It’s my responsibility to advocate for us, but at the end of the day, nothing I can accomplish will ever compare to what we can do as a collective.

To win, we need all of us to stand up on the workfloor for better working conditions and fair collective bargaining. Our union is only as strong as our members are unified around a goal and organized to achieve that goal.

That’s why the Building Worker Power campaign has Regional Organizers across the country. Their role is to visit as many Locals as they can and hold workfloor meetings in as many facilities as they can. They believe in the power of workfloor actions and know they can empower every Local to take a stand.

I wanted to share what workfloor actions mean to three Regional Organizers: Cristina, Ellen, and Théa

Cristina Ionescu, Central region, Local 580 Ottawa
When I first became a shop steward, I thought I could do it all and solve everyone’s problems. It didn’t take long to realize that I needed the help and support of my co-workers to win, and we needed to stand together in our fights against management.

We must get back to our roots and show management and the corporation that we have over 55,000 united members who are willing to stand together for our rights.

By doing workfloor actions and wearing a union button, we show management that we are ready to support each other. We can start winning our battles and prepare for successful bargaining.

Ellen Bowles, Pacific region, Local 823 Salmon Arm/Revelstoke
Workfloor actions are important because they get results. Employers won't respect workers' rights without a fight. Organizing our members around common issues like unsafe work or our rights being trampled on, shows that we can rely on our collective power to change our working conditions.

Thea Bashore, Montréal region, Local 350 Montreal
We often talk about the great struggles of the past, like the strike of 1965 and the 1981 maternity leave strike, as if there was something unique to that time and that is impossible to replicate. But that’s not true. We can accomplish great things now, but it won’t happen unless we all come together.

We need to start with smaller actions, to build our organizing muscles. Each action prepares us for greater challenges and even greater victories.