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In February 2008 Joyce Delaronde-Cable receive her USW Instructor's certificate from District 3 Director Stephen Hunt. Photo by Norman Garcia

CRANBERRY PORTAGE, MANITOBA – It’s been not much more than 6 years since Joyce Delaronde-Cable became a United Steelworkers member when she and her fellow employers at the Frontier School District in Northern Manitoba decided to go union. Since that time Sister Delaronde has become one of the USW’s emerging activists in the province.

She has served on two bargaining committees, become a local executive board member, has worked on a winning campaign for a federal NDP candidate, worked for an NDP MLA candidate during the last provincial election, has become a union instructor, has gone on an Steelworkers Humanity Fund delegation to Mexico, has attended National and International Women of Steel Conference and has been trained as a USW lobbyist.

District 3’s Roy Leslie, who became the union’s staff representative for northern Manitoba in the spring of 2007, says Joyce is one of the union’s leading prospects in the province.

“Joyce is a person who’s right there when the union needs her assistance,” says Roy. “And that’s a tribute to someone who is married with two children and is working full time. She has been able to become active at the workplace, through the local and throughout the union, while working to balance family responsibilities.”

Employed as an Administrative Secretary at Frontier School Division’s (FSD) Cranberry Portage office, located about 45 km north of Flin Flon, she’s a USW Local 7106 job steward (click for 2007 photo with fellow bargaining committee members) and executive board member.

The local union represents some 150 members who work at the elementary and a collegiate in Cranberry-Portage and grade schools in Cold Lake, Cormorant, Snow Lake and Moose Lake. They are small isolated communities in the northern region with a high percentage of aboriginal peoples.

Joyce is a proud Métis, a heritage of Cree Indian and French Canadian – thus her paternal family surname Delaronde.

Living and working in a small community and being part of an international union has provided Joyce an opportunity to work on local issues and bigger picture issues as well.

“As a United Steelworkers member I have the privilege of working for change right in my own workplace, while trying to help make changes outside my community as well,” says Sister Delaronde. “I really never expected that this could happen when we joined the Steelworkers.”

Born in the community of Winnipegosis, Joyce grew up in the Metis community of Duck Bay about 40 km north. She completed high school in Cranberry Portage, the community where she met her husband Darren Cable.

Prior to working at the Frontier School Division, Joyce had worked at the Royal Bank of Canada following her completion of a Business Administration diploma at Keewatin Community College in The Pas.

It was at Frontier School Division where Joyce began to get involved in union activity over 6 years ago. When the workplace was still non-union, Joyce filed a grievance and was successful with the assistance of Bill Bage, the former president of Local 7106.

She attributed her getting involved to then Local 7106 president Bill Bage.

“Bill encouraged me to get involved and inspired me to speak up for myself,” says Joyce, who became directly involved in the organizing campaign to join the USW. Not long after the certification took place in 2003, there was a decertification attempt, which the workers of FSD successfully defeated. Joyce and many others promoted the union during the decertification attempt. They were determined to stay union.

Since joining the union the USW has bargained two collective agreements, each of 3-year duration, with the Frontier School Division.  Contract talks are currently underway for a new agreement.

In January of last year Joyce become a USW Instructor after attending a week-long training session (click for photo) at the District 3 training headquarters in Burnaby, BC.

This past spring she joined USW Local 7875 president Kim Bryson to co-instruct a Level I Job Steward class for 16 participants from Local 7106 and Local 9338, both based in Flin Flon.

“I was a little nervous at first,” says Joyce.  “I came in more prepared by the second day and felt more at ease co-instructing. It takes a lot of preparation time to just get up there and give it your best shot.”

Joyce says that education is essential for the membership.

“Those that serve on bargaining committees, learn more about the collective bargaining process by taking these courses,” she adds. “When we can convey that to our members to fully understand the process and what to expect, it is very beneficial in building the solidarity that is needed to support the bargaining committee’s work.”

Joyce also says that as there are a large percentage of Aboriginal USW members who speak English as a second language.  It is important to recognize the barriers and fully review the sometimes-new concepts such as collective bargaining with an employer.

