UFCW 1518 Members Locked Out By Vancouver Native Housing Society

UFCW 1518 members employed at the Vancouver Native Housing Society have been locked out of their jobs by their employer. The lockout began March 13 after union members rejected their employer’s demands for a new contract, demands that would have gutted the existing rights and protections these 17 workers have.

The union members employed by Vancouver Native Housing Society are a unique group of workers—most are the Resident Managers of the residential apartment buildings the Society operates. These union members are responsible for the day-to-day operation and functions of their buildings, and are the “friendly face” within their building that other tenants have come to know and appreciate. The tenants of the buildings have been very supportive throughout union members’ negotiations with the employer, and especially now that they are being impacted, along with union members, by the employer’s lockout.

The Vancouver Native Housing Society is ignoring its obligations to the people who do the day-to-day work in their buildings, and the union has reached out to BC Federation of Labour affiliated unions, requesting they not cross the picket lines, and all workers are being asked to honour the picket lines set up at each building.