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Why Join UFCW 1518?
Cowichan Tribes workers deserve fairness at work through improved wages and benefits, job security and a strong voice at work. Workers of the Ts'ewulhtum Health Centre (TWT) have already joined the union, and now you can join them too! Joining UFCW 1518 puts the power of a union behind you, fighting for what you deserve. We will work together to create long-lasting improvements to your job, using the collective agreement to protect your rights and outline a process for ensuring you are treated with respect & dignity. As your co-workers at TWT begin to negotiate their first unionized contract, now is the perfect time to unite to achieve better working conditions, together.
Being a member of UFCW 1518 will:
- Secure the working conditions you have today to prevent any unwanted changes
- Ensure your fair treatment and payment for all hours worked, including overtime pay.
- Provide you with a support system made up of union representatives, lawyers, health and safety accommodations reps and tens of thousands of UFCW 1518 union members.
The Union Advantage
Your Rights
The most important thing to know is that every employee has the right to join a union.
The Canada Labour Code ensures you have the following legal rights:
- You are free to decide to join or not join a union.
- Your employer cannot fire you, suspend you, transfer you, lay you off, refuse to continue employing you or otherwise discriminate against you for being involved with the process of forming a union.
- You are free to express your views on unionization without reprisal.
Our Commitments Toward Upholding Indigenous Title and Rights
UFCW 1518 is committed to upholding and respecting Indigenous Title and Rights, to working from a decolonizing perspective, and to making our union inclusive and culturally safe for Indigenous members. We also uphold the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as THE framework for reconciliation, as articulated by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
UFCW 1518 respects the values and knowledge of the Cowichan Nation. We believe in the importance of being truthful and respecting the rights of one another. As your union, UFCW 1518 will work respectfully with Cowichan Tribes to ensure that every union member is treated fairly and with dignity and respect.
UFCW Canada has a national Indigenous subcommittee to strengthen relationships between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples in our union. We use our voice as a union to advance causes of justice and reconciliation, pressuring the government to live up to their commitments toward Indigenous peoples, including implementing the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People, and the National Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry Calls for Justice.
We acknowledge that our office is located on the traditional, unceded territory of the Qayqayt First Nation and we are grateful to be able to carry out our business on their territories. On May 31, 2019, UFCW Canada Local 1518 celebrated the completion of “Salmon Arrows,” a newly installed mural by artist Ronnie Dean Harris, a Stō:lo/St’át’imc/Nlaka’pamux multimedia artist based in New Westminster, BC at the union’s headquarters.
FAQ
Here are answers to questions workers often have about joining a union:
Workers of the Ts'ewulhtum Health Centre (TWT) joined UFCW 1518 a couple months ago. They contacted our union and asked us to assist them to gain the power to negotiate long-lasting improvements to their jobs through joining a union. Now that they are union members, they are preparing to negotiate their first unionized contract. There's bargaining strength in numbers, which makes it the perfect time for you to unite with your co-workers at TWT to achieve better working conditions, together.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union Local 1518 is British Columbia’s largest private-sector union with more than 24,000 members in British Columbia and the Yukon. UFCW 1518 has offices located in New Westminster, Kelowna, and Victoria and represents workers in Retail, Food Processing, Healthcare, and Professional Services. We represent workers at Save-On-Foods, Safeway, Cowichan Home Support Society, Buckerfield's, Mountain Equipment Co-op, to name just a few.
No, that is illegal. No one can be terminated or harassed for supporting a union. UFCW 1518 will not tolerate any employer violating workers’ rights and will take legal action if needed.
You will decide with your coworkers what changes your union will push for. Here are some of the common improvements we bargain for:
- A Stronger Voice at the Workplace:
The fight for fairness starts with workers gaining the power to change their working environment. Coming together with your coworkers will give you the power to make your jobs better for you and those who come after you. We are stronger together! - Education & Training:
A union will bring your proposals to the bargaining table to have your employer support education and training initiatives. - Health & Safety:
We will work with you to create a strong Joint Health and Safety Committee to discuss health and safety issues in the workplace, including mental health, bullying and harassment, etc. - Better Wages:
A union can negotiate a fair wage scale that provides workers with regular pre-approved wage increases! No need to ask for a raise anymore, they are guaranteed. - Enforceable Employment Contact:
All unionized workplaces have a mutually agreed upon employment contract known as a collective agreement. This collective agreement will secure the working conditions workers have today as well as all the improvement made during negotiation. Your employer is legally obligated to negotiate with your union in “good faith.” - Professional Advocacy and Support:
With a union, workers are not left on their own to deal with management. Union members have access to union representatives, labour lawyers, and Workers Compensation lawyers, as well as any other consultation your union determines is needed to help you solve your issues at work.
There is no cost to join until you vote in your first collective agreement. Once that happens, your dues will be no more than 2% of your earnings. Since unions are non-profit organizations, those who pay income tax can deduct 100% of their union dues. The higher wages, rights and benefits that come with unionization are well worth the small cost associated with joining!
As a union member, you will gain the power of collective bargaining!
With the assistance of union staff, workers bargain with employers to negotiate fair employment contracts. Your union will also enforce your agreement and all other employment laws.
WANT TO LEARN MORE?
Contact us in confidence. Any information you share with us is kept 100% confidential. Your employer will never know that you contacted our union.
GET IN TOUCH:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 604.345.2800
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 604.349.7960