Foreign Farm Workers Join Union, a First in BC

The BC Labour Relations Board recently made a historic decision allowing foreign workers at Surrey's Greenway farms to join the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) of Canada. The UFCW has helped farm workers in Manitoba get contracts and is currently working on unionizing four farms in Quebec. Currently forign farm workers are brought to Canada under the the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Program (SAWP), a program that does little to monitor or enforce conditions for workers. Because workers are brought in by the company that hires them and are not allowed to seek employment elsewhere, they are often forced to endure poor working conditions. Union representation will help ensure respect and protection for foreign farm workers. Read article here.