Women make up two-thirds --67 percent-- of the total BCGEU membership.

The majority of BCGEU women work directly in government and in the health care and community social services sectors, providing vital services to the community. BCGEU women also work in a wide range of other occupations, some of which are libraries, colleges and institutions, legal services, municipal governments, credit unions, casinos and hotels, and call centres. The BCGEU is recognized as a leader in fighting for women's rights, be it at the workplace or in society in general. 

The BCGEU is a member of the National Union of Public & General Employees (NUPGE). Women members of our union are asked to fill out this confidential online survey on issues of work/life balance:

Quality of Women's Lives survey

   INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY - 2010

DECEMBER 6, 2009 - NATIONAL DAY OF REMEMBRANCE AND ACTION ON VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

First mourn, then work to end violence against women

By Judi Filion

It was 20 years ago, but I can still remember all too vividly that moment when I first heard the news that 14 women had been murdered at L'Ecole Polytechnique in Montreal. I remember shock, followed by sadness and then anger. It was as if a part of me and all women had also been senselessly torn away. When those 14 women died, a part of us went with them.

It was 1989. I remember feeling utter disbelief that 14 young women had been slaughtered simply because of their gender. I remember fearing for the first time for the safety of the hundreds of young women at the college campus where I worked-women with promising futures like the 14 engineering students in Montreal whose dreams would never be realized.

I remember the shocking news reports-too horrific to listen to, but too important not to. The descriptions of the lone gunman responsible, 25-year old Marc Lepine-how he entered the University of Montreal's engineering school armed with a semi-automatic rifle, ordered the male students to leave, and began shooting, killing the 14 women and wounding 13 others before turning the gun on himself.

According to news reports, at one point during the incident, Lepine yelled "you're all a bunch of feminists and I hate feminists." They said he left behind a note blaming "feminists" for his troubled life. It made my skin crawl.

December 6 is a day of remembrance. It's hard not to forget the events of December 6, 1989. Nor should we. Not when there are news reports nearly every single day of yet another woman beaten to death by a partner, another woman missing from Vancouver's downtown eastside, another young wife killed by her husband's family, another young woman disappearing while on vacation. Not while women are still unsafe in their own homes, communities and workplaces, and yes-even college campuses.

Twenty years later, we are still no closer to ending violence against women. According to statistics, one woman in six is physically or sexually abused by her husband, ex-husband or live-in partner. Over 60 percent of female homicides are due to family violence. A Canadian woman is raped every 17 minutes. Some 25 to 30 percent of all children witness their mothers being beaten. It has to be stopped.

December 6 is a special day of mourning and remembrance. But we need to all work together every single day for as long as it takes to end violence against women.

Judi Filion is treasurer of the BCGEU and chair of the Provincial Executive Women's Committee.

PDF of poster.

LIBERAL CUTS TO WOMEN'S SERVICES

Speaking out against Campbell Liberal attacks on women

Since the election of the Liberal government in May 2001, women’s equality has lost ground. The union is fighting to preserve what has been negotiated, lobbied for and won in collective agreements, social programs, policy and legislation.

The Liberals collapsed the stand-alone Ministry for Women’s Equality within the first weeks of its mandate. Pay equity legislation has been struck down, the minimum wage has been lowered, and funds will be cut to B.C.’s entire network of women’s centres and Stopping the Violence Programs. The drastic job cuts in the B.C. public service and community social services are causing distress and poverty among B.C. women and their families.

With subsidy and funding cuts, child care programs are being put out of reach for thousands. Cuts to welfare and income support will impact single parent families, most of which are headed by women.

RESTORING WOMEN'S SERVICES

The Campbell Liberal cuts to key programs and services are pushing more and more women into poverty and despair. Huge funding cuts are forcing women's recovery programs, shelters and transition houses to close. Women's centres -- often a lifeline for women -- are losing their funding as of 2004. BCGEU members in the Community Social Services component are leading the union's campaign to restore provincial funding for vital services to women.

• Restore funding to women's services -- leaflet
• Women need vital community services -- fact sheet
• Wear this badge of support for women's services --
  button / postcard