“I am a Portfolio Scheduling and Timekeeping Clerk supporting Children's and Women's Campus in Vancouver. I am also the elected Chairperson of the PHSA Amalgamated Local and a full-time Shop Steward. As a union activist I do walkabouts to connect with members, support them and build relationships.
Every day I come to work I think of the two and a half thousand members in our local and what is the best I can do each day for them. The most rewarding part of my work is when we're organizing events and engaging with members. I really enjoy seeing people happy and smiling; when we do that work it’s meaningful to all of us, they are thankful and show gratitude because we are showing up, and that warms my heart.
When the pandemic began, it felt like everything just stopped and we were frozen in time, waiting to see what was going to happen next. We had many people calling that were afraid, they did not have access to PPE, they wanted to know about their healthy and safety rights; they were scared of the uncertainty and what was next.
Then there was a shift to a digital way of doing business; adjusting to technology, virtual meetings, learning and stumbling through this new way of working. I find it challenging to build relationships online. One of my struggles is being able to give the gift the time, to be able to make a connection, to establish some type of a relationship.
HEU members really care about the work they do, they care about the patients, they care about their co-workers. They show up to work to care about everybody around them. If we show up for each other every day we are much stronger together.”
Juliana, Clerk, part of the health care team