

Membership Meeting: Wednesday, February 1
Local 517 members are encouraged to attend our membership meetings, held at 5:15 p.m. on the first Wednesday of each month at the Maritime Labour Centre (1880 Triumph Street, Vancouver). If you haven't already done so, please respond to the calendar invitation by Shane Pittman for our next meeting on February 1, 2017. Per our By-Laws, the business of the Local shall be managed by the Executive subject to the approval of the active membership, governed by Robert's Rules of Ord

We have a new website!
Welcome! It's been in the works for a while, so thanks for your patience while members of the Communications Committee got our new website up and running. Our new website features an updated design and layout, is mobile device-compatible and will make sharing news and updates with our membership much easier. All of the content from the old site has been migrated over, but expect to see refinements in the coming months based on your feedback To that end, please let Sarah Pilgr

Happy Birthday, Local 517!
We're 52! On January 27, 1965 the 120-member Vancouver Harbour Employees' Association joined the ILWU to officially become Local 517. Among its members were the first women to join the ILWU, which at that time was still known as the International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union. Originally certified by the government as a bargaining agent for its members in 1943, the Vancouver Harbour Employees' Association had previously functioned as a small independent union local.


Off to Winter School
The Canadian Labour Congress Pacific Region Winter School is underway in Harrison, BC. Run annually each January and February, Winter School is an excellent opportunity for Local 517 members to attend week-long courses on a variety of labour topics. Registrants have the opportunity to meet other union members from around the province and across a variety of sectors to exchange knowledge and experiences. We're pleased to have had more members than ever express interest this y


Seniority List Update
For members covered under the Collective Agreement with the Vancouver Fraser Port Authority: Per our Collective Agreement, the seniority list has been updated effective December 31, 2016 and has been posted in the office and external work locations. An electronic copy has also been posted to the Human Resources - OPEN folder in Livelink.