 1518 Update Fall 2017

UFCW 1518

Dangerous Homes

Exploring violence in homecare work

Young Workers Take on Convention

What's up HeadStart Mentoring future activists

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EXECUTIVE BOARD MEMBERS

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Susan Bayly, Save On Foods, Victoria Kenneth Bellows, Colonial Farms, Armstrong Connie Buckner, Cowichan Home Support, Duncan Laura Cipolato, Save On Foods, North Vancouver Sherry Earl, Overwaitea, Fernie Nanette Fredericks, Mackenzie Co-op, Mackenzie David Gutierrez, Save On Foods, Surrey Christine Holowka, Save On Foods, Prince George Danette Lankmayr, Safeway, Surrey Ronda Melbourne, Save On Foods, Vernon Michelle Metcalfe, Shoppers Drug Mart, Coquitlam Robert Milan, Safeway, Kelowna Erin Moore, Safeway, Coquitlam Kari-Anne Neave, Save On Foods, Burns Lake Stefan Nielsen, Safeway, Vancouver Matt Rose, Safeway, Cranbrook Wesley Schellenberg, Save On Foods, Clearbrook Eleanor Smith, Penticton Home Support, Penticton Kevin Sparkes, Sunrise Poultry, Maple Ridge Kamal Sudha, Safeway, Surrey Jennifer Vecchio, Nelson Home Support, Nelson Dave Diamond, Save On Foods, Kelowna Dave Wilson, Dave Wilson Consulting, Burnaby Linda Wilson, Port Alberni Home Support, Port Alberni EDITOR Kate Milberry

on social media #ufcw1518

CONTRIBUTORS Jason Mann Diana Perez Shelagh White PHOTOGRAPHY & DESIGN Diana Perez CONTACT US 350 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 1A6 Reception: 604.526.1518 | Fax: 604.540.1520 Toll-Free: 1.800.661.3708 BENEFITS Health & Welfare Trust Safeway Members: 1.888.310.1318 ext 3381 Overwaitea Group Members: 1.877.643.7200 Dental Plan 1.888.818.3368 UFCW 1518 Pension 1.888.345.8329 Community Health Members 1.800.367.8111 Health Care Benefit Trust 1.888.736.2087 Municipal Pension Plan 1.800.668.6335

is a publication of UFCW 1518 Publications Mail Agreement No. 400064629

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CONTENTS 12 FEATURE

Dangerous Homes Exploring violence in homecare work

EXECUTIVE MESSAGE A word from your leaders

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President Ivan Limpright

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Secretary-Treasurer Kim Novak

NEWS

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Engaging Members through Education

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1518 Puts on a Fresh Face

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Young Workers Take on Convention

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What's up HeadStart?!

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PROFILE

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An Interview with Melanie Mark Member Profile: Kamaljeet Kingra

COLUMN

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The Steward: Discipline Meetings

BARGAINING

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Roundup: This year's wins UFCW

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A MESSAGE FROM YOUR

EXECUTIVE

IVAN LIMPRIGHT President

Welcome to the first issue of our rebranded Update Magazine!

Part of our ongoing effort to connect with our members and communicate effectively with our allies and the public, Update offers just a snapshot of the work we do every day, all year long, with members, stewards and activists. There are many important issues facing working people in British Columbia and beyond. Our community health members are professionals who perform a complex job that demands not only skill but compassion. But they also face dangers that others working in the public health care system do not. Our position is clear: violence is not part of the job, as our feature story explains.

The news is not all grim, however. We continue to make solid gains for our members at the bargaining table, which you can read about in our Bargaining Roundup on page 20. We finally have a provincial government that understands workers and the issues we face. I expect the NDP will help bring about meaningful change in areas that will improve the lives of our members, as our interview with Melanie Mark, BC's first Indigenous cabinet minister on page 10, highlights.

In particular, achieving a $15-anhour minimum wage is a major accomplishment and will only increase the rate of pay for

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unionized workers as they climb the wage grid. It also means greater leverage for higher wages at the bargaining table.

And that's good news for our members! My work as labour representative on the Fair Wages Commission will help guide the government in implementing the minimum wage increase.

Working with economists, trade unions, the technology sector, small businesses, youth and others from all regions of the province, the Commission will put forward a plan to bridge the gap between the minimum wage and the living wage in BC. The next six months will be busy as we prepare for the reopening of the collective agreements with our major foods employers.

Our message to them is clear: it’s time to respect your workers and ensure their quality of life is in line with improvements other employers are offering.

At the same time, we will be carrying on with the usual business of the union, such as representing members in disciplinary meetings, defending their rights at arbitration and working with stewards to address everyday problems in the workplace. We meet every challenge, large or small, in the same way: in solidarity with our members and ready to fight for fairness.

KIM NOVAK Secretary-Treasurer

Member engagement is critical to the democratic functioning of our union.

