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Month: April 2017

UFCW 1518 Votes!

April 19, 2017

UFCW 1518 has launched a campaign to encourage members to vote in the upcoming provincial election. UFCW 1518 Votes aims to raise awareness among our members about the importance of voting and to encourage them to vote for workers’ issues.

British Columbians head to the polls on May 9 and stakes for workers are high. After 16 years of Liberal rule, things like a living wage, affordable housing and safe, affordable childcare are still pipe dreams. ICBC, MSP and BC Hydro rates have risen, with the average family paying more than $1000 more each year. School closures, cuts to classrooms and Christy Clark’s war on teachers hurt everyone, but our kids the most.

And what about jobs? Last month the ranks of unemployed workers in BC grew as full-time jobs declined slightly, according to Statistics Canada. At the same time, BC leads the country in the prevalence of precarious part-time work. This is not good news for workers, their parents and their children.

We need a government that respects workers and understands our issues. We need a government that works for all of us, not for rich corporations and the wealthy few. That’s why we’re asking our members to take the pledge to vote on May 9.

The last provincial election was decided in only seven ridings by just a few thousand votes. Your vote matters! On May 9, make your vote count and your voice heard. Don’t want to wait until then? Early voting is available at any district electoral office from now until 4pm on May 9. Either way, make sure you bring a buddy and two pieces of ID – that way even if you’re not on the voter list, you can register to vote on the spot. And after you’ve voted, you can create a Twibbon and share the good news on social media.

Whenever you do it, however you do it, just vote. Creating a #BetterBC is up to all of us. Getting involved is as easy as voting.

Hornby Co-op improves contract in latest round of bargaining

April 4, 2017

Solidarity isn’t just for picket lines, something UFCW 1518 members at Hornby Island Co-op discovered in their recent round of bargaining. Ratified on March 23, 2017, their new collective agreement relied upon Ucluelet Co-op’s contract for cross classification language. It also drew support from Port Alberni Co-op’s collective agreement for the newly added sunset clause for discipline. “The fact that other co-ops are unionized helps them pull each other up,” comments Ashley Campbell, union representative. “The collective agreements get stronger with each set of negotiations, meaning that people’s lives get better.”

The inclusion of cross classification language was important, Campbell says, because it enables members to pick up hours by seniority in other departments, if their hours are lacking. “It allows members to work as many hours as they want or need; it also means they can move up the wage scale faster and receive benefits sooner.” The four year contract brings a wage increase of two percent each year, retroactive to the date of expiry. It also includes 50-50 cost sharing for benefit coverage for dependents where before dependents had no coverage. Members also received a $100 signing bonus.

The co-op, which began serving Hornby Island as a general store in 1955, is owned and controlled by its members. Like other cooperatives, it exists for the benefit of the people who own it, not for private gain. This is why the collective agreement contains a profit-sharing clause, which is triggered in years when the co-op is profitable.

But during bargaining, the profit-sharing clause was a point of contention, with the employer seeking to remove it. “They kept saying the co-op hadn’t been profitable in years, so there was no point in having the clause,” Campbell says. “Wouldn’t you know it, the morning after our members ratified the contract, they all received a substantial profit sharing cheque.”

Campbell credits the bargaining committee, made up of Joanne Ovitsland and Sue Horner, with keeping negotiations focused on members’ concerns and needs – including those of junior staff and future employees. “They were really great – super experienced and realistic. They really got us through.”