Ric started working part-time at Mississauga’s Surveyor Road Distribution Centre in 1996. Hired full-time in May 1999, he was elected as a steward the following month. Two years later, his increasing activism led to his election as an officer for the union’s warehouse division. In 2002 and 2004, he worked as a SPUR for the local union, assisting and then leading the campaign against the CAW at Cambridge’s Maple Grove Distribution Centre. Following those campaigns, he was hired full-time as a Union Representative by the local union. Ric aims to challenge members to be aware of their workplace on a daily basis and encourages them to work with their Stewards and Union Representatives toward achieving positive results. Prior to 1996, Ric attended Wilfrid Laurier where he earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree and a Business Administration Diploma. He then worked in the financial industry for nine years. Ric is also fluent in Portuguese.