Ready for positive change at work? Join thousands of industrial food workers fighting for better wages, respect, power, and fairness.
Ready for positive change at work? Join thousands of industrial food workers fighting for better wages, respect, power, and fairness.
At UFCW 1518, we believe that we are stronger together. We are a member-driven union that fights for fair wages and benefits, job security, and workplace safety and respect. We are the leading experts on workers’ rights in the retail and industrial food industries, and we leverage our experience and worker solidarity to negotiate strong contracts that make a positive impact for our members.
As an affiliate member of UFCW Canada and UFCW International, we are part of a movement 1.3 million members strong. We use our voice and the power of our membership to speak up on issues that impact our communities, advocating for a living wage, standing up against discrimination, and fighting for strong workplace protections.
If you are an industrial food worker and are interested in joining a union, scroll down to learn more about how we can improve your job and help you overcome problems at work.
Industrial food workers deserve fair pay for their hard work. We will help you to negotiate higher wages, better perks, and regularly scheduled raises so you can take home more.
We seek to gain more benefits for our members including employer-paid, health and dental plans, paid meal breaks, safety shoe reimbursement, and more.
You deserve a stable job so you can plan for your future. Union members have protection against unjust discipline and arbitrary firings. We will stand up for your seniority rights, so your years of dedication are recognized.
You can’t plan ahead unless you know when you’re working. We can help negotiate a regular work schedule that is posted several weeks ahead. We will also fight for adequate breaks between shifts so you can get the rest you need.
Nothing is more important than your health. Union workplaces are safer workplaces because members, health & safety reps, and union staff work together to make them that way. It’s strength in numbers.
All UFCW 1518 members have access to our Education Month training sessions and WebCampus courses. We offer many scholarships to members and their dependents. We can also negotiate employer-paid training like First Aid.
Industrial food workers deserve fair pay for their hard work. We will help you to negotiate higher wages, better perks, and regularly scheduled raises so you can take home more.
We seek to gain more benefits for our members including employer-paid, health and dental plans, paid meal breaks, safety shoe reimbursement, and more.
You deserve a stable job so you can plan for your future. Union members have protection against unjust discipline and arbitrary firings. We will stand up for your seniority rights, so your years of dedication are recognized.
You can’t plan ahead unless you know when you’re working. We can help negotiate a regular work schedule that is posted several weeks ahead. We will also fight for adequate breaks between shifts so you can get the rest you need.
Nothing is more important than your health. Union workplaces are safer workplaces because members, health & safety reps, and union staff work together to make them that way. It’s strength in numbers.
All UFCW 1518 members have access to our Education Month training sessions and WebCampus courses. We offer many scholarships to members and their dependents. We can also negotiate employer-paid training like First Aid.
Joining a union means that you are collectively represented in a contract between your fellow workers and your employer. UFCW 1518 already represents 28,000 workers at hundreds of different workplaces.
The collective strength offered by a union means more power to fight for improved contract conditions, including on benefits, job security, vacation, scheduling and other important issues.
Your union is able to support you in bargaining for this contract, as well as making sure the contract is followed, and helping you with any issues you may run into at work.
We represent 28,000 workers in a wide range of workplaces. If you shop at Save-On-Foods, Safeway, or FreshCo, you’re shopping at a UFCW 1518 store, while we also represent thousands of workers in the healthcare sector across BC.
We also represent workers in many private cannabis stores, as well as in the industrial food sector and commercial farms, where our members prepare meat, flour, mushrooms and other foods you might find on your dinner table!
Every employee in BC and the Yukon has a right to join a union, regardless of age, employer or immigration status. It is illegal to fire, threaten or otherwise punish an employee for attempting to form a union.
Management will never know who signed cards – the process is 100% confidential. We will never tolerate retaliation against workers who are in favour of unionizing.
Union dues for new units are no more than 2% of your wages and are 100% tax-deductible. You won’t pay one cent until you vote in your first collective agreement. No benefits, no dues.
If you have a good relationship, there’s no reason anything has to change – you can still deal directly with your manager, and the union only steps in when a worker requests help. Union workers have a stronger voice and more respect, ensuring that their concerns are heard and that bad management is discouraged.
A union contract isn’t one size fits all – we will fight to keep the benefits you have, and expand or introduce new benefits you want. For example, if you like your scheduling flexibility, we can fight to keep it.
Forming a union gives you as workers more control over what goes in your contract.
There are no union contracts requiring an employer to keep lazy or incompetent workers. We protect workers against unjust dismissals and arbitrary discipline.
Strikes are very rare. You have control over strikes through a vote – a majority of your co-workers must be in favour to launch a strike. If that happens, we will provide you with strike pay.
It is illegal to close a workplace because the employees decide to join a union. No successful business will shut down because the workers decide to organize.
Education
Member Resource Centre
Member Recognition Program
Members’ Emergency Fund
File a Grievance
Our office is located on traditional Indigenous
territory belonging to the Qayqayt First Nation
350 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 1A6
reception@UFCW1518.com
Toll-Free: 1.800.661.3708 • 604.526.1518
Fax: 604.540.1520
Our office is located on traditional Indigenous
territory belonging to the Qayqayt First Nation
350 Columbia Street, New Westminster, BC V3L 1A6
reception@UFCW1518.com
Toll-Free: 1.800.661.3708 • 604.526.1518
Fax: 604.540.1520
Have a workplace-specific question or concern, or need to make a general enquiry? Contact us using the form below, the details on our Contact page, or email reception@ufcw1518.com.