BC’s Path to Universal Child Care
BC’s Path to Universal Child Care
Season 5, Episode 9 - Honouring Stephanie Smith - BC General Employees Union: Advocating for Early Years Professionals
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Welcome to a special episode of BC's Path to Universal Child Care Podcast.
Although we are taking a brief summer break, we felt it was important to re-air this special episode in honour of Stephanie Smith, who devoted more than four decades to advancing workers' rights and social justice, and whose recent passing has left many across the labour movement and beyond, mourning the loss of a remarkable leader.
As the first woman elected president of the BCGEU, an early childhood educator by training, and a lifelong advocate for workers, child care, and social justice, Stephanie's impact was profound and far-reaching.
We invite you to revisit this conversation and reflect on her wisdom, compassion, and unwavering commitment to building a more just and caring world.
We extend our deepest condolences to Stephanie’s family, friends, and the many people whose lives she touched through her leadership, advocacy, and friendship. Her legacy of solidarity, compassion, and service will not be forgotten.
Listen now at BC's Path to Universal Child Care Podcast: Season 5, Episode 9 or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to episode eight of BC's Path to Universal Childcare Podcast. Today we are introducing Stephanie Smith from the BC General Employees Union, also known as the BCGEU, to discuss the role of unions in supporting the childcare sector during this time of change. Stephanie has been the president of the BCGEU since May 2014. Oh my goodness, I cannot believe it's been that long. But previous to that, she had a very long career as both an early childhood educator and a childcare advocate.
SPEAKER_03As always, we are honored and grateful to live and work on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Slai Wath nations. We thank them for having cared for these lands and waters since time out of mind. We would like to recognize that this podcast is recorded on these traditional unceded lands and it honors indigenous ways of knowing that have nurtured the children of this land from time immemorial.
SPEAKER_02The BCGU is one of the largest and most diverse unions in British Columbia with over 85,000 members in 550 bargaining units in the public and private sector. In the 1990s, a little but mighty union called the Childcare Employees Union merged with the BCGEU. And since then, the GEU has been organizing hundreds, maybe even thousands, of childcare workers to become a strong and vocal part of the union. And I'm personally proud to be part of those humble beginnings.
SPEAKER_03So today we're really excited to welcome Stephanie and as ever, our most wonderful podcast host, Gita Chad.
SPEAKER_00Thanks so much. Hi, dear Stephanie, and we are so thankful that you're joining us today to discuss a number of key issues. First question that we would like to pose, please share with our listeners a little bit more about your history. As Crystal mentioned in the introduction, you come from a childcare background wherein you and I met decades ago when you were working in a childcare setting in Vancouver near 33rd and Gramble. How did this lead to your pathway to becoming president of the BCGEU?
SPEAKER_01Oh, thank you so much. And first of all, let me just say I am absolutely thrilled to be joining you today. And I'm coming to you also from the unceded uh traditional and shared territories of the Musqueam, the Squamish, and the Slaiwo-Tooth. It's in our headquarters building, which is uh colonially now located in Burnaby. Um oh gosh, so my my background, my path. So it actually goes back to um I took my early childhood education training in New Zealand. I was 16 years old and I went to Palmiston North uh Teachers College in New Zealand. And um, so that was in the very early 80s. We're dating ourselves here, Gita. But um, uh when I graduated, uh I became a member of uh what was called the New Zealand Free Kindergarten Union. It was a kindergarten system in New Zealand. I was a government employee. Um, we had statutory union membership in that system. Uh unfortunately, it was at a very um economically troubled time and I wasn't able to get any full-time positions. And I'm a Canadian, uh I'm born and bred Canadian. Um, and so I decided to come back to Canada