Your Union Dues at Work

Your Union Dues at Work:

In-house Legal staff, WSIB Specialists, and Health & Safety Experts

Not many Local Unions can brag that they have in-house specialized staff dedicated to assisting members with WSIB claims and appeals, addressing health and safety issues on the job, and providing legal counsel for arbitrations, negotiations, and organizing drives.

Because of your dues, UFCW Locals 175 & 633 can provide all those services.

Your Workers’ Compensation department has full-time representatives working with Members of the Local Union who have been injured or made ill on the job.

Last year, the department had more than 760 cases. Just over 100 received decisions. Appealing claims is a long process under the current system. Over the years, the department has helped many Members navigate the tricky and daunting WSIB system throughout the lengthy process of appealing decisions. Tens of thousands of dollars have been won back for Members through this process.

Look for #workerscompisaright on your social media feeds to keep up on the most recent campaign to ensure injured workers get fair compensation.

Your Health and Safety staff works closely with many Members and Joint Health & Safety Committees across the province.

They assist Members in dealing with hazards that arise in the workplace. Whether it’s a new chemical, an old machine, a potentially harmful kind of register tape, or a poorly designed workspace, they can get you the information you need and help you work with the employer to put things right.

Each year, the department offers H&S training through the Weeklong Paid Training programs, Stewards seminars, and specific workplace meetings. They also make available many H&S insight pamphlets, information posters, and regular newsletters.

Your Legal Team includes dedicated labour lawyers who handle numerous arbitrations, provide counsel to Reps and other staff to advise them of current arbitration decisions, precedence on certain issues, and much more.

About 72% of their cases are grievances and arbitrations; 6.7% of their work is on Organizing campaigns; another 6.4% is spent on Human Rights cases, and about 3% is spent resolving health care collective agreements through an arbitration process.

A 2017 interest arbitration set precedent for health benefit premiums not being lumped in with wage increases for health care workers. Local 175 Members at Birchwood Terrace in Kenora were awarded agreed-to wage increases of 1.5% and 1.3%, plus .5% toward the Benefit Trust Fund.

A Member whose WSIB appeal had been in the hands of multiple UFCW Reps over many years, finally ended up at the Workplace Safety and Insurance Tribunal (WSIAT). The Member was awarded loss of earnings from 2013 to 2017 and then forward for another 6 years, until they reach 65 years of age. The total compensation is more than $300,000.

A retail grocery Member with 24 years at the company was terminated by the employer. The loss of their full- time job could have been financially devastating. Through the grievance procedure, the Union was able to bring this Member back to work successfully.

New Members, who were assisting with organizing campaigns at their various workplaces, were terminated by their employers for participating during the Union drives. The Local Union filed charges, including Unfair Labour Practices at the OLRB and an interim Order. Settlements were reached to bring these terminated workers back to work, if they wanted their job back.

Your Union Dues at Work.