Join Us IGA

Why Join UFCW 1518?

Workers at IGA deserve to be treated with fairness. You deserve fair wages and benefits, job security and a schedule you can count on.  Joining the United Food and Commercial Workers, Local 1518 means you have the power of Canada’s largest grocery store workers union behind you when fighting for what you deserve. Joining our union means we fight for fairness together, using the collective agreement, which defines your rights and outlines a process for ensuring you are treated with respect and dignity.

Ready for positive change at work?

 


Unionized Workers
Non-Unionized Workers

You know when you will get a raise and how much it will be.

Raises are not predictable or guaranteed.

You have a legal contract that protects your wages, benefits and working conditions.

Your employer can make changes to wages, benefits or working conditions without your consent or input.

You can raise workplace concerns without fear for job security.

Speaking up can have consequences.

You and your co-workers have a say about your contract.

Management calls all the shots and makes all decisions.

You have the support of professional advocates and legal counsel.

You must plead your own case.

You have fairness and respect at work.

Respect depends on if you have a good manager.

You have security through a formal process to dispute unjust or arbitrary discipline.

You can be unfairly disciplined or fired, for any reason, at any time.


What Members Say

I got full-time hours after the union negotiated a contract for us. I’ve learned there are lots of advantages to being a union member.
— Connie, member since 1998

Today I receive dental, medical, and prescriptions covered for myself and my husband because of UFCW 1518.
— Helen, member since 1994

A union brings accountability to the workplace. No more improvisational disciplinary proceedings. Now we expect fairness.
— Stephanie, member since 2016


How do I Join UFCW 1518?

1. Union Support Cards
  • Working with staff from our union, you and the majority of your co-workers (45%) sign a support card indicating you would like the BC Labour Relations Board to hold a unionization vote at your workplace.
  • This process is confidential. Your employer will never have the right to know who did or did not sign. Your employer cannot legally take action against anyone for signing a card.
2. Secret Ballot Vote
  • When a majority of your co-workers have signed a union card, the BC Labour Relations Board will hold a secret ballot vote to form a union at your workplace.
  • Vote “Yes” to join the union.
3. Collective Agreement Proposals
  • You and your co-workers submit proposals as to what should be the new collective agreement in your workplace.
  • Your new contract will spell out wages, benefits, respect and job security.


Your Rights

The most important thing to know is that every British Columbian has the right to join a union.

The BC Labour Relations 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.


FAQs

Don’t let the employer’s anti-union tactics get to you. You have questions, we have answers:

  • Will my employer know if I signed a union membership card?
  • No, your employer will never see or find out who signed the cards, just as they will never know if you voted. The entire process is designed by the government to be anonymous.
  • I signed a union membership card, am I unionized now?
  • No, we need to win the secret ballot vote for that to happen. The union relies on card signers to vote in favour of joining UFCW 1518, so if you sign please show up to the vote!
  • Can I get fired for supporting a union?
  • No, this would be illegal. However, in the unlikely event that a supporter is terminated because of their support for joining UFCW, we will hire a lawyer to represent supporters at no cost to them. UFCW will not tolerate any employer violating workers’ rights to form a union.
  • I am happy with the way things are now. Why do I need a union?
  • Securing what you have today into a legally binding contract ensures that what you like about your job stays that way even if there is a change of management and even ownership. Belonging to a union also creates a support network: Stewards, union representatives, negotiators and lawyers will be there to ensure your fair treatment at work.
  • Are other IGA worksites unionized?
  • Yes, UFCW 1518 already represents hundreds of workers employed at franchise and corporate stores operating under the IGA and Fresh St. Market banners. These stores continue to operate normally with the addition of workers having the power to improve their working conditions and ensure their suggestions are heard by all levels of management.
  • How much does this cost?
  • There is no cost to join until your first collective agreement is voted in. Once you start benefiting from it, your dues will be $7.00 plus 1.5% of your wages (per week). Union dues are 100% tax deductible.
  • What if I don’t want to belong to UFCW anymore? Can I quit being a union member?
  • Your union membership is tied to your employment at IGA, so as soon as you quit you will no longer be a member of UFCW. A single worker cannot opt-out of being a union member, so your workplace would have to be completely unionized or not at all.


Contact Us in Confidence

Any information you share with us is kept 100% confidential.
Your employer will never know that you contacted our union.

More questions? Concerns? Get in touch with our professional union organizers today by writing an email to webcontact@ufcw1518.com or calling 1-888-581-1518.

Ready for positive change at work?