Many of UFCW Canada’s newest members – workers from Wing’s Food Products who became members of UFCW Canada Local 175 in August – joined National President Wayne Hanley and hundreds of other UFCW Canada mem­bers to celebrate at this year’s Labour Day parade in Toronto.

Wing’s is a family-owned processor and packer of Chinese specialty food products with operations in Alberta, Ontario, and Quebec. The 170 new members are from two facilities in Toronto, and were introduced to union rights and the Canadian worker movement through a free health­and-safety information session held last year by Local 175 and delivered in their first language, Cantonese, as part of Local 175 & 633’s Community Action Network (CAN).

“The Wing’s victory is a prime example of how our union plays a key role in making sure that Canada keeps its promise to workers. People come here because they believe Canada is a place where hard work is rewarded, and where workers are treated with dignity and respect,” says UFCW Canada National President Wayne Hanley. “Diversity pro­grams like CAN demonstrate how our union is helping new immigrants to tap the abundance of worker power that exists in their communities.”

The Wing’s organizing campaign was coordinated by the union’s Ontario Growth Team in the wake of workers’ com­plaints of cases of the employer’s harassment, unwillingness to report workplace accidents, and disregard for the Employ­ment Standards Act.