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Sephora Workers Union

You bet! And we’d love for you to join us. Make Sephora a place where workers have a voice, get respect, and earn fair wages that reflect their expertise. Sign a card and unionize.

Why Rights Advantages How FAQ Contact

Why?

By filling a variety of specialized roles, beauty advisors and sales staff make Sephora customers feel good about themselves. For providing the best service possible, you should get the best working conditions possible. Fair wages, benefits, respect, and schedules that support your life outside of work are within reach.

Join UFCW 1518 and benefit from the union protection and power you need to start pushing for what you deserve. You’ll be joining over 20 other Sephora Workers at the Kamloops BC location who were the first Sephora workers in Canada to unionize. And the best part? You decide what workplace improvements you want to see.

Your Rights

Every British Columbian has the right to join a union, including you! Sign a card today.

These are your legal rights under the Canada Labour Relations Code:

You have the right to vote for or against a union.

Your employer cannot fire you, suspend you, transfer you, lay you off or otherwise discriminate against you for unionizing or supporting unions.

Once you are unionized, your employer cannot unilaterally change your working conditions for up to one year (while you're bargaining your contract).

Unionized Workers

Earn higher wages with scheduled raises.

Non-Unionized Workers

Raises are unpredictable and not guaranteed.

Unionized Workers

Have a say in their wages, benefits and working conditions, which are protected by a contract.

Non-Unionized Workers

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

Unionized Workers

You and your coworkers can fight to be treated equally.

Non-Unionized Workers

Management calls all the shots and can play favourites.

Unionized Workers

You have the support of professional advocates and negotiators.

Non-Unionized Workers

You must plead your own case.

Unionized Workers

You have fairness and respect at work.

Non-Unionized Workers

Respect depends on if you have a good manager.

Unionized Workers

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

Non-Unionized Workers

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

How do I join?

Sign your union support card. Encourage coworkers to do the same.

When 55% of you have signed your anonymous union support card, you can file for automatic union certification with the BC Labour Board. Don’t worry a UFCW 1518 organizer will help you with this process.

FAQ

Who are we?

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.

We include workers in Retail, Food Processing, Healthcare and Professional Services, such as Save-On-Foods, Safeway, Mountain Equipment Co-op, Urban Fair, Cartems Donuts, and most recently, Sephora!

I've heard that if I join a union I can't speak for myself anymore, so how could UFCW 1518 actually improve my workplace?

This is a myth that employers spread to scare workers out of organizing. When you join a union, you and your coworkers are the union. You can still raise concerns with your managers; only now, you’re not alone when you run into problems.

Ultimately, you and your coworkers decide what workplace improvements you want to prioritize and include in your legally-binding contract (collective agreement).

That said, because you’ll be working with a highly skilled team of union representatives, activists and negotiators, there are some standard improvements that you can count on if you stay committed to what you deserve. These include:

  1. Better Wages: No need to ask for a raise anymore, regular pre-approved wage increases are guaranteed.
  2. Grievance procedure: If you’re treated unfairly, there’s a standardized process for resolving the issue.
  3. Job security: No more getting fired for arbitrary reasons.
  4. Better benefits: Dental and medical benefits are a must.

I am happy with the way things are now. Why do I need a union?

That’s awesome. Unions are not just for workers who dislike their job; they’re also for people who want to permanently protect the parts of the job that they do like by getting them enshrined in a legally binding contract. This way you won’t suddenly lose them when management, ownership or another condition that’s outside of your control changes.

And don’t worry ⁠— once you are unionized, the boss cannot change your working conditions without your union’s consent for up to a year, while you’re bargaining.

Will unionizing ruin the relationship between employees and upper management?

Workers are not doing anything wrong by unionizing. If your managers respect you and your rights, then they should have no objection to you working together to improve morale.

Your boss probably already commends teamwork, initiative, and innovation ⁠— unions foster all three. We support a good management-worker relationship, but if there’s a problem at work, we step in at your request to ensure you’re not sidelined. And when you have union representation at a bargaining table, you and your employer are negotiating as equals.

I don't want to lose the flexibility that I get with a part-time job. Is it true that unions only care about seniority and turning jobs into full-time positions?

Absolutely not. Unions are not “against” part-time work. We just want to ensure that part-timers get the same benefits and equal treatment as everyone else. We also want to ensure they get real flexibility. As for seniority, your union will only fight for it if you want it.

I am applying/planning to apply for Permanent Residency. Will having a union affect my ability to do that?

No, unionizing does not impact your application to permanent residency in any way. In fact, unionizing provides you with job security and, in some cases, UFCW has been able to bargain a path to permanent residency in some union contracts (click here to learn more about one of those stories). The union will support any worker, regardless of status.

What if the company says that they will fix issues, and can do it better without a union?

Companies can promise to “change” or “do better” and offer quick fixes to long standing  problems, but things often revert back to how they once were. In reality, without a legally  binding contract, any improvements to the workplace can be taken away.

Will my employer know if I signed a union membership card?

No, your employer will never see or find out who signed the cards, which are 100% confidential. The entire process is designed by the government to be anonymous.

I signed a union membership card, am I unionized now?

Not yet — unions are all about democracy and collective power, so you can think of your signed union card as a vote in favour of the union.

When the vast majority of you and your coworkers (about 70%) have signed a card (or “voted”), pledging solidarity to each other, UFCW 1518 will file with the Labour Board.

The board then issues a certificate and you’re a union member.

Can I get fired for supporting a union?

No, that is illegal. No one, including those holding management roles, can be terminated or harassed for supporting a union. In the unlikely event that a supporter is terminated because of their support for joining UFCW 1518, we will hire a lawyer to represent supporters at no cost to them.

How much does this cost?

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, your dues are 100% tax deductible. The higher wages, rights and benefits that come with unionization are well worth the small cost associated with joining!