Strength in numbers: union stands with you in difficult times

 

Name: Ashad Ali

Occupation: Pharmacy Technician

Union: United Food and Commercial Worker’s Local 1518

Originally from Fiji, my mom and I migrated to Canada in 1991 after the tragic death of my father. I have worked for Safeway as a pharmacy technician for the past 10 years, and over this time the union has supported me and helped me maintain my job.

After successfully completing my diploma course to become a pharmacy technician at Sprott-Shaw Community College in 1999, I was fortunate to get a job at Safeway in December of the same year. This was my first experience with a union but it wasn’t until later on that I realized what being part of a union really stood for and what it meant to an ordinary union member.

The union helped every time I got into trouble for standing my ground against aggressive and unnecessarily demanding management who would use all the tricks in the book to intimidate me.

Today, at the age of 31, I am enjoying my 10th year of employment at Safeway and believe the union plays an important role for our survival in an industry where financial gain sometimes tends to exploit humanity. Whenever needed, the union is willing and ready to fight for their members’ rights in the workplace.

Some of the advantages of being part of the union are job security, better wages, and 90 per cent dental and medical coverage for not only me, but my wife Eden and two-month-old son Arzan.

When I first started working for Safeway I was only being paid $13 an hour but after bargaining and negotiations the union helped us receive steady wage increases over the past few years. Today, I get paid $18 an hour.

I am grateful for all the support I’ve received from the union. These years of experience have led me to realize how helpful and supportive the union is to its members and they ensure our rights are respected in the face of overzealous employers.