CUPE members working at the Kelowna RCMP detachment have served strike notice | What to do if you encounter a picket line

CUPE Local 338 members who work as jail guards at the Kelowna RCMP detachment have served strike notice. The 17 workers, employed on a contract basis by Commissionaires BC, are paid less than other workers in comparable positions. Commissionaires make, at minimum, five dollars less per hour than other municipal jail guards in nearby and similar sized communities. 

If you face a picket line at your workplace, you should take the following steps.

• Ask to speak to the picket captain. Identify yourself and that you work in that building, office, or worksite. Find out what the major issues are.
• Ask for a management representative in your office to escort you through the picket line.
• Volunteer your support to our sisters and brothers who work for the provincial government. Support can take many forms: for example, you could join them on the picket line before and/or after work and during your lunch break. Your local can also make donations to their strike fund or the coffee fund. Ask what the picketers would prefer.
• If you have any questions, concerns, or experience a problem at your worksite: contact your Regional Office immediately

It is important to remember that as unionized workers we sometimes must fight to improve our working conditions. All of us working together will make the struggle easier.

For more information about the strike visit https://cupe338.ca/ and http://www.cupe.bc.ca/