Precarious labour – work that is insecure, non-unionized and low-paying – is the hallmark of today’s workforce, both a product and casualty of neoliberal globalization. Workers are told they will hold multiple jobs over time and often more than one job at the same time. Unionization is a bulwark against employment precarity. Collectively bargained contracts enshrine job protection, seniority, benefits and wage progression – none of which are guaranteed ...read more 

UFCW 1518 members at Canadian Tire in Prince George know what it means to fight for fairness. When they tried to bargain their first contract, shortly after organizing in 1983, the employer’s demand for an open shop led to a bitter and lengthy strike. But members of the Retail Clerks Union, as UFCW 1518 was called then, knew what was right, and didn’t give up their goal of a ...read more 

UFCW 1518 members at Grand & Toy ratified a strong new collective agreement on April 22, 2017. The warehouse workers voted 93 percent in favour of the four year agreement, which contains many significant gains. “We were really pleased with how negotiations went. The employer was respectful and our bargaining committee was really focused on what members said they wanted,” explains union representative Ravi Dhindsa. The contract earned members ...read more 

Solidarity isn’t just for picket lines, something UFCW 1518 members at Hornby Island Co-op discovered in their recent round of bargaining. Ratified on March 23, 2017, their new collective agreement relied upon Ucluelet Co-op’s contract for cross classification language. It also drew support from Port Alberni Co-op’s collective agreement for the newly added sunset clause for discipline. “The fact that other co-ops are unionized helps them pull each other ...read more 

UFCW 1518 members at First United Church in the heart of the Downtown Eastside understand hardship. They see it every day as they serve some of Vancouver’s most vulnerable residents. Homelessness. Poverty. Undiagnosed mental health issues. Addiction. Our members work to provide advocacy, housing, meals and social programs to help people deal with some of society’s worst social ills. But their commitment to social justice isn’t only reflected in ...read more