As members of a union, you are entitled to various rights. It is important that all workers understand their rights so that one can use them when necessary. 

1. We have the right to participate in our union.

The Union is a democratic worker organization, and we all have the right to participate fully in our union including:

• Attending meetings, trainings, and events
• Electing stewards' local officers and delegates to the convention
• Confidentially speak to union stewards and elected officials about workplace issues.
• Casting ballots in strike and ratification votes
• Running in elections for union leadership positions or nominating others
• Bringing issues forward to union meetings, conferences, and conventions 

2. We have the right to grieve a violation of our collective agreement.

We have the right to challenge a policy, practice, or decision by our employer if we think it violates our collective agreement. The grievance procedure is a dispute resolution process. Not all problems that come up at work are grievances, so we need to utilize the JOHS Committee, labour management Committee or be creative and organize ourselves to tackle them.
 
3. We have the right to union representation.
 
We have the right to be represented by a steward who will act as our advocate to the boss. At some point, a union staff representative may step in to represent a member. Our right to union representation is outlined in our collective agreement and is recognized in labour law.
 
4. We have the right to take leave from work.
 
We have the right to take leave from work for a variety of reasons. Collective agreements vary from one to another, but leave with or without pay, may include: Annual vacation, Statutory holidays, Compassionate and bereavement leave, Special leave, Education leave, Accrued or earned compensated time off (usually overtime), Maternity and parental (including adoption) leave, Family responsibilities and childcare leave, Intimate partner, or domestic violence leave.

5. We have the right to a healthy and safe workplace, to refuse unsafe work, and to be compensated for job-related illnesses and injuries.
 
We have the right to know about any potential hazards in the workplace, to participate in the process of identifying and resolving workplace health and safety concerns, and to refuse work we believe is dangerous to our own or another worker's health and safety. We can't be fired or disciplined for participating in health and safety activities. We will be compensated for injuries and illnesses related to our jobs.
 
6. We have the right to reasonable hours of work, regular breaks, and overtime. 

We have the right to reasonable hours of work, overtime pay and regular breaks for our physical and mental health, as well as work/life balance. When we work excessive hours without overtime pay or work on our breaks, it's wage theft. *This one can be a lot harder in this field of work to address, but always encourage your co-workers to take breaks and take yours too. Bring it up at labour management if you are unable to take breaks and if you must come in early or stay late for a "handover", talk to a steward. *

7. We have the right to a workplace free of discrimination and to be treated respectfully by our co-workers and boss. 

We have the right to a workplace free of discrimination, including harassment and bullying and to be treated respectfully by our co-workers and boss, and by clients, customers, patients, or members of the public, if we work with them. Discrimination, bullying and harassment between co-workers undermines our solidarity and can be used by the boss to divide us. Both the BC Human Rights Code and the non-discrimination article of our collective agreement prohibit discrimination on specific grounds. WorkSafeBC also requires employers to have policies and procedures in place to prevent or minimize workplace bullying and harassment, and your collective agreement prohibits it.
 
If you have any questions around your rights as a union member, look at your collective agreement or have a conversation with your Stewards or members of your Local Executive.
 
Next email: What is a steward, what do they do, what are their skills, and how do you become one?
 
In solidarity,
 
Kate Banky
Local 301 Chair
 
Peter Janz
Local 301 Recording Secretary
 
Kathleen Mann and Prabhjot Kaur
BCGEU Staff Representatives
 
P.S. Stay up to date on union news by signing into BCGEU's Member Portal. Access it with your login at https://my.bcgeu.ca/ or, if you haven't logged in before, you can sign up for an account here: https://my.bcgeu.ca/signup.
 

Download PDF of bulletin here

UWU/MoveUP