As a political activist, Joyce assisted in the campaign by managing the NDP’s Flin Flon campaign office during the October 2008 federal election.  The election saw the successful candidacy of Nikki Ashton in the Churchill riding. Joyce coordinated campaign activities in the region by organizing polls and contacting voters. She also did some door knocking in Cormorant, Flin Flon and The Pas.

She notes that both the USW and the Firefighters union, as well as many community members from the North, did an exceptional job of volunteering in order to get the vote out.

Prior to the federal election, Joyce also worked as zone house captain in Cranberry Portage to support the successful campaign of NDP MLA Gerard Jennissen for the May 2007 provincial election. Joyce worked with fellow Local 7106 activists Chuck Woods and Marcel Kozak and others to boost Jennissen to his fourth term in office.

With the NDP firmly in power in Manitoba, Joyce recently joined an effort in late May and early June to politically lobby the Doer government over three important labour issues: a card check system for automatic certification for a simple majority of cards signed; a new Coroner’s inquest system for Manitoba; and Anti-Scab Legislation.

District 3 Assistant to the Director Scott Lunny put on lobbyist training.

The lobby included members from many locals including: Local 9074’s Liz Elliot; Local 9074’s Dave Sauer; Local 7184’s Cory Szczepanski; Local 6166’s Mike Pulak; Local 1-324’s Chris Parlow, Local 3-1375's Cam Sokoloski and Joyce.

Joyce, along with Chris Parlow, Mike Pulak and Dave Sauer personally met with three Cabinet Ministers and five MLA’s during this political lobbying effort.

Joyce says the meetings with the Ministers and MLAs were cordial and that the lobbyists were announced to the house when they sat in the legislative gallery.

“The house definitely knew we were there and what we were there for,” says Joyce. “We realize that even when we have a government we support in power, we have to be there to effectively deliver our message.
“Lobbyists have to know the issues, be prepared, be friendly and professional and be persistent in following up,” she says. “It was a great learning experience for me.”

“Being political is where we can all make a difference,” she notes. “The rules and regulations that we all live by in our workplaces and in society, are determined by elected politicians and we have to be politically active to affect change.”

In addition to being politically active, Joyce is a Woman of Steel who has attended the USW’s International Women’s Conference in Toronto in November of 2007 (click for photo - Joyce is centre, second row) and the National Women’s Conference (click for photo) in November of 2008.

Both conferences dealt with national and international issues affecting women in an increasingly globalized economy and how trade union women can work to overcome barriers to participate in their workplaces and in their union.

“In the northern parts of our country the barriers of distance, shift work and balancing work and home life can present significant challenges for women,” she says. “We tend to see a small group of union women who remain committed and active, so we all have to do more to empower women in the union.”

In July of 2008 Joyce joined Steelworkers Humanity Fund staff representative Laura Ramirez on a tour of international solidarity projects in Mexico. The Sisters visited with members of the Workers Authentic Front (FAT) at the Autonomous Workers of Mexico, and with projects in the community of San Cristobal de Las Casas (click for photo) in Chiapas state and with a community development project in San Francisco in Teopizca.

Joyce wrote up a report on her experiences in Mexico which was incorporated into a SHF publication (Click to Download PDF).

“Being in Mexico, in small communities with indigenous peoples, and seeing the work that the Humanity Fund does, make me very proud,” she says. “I have a greater understanding of what the Humanity Fund is capable of doing.”

Joyce reflects on her short number years as a Steelworkers activist and offers special acknowledgment and thanks to several former and current USW members who have helped her make a difference.

These people were ex Local 7106 president Bill Bage, the late USW staff rep Robbie Kilbride, Local 7106’s current president Tom Davie and former staff rep Lee Edwards.

She also thanks current staff rep Roy Leslie and former northern area supervisor Wayne Skyrpnyk, who now works as the area supervisor out of the Winnipeg office. 

“All these people have played a significant role in helping form my views of trade unionism and offering their encouragement and support,” she says.