Media Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Sept. 17, 2012
Workers at Aboriginal non-profit organization join PSAC
WINNIPEG, MB – All employees at the Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development (CAHRD) will now benefit from improved working conditions and free collective bargaining, as nearly 100 workers, ranging from employment counselors to childcare workers and teachers, join the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC).
Following a challenging organizing drive, an application was filed on June 14, 2012, with considerable support from CAHRD employees. More than half of the employees had signed a PSAC membership card and 65 per cent agreed to union representation in a vote on June 25, 2012. The Manitoba Labour Board certified the unit on September 14, 2012.
CAHRD employees looking for union representation and seeking to benefit from strength in numbers approached the PSAC. Among their concerns were addressing fair work practices, high turnover, job security and wages.
“It was very empowering to work with a dedicated group of employees who were determined to improve working conditions for everyone,” explains Veronique Allard, PSAC Prairie Region Organizer, who led the campaign. “As one employee told me, ‘we knew we deserved it, and we got it!’”
“We’re very excited to now be able to represent these workers with a strong, collective voice, and looking forward to beginning negotiations for their first agreement,” says Marianne Hladun, Regional Executive Vice-President for the PSAC Prairie Region.
The PSAC represents over 180,000 workers across the country and nearly a dozen First Nations employers and bargaining units.