UFCW Local 832
1412 Portage Avenue R3G 0V5 Winnipeg, MB, Canada

"We’re concerned that our folks are going to be faced with some real angry people that are about to be fined for violating a public-health order," he said. "There can be all kinds of responses from those people, and we'll need to have tools to prepare for that and de-escalate."

This is my awesome union sister Deborah Jones. When she is not active on our locals executive board, Deb is a security guard with Garda Canada. Deb has more t...han 25 years of security and union activism experience. She is an amazing activist who is always prepared to help, to stand up for others and to share her opinion. Deb is often the first person to raise issues that specifically impact our 2,000+ MB security members. All workers deserve respect at work from their employers and from us, the public. The work these workers do is to keep you safe and healthy. Below is her ask of you when you see a security guard hard at work, making sure that you are safe. THOUGHTS FROM THE FRONT LINE. We are all stressed. So many of us are over worked, unappreciated and under paid. We all want this to be over. We are all scared. None of the folks working out there need or deserve your abuse. I speak today on behalf of myself and all the other security guards out there. We don’t make these rules but we do have to enforce them. We spend an entire shift ON watching for trouble or potential trouble or something that is just not right or someone who needs help or something that could be dangerous. When you come to a site full of energy (good, mad, stressed, sick, excited, confused, etc) we have to deal with you, we don’t have the option to call security - we are the people who get called. It can be scary, especially today with COVID and meth but we have to do it anyways. We know you only have a half hour for lunch to run errands or do appointments. We understand but also still have rules to enforce - please understand that. PS We wish we could get breaks like that - most security guards are lucky to have time to use the washroom, very few of us have someone to cover for us, we are on duty for a whole shift. We are taking on extra duties and responsibilities as COVID worsens and restrictions increase. We can’t work from home. We are doing the best we can. We hear the names you call us, we hear the jokes, we hear the way you ridicule us. We go to work and do the job anyways. We help even when we hear you. WE ARE HUMAN. ABUSE IS NOT PART OF MY JOB DESCRIPTION. I will do the job anyways no matter how much abuse is tossed my way.

Thank you for your kindness and consideration right now Dave!

Just a reminder folks, if you are heading to a store to get the essentials, treat all retail and restaurant workers with respect. Wear your mask, don’t be bell...igerent if what you came for is out of stock, it isn’t the retail workers fault and I guarantee you, they have heard the complaint numerous times already that day. Our retail workers asked me to also remind folks to SHOP ALONE whenever possible and Limit the amount of times you head to the store. Lining up with your family members in tow doesn’t keep the lines down, it clogs up the store isles and it means everyone waits longer to get into the store to begin with. Thank you and stay safe by following all of the rules!

We are asking for clarity on this training to ensure the province doesn't take private security officer training in the wrong direction. Jeff Traeger, President of UFCW Local 832 said, As the Union responsible for lobbying and successfully bringing in the security guard minimum wage and training standards in the province, we are concerned with the training that will be offered. For the past several months, UFCW 832 has been in conversation with the province of Manitoba, pushing for updated and additional training for Manitoba’s security guards.