This was very much a key goal of our brand refresh project, which you can read about on page 7. In creating clear, consistent visuals and messaging, we have been able to better connect with our members and encourage their involvement. An educated membership is an engaged membership, which is why we increased our educational offerings this year. More than 200 stewards graduated from our revised Shop Steward Fundamentals course, and 450 members attended Member Orientation sessions across the province. We also developed a new health and safety course for community health members.

Our HeadStart program is another key component of member engagement, encouraging members from across all sectors to participate in a three-month intensive mentorship. One year after its launch, HeadStart has trained 13 members in the work of a union representative, with six hired onto temporary staff. Read more about it on page 16.

UFCW 1518 sent one of the largest delegations of members to the UFCW National Council Convention in Montreal this summer, and more than 200 stewards and activists from Safeway and Save On Foods attended our 2017 bargaining

conference. To prepare for the reopening of their collective agreements, we reached out to thousands of Safeway and Save On Foods members via text and email to solicit their bargaining proposals, ideas and solutions.

We received a record number of responses, which means when we meet the employers at the bargaining table, we will bring more of our members’ voices than ever before.

It’s important that we hear from members working for both employers, but it’s even more important that they understand the commonality they share with one another. A win for one is a win for all in the truest sense.

We need to stand together across differences and sectors in order to fight for fairness for all of our members. We need to demonstrate to the employer that we are unified, that we have each other’s backs. That’s what the labour movement is all about: fighting for what’s right so that all may prosper. It’s a tall order. And we face significant obstacles: an economic system that prioritizes profits over people; politicians who favour their big business pals; and even workers who don’t understand the benefits – and the necessity – of organized labour. But together we can meet those challenges. Together, we will meet those challenges.

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ENGAGING MEMBERS THROUGH EDUCATION

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here were so many horror stories.”

That’s how union representative Fred Scott describes the common experience stewards shared at Shop Steward Fundamentals, a new course in UFCW 1518’s Education program.

More than 200 stewards graduated from the course, which ran 11 times this year. “They were just hungry for information,” says Scott. “They were so eager to learn about their rights and – more importantly – the legal obligations of the employer to ensure those rights are upheld.”

“The course was brilliant,” comments Daxter Stucki, a steward from Save On Foods. “It gave me a lot more confidence to go into meetings with management knowing what my rights are. I also developed more skill in interpreting and applying the collective agreement. I definitely feel better prepared to serve my members.”

Shop Steward Fundamentals was designed and facilitated by Scott and union representative Ashley Campbell. It is part of UFCW 1518’s ongoing commitment to education. “It’s a big year. We renegotiated a number of collective agreements, negotiated some important first contracts and began preparations for the reopening of major foods bargaining,” explains executive assistant Patrick Johnson. “It’s critical that our members – and especially our stewards – are informed and engaged.”

UFCW 1518 also launched its revised Member Orientation, a half-day course designed to

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The course was brilliant.

It gave me more confidence to go into meetings with management knowing what my rights are.” introduce members to the union and the benefits of unionization. Taught by stewards and graduates of the HeadStart program, the course ran more than 70 times across the province this fall.

“Member engagement and solidarity are key to a strong union. But if our members don’t know who we are, what we do and some of our history, they won’t understand the benefits of belonging to our union. That’s why union education is so important” says director Donna Tremblay. “One of the key changes to Member Orientation is that it is now open to all members, whether they’ve been a member for two months, two years or 22 years.”

Another new course slated to launch is Health & Safety Essentials. Designed for members in community health, the course will address the unique health and safety challenges faced by community health workers and care aides working in clients' homes. The day-long course will focus on health and safety regulation and the role of stewards in ensuring employer compliance.

NEWS

1518 PUTS ON A FRESH FACE Our new brand is an expression of the union's identity

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streamlined logo. A new mural on the building. A user-friendly website. A revamped union bulletin board. These are all components of UFCW 1518’s brand refresh project.

But a brand is more than just a logo. It’s an expression of the core components of the union, including our values, promise and goals. A brand is an identity: it informs the way we speak about who we are and the work we do. That’s why UFCW 1518 underwent a brand refresh over the past year and a half, using surveys and focus groups to understand how to communicate more effectively with our members, as well as allies and the general public.

The outcome of the brand refresh project was a comprehensive strategy to help foster a deeper sense of unity among our membership and strengthen awareness of UFCW 1518 among non-members. The brand strategy also acknowledges the diversity of work done by our members in a range of sectors, enabling us to better align with their various needs.

“The brand refresh has helped us focus our messaging and communicate our passion and dedication more clearly. We have a lot to say, and we need to be saying it in a way that our members can hear,” comments Kim Novak, Secretary-Treasurer.

Consistency in brand look as well as messaging was key to the project, and all visuals were brought into alignment. A new tagline, “We fight for fairness”, was developed out of the user testing as a way to embody the union’s values and sum up our promise to members. It is also a call to action, and our pledge to members, their communities and all workers.

“UFCW 1518 has always advocated for workers, whether by organizing non-union workers, representing our members at the bargaining table or defending their rights in court,” Novak says.

“But we live in a society that is hostile to unions, and unionization rates continue to decline. Corporations have deep pockets and a blinding drive to put profits over people. So in our David and Goliath battle with the employer, we always put up our best fight.”

