Bulletin
Alma Mater Society – Food Service Workers Certification Update
April 29, 2025
To: All MoveUP members at AMS
Hi folks,
As many of you know, your coworkers in AMS food services began organizing to join MoveUP several months ago. They did what every worker should have the right to do: they stood up for themselves and signed union cards — more than enough to qualify for union certification.
But things haven’t gone as they should have.
Instead of a smooth transition into the same union and agreement you’re already part of, their effort has been delayed by legal tactics and procedural hurdles. The AMS has hired lawyers to argue that food services workers should be placed in a separate bargaining unit. And now, the Labour Board’s delay could cause those workers’ signed cards to expire — despite the fact that their message was clear: they want to be part of the same union family you are.
This is frustrating. It’s unfair. And it sends the wrong message to workers who are just trying to make ends meet and build a better workplace.
MoveUP has raised these concerns directly with the Labour Board and with B.C.’s Minister of Labour. We’re continuing to push for a fair outcome — one that respects workers’ rights and brings them into the existing MoveUP-AMS agreement where they belong.
We want you to know this not just because it’s the right thing to keep members informed, but because your solidarity may soon matter more than ever. If the Labour Board rules against our original application, we may need to re-launch a card drive — and the support of existing members like you will make a real difference in helping welcome your coworkers into the union you’ve helped build.
If you have any questions or thoughts about this issue, don’t hesitate to reach out to your job steward or contact me directly at president@moveuptogether.ca.
Thanks for being part of a workplace where fairness, respect, and solidarity still matter.
In solidarity,
Annette Toth
President, MoveUP