and see what opportunities were here. When I got back into group license childcare, well, first let me say I was really shocked when I came back. Uh I came back in 1984 and there was no childcare system in Canada, like none. It was uh very, very patchwork, very piecemeal. Uh some places were not for profit, they were private, there was nothing organized. But I was very, very fortunate to get a position in a group licensed child care center in the city of Vancouver, and it was unionized, as Crystal said with the Children's Services Employees Union, small but mighty. Uh I was uh asked to be a shop steward, and I took on that role quite quite happily. Then in 1995, I guess the CSEU realized that to really advance the issues and to advance the idea of a coordinated childcare system that that recognized the needs of all families in British Columbia, recognized the professionalism of early childhood educators, that they needed to perhaps join with a stronger voice. And at that point, we looked at a number of unions. It came down to a membership vote, and we ended up electing to come with the BCGEU, which did already represent some childcare certifications in what we call multi-service agencies. Um, I was voluntled by my coworkers to go to that first union meeting, uh, and I did. And I guess I had a lot of questions, I had a lot of ideas, I had many thoughts. And the next thing I knew, I was uh a member at large on the newly formed executive committee. And uh through that, you know, I found a union that really matched my personal values, social justice values, equity, inclusion, fairness, and a real passion for childcare. Um, and so I got more and more and more involved. Uh, and then in 2011, I was asked to run for one of the two full-time positions. Um, uh, we have the treasurer and the president, and I ran for the position of treasurer, and I was uh unbelievably fortunate to be elected at that convention as treasurer. So I served three years in that term, and then in 2014, um I was elected uh as a couple of historical things. Uh, first woman elected as president of our union only took 100 years, but there you go. And uh secondly, I'm the first president of our union that does not come out of direct government because I come out of the social services sector uh as an early childhood educator. So, to your question, I mean, it was a real journey, um, lots of learning, as you can imagine. And and I know for some people there it's like, well, ECE, trade union president, like how does that work? And and I love saying this to other early childhood educators. You already have all the skills you need to bring to this position. Active listening. I mean, negotiations. I mean, these these union negotiators think they're tough. I don't know if they've ever tried to get 24, three-year-olds to put rain boots on to go outside. You know, mediation, who really did have the blue crayon first. You know, we bring all of the skills to the table. And so um, I really think that my background in early childhood education really helped prepare me for my role as a union president.
SPEAKER_00Just wonderful what you've shared with us, uh Stephanie, your pathway all the way from New Zealand, uh, where you did your studies and the kindergarten system, and your shock at coming to Canada, um, where there was no system, everything was just kind of a patchwork situation in terms of child care. Uh, then your job and becoming shop steward 1995, um, advancing the child care system with the decision for early childhood to become part of a stronger voice and stronger union. And um love that you told us, Treasurer, that may be one skill that not all ECEs think they have to bring to the job. I know a lot of people who are asked to apply for the manager director position. They choose to stay on the floor with the children, primarily because of values, yet often because, ooh, doing the budget, not quite up my alley. And then um recognizing some of the very same shared skills and knowledge around negotiation, mediation, and active listening, as you say, getting all the children to put on their outdoor clothing before uh we head out the door. Uh, our next question to you, Stephanie, and I've just taken so many notes already that sorry my pages are mixed up. You spent many years in the childcare sector, which you've just shared with us. For you, what have been the highlights in recent advances in childcare and what excites you the most?
