Unions are changing as society changes
The Record (New Westminster)
August 30, 2008 
By: Darryl Walker, B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union President

Labour Day has a symbolic importance for the union movement in Canada.

It's a chance to take stock of how unions have improved the lives of working people, their families and communities.

It's also an opportunity for us to reflect on the many challenges that lie ahead.

Unions have an important role to play in ending the growing economic inequalities in B.C. - where a few deputy ministers receive wage increases that are higher than most people's annual salary, and where 150,000 workers earn only $8 an hour.

That's why the B.C. Government and Service Employees' Union and other unions in the B.C. Federation of Labour are demanding that the minimum wage be raised to $10 per hour, so these workers can share in the prosperity of our growing economy.

Unions have improved the lives and workplaces of more than 450,000 British Columbian members. Surveys also show that another 600,000 non-union workers would choose to join a union tomorrow if given the option.

What's stopping them? Labour laws. Several years ago, the B.C. Liberals changed the law, allowing employers to wage aggressive campaigns that discourage workers from organizing a union in their workplace.

…It is a certain way to increase wages and improve working conditions in their workplaces.

The Government and Service Employees' Union also has a role to play in winning changes that benefit all working families.

In British Columbia that means securing a child-care system that working parents can afford, lobbying for an end to high college and university tuition fees, encouraging government to build affordable housing and finding solutions to climate change….