The UFCW 1518 election for vice presidents is now concluded and the results have been tallied. The winners of the five contested positions are: Laura Cipolato (Save-On-Foods, North Vancouver), Virgilio Encarnacion (Sofina Foods, Port Coquitlam), Rajiv Mehra (Grand River Foods, Abbotsford), David Diamond (Save-On-Foods, Kelowna) and Linda Wilson (Port Alberni Home Support, Port Alberni).

“Congratulations to our newly elected vice presidents. I am confident they will represent our members with passion and dedication,” said President Kim Novak. President Novak was elected by acclamation last month, along with Secretary-Treasurer Patrick Johnson. UFCW 1518 members elect their leaders, including the Recorder and Vice President positions every four years.

“I am humbled and honoured to continue to serve our 22,000 members across British Columbia and the Yukon,” said President Kim Novak. “As leaders of your union Patrick and I are committed to ensuring that our organization is strong, progressive and focused on building power in the units our members work in.”

Member engagement has emerged as President Novak’s focus since she and Secretary-Treasurer Johnson were elected by the Executive Board, following the retirement of former president, Ivan Limpright. “We will continue to meet members in their communities and units, to find out more about their workplace concerns and their needs as union members,” President Novak explained.

“We are moving forward with what we have committed to – more training seminars for members, improving our communication with members through email, telephone town halls and unit visits, continuing our Stewards Appreciation program in the Lower Mainland and increasing our presence across the province,” said Novak. “Next month we will be officially opening our new office in Kelowna and, along with our Executive Board, will be hosting our General Membership Meeting in Victoria. We are committed to hosting at least one General Membership Meeting in a region outside of the Lower Mainland once a year to ensure that we are connecting members directly with their leadership and providing more opportunities to participate in their union.”