SPEAKER_01Yeah, thank you for that. Um, well, as you said, uh, you know, one of the other things maybe I should touch on is my activism within the union really did come from this place about advocating for early childhood educators and for a childcare system in Canada. And through my union, I was able to really connect with um, you know, national organizations who were working on this, provincial organizations. I was uh a member of the Childcare Human Resource Sector Council when the federal government funded sector councils. Thank you, uh Stephen Harper, for pulling all that funding and destroying that. But it was, you know, all of that really, really, I think um helped. One of my highlights, though, was becoming a member of the coalition of child care advocates of BC and working with the early childhood educators of BC. And I was there at the very, very fledgling, you know, kitchen table conversations about how do we develop a plan? How do we develop a publicly funded, quality, accessible, affordable childcare system that really meets the needs of BC's families? And I am excited that after all of this time, and I mean, we used to talk about it like, you know, what was it, um tireless and tiresome advocates and uh, you know, 30 years, and then it was 35 years, and then it's 40 years, and and now we're actually seeing things come to fruition. We're not having to make the same over and over and over again arguments about why this is such a good idea, like the economic factors, you know, the multipliers, how it comes back into the economy, about how it's so good for children when they get the quality, early care, and learning, um, about how professionalizing the sector is so important to ensure that quality and how it impacts women and women's abilities to, you know, participate fully as citizens in society. I mean, I've even made the economic argument uh or I've even made the argument from a sort of a justice and I quote unquote justice argument, you know, like if you start investing in really high quality early childhood care and education, then you can spend a lot less at the further end down of the road when it comes to social ills or incarceration rates, those kinds of things. I'm so happy we don't have to make those arguments anymore because people finally get it. And now we're seeing political will to invest in what we've been advocating for for so long. Is it perfect? Heck no. And I know we're gonna talk about that a little bit, but is there finally the kind of widespread acceptance that this is good, not just for BC, but for Canada, that, you know, we're seeing federal investment, we're seeing provincial investment. And I think uh, you know, all of the grassroots work that organizations like the coalition, like ECEBC, like all of us who are in this sector consistently advocating, it's it's really exciting to see this kind of financial investment and to know that those who are making decisions, more maybe on a provincial level here in BC, are actually listening to subject matter experts. We've seen a lot of infrastructure being put in place in terms of committees and working groups and like I said, you know, um consultation with the coalition, consultation with ECEBC about how do we build this in a way that that meets what we said are the goalposts, which is affordable, accessible, quality, and I'm gonna throw in publicly funded and delivered by public services or the not prof not-for-profit. Um, and and how do we professionalize the sector? So um that's really exciting.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, absolutely. And um, in previous of our podcasts, we've had Lynelle Anderson focus on the wage grid, which we're hoping will come into place, and uh my sister Rita Chadnowsky on the roadmap. So um I think your comment that finally we don't have to keep repeating those arguments over and over again. Um tiresome and tireless advocates and activists as we've been, and excited to see things come to fruition for children, for women, for families, for the economy. A little bit of a focus that you gave us on some of your connectedness with other provincial organizations as well as national childcare sector study, and um, that people finally get it, and it now is the political will, and we are moving forward. Next question, Stephanie. Of course, we're aware that many childcare programs are not unionized, and many are uh private and for-profit. How do you see educators in those programs or the programs themselves being impacted by changes in the workforce that may be driven by the influence of union? Are more programs organizing in either the not-for-profit or the for-profit sector? Big question yet again.
SPEAKER_01It is a big question, and uh again, it's it's a great question. Um, I think, first of all, the global statement that I would make is that um all workers benefit from the influence of unions. Um, you know, where we're able to achieve, you know, gains in the unionized sector, those often will flow through to the non-unionized. And when you look at things as broadly as employment standards or occupational health and safety regulations, or I mean, welcome to parental leave, maternity leave, all of those sorts of things, all advocated for by unions. Um, the other thing, I mean, there's been lots of studies as well between the correlation of unionization and quality, because Gita, you mentioned in your, you know, in your recap of the last question, wage grid. Well, yes, uh, we know that there needs to be a provincial wage grid, but we would say, and in fact, we're advocating very strongly for this, it isn't just a wage grid, it is a wage and compensation grid. So that includes things like benefits, that includes things like training allowances, staff development, um, you know, because things like pensions, you know, um, there are very few who work in