Great news! Workers at Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC) in Victoria voted overwhelmingly “Yes” today in favour of joining UFCW 1518.  They join the workers at the Vancouver flagship store on West Broadway who joined UFCW 1518 in April of this year. “In fighting for fairness, we organize workers because everyone deserves safe and respectful working conditions, higher wages, better benefits, job security and fair treatment,” said UFCW 1518 President, ...read more 

Workers at the Victoria Event Centre (VEC) voted overwhelmingly last night in favour of joining UFCW 1518, marking the first worker-led union certification in Victoria’s hospitality sector in decades. Lack of workplace standards, poor working conditions and sexual harassment were just some of the reasons VEC workers unionized, suggesting a shift in complacency about worker abuse in restaurants and bars. “The service industry has been changing rapidly while owners ...read more 

About 200 workers employed at Cineplex Coquitlam voted to join UFCW 1518 last week. “We are so excited to welcome the staff at Cineplex to our union!” said President Kim Novak. “This group are a dynamic, energetic group of workers who experience challenges in a high turnover environment. Our role going forward is to support them to take on these challenges by hearing from them on what we need ...read more 

Last week, President Kim Novak joined Executive Board member Jennifer Vecchio on the job to learn firsthand about what UFCW 1518 members working in home support do on a daily basis. Vecchio has been working as a Community Home Support Worker and caring for clients in Nelson for over 35 years. “Shadowing Jennifer throughout her day was an amazing experience and opened my eyes to the truly inspiring work ...read more 

UFCW 1518 says the provincial government should mandate paid leave for workers experiencing domestic and sexual violence. The union joined the BC Federation of Labour in calling for changes to the Employment Standards Act to ensure all workers have the resources to leave a violent situation and the ability to pursue justice as well as needed supports and services without loss of pay. “BC is one of the only ...read more