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NEWS

YOUNG WORKERS TAKE ON CONVENTION

KAMAL SUDHA is a Safeway member who sits on the Executive Board.

1518 delegates dominated at the mic

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undreds of activists from UFCW locals across Canada gathered in Montreal this August for the 12th National Council Convention. Delegates reviewed the progress made by the union over the past five years and set its course for the next five, hearing committee reports and voting on a range of resolutions.

The Young Workers Report highlighted the unique challenges faced by workers under the age of 30, a demographic that represents about 40 percent of UFCW members. Things like unprecedented levels of under- and unemployment, sky-rocketing tuition fees and high debt load make it harder for young workers to succeed as employment becomes more precarious and cost of living continues to rise. Initiatives such as the Young-Workers Internship Program, the Ignite Youth Conference and the #TossTuition campaign

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aimed at engaging young UFCW members and help them overcome specific barriers.

Almost two-thirds of the UFCW 1518 delegates were members, and the majority were young workers. “I am really proud of 1518 for sending so many members and for the diversity of the group we sent and how representative it is of our membership, including women,

people of colour and young workers,” says Ryan Milligan, a young member from Shoppers Drug Mart.

Many UFCW 1518 delegates were also national convention first-timers. “It was an amazing experience,” says Kamal Sudha, a young member from Safeway Pharmacy who was recently elected to the union's executive board. “I learnt more than I have ever learnt in my life. I feel I now have the knowledge to be able to help.”

topics and reflected UFCW’s social justice mandate, advocating for diversity, inclusion, accessibility, equity, and fairness. Highlights include a pledge to increase the representation of women on the UFCW Canada National Council and establishing a National Young Workers Committee, as well as a commitment to seek paid leave for victims of domestic/sexual violence through collective bargaining.

Two thirds of UFCW 1518 delegates to Convention were members from diverse backgrounds and industries.

The UFCW 1518 delegation also included members from different sectors, such as community health. For Kristen Briosi, a community health worker from North Island Home Support, attending convention was an important way to foster solidarity across a diverse membership.

“Being included and being able to be a part of something as big as national convention was really inspirational for me,” Briosi explains. “Now that I feel included, it gives me the opportunity to make other members feel included as well.”

Although convention is a crash course in all things UFCW, 1518 members weren’t just learning and observing; they also dominated at the microphone, speaking to almost all of the 20 resolutions that came to the floor. Resolutions covered a range of

There was also a call for all levels of government to fund and implement a comprehensive response to the opioid crisis. For Milligan, the issue is personal: he comes from a community that has been hit hard by this public health emergency. “I know many people who have been brutally affected by the opioid crisis and who battled with addiction and some of those who have even died from addiction,” he recounts.

Inspirational, empowering and educational were the common sentiments around convention among member delegates. Now back at work, they can feel the impact of their convention experience, which seems to have sparked more interest in the union. Says Sudha, “People at my work are very proud of me and now see me as a leader who can bring their voices to a higher level.”

KAMAL SUDHA, RYAN MILLIGAN. STEFAN NIELSEN AND JAKE KARDOSH all spoke to resolutions on the floor.

I am really proud of 1518 for sending so many members and for the diversity of the group we sent and how representative it is of our membership.”

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PROFILE

AN INTERVIEW WITH:

Melanie Mark FROM POVERTY TO POWER: BC’s first Indigenous cabinet minister makes her mark

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believe our experiences make us who we are despite the grief they might have caused.”

That’s what Melanie Mark wrote in My Life So Far, a chronicle of her difficult childhood growing up in the Downtown Eastside, raised by an alcoholic mother and suffering sexual and physical abuse.

Today, Melanie Mark is British Columbia’s new Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training. Of Nisga’a, Gitxsan, Cree and Ojibway heritage, she is the first Indigenous woman to hold a cabinet position in BC. But these are just the latest achievements in a long career of advocating for children, youth, First Nations people and the Vancouver-Mount Pleasant community. “I always had an intolerance to injustice. I cannot stand seeing people suffering and the inequality between people, groups, societies,” she says.

That’s what motivated Mark to get into politics in the first place: “I think over the course of my life I just saw so much injustice and so much unfairness.”

A lack of action – and compassion – from those in power has been a consistent observation over her many years of advocating for society’s most vulnerable. Much of this stemmed from structural and systemic racism, she adds. “Institutions are racist. We don’t want to talk about that.”

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Mark decided to do something about it in 2016, when she ran for the New Democratic Party in a by-election in Vancouver-Mount Pleasant. The first-time candidate won – taking an impressive 61 percent of the vote, trailed distantly by the next candidate, who earned just 26 percent. She handily won re-election in the recent provincial election, which saw the NDP edge into power by forming a coalition government with the Green Party.

Mark admits she’s come a long way, from one of the country’s poorest neighbourhoods to the British Columbia legislature - first as a member of the opposition; now as part of the sitting government. “You can only imagine what it was like for me to stand up in the legislature for the very first time as an Indigenous woman, as the first First Nations woman, to speak to the Speaker and say: ‘Listen! We are here. We are still here. We are still standing.’”