this field who look forward to retirement with any kind of pension outside of their CC uh CPP or privately purchased RRSPs. Um, you know, so those are the things that that the unionized sector brings to the table, quite literally in terms of negotiations. And so as we see funding come into the sector, those are the things we want to see uh being addressed. Um, in terms of organizing, yes, we are always organizing. We are organizers R Us. Um, government has just recently uh tabled legislation that is in fact going to make that much easier for working people who want to join a union to join a union. Um, the old process was, you know, you had to get a certain percentage of cards signed and then it went to a secret ballot vote. And um that was a very difficult period where we would see a lot of employer interference and intimidation. Now, uh, if you reach a 55% threshold of people signing cards, you are automatically uh certified through the labor board. So once that legislation passes, um, I would imagine we're gonna see an uptick in union membership. Um, we do occasionally get the private sector reaching out to us. Um, those leads often don't go anywhere. And I think it's important to know, you know, we're not opposed to organizing in the private sector. They're working people. And often in the private sector, they need even, you know, they need a lot of support in dealing with their employer in terms of wages, in terms of working conditions, those sorts of things. But we are very, very, very clear. And I want to make this really clear that we are for a public, not-for-profit system, and that that's what we're always going to fight for. And, you know, if those private operators want to receive public dollars, taxpayer dollars, then they need to be a part of that public system. And again, I've learned so much from the coalition. I'll never forget sitting around those tables and somebody saying, you know, we don't subsidize chapters with our tax dollars, but we are fine paying our tax dollars for libraries that are open for everyone, regardless of socioeconomic background. And I love that analogy because I think that's exactly the way it goes, you know. Um, and the other thing, you know, in terms of unionization, I want to go back to a conversation I had with an executive director who was also a member of the Childcare Human Resource Sector Council. And she was an executive director of quite a large um agency in Ontario. And we were, and originally when we first met, was quite anti-union. And I remember having a conversation with her, and she was like, you know, I treat my staff really, really well. And together we've worked at these great policies, and we've got this wonderful policy manual of, and you know, we talk every year about wage increases and all those things. And I said to her, Oh, and are you going to stay there forever? And she was like, Well, what do you mean? And I said, Well, you realize when something is a policy, it is only as good as the paper it's written on and the person who wrote it. And I said, if you truly wanted to leave these working conditions and leave these um policies in place after you're gone, then you need to enshrine them in a collective agreement. It's called a collective agreement for a reason. It's because it's negotiated between both parties and it's the rule book everybody agrees to play by. And if it's simply a policy, a new executive director can come in, have a completely different ideology, a completely different direction they want to take things in and undo everything that was done before them. She had never looked at it that way, ever, ever. And I don't know if she went back and then, you know, made any moves around it, but it's those kinds of things that I talk to people about. This is not about being adversarial. This is not about, you know, fight the boss, you know, or we will if we have to, but only if there's a reason to. This is about how do we work collaboratively to ensure the best working conditions, the best staff who stay in this sector because they're compensated at a wage and receive benefits that allow them to live and work uh you know with dignity and be able to afford to stay in this sector. And so that's the kind of advocacy work that we do as unions. And I think it's been incredibly beneficial here in BC, and um, we're seeing it be more so across the country.
SPEAKER_00Thank you again, Stephanie. What a comprehensive answer. And I have learned a lot from what you've just offered us. So as you began, you said that globally all benefit from unions. Um, and there have been a lot of studies related to unionization and quality. Um, always organizing, ever organizing. New to me was the legislation from government that rather than the complex and Often adversarial situation in the past. Unionization just involves a 55% sign-on and then automatic certification. Uptake has expanded. And P very clear, a public and not-for-profit system is the pathway we want to take. Also new to me was the story you just shared about one of the team members of the Sector Council study, where she described to you, you know, all that they had in terms of policy. And I wrote in my notes, policies just written on paper are not really anything that's lasting. They need to be enshrined. So enshrined in a collective agreement to ensure working conditions and as you say, not just a wage grid, however, something that includes all the issues of benefits and compensation and pension. So fabulous response. Thank you. Oh, thank you. And so we will now move to the final question, which is importantly for our listeners and your members, what do you see as the role of unions in supporting our sector in this transition? And what are the next steps that remain critical? To some degree, Stephanie, you've addressed that. However, here's a chance to expand.
