Year: 2009
Location: Jasper National Park
Profile: Tanis Pichette is passionate about workers’ rights and safety, and has experience in organizing unions. When interviewed, she was an activist in United Steelworkers 1595. She estimated the local had 25-30 women and about 680 members overall. Her job involved operating heavy equipment at a coal mining plant where she served as safety representative on her crew. Pichette was the first woman ever employed on that crew. While she had to navigate some challenges, she loved her job.
Pichette’s first involvement in unions occurred when she was a rehab practitioner at the Good Samaritan Society in Edmonton. The workplace was hostile to unions, with potential members threatened with firing and jail. In spite of this, they succeeded in forming the union and establishing their first contract. She next became a member of the Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE), where she was Vice-Chair and Treasurer of her chapter. Soon she learned about the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) which helped her feel united with other unions and workers throughout the province. When organizing unions, Pichette found communication was key to helping workers understand how unions can help them fight for their rights and create a better, safer workplace.
Keywords: Alberta Labour Relations Board; Gender minority; Good Samaritan Society; Heavy equipment operator; Rehab practitioner; Union education; Union organizing.
Interview Transcript: Download PDF
See also: Alberta Federation of Labour; Alberta Union of Provincial Employees; Coal Mining in Alberta; Occupational Health and Safety in Alberta; United Steelworkers; Women in Skilled Trades in Alberta; Women and Work in Alberta