Our Members at Work

OUR MEMBERS AT WORK

As a consumer, you may not have heard of Polar Pak, but chances are you’ve purchased prepared food and ready-to-eat meals that use containers made by members of UFCW Local 175. At Polar Pak, the members manufacture a variety of different plastic containers and other packaging used by many companies across the grocery, bakery, restaurant and other food-related industries.

Gurpreet Singh works a morning shift at one of the six Polar Pak facilities in Brampton. Across those six plants, there are more than 400 members of UFCW Local 175, and Gurpreet is their Chief Steward.

As someone who enjoys meeting new people, helping those in need, and standing up for justice, Gurpreet’s colleagues encouraged him to become a Steward when the employees at Polar Pak joined UFCW Local 175 in 2017. His co-workers then supported Gurpreet in his bid to become Chief Steward for the members in early 2021.

“I wanted to be a reliable resource for the members and the face of the Union at work,” said Gurpreet. “Being Union members gives us a strong platform for justice and I wanted to help ensure a better workplace for my colleagues.”

Every day, Gurpreet wakes up early for his shift. He puts in over 78 hours bi-weekly working at the plant. While some of the hours at work are allowed for union business, Gurpreet also volunteers many hours more advocating for his co-workers.

“Gurpreet is a great leader in the workplace,” said Union Rep Tony Nigro. “He’s passionate, and he’s dedicated to being the best advocate he can be for his co-workers.”

Gurpreet is a Material Handler and Forklift Driver at Polar Pak and has 14 years of experience at the company. For six years, Gurpreet worked in the Receiving Department. Recently, the employer assigned him to work in Shipping where he is responsible for moving skids from the warehouse to trailers, and ensuring customers get the products they ordered.

During the pandemic, as restaurants and consumers shifted to more take out and delivery services, the products made at plants like Polar Pak became even more present in our day-to-day lives.

“Too often, people forget how complex the food supply chain really is,” said President Haggerty. “These workers have been hard at work behind the scenes throughout this pandemic to help ensure a steady supply of product that other industries rely on in order to get food to customers. Most people don’t think about where packaging comes from, but these frontline workers are proud of their product and dedicated to their jobs.”

One of the accomplishments Gurpreet is most proud of is reducing the number of lost-time injuries at the workplace. Gurpreet and the team of Joint Health & Safety Committee (JHSC) members and Stewards successfully improved health and safety in a number of ways, including:

• Creating more space on the plant floor by thinking vertically, and hoisting fans up onto the pillars in the plant and installing racks.

• Recommending that wiring, once sprawling on the floor, be drop-wired to buy more floor space and eliminate slip and trip hazards.

Gurpreet is also particularly proud of the most recent collective agreement ratified by the members at Polar Pak. The deal included good wage increases plus a bonus, a new employer-matching RRSP plan, improved vacation, better shift premiums, and much more. Read the full summary on page 14.

“I like the challenges of being a Steward and I like helping and interacting with people,” said Gurpreet. “The team of Stewards I work with has been instrumental in our success, and it’s rewarding when we can make the workplace better for everyone.”

Thank you, Gurpreet, for being a strong Union supporter, a dedicated advocate for your co-workers, and a frontline essential worker.

Gurpreet Singh stands for a photo outside the UFCW Locals 175 & 633 offices in Mississauga. Gurpreet is the Chief Steward for the members at Polar Pak in Brampton.