While residential school was a source of intergenerational trauma for her family, Mark saw education as a pathway out of poverty.

As Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Training, she understands the role of education in improving people’s life and career opportunities – particularly for working people. That’s why one of the first acts of the new NDP government was to make adult basic education and English as a second language free again. Ensuring postsecondary education and training are accessible is also important, and Mark points to another NDP pledge: making future outstanding BC student loans interest-free. Government initiatives must reflect the changing landscape of work so that people receive the education and skills training they need, she adds, noting that the NDP plans to increase apprenticeship opportunities and expand technology-related post-secondary programs.

Despite all of her hard-earned success, Mark is humbled to be where she is. “There’s not a day that goes by that I’m not deeply honored to be a voice in the legislature,” she says. “It will always be a thrill and exciting to be in this role but I can assure you, I’ll never forget the people. I love the people, that’s why I’m in this.”

Kamaljeet Kingra is a longtime unionist and experienced shop steward.

So when she moved from Alberta to BC and accepted a job with Sunwest Food Processors, it made sense to share her experience. “When people have a problem, they’re very emotional.

They’re afraid of losing their job,” Kingra explains.

“I tell them, no. You have rights. Tell us the problem and we can find a solution.”

MEMBER PROFILE: KAMALJEET KINGRA

Kingra broke ground as the first woman steward in a largely male workplace. “Women feel more comfortable talking to a female steward.” Now in her ninth year as a steward at Sunwest, Kingra says she has earned something of a reputation. “The managers make fun of me. They say: Troublemaker coming!” But she doesn’t mind – it’s all part of the job. “I just want to help people become educated about their rights and responsibilities and learn what’s in the collective agreement.”

At the end of the day, Kingra says, “we all have to work together: managers and members. We need to compromise a little. And if we can’t, we file a union grievance!”

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E R TU A FE

DANGEROUS HOMES The threat of violence is an everyday reality in homecare work

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ne day in 2014 was a day like any other for community health worker Corrie.

She was scheduled to visit a new “low-risk” client. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. “He was a fellow that was extremely strong, even though he was elderly,” Corrie recalls. She was washing lunch dishes in the kitchen when it happened. Her client came up from behind, grabbed hold of the kitchen sink on either side of Corrie’s waist and started pressing himself against her. In the four hours that Corrie remained in her client’s home, working, he was able to sexually assault her for a second time. “I finished the visit,” says Corrie matter-of-factly. “He was an elder. How could I leave him alone?”

In her almost 25 years as a community health worker, Corrie has seen it all, from loaded guns to drugs - even snakes - in the home. She has been verbally

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abused, hit by her clients and attacked by their pets. And she’s not alone. Rene, a younger community health worker, says she has also experienced verbal abuse and sexual harassment in less than a year working in the field. “It is an extremely unsafe job,” she says. “A lot of the times we don’t know what we are walking into. We get a name, we get an address and off we go.”

There are around 8,000 community health workers in British Columbia. Unlike most employed in the public

health care system, they work in people’s homes, caring for clients who have been discharged from the hospital but need support to live on their own. And unlike hospitals or long term care facilities, the home is an unpredictable - and at times, dangerous – workplace.

According to WorkSafeBC’s 2015 annual report, the overall injury rate of community health workers is double the provincial average. The data also show that workplace injuries in the health care sector are not just

A CONSTANT THREAT WorkSafeBC defines workplace violence as “the attempted or actual exercise by a person, other than a worker, of any physical force so as to cause injury to a worker, and includes any threatening statement or behaviour.” For community health workers, violence is as versatile as its definition; it is can happen anytime, anywhere and from anyone in the course of their daily work.

FOR COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKERS the home can be an unpredictable and dangerous workplace.

commonplace but too often linked with violence. Of all time-loss claims due to acts of violence or force reported in 2015 in BC, 63 percent came from the health care sector. “Our job is a risky job”, affirms Corrie.

“We go into people’s home, their environment, and we don’t always know how that’s going to look like. We are by ourselves.”

There’s no doubt community health workers are an essential part of our public health care system; the role they play is proven to extend quality and

length of life for the clients they serve. They care for some of our society’s most vulnerable members, yet through their work they can be made as vulnerable as those they help. The threat of violence is an everyday reality for these workers but health authorities and employers have yet to ensure adequate protections for professional care givers working in the home. What are the challenges of fighting violence in homecare work and how can we move toward a safer workplace for community health workers?

“It could be from animals. It could be from family members.

And there’s the psychological side of it: there’s dementia, there’s aggression. It could come from any angle,” says union representative Ashley Campbell. The nature of the work environment, the home, puts these workers at risk under conditions that are hard to predict: one day the threat could be a client’s pet, another day, the neighbourhood, and yet another, the client.

The isolation of community health work complicates the ability to address violence when it happens, since CHWs lack the immediate support of managers, co-workers and witnesses.

