Who We Are

Ana Paula Da Silva works for Dependable Maintenance Janitorial (DMJ) at Sunnybrook Hospital in the Oddette Cancer Centre Building. Ana has worked for the company for more than two years now and currently works as an ‘Environmental Services Partner’ where she performs sanitization, general cleaning, and isolation. Ana has been a Union Steward since January 2021. “Being a steward is an amazing experience because it is helping me better myself as a person by expanding both my knowledge and by giving me day-to-day goals to help my fellow workers in any way I can.”

George Behnam is the Chief Steward at the Westin Hotel in Ottawa, where he has worked since October 1983. The members elected George as Chief Steward 24 years ago because of his knowledge and experience. George has been a banquet server for his entire career at Westin but he has also helped in most departments including Valet, Service Express, Bar, and Stewarding. Through eight sets of bargaining, George has taken pride in using his experience to help the members by negotiating better benefits and higher wages for the membership with the help of the Union. The team of Stewards at the hotel has been very successful at resolving members’ issues throughout the years. George enjoys helping the members and feels satisfied when he sees fairness for everyone.

George Czuczor is UFCW Local 175 member who works at the Canadian Forces Support Unit (CFSU) in Ottawa where he has been a member for 14 years as a mechanic at the CFSU golf course. The work keeps George and his co-worker busy because they are responsible for the maintenance of all golf course equipment. That work includes sharpening lawnmower blades, fixing tractors, and more; the list is as long as the 18-hole course. UFCW Local 175 represents workers at several other military bases in the province including CFB Trenton, CANEX CFB Borden, CANEX North Bay, and the Military Family Resource centres in both Trenton and London.

Khalid Alesai is a member at Park‘N Fly in Toronto where he has worked for more than 22 years. As a bus driver there, Khalid enjoys meeting and engaging with new people every day. For Khalid, being unionized means there is no pressure to just accept what the employer says; being a part of a Union feels like someone has your back. Khalid feels that without the Union, there would be little benefits, and the employees would not have job security. Khalid shared that he “appreciates his Union Representative, taking time to listen to his issues and being there to support him and the members."

Adnan Satar is a UFCW Local 175 member working at Ace Bakery in Toronto. With 23 years of experience working at the company, Adnan has a wealth of knowledge and expertise about many aspects of work in the plant. Putting his knowledge to use, Adnan is involved on the Union scheduling committee. The bakery is large and members there produce a wide variety of products. As such, the plant has a very demanding schedule. Through his work on the scheduling committee, Adnan ensures that members get the best possible shifts to suit their lives.

Shaun Gibson is a member at Lactalis Canada Inc. in Sudbury, where he took on the role of Union Steward in 2017. But Shaun first gained experience as a Local 175 Steward at Maple Lodge Farms in Brampton starting in 1991. “The Union means there is strength in numbers. When a company realizes it must deal with a Union instead of just an individual, it will often think twice before acting against someone. We should never forget that the life and privileges we enjoy today were won for us by the hard work of our Union brothers and sisters of the past. It is up to us to stand firm, stand fast, and stand united, so we can pass on the benefits that have been won to the next generation of workers. That is why being unionized is important to me.”

Shirley Desroches is a member who has worked at Post Foods in Cobourg for about four years. At the plant, Shirley work as a Packaging Line Operator on the Weetabix Biscuit Line – just one of many products produced by the members at Post Foods. Shirley is glad that she belongs to a Union. “I like the fact that someone is available when I need answers and guidance on any issues or concerns that I may have,” she said. “Also having ‘just cause’ protection and a voice that will speak on your behalf.”

Judy Tsao is an Outreach Counsellor/Case Manager at the Queen West site of the Parkdale Queen West Community Health Centre. She works with people who are homeless or under-housed, and started working at the centre in December 2000. Judy has been a Union Steward since 2005, and she is a strong advocate for her co-workers, ensuring they are treated with fairness and that their voices are heard. In 2002, Judy was instrumental in helping the then Queen West Community Health Centre unionize with UFCW Local 175. She has been on several negotiation teams, and took part in the harmonizing negotiation effort to merge the collective agreements of the two Health Centres.

Kayla Selleck is a Personal Support Worker (PSW) who has worked at Bayfield Manor in Kemptville for more than 10 years. She is a dedicated caregiver to the residents at the Manor through good times and tough times. And, as a healthcare worker, working though COVID-19 was and still is tough. Kayla says that working in a Unionized environment has been a great experience for her as she feels she has a voice and knows she can talk to her Union Steward or Union Representative any time. Additionally, she hopes that the provincial government institutes more legislated paid sick days for health care workers.

Moses Klein is a member of UFCW Local 175 who works at TAIE International Institute, which is an international private school located in Toronto. Moses has been a math teacher at the institute since 2009, and he became a Union Steward after the ratification of their first collective agreement in August 2019. Moses is an active Union member who took part on the negotiating committee for that first agreement where they achieved a number of improvements including important language provisions. He is a strong voice for his co-workers and he continues to enforce the collective agreement daily in the workplace.

Gloria Almonte is a Union Steward at Olymel in Cornwall where she has worked for more than 19 years. She became a Steward to ensure her co-workers are treated fairly and to give a voice to those that might not stand up for their rights. Her collective agreement contains seniority provisions, vacation distribution, and a grievance procedure; all of which she believes are especially beneficial to the members. “I love going to the supermarket and seeing that the products we make are for sale. It gives me a sense of pride that I am actually a part of feeding people.”

William Thrasher (known to most as Thrasher) works at JBS Foods in Belleville as a Millwright Apprentice Level 3 in the maintenance department. He is Chief Steward at the plant. Thrasher became a steward to help his co-workers and says the best part of the role is being able to get people results when they come to him with their concerns. He believes being part of a Union is important because the rights of the workers are protected and they have better wages and hours of work.

Kamlesh Samra is a UFCW Local 175 members employed at Polar Pak in Brampton. She is a Machine Operator who takes great pride in her Union and she works hard in her role as a Union Steward to represent her co-workers. And with more than five years under her belt as a Steward, Kamlesh looks forward to many more years of policing the collective agreement. She is always willing to participate in meetings for her co-workers about workplace issues on and off the clock, and takes pride in ensuring health and safety protocols are followed at the plant.

Leroy O’Conner is UFCW Local 175 member at Regency Plastics in North York, where he has worked for more than 10 years. At the plant, Leroy is a machine operator who also works in the shipping/receiving department. As a strong advocate for health and safety in the workplace, Leroy puts the safety of his co-workers at the forefront. While maintaining workplace safety is the responsibility of the employer, the Union, and every worker, Leroy does his part by always being on the lookout for possible hazards including pinch points on machines, and risk areas while operating forklifts.

Shelley St. Thomas is a member of UFCW Local 175 who works at J.H. McNairn Ltd. in Whitby. With the company for more than 33 years, Shelley is a long-time member who works in the warehouse as a shipper/receiver. As a Union Steward for more than 10 years, Shelley is a strong voice for the members in the workplace and advocates every day to enforce the collective agreement. Shelley says it feels good when people know they can come to you for help.