Life isn’t fair. Brock Fingland saw that every day working at First United Church, a low-barrier shelter in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside that helps some of the city’s most vulnerable residents.

But Brock started to notice that things at work weren’t fair either. There was inconsistent scheduling and the firing of a co-worker without cause. Since joining our union in August 2016, Brock has seen a significant improvement in working conditions and other important changes.

“After our negotiation process, the executive director resigned and our shelter manager has also been relieved,” says Brock. “I don’t think these terminations would have happened without our union’s involvement.”

Now, instead of receiving schedules at the last minute, Brock and his co-workers get them two weeks in advance. Most significantly, our union initiated legal proceedings around the termination.“The Labour Board’s decision was that it was an unjust termination without decent grounds, so he was given his back pay and brought back to his job,” Brock says. “I think that empowered a lot of people.”

Brock’s story shows how even workers in the most altruistic industries are often subjected to unfair treatment. By joining our union and asserting their rights, the workers of First United Church can now stay focused on what matters most – helping people in need.

We are all stronger when we stand together to fight for fairness. If you know someone in a non-unionized workplace who is being treated unfairly, encourage them to check out our Join Us page.