Collective efforts foster success for workers

 

Name: Antonius Lam

Occupation: Flight attendant, Air Canada

Union: Vice president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

As an immigrant from Hong Kong, Antonius Lam has never taken his union membership for granted. Of all the cultural differences he has encountered since moving to Canada in the early 1990s, one of the more significant has been the contrast in management-employee relations. In Hong Kong, trade unionism is uncommon and bargaining rights almost non-existent, but in Canada unionized employees are united in trying to improve their workplaces and are also part of the overall decision-making process.

“Union membership is very empowering,” says Lam, an Air Canada flight attendant and vice president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4094 since 2005. “I’ve been to a lot of disciplinary meetings, and our members are always reassured to know that the union is there to protect them. They know that the company can’t just discipline or intimidate them, but that proper protocols have to be followed.”

Antonius first came to Canada in 1990, to attend the University of Alberta as a visa student. He applied to become a landed immigrant in 1996. After completing his Bachelor of Commerce degree, he moved to B.C. to complete his Master’s in Business Administration at Simon Fraser University, where he majored in Human Resources Management and Labour Relations. Since he began working for Air Canada, Antonius has been active in his union, also serving as a local rep and as co-chair of the local’s uniform committee.

“The last two years have been challenging,” he says, referring to a budget squeeze that led to layoffs and strike action in 2008. “Our working conditions and job security have been continuously threatened, so it has been very important that as members we work together to improve these things.”

During the 2008 strike, says Antonius, this meant helping organize a rally and expanding the media’s coverage of the dispute. Thanks to the work of fellow members, he adds, CUPE 4094 received major coverage in the local ethnic media. Antonius did a one-hour interview, with a local radio station, about the layoff situation and unionism in general.

Being a member of CUPE means that Antonius has access to various kinds of training which, in turn, he can provide to fellow members. As an activist, this has helped him learn how to address deficiencies in the payment system that affect employees—including how to file grievances that will ensure that every dollar an employee earns shows up in their pay cheque.

“A lot more can be achieved through collective efforts than by working alone,” says Antonius. “I was honoured to represent our Local to attend the Canadian Labour Congress convention in Toronto in May 2008. There I had the opportunity to connect with other union officers, both within and outside of our industry, and learn more about workplace issues. This was a tremendous opportunity I wouldn’t have had were it not for my union, and it was inspiring to know that as flight attendants we had the support of our union brothers and sisters across the country.”