Solidarity across sectors
- syoung679
- 10 hours ago
- 5 min read
As unions across the province take up collective bargaining and set picket lines to demand fair working conditions and wages, solidarity across sectors is more important than ever. We talked to three teachers and their family members, who are also unionized workers, to learn more about how being in a union affects them.
Carole and Ian: Connection and camaraderie
Carole and Ian first met on the job in 1993 when Ian, a computer tech and CUPE member was assigned to the computer lab at the school where Carole taught. Now, more than 30 years later, the union movement is a big part of their lives and marriage. Both Carole and Ian have served as labour council presidents and executive council members for the BC Federation of Labour, each taking a turn in leadership so they can support each other.
“Our relationship is what a union is: being there for each other,” said Carole.
When Carole and Ian started in the workforce, unions were more central to the lives of workers. “It was a social outing to go to union events,” recalled Ian.
Although unions aren’t always the first thing to come to mind for socializing in today’s world, they are still an opportunity to find connection and community.
Carole shared that she’s never felt alone in her work because she always has the union to lean on and colleagues from across unions who show support and solidarity. This solidarity is built on a recognition that we all want the same things: fair wages, a positive working environment where we can thrive, and security in our work and for our futures.
Ian’s act of solidarity last time teachers were on strike in 2014 was impactful and inspiring for Carole. CUPE workers were paid during that strike, but out of solidarity, they refused to cross picket lines to enter schools. Instead, Ian spent most of his working hours during that strike walking back and forth in front of their neighbourhood school and his own worksite to show his support.
“Solidarity has to be visible,” said Carole. “It’s important to show our colleagues from other unions that our solidarity is there, and it’s important to show the public that unions have support from across sectors.”
Carole and Ian make a point to show up for unions on strike even now. They can often be spotted out for a date night at picket lines, labour council meetings, or Canadian Labour Congress events.
Alex and Jack: Dismantling misinformation about unions
Alex and Jack are twin brothers who have chosen very different career paths with one thing in common: unions. Jack is a unionized plumber who left a previous career as a chef, where he did not have a union to back him up. Being a part of a union has had a huge impact on his work-life balance and ability to advocate for himself with his employer.
“Without a union, it was a race to the bottom,” said Jack. “If you say you want to be paid appropriately, they’ll just find someone to replace you.” The inadequate wage combined with long hours and frequent uncompensated work led him to seek out a new career path.
Although he came to his current unionized job with some anti-union sentiment, he couldn’t deny the benefits of unionization once he had access to extended health benefits, a pension plan, and higher pay.
Alex, a teacher in North Vancouver, noted that being in a union is something he often takes for granted because it’s always been a part of his working life. Hearing about Jack’s experiences of working with and without a union reminds Alex of how the union supports his work.
“The fact that we have processes in place to bring concerns forward is empowering,” said Alex.
He recalls the union’s role in reinstating class-size limits when he first started out as a teacher, and the ongoing work of the union to protect quality public education.
Both brothers agree that one of the issues unions face right now is misinformation among their membership and the public. Anti-union sentiments or apathy toward unions are all too common. For workers, unions are the sole voice standing up for their rights and their quality of life. In many cases, the fight for workers’ rights is very similar across sectors.
“Unions sticking up for each other helps fight misinformation,” said Alex.
When people see unity among all workers and learn that we all have the same battles—underfunded, overworked—they see a collective voice and that can send a powerful message.
All workers can contribute to strengthening that collective voice in big and small ways.
“Stepping up to the mic and reminding your colleagues when another union is on strike is a way to show solidarity,” said Jack, who also presents to high school students on what it’s like to work in the trades, particularly as a unionized worker.
Getting information out about what unions are fighting for and how they can affect the lives of workers contributes to dismantling misinformation about unions. More support for unions means more support for workers overall.
Reid and Michelle: Bargaining for a better future
When asked about the commonalities between Reid’s job as a teacher (and now as the Chilliwack Teachers’ Association Local President), and his partner Michelle’s job as a street nurse, Reid responded, “Our professions are built on care: one for the body and one for the mind.”
Both jobs are shaped by the decisions of those in power, and both jobs have parallel struggles when it comes to staffing and safety.
The role of the union has always been to advocate for workers, but in today’s climate of cuts to public services, unions are also tasked with raising awareness about the issues that stem from underfunding.
“We need public support to fight for more resources, more staffing, better working conditions, and improved safety,” said Michelle. Unions are the collective voice that can help garner this public support.
For teachers, the public support is also important when it comes to representation for students, especially as it relates to the SOGI (sexual orientation and gender identity) curriculum. The union has been the collective voice pushing back against narratives that spread hate or paint SOGI as dangerous.
“We need to make it clear that health and education are not partisan issues,” said Reid. “They’re public priorities.”
Collective bargaining is the best tool unions have to implement changes, and Reid noted that it’s not just about wages: it’s also about what we want our future to look like—what kind of health care system we want and what kind of education system we want.
Unions give workers the ability to have a voice when it comes to the systems we work and live within. “What is a union? It’s strength in numbers; it’s giving power back to the people so we can shape our collective future,” said Michelle.
In a bargaining year, solidarity for our collective future is more important than ever. Bargaining tables across sectors are connected; the tone and outcome of bargaining for one union is inevitably influenced by the results of bargaining for other unions. Showing support for colleagues across sectors helps send a stronger message to employers and builds pride among workers.
Both Reid and Michelle feel proud of their affiliation with unions. In Reid’s case, he comes from generations of unionized workers, including three generations of teachers. “It was embedded in me from a very young age that unions are supporting workers,” said Reid. “My family prides itself on helping build up workers.”
