Local 1000A activist Shirley Walker was named the recipient of the 2014 "Pearl" award at the local union's 8th Annual Stewards Conference.
"I am humbled by this honour," Shirley said. "It's incredible and totally unexpected. I have been fortunate and I feel it is my responsibility as a citizen to use my voice for those who cannot speak up for themselves and to stand up for the most vulnerable in our society."
UFCW Canada Local 1000A welcomes the news that the Ontario government has recognized April 16, 2014 as Equal Pay Day.
The government’s decision comes at a time when Ontario women, on average, are paid 31 per cent less than men for work of equal value.
During the past year, President Sawyer and union member activists have lobbied the Premier and MPPs through the Equal Pay Coalition to acknowledge that the pay gap must be eliminated. The coalition of organizations, of which Local 1000A is a member, seeks the implementation of equal pay for work of equal value both through legislation and collective bargaining.
UFCW Canada Local 1000A is calling on members to join labour and social justice allies in supporting the Women’s Annual Memorial Marches in February. The day of action honors the lives of missing and murdered women. Every year, community members come together to mourn and remember missing and murdered women through marches and spiritual ceremonies.
It is a mission of hope for the members of Women’s Issues Network (WIN), who created and distributed thousands of white ribbons to raise awareness and help bring an end to violence against women.
Members and the wider public received ribbons, along with informational cards, as part of WIN’s White Ribbon Campaign in the weeks leading up to and on December 6— the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On this day in 1989, 14 women were murdered at Montreal's École Polytechnique simply because they were women.
