Union membership provides educational opportunities and builds confidence
Name: Cora Mojica
Occupation: Food service worker
Union: HEU
When Cora Mojica immigrated to Canada from the Philippines in 1987 searching for brighter prospects, she didn’t predict her future as a union activist.
After working as a nanny for several years, Mojica got a job as a food service worker for Sodexo at Vancouver General Hospital. At the time, the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU) and another union were organizing the new Sodexo workers. The workers voted to join HEU in November 2004.
“I first got involved with HEU during the Sodexo strike,” says Mojica. “I had the determination to fight for our rights. If you don’t speak up, the employer will take advantage of you.”
Since that time, Mojica has become a shop steward and local chairperson. She sits on her work site’s occupational health and safety committee, and played a key role in HEU’s successful Living Wage Campaign.
“By being a member of HEU, I’ve been able to take workshops and do training. I have more knowledge; I know how to get prepared for public speaking. We still have a lot of struggles at work, but at least the employer knows that we are watching everything and will [defend] our rights.”
As an HEU member, Mojica took the 16-week OH&S for ESL program at the B.C. Federation of Labour, and has completed HEU’s Introduction to Shop Steward, Know and Enforce Your Rights, and Occupational Health and Safety workshops.
Mojica says that workload and low wages are still realities of working for a private contractor, with many colleagues working two to three jobs to make ends meet. That leaves little time to attend local union meetings.
She cites child care, fear of employer retaliation, and exhaustion from working more than one job, as some excuses for members not getting more active.
“But I educate and motivate my co-workers all the time. I tell them that the more they speak out about their rights, the better treatment they’ll receive because the employer won’t violate their rights when they know we are aware of them… It makes it easier to fight the problems that we’re encountering.”
Some of those rights include scheduling by seniority and awarding job postings. “Being with HEU, there are some improvements at our [workplace]. Having a union presence helps… If we [were] not in HEU, we would be out of a job. Being a member of HEU, things are based on seniority. You can apply for any job. We have a grievance process, and educational opportunities.”
Mojica has also coordinated many events to bring union members together – socially and politically – such as an annual Christmas party, a summer picnic, joint MLA meetings with Aramark members, monthly local meetings with food provided, and encouraging colleagues to volunteer during election campaigns.
“Personally, the more I got involved in the union, the more comfortable I got at speaking up, especially from doing Living Wage Campaign presentations. I have more confidence and developed stronger speaking skills, especially being an immigrant.”