CUPE 1281 is ecstatic to welcome Grassriots workers into our ranks. After three years of building support amongst their coworkers for unionizing, the non-profit marketing agency staff handily won their certification vote to unionize and are now getting ready to bargain their first contract.

Anna Lermer, Terra Gillespie and Joanna Adamiak, three staff-turned-organizers at Grassriots, all recognized there were issues at their workplace that warranted a response. “We came together in response to our fears about job security and pressures to hit productivity goals,” said Anna. Terra added, “With the culture of work shifting so quickly during the pandemic, it became clear that unionizing our workplace would give us all the tools and structure to navigate the ‘unprecedented’ times.”

From the beginning, organizing with their coworkers showed promising signs and impacts. “When my colleagues and I started having conversations we recognized a strong desire amongst ourselves to build collective power,” said Joanna. “The unionizing process helped us connect as a team and create a space to share concerns and support one another,” added Anna. 

Now they intend on exercising their rights and power as a union. “As a unionized workforce, we are looking to safeguard our current benefits, get a voice in shaping our contracts and ensure transparent and fair decision making from our management team through a collective agreement,” said Anna. In addition, Joanna finds confidence in their recent victory, “I am so proud of our organizing team! The fact that we had such a strong mandate to form a union speaks to our commitment to having a say about our working conditions.”

CUPE 1281 looks forward to supporting our new members at Grassriots in their efforts to build their union, collectively bargain with their employer and improve their conditions at work. “We are excited about the contributions the workers at Grassriots will make to our local, knowing our union grows stronger when our members are determined to fight for more. This is the time for CUPE 1281 to take charge in welcoming new workplaces and unionizing workers wherever we can,” said CUPE 1281 president Moe Alqasem.