Sylvie Villemaire, Local 500

Cargill
Chambly, Quebec

Sylvie worked for several years at Steinberg before applying for a job at the meat processing plant Les viandes Connaisseur, which used to belong to Provigo and was located in Boisbriand on the North Shore of Montreal. She wanted to leave the store where she worked because she was tired of being transferred from one department to another. She would dress warmly to work in the meat department and then they would decide to send her to work in the bakery next to the ovens.

So in 1995 Sylvie changed jobs and was hired as an operator. In 2001 the plant was sold to Cargill and moved to Chambly. Sylvie, and her husband who also worked at the plant, agreed to transfer to the new facility.
Following the transfer, the number of employees grew from 80 to 400.  In 2003 new steward positions were posted due to the increase in the number of employees.

Before this time Sylvie had never really been involved in the union. But when the steward positions came up, one of her colleagues who was applying insisted that Sylvie apply also. Sylvie was sure she wouldn’t be selected because her co-worker, unlike her, had been involved in the union and understood the collective agreement. Imagine her surprise when she learned that she was the one who had won the election!

Her colleague held it against her for awhile, but they have since reconciled. Since then her colleague has also become a steward. So Sylvie began her union involvement as an assistant steward in the beef sector. She began to read the collective agreement carefully. The chief steward, who was male, involved her in several cases.

A lot of women worked at the plant and they felt more comfortable talking to a woman than a man about their personal problems. For Sylvie the most important thing is to be fair. When an employee’s claim isn’t right she won’t hesitate to say so and this has helped to build her credibility. In 2005 the senior steward quit his job and, after a meeting among the plant stewards, Sylvie was chosen to replace him.

In 2009 she took part in her first negotiation and really enjoyed the experience which she found informative. She has also learned more about herself, the organization she works for, and her managers.

Sylvie thinks she would have made a good lawyer. She feels important when she comes to the defence of those who don't dare to defend themselves. The fact that employees come to her with their personal problems shows that they trust her a lot. When asked if she thinks that unions still have a place in our society, she answers: “It would be hell if there weren’t any unions!”