SPEAKER_01Oh, thanks, Gita. Well, I think the most important role that unions will play in the sector and the transition is, you know, providing again sort of a collective way of raising up working people's voices. So workers in the sector are able to coalesce, come together, you know, really and we elevate that voice on their behalf. So, you know, I am able in ways that perhaps, you know, someone working in a in a wonderful center in Port Alberney, BC, doesn't have access to the minister who's responsible, but I do. And so I can be a conduit on their behalf and our elected people. So senior elected people like Andrea Duncan, uh, who is the component vice president for the community social services sector and an early childhood educator. You know, she sits on the Provincial Childcare Council. She is uh engaged at the in the working groups as these plans are being developed, because it is going to be so important to have the voices of the people who have the lifted experience in the sector to be a part of the development and the growth. And that's where the concerns come from around not just a wage grid, but a wage and compensation grid. Not just um, you know, uh not just sort of a wage top-up, but how do we embed that into future funding so it's sustainable and there isn't there isn't uncertainty and precarity around that? You know, um, you know, my own center is going through some bargaining right now, and they want to say, well, if government cuts off funding, oh, that comes out of your paycheck. Well, how do you plan your life around that? How do you plan, oh, if you even can to look at, you know, purchasing a home or you know, being able to save up for a vacation in the future if you don't know what's going to happen there. So, you know, um, I think labor plays that role, uh, as does ECEBC. You know, we always say there are two professional organizations for early childhood educators in in British Columbia, early childhood educators of BC and the BCGU. And we're both of those things, um, you know, and and it again, you know, all of those other things that help ensure that the system of childcare that is being built in this province is first of all, it has to be sustainable, it has to be something that's gonna move into the future and grow and expand as needed, but it's going to have to be all of the things that that we've all dreamed about for so long. And and um they've got one chance to build it and to build it right. So we want to be a part of that conversation.
SPEAKER_00Wow and wow, you've given me goosebumps. Uh so um I love your focus on the most important role of unions is to find a collaborative way of raising our voices and coming together. And I think the examples you gave, Stephanie, of how you can act in your role as a conduit with access to politicians and engage with them, you know, on a one-to-one kind of level, around the issue of sustainability and growth in the system, um, and naming the two professional organizations, ECEBC and BCGEU, kind of an acronym, a little bit of a twist-up, together with the coalition of child care advocates to help make our dream come true. Stephanie, we want to thank you for so much. As you spoke and has have so many of our previous uh guest speakers, right what come to mind is what I call the four P's. I didn't mean it as a little childcare pee-pee poo-poo acronym. However, the way in which you as a human being, you as a woman, you as an earlier childcare educator, combine your personal values and self with your professional values, with your public, and with your political work. And I see, and I'm sure our listeners will as well, the incredible integration of all of those personal, professional, public, and political. We've learned so much. Um, I've got five pages of notes as you spoke. Oh my goodness. So we thank you, we thank you. And now back to uh Crystal. Crystal, you're muted.
SPEAKER_02Oh, that's a first for a podcast.
SPEAKER_03You know I don't know how to edit that out, right?
SPEAKER_00Edit, edit.
SPEAKER_02Thank you so much, Stephanie, for your unique perspective on this topic. Um, and this definitely, as Gita says, compliments and builds on what many others have shared in this podcast series. And having known you uh for many years, back from when you worked in childcare until now, we are so grateful and proud that one of our own, so to speak, is representing childcare as a strong union voice to support all our work and to inform childcare providers about how the union can support them in times of change.
SPEAKER_03And thank you so much as well to all of our listeners today for joining us. Um, just a reminder that as always, you can get BC's Path to Universal Childcare wherever you get your podcasts. Um, so that's Spotify, uh, Amazon Podcasts, and Google as well. Um, and you can also join our mailing list at wccrc.ca forward slash e news sign up. And that way you'll get all the episodes and more straight into your inbox. Thanks everyone. Until next time.