Last year, Local 207 of the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union, otherwise known as the United Steelworkers, filed a certification application with the Alberta Labour Relations Board on behalf of 20 prison chaplains.
The chaplains were all employed by Bridges of Canada, Inc. and working in or out of provincially-regulated facilities.
Bridges is a non-profit organization based out of New Brunswick, whose workers provide trauma-informed residential treatment programs, youth camps, and multi-faith chaplaincy services in correctional facilities and community re-entry settings.
This wasn’t the first time that the Steelworkers have unionized chaplains.
In 2012, the Harper government outsourced chaplaincy services to the private sector, and the contract was picked up by Bridges of Canada in 2016.
Just 3 years later, prison chaplains in British Columbia and Ontario voted to join the USW, followed soon after by the formation of a national bargaining unit for chaplains working in federal prisons.
USW began negotiations on a first collective agreement in 2020, which was ratified by 98% of members in April of the following year.
Well, after having to wait several months for the ALRB to approve their union certification application, these chaplains finally were able to vote on whether to unionize. And voting they did!
According to USW, the chaplains voted “overwhelmingly” to join the USW last month.
Scott Lunny, the Western Canada director for USW, these chaplains “have faced stagnant wages and challenging working conditions. Despite their invaluable contributions to the rehabilitation and well-being of incarcerated individuals, these chaplains have not seen improvements in compensation or workplace standards.”
The group had attempted to unionize two years ago, but it had failed, so this is a particularly good development for these workers.
The next step for these workers is to form a bargaining committee and then begin negotiating on a first contract with Bridges.