“When you go into someone’s private home, there are no checks put into place,” explains director Monica Staff. “When you work in a grocery store and a UFCW

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COMMUNITY HEALTH WORKER LINDA feels her safety is not a priority for her managers.

place. That they have strong training. That they tell people their rights and how to refuse unsafe work.” But the regular experiences of violence at work for CHWs indicate that the employer could do better in keeping them safe.

GUILT Corrie’s “low-risk” assailant was not a new client.

She eventually discovered that other community health workers had also been assaulted by him.

But nobody had filed a report. “I think a part of it is that people are ashamed that this stuff is happening. And part of it is we are health care workers and a lot of us have this mentality that this is part of the job,” Corrie says.

The notion of community health work as a caring profession feeds this mentality. “Our community health members chose their profession because they are caring people. They care so much about their clients that they feel guilty,” Campbell adds.

There is a level of emotional attachment and commitment that community health workers develop toward their clients, particularly those they care for over time. But it is this very commitment that can cause them to put themselves at risk.

Research shows that violence in the health care sector is underreported by as much as 70 percent, according to a 2016 article in the New England Journal of Medicine.

For community health workers, invoking their right to refuse unsafe work, a regulation in the Workers Compensation Act, might very well mean their client gets no care that day. And that’s unthinkable for most. “In our meetings when we are talking about safety, I see this dangerous mentality in our members. I hear it in their responses. They say: ‘But what about the clients? I don’t want to say no because I feel guilty that person is going to go without care,’” says Campbell. customer becomes aggressive and starts yelling at you, you can call a manager and have them come take over. If you are a community health worker, you are there by yourself and you have to deal with it on your own.”

Uncertain or unknown threats in the home combined with the dangers of working alone make it hard for employers to ensure their employees will never experience unsafe working conditions.

According to Campbell, this is one of the biggest challenges in holding health care employers accountable. “They have to at least commit that they have strong policies and procedures in 14

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SABOTAGE Despite the uncertainty of working in the home, not all risks are unpredictable and health care employers are required by provincial law to do everything in their power to minimize the risk of violence. In reality, however, not all employers are diligent in meeting this requirement. Information about a client’s health conditions and potential risks, for example, is a crucial resource for community health workers in preventing violence.

But CHWs often receive client care plans that are incomplete, or worse: they don’t receive them at

all. This has happened to Rene on many occasions.

She has also been scheduled to visit clients who haven’t even undergone a risk assessment. On one occasion, Rene visited a client who had mental health issues that she was not informed of, and for whom there was no care plan on file. He locked her in his home for 45 minutes before letting her go. What’s worse, when Rene requested not to see this client again, her employer dismissed her concerns. “They told me I had to go again, because it wasn’t a good enough reason. I was terrified.”

Our job is a risky job. We go into people’s home, their environment, and we don’t always know how that’s going to look like.

We are by ourselves.”

Linda, another CHW with over 20 years of experience, also feels her safety isn’t a priority for her managers. She says she and her coworkers often get pressured into doing things they are not comfortable doing. “The managers downplay it.

They say ‘oh no, it’s okay. You can do it. It’s not a big deal.’” When Linda recently refused to visit a home known to be infested with bed bugs, her manager minimized her concerns. “I’m well aware of my rights but they really tried their hardest to get me there!”

Another critical violence prevention resource is training. But while there are educational resources and trainings in violence prevention for the health care sector, they are not focused on the specific challenges of homecare work. “We need more training for violence prevention, not only the physical, the emotional and the mental, but the sexual violence that happens,” says Rene.

“We need trainings made for community health workers, not general trainings for people who work in a hospital facility.”

Community health workers also feel they lack training in the new set of duties they are being asked to perform by their employers, which puts them at risk. According to Corrie, there has been

a drastic change in her profession: her clients have become more complex over the years and her duties have expanded from homecare to nursing. Mental illness and addiction are common in her clients, but she has received no education about how to handle clients with these conditions: “We don’t have any training on schizophrenia but we could have eight clients in a week with schizophrenia. We don’t have any training on alcoholism but we have a lot of alcoholic clients,” says Corrie.

A CULTURE OF SAFETY Building a culture of safety in the community health sector is imperative if community health professionals are to perform their jobs effectively.

Steps in the right direction are being taken, starting with speaking out against violence. Campbell says that as a union representative, her main goal is to raise awareness about members’ rights and empower them to stand up. As a union, UFCW 1518 is working hard to hold employers to their promises of safety trainings and commitment to make safety a priority.

Although it has been slow, Corrie says she feels a shift in how community health workers think about violence. “Now the mentality is that this is not okay.” Campbell also believes things are getting better, pointing to Island Health Authority’s commitment to train all of their employees, including CHWs, in violence prevention through both online and classroom courses. Director Monica Staff is optimistic and hopes that the union can make more impactful changes through the Provincial Violence Prevention Committee and the Provincial Mental Health Committee. “Being part of these larger provincial committees is important because we actually have a voice and a role in advocating for the community health sector,” says Staff.

