47 workers become part of 1,500-strong local
Workers at WISH Drop-in Centre Society for the well-being of women who are involved in Vancouver’s street-based sex trade, voted overwhelmingly on May 27 to become members of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1936.
“The organizing drive brought staff together into a cohesive group who are now in a position to affect real change at work,” said Lee Ann Lalli, CUPE 1936 acting vice president.
Workers at WISH recognize that program participants face particular barriers when accessing support or services such as resources not being available when required (such as overnight hours), dismissive treatment and even open hostility. WISH workers provide critical non-judgmental services to a marginalized population and work closely and in collaboration with other women-serving organizations in the downtown eastside, said the union.
