USW organizing successes

The USW’s commitment to support health-care workers who want the security and benefits of union membership led to another organizing success recently when more than 150 retirement home employees in Ajax, Ont., joined the Steelworkers.

Staff at the Parkland Ajax facility, who provide daily care and support to seniors and their families, turned to the USW to secure the strong, collective voice they need to improve their working conditions and ensure respect on the job.

The new members also will be able to join the USW District 6 Health Care Council, a network of Steelworkers in the broader health sector.

In Quebec, a successful organizing campaign has resulted in all 700 security guards employed by Sécurité Trimax across the province joining Steelworkers Local 8922, which represents security workers across District 5.

Local 8922 already represented many of the Trimax security guards and the recent organizing campaign culminated with the remainder of the workforce joining the fold, securing the protections and benefits of a union contract.

In Winnipeg, workers at Darling Ingredients operations recently mobilized to join the USW District 3 family. These workers benefited from the automatic card-check certification law instituted by Premier Wab Kinew’s NDP government to respect workers’ choices to join a union and to prevent employer interference in the process.

Darling Ingredients repurposes and recycles materials from the animal agriculture and food industries, transforming them for use in animal feed, crop fertilizer, airplane fuel and other products. The new Steelworkers at the company’s Winnipeg plant include drivers and helpers.

In virtually every sector of the Canadian economy, workers are joining the Steelworkers due to our strong track record on health and safety and negotiating better wages and working conditions. Other workplaces where the USW recently welcomed new members include:

• Starbucks, Kensington Square, Burnaby, B.C.

• Keewatin Air, Nunavut, Manitoba, Northwest Territories

• Big Beaver House Partnership Ltd., Musselwhite Mine, Ont.

• IATSE Local 118, Greater Vancouver

• Elgin Falls Retirement Community, Niagara Falls, Ont.

• New Holland Industrial, Brampton, Ont.

• Falcon Security, Ottawa

• Hays Canada, Long Harbour, N.L.

Workers who are interested in joining the Steelworkers can find the information and support they need via these links:

District 3 (Western Canada and the Territories):

betterworknow.ca

betterworknow.ca/starbucks