One recent safety measure enacted by employers is the implementation of a call-in procedure, which mandates that community health workers check in and check out of their shifts over the phone.

Another is the requirement of sending two CHWs at a time to visit high-risk clients. Staff hopes that this year’s implementation of WorkSafeBC’s High Risk Strategy, which includes inspectional activities and education, will improve employers’ violence prevention programs and reduce violence-related injuries. “It’s long overdue. But we won’t stop fighting until all of our community health members can go to work each day with the certainty that they are safe, supported and secure.”

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NEWS

DAXTER STUCKI, ROSS MILLER, KELLY MALCOLMSON & ROSANNA HUSSAIN are part of the current HeadStart cohort, working on bargaining outreach.

WHAT'S UP HEADSTART? Union mentorship program trains next gen activists

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osanna Hussain always wanted to help people. Whether volunteering at the Muslim Food Bank or organizing events for a women’s help line, she wanted to give back to her community.

So when she flipped through her first collective agreement, she was intrigued at how unions use labour law to help people.

“I had taken a college course on the history of unions, so I knew a little bit about the labour movement. Then I began helping people read the collective agreement and look things up. That’s when I knew I wanted to become a shop steward, because then I could help people at work every day,” she explains. Hussain began getting more involved in UFCW 1518, attending general meetings

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as well as social events, like the Children’s Holiday Party and the Labour Day Picnic. “Any chance I got, I talked to people from the union and asked questions.”

She finally mustered the courage to stand for election, and was elected as alternate shop steward. “I was motivated by Kim Novak, when she was a union rep. She gave me that feeling that you don’t have to be afraid. You can just step right up there and do it. Kim was fearless. She didn’t fear management; she could go in and talk to members about the issues at hand. She was so inspiring.”

When Hussain found out about UFCW 1518’s HeadStart program, she knew it was the next step on her path toward union involvement. HeadStart is a three-month fast track program that trains high potential activists and stewards. Selected participants are paired with union representatives, who mentor them in the business of the union, including servicing, bargaining, member engagement and arbitration. Hussain, who works at Script Care Pharmacy, was invited to join the Fall 2017 cohort, along with four other members.

One year after the program was launched, what are HeadStarters saying about it and where are graduates now?

This experience is going to make us better shop stewards and better representatives of the union when we go back to our workplace.”

ENGAGEMENT & LEGACY “My expectation was that I would come into the program, learn all the information I could and then bring it back to my store, so I could be an amazing steward and provide a better support system to my co-workers,” says Brittany Roche, a graduate of the inaugural HeadStart class.

Roche, who worked in the bakery at Save On Foods, is currently on temporary staff as a union representative on the Member Engagement team. “I didn’t know that at the end of it I could potentially become a union rep,” adds Roche. “I felt that if I could solve problems in store, that was the goal. Now I still get to do that, but on a larger scale!”

are helping me and they are teaching me, but they are also listening,” says Malcolmson, who works at Save On Foods. “This experience is going to make us better shop stewards, and thus better representatives of the union when we go back to our workplace.”

MAKING A DIFFERENCE In addition to learning firsthand about the job of a union representative, each HeadStart cohort participates in special projects of the union.

With the reopening of the collective agreement for Safeway and Save On Foods in 2018, the focus of the current HeadStart participants has been on bargaining outreach. They took on the laborious job of telephoning 10,000 retail food members to update their contact information and encourage them to send bargaining proposals.

“As basic as it sounds, it is a very important job,” recognizes Hussain. “When you pick up the phone, you’re making a connection and that’s going to have an impact.” That impact is already being felt: within a week of launching the bargaining outreach campaign, members sent in more than 1600 responses, far exceeding the total number

JAKE KARDOSH, a member from Save On Foods, is now on staff as a temporary union representative.

The Member Engagement team that Roche belongs to was an initiative born out of HeadStart.

It is composed of HeadStart alumni and led by union representatives Dave Archibald and John Autin. Stefan Nielsen graduated from the program’s second cohort. Originally on staff at Safeway, he now works as a temporary union representative on the Member Engagement team. “Our main task is to be out in the stores, re-engaging with members who have otherwise felt detached from the union,” says Nielsen.

Member engagement is a key goal of UFCW 1518.

“HeadStart was born out of a desire to create a strong succession plan for the union,” explains Ade Adesuyi, UFCW 1518 Managing Director of People and Culture. “But another aspect was about trusting our members, inspiring them, and giving them the opportunities to reconnect with the union and get involved.”

Kelly Malcolmson, a participant in the Fall 2017 cohort, calls HeadStart a “two-way street.” “They UFCW

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BRITTANY ROCHE is on the Member Engagement team.

“I’ve always been politically active but that was the most intense experience I’ve ever had. It was too much at times but if the opportunity came up again I would do it instantly.”

of proposals received during the last round of negotiations.

The Spring 2017 HeadStart class was just in time for the provincial general elections. This cohort’s work revolved around getting out the vote and campaigning for the BC NDP. Participants helped with recruiting and training party volunteers, as well as canvassing. Working on the BC NDP campaign was an intense but exciting experience for Jake Kardosh, who worked at Save On Foods before being accepted to HeadStart. “I think I did 340 hours in those five weeks of the campaign period,” recounts Kardosh, now a temporary union representative on the Member Engagement team.

