With my union you are not alone

Name: Maria Fe Infante

Occupation: Enhanced Disability Management Program steward

Union: HEU

Maria Fe Infante loves talking to people and she has a great sense of humour. A lively and engaging woman, she emigrated from Manila to Vancouver in 1983, became a Canadian citizen in 1986 and has been married since 1987 to her Filipino husband whom she joking calls her “mail-order husband” because she sponsored him.

For the past 29 years, Maria has been a Hospital Employees’ Union member at Vancouver General Hospital (VGH), working as a sterile supply technician whose duties include decontaminating, sterilizing, wrapping and distributing instruments, equipment and linen to the OR and other departments.

For many years, Maria was a “background activist” at VGH. But in 2009 Maria was spurred to action when she needed the union’s help to resolve a problem with her work schedule. She had more spare time since her two sons were older, so she started attending monthly union meetings and took on the positions of OH&S steward, assistant secretary-treasurer, shop steward and grievance committee member.

“The union has been a great help to me,” says Maria. “Because we have a collective agreement, you know you’re not alone,” says Maria. “There’s someone always there for you. It’s such a comfort to belong to a group that supports you and fights for your issues. And our contract benefits – vacation entitlement, our pension plan and sick leave – make our lives much easier. If we didn’t have sick time, a lot of members would be in trouble.”  Maria is also grateful to her union for gains in her leadership skills and knowledge acquired from union courses, workshops and conventions.

Maria was recently selected to work as a temporary Enhanced Disability Management Program (EDMP) steward for union members. This program provides support to members struggling with their return to work in a safe and timely manner. Such barriers to recovery may be medical, personal, workplace or vocational. As an EDMP steward, Maria counsels union members face-to-face and by telephone. “The main thing that uplifts me is helping members. Whenever I successfully address a member’s struggles, I feel fulfilled. I try to empower my union brothers and sisters. When I can help resolve conflicts and problems, I’m so happy.”

And Maria is passionate about politics – she volunteered on Jenny Kwan’s first provincial election campaign in Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant, worked in the last provincial election on Filipino outreach for Vancouver-Fraserview’s NDP candidate Gabriel Yu, and in the upcoming municipal elections will volunteer for the first Vancouver Filipina Park Board candidate Sammie-Joe Rambaua.

Maria has been a Vancouver and District Labour Council member and she currently belongs to Metro Vancouver Alliance, a coalition of community activists and faith-based groups working to reduce poverty and fighting for common good issues including a “living wage”.