Kristy Bard
When I started working at the University of Toronto as a Chair’s Assistant in 2008, administrative and technical employees had already been represented by USW 1998 for a decade. Our local was in the midst of a massive job evaluation and pay equity project. As a result, in 2012 hundreds of us received a letter from HR notifying us that our salaries would be increased. Thanks to the new pay grid, I received thousands of dollars in retroactive pay and the potential to earn even more in the future.
The Steelworkers have meant a lot more to me than extra money in my paycheck, though. This union devotes resources to educating members by offering a variety of courses, which are regularly scheduled and updated. The Education and Equality Department also designs new courses to continue to meet member’s needs. Most important, the Steelworkers train member-facilitators like me to bring these courses to the membership, helping to promote member confidence and empowerment, women’s rights, and union activism.
The Steelworkers are like a family. You can feel the unity any time you attend a conference, course, or rally. When I graduated from university in 2003, my only ambition was to get a union job because I knew it was my best chance at having security, decent wages, benefits, and a pension. What I didn’t know was that my union would provide me with real opportunity, deep friendships, and a sense of belonging.
I hope you will vote to join the Steelworker family. This union has the resources and the experience required to take on the Pitt administration to ensure you are treated with the respect and fairness you deserve. Because it’s a democratic institution, you have complete say over whom you elect to lead your local and what priorities your local will focus on. But you can also rely on the Steelworker network to provide you with the support any new local needs early on and to have your back when you’re fighting for your first contract. We are family, after all, and I look forward to welcoming you at a future Steelworker University caucus meeting!
--Kristy Bard, USW Local 1998 Grievance Officer; USW Local 1998 Co-Chair, Women of Steel Committee
The Steelworkers have meant a lot more to me than extra money in my paycheck, though. This union devotes resources to educating members by offering a variety of courses, which are regularly scheduled and updated. The Education and Equality Department also designs new courses to continue to meet member’s needs. Most important, the Steelworkers train member-facilitators like me to bring these courses to the membership, helping to promote member confidence and empowerment, women’s rights, and union activism.
The Steelworkers are like a family. You can feel the unity any time you attend a conference, course, or rally. When I graduated from university in 2003, my only ambition was to get a union job because I knew it was my best chance at having security, decent wages, benefits, and a pension. What I didn’t know was that my union would provide me with real opportunity, deep friendships, and a sense of belonging.
I hope you will vote to join the Steelworker family. This union has the resources and the experience required to take on the Pitt administration to ensure you are treated with the respect and fairness you deserve. Because it’s a democratic institution, you have complete say over whom you elect to lead your local and what priorities your local will focus on. But you can also rely on the Steelworker network to provide you with the support any new local needs early on and to have your back when you’re fighting for your first contract. We are family, after all, and I look forward to welcoming you at a future Steelworker University caucus meeting!
--Kristy Bard, USW Local 1998 Grievance Officer; USW Local 1998 Co-Chair, Women of Steel Committee