BACK IN THE DAY Plimley & Ritchie Bicycles & Sporting Goods at 611 View Street, Victoria, BC about 1919. This was one of the unionized bicycle shops organized by Local 604 of the Retail Clerks International Protective Association, now known as UFCW 1518!

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The motivation for most HeadStart graduates and participants seems to be taking up the union’s social justice mandate and making a difference.

“UFCW 1518 is, at our core, an anti-poverty organization and we have to push for fairness in society as a whole. If we can do that, our members win and the rest of British Columbia wins. Everyone wins,” comments Nielsen. “I have always had a desire to help but I didn’t know where to put that,” Malcolmson adds. “HeadStart is now giving me a place to explore that and feel more useful in my community.”

Roche also understands that giving back is an essential and groundbreaking part of HeadStart.

“When we invest in our members so that they can give the knowledge to others that means we are investing in everyone. So it’s worth all the time that we put in,” says Roche. “Every minute of it.”

The next HeadStart program runs in Spring 2018.

Information about how to apply will be posted to the union bulletin board in the new year, so keep your eyes peeled!

THE STEWARD DISCIPLINE MEETINGS: The Right to Silence

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n almost all circumstances, a member has the right to remain silent. There can be adverse consequences, however, for a member who does not take the opportunity to provide an innocent explanation of events. Remaining silent, particularly where the member also faces criminal charges, is not an independent cause for discipline. But failing to explain innocent behavior may compel the employer to make decisions without the benefit of the member’s response or explanation. Using the decision Tober Enterprises Ltd. v UFCW, Local 1518 [1990] BCLRBD No 51, arbitrators have held that a member who did not provide an innocent explanation at an investigation meeting can be denied back wages if they are eventually reinstated.

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Get as much information before the meeting begins. Do not let management withhold information. Document any denials of information.

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Speak to the member prior to the meeting, if possible. If questioning has started prior to your arrival, ask for a break to find out what happened.

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When the steward arrives, management should inform the steward of the subject matter of the meeting, that is, the type of conduct for which discipline is being considered.

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Take notes. This is critical! Many cases have been won on the basis of good note taking during a meeting.

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The steward must be allowed to speak during the interview. However, the steward does not have the right to determine the reason or purpose of the meeting.

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Your right to clarify information should not be restricted by management. If you are denied that right, make sure that the denial is entered on your notes.

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At most meetings the steward can stop the meeting at any time to speak privately with the member. A member can end a meeting at any time or demand a break.

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There is no obligation that a member answer the employer’s question in person. A member may request to respond in writing and that they be given time to answer.

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If the meeting is being recorded, ask the member whether they agree to the meeting being recorded as recording requires the consent of the member and your consent.

PREPARING FOR DISCIPLINARY MEETINGS In preparation for an investigation disciplinary meeting, UFCW 1518 stewards should advise members that honesty is the best policy. If a member is to be questioned by management in the investigation of an incident that may result in disciplinary action being taken, they should have their steward present. In general, the steward should follow these guidelines during a meeting:

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BARGAINING ROUNDUP Our members made great strides at the bargaining table this year, consistently gaining wage increases and benefits.

Here is a roundup of our wins:

BUCKERFIELD'S Members working at Buckerfield’s in Duncan, BC ratified a new collective agreement that contains a living wage scale – the first of its kind for UFCW 1518. A living wage is a regional calculation that assesses the amount of money a family of four needs to earn to meet their expenses.

The two-year deal included a significant wage hike for the lowest fulltime hourly rate of pay, from $12.50 to $15.12 for new hires. “In addition to a living wage scale, there are comprehensive health and welfare benefits and the well-funded UFCW pension plan,” director Kim Balmer comments. “For a small employer, it’s unquestionably a good contract.”

CANADIAN TIRE Members working at the Canadian Tire in Prince George overwhelmingly voted to accept a strong renewed collective agreement, which included a hefty 12.5 percent wage increase over five years. The top rate will reach $20.21/hour in the final year, and the start rate moves closer to a living wage. The employer contribution to the health and welfare plan increased to 70 percent, and eye glasses coverage was added.

Due to a 27-month strike 30 years ago, this store is the only unionized Canadian Tire in BC. “I think you can see the strike’s legacy in moments like this,” comments union representative Jason Frank. “Those workers who stood together and fought for their rights all those years ago set a standard for fairness that is still upheld today.”

LILYDALE UFCW 1518 members working at Sofina Foods Lilydale facility in Port Coquitlam ratified a new collective agreement containing the most significant wage improvements in the last 20 years there. The four-year deal features a total general wage increase of $1.66 per hour as well as a $2.16 per hour adjustment for maintenance classifications. The settlement was reached in the early hours of the morning after two days of round-the-clock negotiations guided by mediator Mark Brown.

