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Union drive at Langley Times remembered |
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Working at the Langley Times has changed a lot since the community
newspaper became unionized, says Al Irwin, a reporter who was a member
of the internal organizing committee more than a decade ago.
"I guess most important for me are the better wages and stability --
getting the union in here meant I could rely on this job to provide for
my family," said Irwin. "In the days before the union, pay was
poor and you felt uncertain about keeping your job.
"There was no clear set of rules to follow -- managers had the power to get rid of you just because they felt like it."
Irwin remembers the anxious weeks of the organizing drive at the Langley Times with fondness.
"Sure, we were scared because it was something new and you always have
in the back of your mind that you might become a target for management
anger, but the way we came together was great," he said. "We had a
solid core of supporters -- people who knew it was time for a union --
and then we signed up the rest of the people fairly quickly."
Informal discussions, triggered by a few incidents of management bad
behavior, caused Irwin and a co-worker to approach the Vancouver
Newspaper Guild (now CEP Local 2000) about organizing their newspaper
in the Fraser Valley suburb of Langley. Sentiment for the union was
strong, especially in the newsroom.
Once the core group of supporters had signed membership cards and so
were protected by law from harassment for their union activities, a
meeting was held in a supporter’s home for other "probable" union
supporters. All signed cards that night and an internal organizing
committee was formed. It gathered a complete list of people who worked
at the paper and assessed the potential of each to be sympathetic
towards the idea of a union.
Internal organizing committee members volunteered to try signing up
those people they felt comfortable talking to and the local organizer
contacted everyone else on the list, starting with likely supporters.
"A few of the people who supported the union really surprised us," said
Irwin. "For one reason or another we assumed they would be
anti-union, but they saw the need as well as the rest of us."
In a few weeks a majority of employees had signed cards and the local
made an application for certification to the B.C. Labour Board. A board
official notified management, then obtained a list of employees, and
once she was satisfied that the union application was supported by a
sufficient number of cards (which management never saw) a vote was set
for a few days later.
"We were so happy when we won that vote," said Irwin. "It was a feeling
of empowerment -- that’s the only way I can describe it -- as if
we were standing up and saying, 'we have rights that will be respected.'
"I guess, for me, that’s the key: Organizing a union means we asserted
our rights -- management did not give them to us -- what is given can
also be taken away."
In hindsight, Irwin says, that moment of empowerment ultimately led to
a new era of respect between management and workers.
"It was a few years before management really understood the union was
here to stay, but eventually they did," he said. "We now have a
good relationship, not perfect, but we have mechanisms to work through
the problems."
Of course there’s always work to be done. "Management is always asking
for flexibility. It can be pretty difficult sometimes to enforce the
contract, and if you don't have membership support, your contract will
be eroded over time. It is hard to make newcomers understand that a
contract was created through a lot of time and hard work, and could be
lost by neglect, but some appear bored silly to hear about that."
Irwin has a few words of advice for anyone contemplating organizing a
union in their workplace. "A union contract is a big deal when
you don't have one, but something that becomes ordinary and expected
when you do," he said. "Kind of like rules in hockey -- you need them to
make the game fair -- without them the bullies can easily take
over.
"Organizing a union is not the magic solution to all your
problems, but it is a necessary step if you want fairness and a clear
set of rules that everyone must follow."
Count Al Irwin as someone proud of the day he contacted the union.
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