Unions have led to affluent working class

 

Name: Arun Chatterjee

Occupation: Pricer

Union: United Food and Commercial Worker’s Local 1518

I came to Canada from Calcutta, India, in 1997 to learn about another society and explore another country. When I first arrived in Toronto I worked as an information technology (IT) consultant before moving to Vancouver in 2008.

Today, I run my own IT consultant business, having completed a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering where I grew up in central India. I also work as a Pricer at a Pricesmart store in White Rock on the weekends because it allows me to be part of a union.

UFCW 1518 has made a major difference where I work by ensuring better working conditions, fairness for all employees and negotiating a pay structure that benefits us by providing higher wages than we would have received otherwise.

When I hear stories from Wal-Mart employees I can’t help but feel privileged to be a union member. I believe it would be beneficial for them to have a union to provide them with a collective voice.

Through the union contract members are helped in times of difficulty. For example, when my uncle passed away last year, my mother who is a union member was given bereavement leave.

Unions make sure that profits earned by companies are more fairly shared with employees. There is also a community feeling and a sense of belonging. The union fights to lessen poverty, is against exploitation, and promotes fairness.

Without a union, workers wouldn’t be able to negotiate collectively. For example, most developed European nations have a strong union presence which has led to an affluent working class.

At forty years old I’ve seen the benefits of being a union member first hand but I also experienced this while growing up. My father and father-in-law were both members of a union. They were always well represented and fairly compensated.

My Union Representative has always provided me with helpful information and has always been supportive, but I believe worker support is essential for the union to negotiate improved contracts with the company.

I am a strong union supporter. The union movement gave us Medicare and our Canada Pension plan as well as many other benefits. A strong union is one of the most important pillars for a healthy society.

I’ve been a UFCW 1518 member for a little under a year and although this doesn’t seem like long I’ve already seen the union’s positive impact in my workplace. Their presence makes you feel strong in knowing they’ll support you if you need them.