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FIRST UNITED CHURCH Members at First United Church in the heart of the Downtown Eastside ratified an impressive first collective agreement that ensured no one was left behind. “Our higher paid members were willing to forego a wage increase to ensure that their lesser paid co-workers came up to $15 an hour or greater,” explains director Kim Balmer. In the first year, wage increases range from three to 11 percent, with some classifications achieving greater than 30 percent. “We got very good scheduling language that will promote more full time positions. We got job posting language that will enable workers to move to higher paid classifications,” says Balmer. Strong health and safety language was also a critical gain. “In many cases these members deal with people suffering from untreated mental illness and addiction. They’re often faced with folks who can be violent. And all this is complicated by the opioid crisis in British Columbia, which means they’re also dealing with overdoses,” he adds. “So we made sure we got the language to help deal with serious incidents and aggressive behavior.”

GRAND & TOY Warehouse workers at Grand & Toy ratified a solid new collective agreement that included a significant 9.6 percent wage hike, as well as an increase to employer pension and dental contributions. The bargaining committee negotiated a higher eye wear allowance and an increase to the footwear allowance, which more than doubled from $60 to $150. There were also important wins around vacation and new language for statutory holidays. Together with a higher shift premiums and sick day payouts, the new contract goes a long way to providing a stable income in a province where housing and childcare costs have skyrocketed. Says union representative Ravi Dhindsa, “with affordability increasingly out of reach, solid collective agreements with steady gains are important for members and all unionized workers.”

HORNBY ISLAND CO-OP Solidarity isn’t just for picket lines, something UFCW 1518 members at Hornby Island Co-op discovered in their recent round of bargaining. They relied upon Ucluelet Co-op’s contract for cross classification language and Port Alberni Co-op for the newly added sunset clause for discipline. “The fact that other co-ops are unionized helps them pull each other up,” comments union representative Ashley Campbell. “The collective agreements get stronger with each set of negotiations, meaning that people’s lives get better.” The four-year contract includes a wage increase of two percent each year as well as 50-50 cost sharing for benefit coverage for dependents. The profit sharing clause was a point of contention during bargaining, with the employer seeking to remove it. “They kept saying the co-op hadn’t been profitable in years, so there was no point in having the clause,” Campbell explains.

“Wouldn’t you know it, the morning after ratification, our members all received a substantial profit sharing cheque!”

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J & L BEEF Members at J & L Beef voted in favour of a renewed collective agreement that saw wage increases of at least 14.5 percent over five years - between $2.23 and more than $5 an hour over the life of the agreement. Full retroactivity meant the employer handed out payments ranging from $3000 to $5500. Significantly, members negotiated into the UFCW Pension Plan for the first time. “Pension is deferred income that brings a better life in retirement,” says director Kim Balmer. The bargaining committee also persevered to win strong over time language, another important gain. “In poultry plants, there’s a huge amount of overtime,” says Balmer. “But quite frankly we see it as a health and safety issue. Members need time to attend to personal health issues, appointments and family responsibility.” The new contract also features increases in health and welfare benefits, a boot allowance and an increase to the tool allowance.

PRICESMART FOODS UFCW 1518 members working at the Metrotown and Richmond PriceSmart foods ratified a collective agreement that increased wages by 11 percent for the company’s lowest paid workers. “It was a very challenging set of negotiations,” says Secretary-Treasurer Kim Novak.

“But we’re confident we got the best possible contract.” The hourly wage of food clerks jumped from $11 to $12.20, with the start rate rising to $12.50 in the last year of the contract. Food clerks who were previously capped at a wage less than $12 will now continue to enjoy wage increases up to $20 an hour. They are now eligible for MSP, dental and extended health benefits and the vacation entitlement, which had been capped three weeks, increased to up to five weeks. Members also received a lump sum payment of up to $1500. “This is an important contract for the retail food industry,” comments Novak. “Thanks to the leadership and hard work of the bargaining committee, family benefits and the path to a living wage have become more attainable for our members.”

SUNRISE About 450 UFCW 1518 members working at Sunrise Food Processor ratified a new collective agreement with substantial gains, making it the strongest contract in British Columbia’s poultry industry. “Without question, these members are now the highest paid poultry workers in BC – if not North America,” comments director Kim Balmer. A major highlight was a retroactive wage hike of between eight and 12 percent.

There were also increases to most health and welfare benefits as well as a $100 signing bonus. Says Balmer, “This set of negotiations was a win for everyone: our members receive fair compensation for work performed and the employer gets a productive workplace. A fair deal I’d say.”

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HeadStart Spring 2018 HeadStart is a three-month fast track program that trains high potential activists & stewards in the work of the union & offers the chance to transition into permanent positions.

Learn about: Organizing Grievance handling Collective bargaining Member representation Occupational health and safety

Applications open in early 2018 Check your inbox and union bulletin board for details coming soon!

Free Online Learning For members & their families Take courses in: Labour Studies • Skills Development • Food & Retail • Health & Safety • Computers & Technology • Personal Development Earn transfer credits toward accredited post-secondary institutions!

Learn more at ufcw.ca