STRIKE AT BLUBBER BAY: English and Chinese language signs warnings strikebreakers to stay away attest to the cross-cultural solidarity during a strike at Blubber Bay on Texada Island in 1938. Photo from “On the Line: A History of the British Columbia Labour Movement”
Unions once dominated qathet’s job sites – at a time when the region reputably boasted the highest family incomes in Canada.
The balance has changed. Memberships are down and income inequality is up.
But unions are far from gone. For Labour Day, PRL has rounded-up a dozen reps to highlight local worker solidarity in 2018.
UFCW 1518 union rep
Job: Patrick works to develop local worksite leaders, represent members’ concerns and ensure their rights under the collective agreement are defended. Some of the worksite leaders Patrick has mentored include stewards Darlene Rekve and Allan Hansen at Powell River Home Support; Nick Robbins and Gord Fraser at Save-On-Foods; and Melanie Simpson and Gary Johnson at Safeway. Stewards are the first person that our members turn to if they have a workplace problem.
How long you’ve been a union rep: 10 years with UFCW 1518.
Number of members: 224 members at Powell River Home Support, Save-On-Foods and Safeway
Current issues: It’s been a busy year! We’ve been in bargaining for all of our Powell River members, and concluded new agreements with improvements for Save-On-Foods and Powell River Home Support. Right now we’re in a serious battle with Sobeys, which owns Safeway. Sobeys wants to gut the collective agreement, which means taking away hard won benefits and wages from our 4,000 Safeway members. We don’t think that’s fair, so we’re fighting back.
CUPE 4601 president
Job: Residential support worker
How long you’ve been a union rep: Since June 2018
Number of members: 160 members who provide community support services through inclusion Powell River.
Current issues: Helping our members achieve better job conditions and greater job stability, but also to stand beside the people we serve and continue to advocate for the community inclusion movement.
CUPE 476 president
How long you’ve been a union rep: Since June 2018 (with 20 years of advocacy beforehand)
Number of members: Over 120 where the majority work part-time in eight schools and other district sites (Bus Drivers, Custodians, Education Assistants, School Secretaries, IT Workers, Strong Start Facilitators, Trades and Maintenance Workers).
Current issues: We are drawing nearer to Provincial & Local collective Bargaining.
BC Nurses’ Union full time steward at large for Coastal Mountain Region and steward coordinator for Powell River
Job: I am a Registered Psych Nurse with Intensive Case Management
How long you’ve been a union rep: BCNU rep since 2015 and involved with Labour Relations since 1987
Number of members: About 130
Current issues: The main nursing issue in BC is safe staffing levels. Powell River is no different.
Powell River Local
Powell River Health Care
Workers Local
Olive Devaud Local
Hospital Employees Union chairpersons
Number of members: Almost 300. They belong to three separate HEU union locals, and every day, they are providing a range of care and support services to patients and residents at the Powell River General Hospital and Willingdon Creek Village (formerly Olive Devaud).
Current issues: With the highly controversial privatization of food and housekeeping services in 2004 – which fired health care support workers and slashed their wages – these HEU members have fought hard over several rounds of bargaining to gradually secure better wages and benefits from their corporate employers.
And like their HEU sisters and brothers who are employed directly by the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, they struggle with short-staffing and heavy workloads to meet the needs of patients and residents.
Powell River and District Teachers Association president
How long you’ve been a union rep: four years, and 14 years involved
Number of members: We have about 115 full-time members and about 160 total, counting teachers teaching on call and retired teachers who are also on-call.
Current issues: As this is a bargaining year (the contract was up in June of 2018), we would like to bring some local issues to the district table, such as improvements in prep time for high school teachers, more support for students with special needs, among other issues. However, in the present format, we can not bargain anything locally that involves money so we are hoping the current government will allot some funds locally for us to look at local issues that are important to our members. We currently have a good working relationship with our district and board and look to build on that this coming year, both in bargaining and in working together for the future of all teachers and School District 47 personnel.
Unit Secretary
United Steelworkers
Local 1944
How long you’ve been a union rep: 12 years
Number of members: Nine, all of whom work as Technicians for TELUS.
Current issues: Making sure our members in Powell River and elsewhere have a good work-life balance. Contracting out and moving jobs to lower-wage countries – work our members used to perform in Canada. Strengthening solidarity and ensuring TELUS employees across Canada are compensated fairly.
Mat McGreish
The Labourers Union 1611
Rep / Organizer
How long you’ve been a union rep:12 years
Number of members:We have 24 members in Powell River, working in sectors that include: road building, pipeline, paving, utility, mining, diamond drilling, industrial plants, dock and shipyard, healthcare, security, waste to energy, manufacturing and production, cemeteries, funeral homes, janitorial, parking lots and landscaping.
Current issues: The Union is busy supplying Workers for the Site C Dam in Fort Saint John. We also have pipeline work in Dawson Creek with Banister Pipelines.
Mike Cafik, Local 6 President (unlicensed members)
Aaron Mitchell, Local 16 President (Ships’s officers)
BC Ferry & Marine Workers’ Union (BCFMWU)
Number of members: 130 in the Powell River area working on ships and shore at Westview, Terminal Maintenance, Texada, Saltery Bay and Earl’s Cove.
Current issues:BCFMWU places a high priority on work place safety for our members, their family, friends, neighbours and the traveling public.
We wish everyone a safe and happy Labour Day long weekend. Special thanks to our members working on this busy weekend.
Ernie Gorrie
BCGEU Staff Representative
How long you’ve been a union rep: Held various activist, elected and appointed roles in the BCGEU since 1977.
Number of members: Over 200 members at First Insurance and Westview Insurance, First Credit Union, Community Living BC, Forest Lands and Natural Resources, Vancouver Coastal Health, the Liquor Distribution Branch and more.
Current issues: BCGEU just ratified new three-year collective agreements. After 16 years of staff cuts and wage restraint, these agreements provide a good foundation to build on. In Powell River, BCGEU members in the insurance industry are currently negotiating for more secure language in their contracts to ensure all new employees are represented by a union; certainty around work hours and compensation for themselves and future workers; and elimination of precarious work schedules.
