Name: Maria Castro
Age: 54
Occupation: Health Care Worker
Number of Years in BCGEU: 7
Maria is a Philippina health care worker in Kelowna.
She joined a union because of job security.
A union can reduce the stress and fear of wondering if you will be the next management target because you have a great support system it takes that fear away.
According to Maria, the most important advantage of being a union members includes a variety of benefits.
The first being salary, she has often compared her wages to those long term care homes in Kelowna that are not unionized and sees the union advantage.
Along with salary, grievance and seniority remain high amongst the benefits of union membership.
Without a grievance process and seniority rights, it really leaves it up to the discretion of management to do as they see fit and this could lead to problems including favouritism.
The reason why Maria got involved in the BCGEU was after the union helped fight her rejected WCB claim and she ended up winning in the end.
She was so happy that to show her gratitude Maria decided to pay it back by getting involved and hasn't looked back.
Being in a situation and not knowing your rights can be scary, therefore, getting involved and educating oneself has since helped her and others she has passed her knowledge onto.
She has participated in many education sessions including local officers training, anti-bullying/harassment training and Occupation Health and Safety education.
When asked to describe the union using one word, she says "awesome"!
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