CUPE @ Your Service

CUPE 1505 Executive - Robert Peebles

 

 

Robert Peebles

Recording Secretary, 

CUPE 1505 Executive

 

Robert (Rob) Peebles, 27, is a Turf Technician with the Parks Group of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.

Actively involved with CUPE 1505 since 2009, Rob is currently the local's Recording Secretary and he heads up the Union/Management Cooperation Committee, the Bylaw Committee, the Job Evaluation Committee and the Safety Committee.

In addition, Rob was elected Alberta's Youth Worker at the 2012 Alberta Division Conference in Red Deer in April;  in his own words, this is what Rob had to say about his union activism and his objectives for the future as Youth Worker.

Since being voted in as recording secretary I have been getting involved with multiple committees. I have to keep an eye on the amount of committees I get involved with as the fatigue symptoms I gained from my burn out years remain and rather than letting someone down or not performing a task I usually struggle through and get the job done.

 

YOUNG WORKERS

 

My sister has always been a voice for the people being harassed, but because of standing up for those being harassed, she usually ended up getting fired. After my years of hearing the frustration in her voice and seeing her fatigue, I told her to find a job with CUPE.

Thankfully, she got on with CUPE 3550 Edmonton. She now reports that she has a great working relationship with her supervisors in a work environment where everyone is treated equally.  Her health has gotten better.  She has started paying off her education costs and is a very happy person. After seeing this change and success, I realize that far too many employees/workers are burdened with unfair working conditions and that young workers need to know about unions, and they need to know about what CUPE can do for them.

I want Young Workers to know what is possible in a unionized work environment -- especially those who know what it is like working for employers who are anti-union and who are against employees lobbying in their best interests.  I have lived it prior to joining CUPE.  I know why they do it but they need to give up the climbing the corporate ranks because, at the end of it all, they won't have the money or status and what little money they may have will be paying to fix their health.

Everything these days costs more and just making ends meet requires you to be on the top of your game for fear you will lose your job, but not with CUPE. We get fair wages, and getting involved with your local union helps the strength of the union allowing for better negotiating and fair wages and working conditions -- which add up to quality of life.

THE PLAN

I can speak to my hopes!  I want to meet young workers face to face and get them the information they need and the motivation they need to get them involved with their local and, hopefully, the CUPE Alberta Division. Many young workers have expressed their interest in getting a young worker committee started up, which I am hopeful will come to reality.

The Young Worker committee will talk about what young workers want to get out of CUPE and we will find out why the young workers are not getting involved. I’m hoping to complete a survey of young workers and get some feedback.