When we stand together, we can win!
After spending a sunny afternoon talking to members at Cargill Case Ready in Calgary last week, Secretary Treasurer Richelle Stewart and President Thomas Hesse took our campaign to Stop the Squeeze to Edmonton.
Newly ratified Maple Leaf members recently won some significant victories by standing strong together and pushing their employer to address the affordability crisis in bargaining.
After a challenging round of negotiations, Maple Leaf members successfully secured wage increases and improved the guarantee of hours at the Plant. Those wins will help them as we all try to cope with the increased cost of living.
The strength that Maple Leaf members demonstrated just goes to show that when we stand together, we can win the victories we need to make life more affordable.
“Our members are the heart of their union,” said President Hesse. “The resolve Maple Leaf members exhibited has been inspiring. I’m excited to further develop activists and strengthen the union presence in this workplace that has lacked a strong voice for too long.”
In addition to a tour of the Plant, the focus of the visit was spending time with members in the lunchroom to have meaningful discussions about current grievances, their new contract, line speeds, and health and safety issues.
We have more work to do and your union will continue taking our campaign to Stop the Squeeze across the province. We need to rally all our members and push every employer to do the right thing as we gear up for the most aggressive negotiations we have ever run.
However, collective bargaining is only one element of Stopping the Squeeze. While important, it is also crucial that union members use their power as citizens to talk to those in power about the challenges they face and the solutions they want.
“Our members are more powerful than they sometimes realize,” said Secretary Treasurer Stewart. “The Stop the Squeeze campaign is all about energizing our members to create change by coming together to utilize their power through their union!”
Stay tuned as we continue working to Stop the Squeeze and make life more affordable for every UFCW Local 401 member across Alberta.
Posted on: March 19,2024