On Monday April 10th, the part-time workers of the productions department of Western’s University Student Council (USC), organized with CUPE 1281, ratified their first collective bargaining agreement winning them wage increases, compensation for safety equipment and guaranteed paid safety training for all workers, amongst others.
“Our main motivation was ensuring worker safety,” says one of the worker organizers Praveena Saktikantan, whose job involves setting up for sometimes elaborate events like large campus concerts. “On two occasions, when proper safety protocols were not being followed, two different coworkers of mine endured injuries while working, leaving them with permanent health impacts.”
CUPE 1281’s newest members have a lot of important lessons on workplace organizing to contribute to the local. When a group of the workers at WUSC decided they wanted to unionize, they soon learned that organizing with their coworkers would not just be a matter of signing union authorization cards. “The biggest roadblock we had to get over was to convince our colleagues that no matter what job they are working and no matter how long they intend to work that job, their safety and long-term health had to take priority. A lot of my co-workers were not very invested in their workplace – it’s not a career-type job – but we had to educate each other that it only takes one event, one workplace accident, to affect you for the rest of your life, as it did for two of our members,” says worker organizer Madeleine Spezowka.
The unit is now celebrating their first set of wins, “I am most happy about getting a high rate for the reimbursement of steel toe boots. Most of our members could only afford poorly fitted ones at Walmart or would use a pair that had been abandoned by previous workers,” said Madeleine. And for Praveena, “To me our biggest win was wage progression, and being rewarded for our gained skills and extra work on the job as a result.”
They are also looking forward to their next round of bargaining. Madeleine who has recently left the workplace said, “Going forward, I hope that they will be able to get more language around fair and equitable scheduling. That was a major point of contention during bargaining until the employer dropped it completely, and it will surely come up again during renewal.”
CUPE 1281 looks forward to supporting our new members at Western University Student Council to defend their gains and their union rights. “These workers have just done the hard part. What is left for us to do is to stay united as workers, educate each other on our gains and find support and solidarity at CUPE 1281. We are really happy to see young and more precarious part-time workers recognize their value and stand up to defend themselves in the workplace. Our local intends on continuing to support them in this endeavour. We will continue fighting for the working class” said CUPE 1281 president Moe Alqasem.
On reflection of the experience thus far, Praveena emphasizes a particular discovery that leaves her feeling hopeful. “Unionizing was at times a grueling process, but coming together with my coworkers and bargaining our collective agreement showed me that my coworkers and I care about each other a lot. With every proposal and counter proposal all of us on the bargaining committee thought a lot about the impacts on not just ourselves but our co-workers. In this way, it has been a very meaningful process to be a part of.”