Recreation Workers

Several municipalities across B.C. include recreation and cultural workers in collective agreements with CUPE. Our most recent organizing successes have been with the City of Surrey fitness professionals and Township of Langley recreation and cultural workers.

These workers include those who teach classes to members of the public within community centres, recreation centres, and city-run museums.

 

Dawn C

Fitness Professional

I have trained and mentored many new instructors on their journey to becoming an Aquafit Instructor. I teach aquafit and senior’s programs, like Osteofit. I’m also a mentor for training instructors how to work with seniors. I’ve taught the Healthy Heart program and I teach land classes, anything from bootcamp to muscle strengthening to step classes.

I love what I do. I get a great deal of pleasure from my work. I’ve had so many people tell me that they’re so much stronger, their cholesterol is down, and their doctors tell them they are healthier because they go to fitness classes.

Being in a union is an excellent idea, especially if you work in a company. If anything should happen to you at work, you have the union behind you. They will help you and direct you into many different avenues to help with your situation. With a union, you have a professional body looking after you.

 

 

Lisa S

Fitness Professional

I teach a variety of specialty fitness,  provide personal training and fitness programming. I enjoy my work as it keeps me moving, it’s versatile, and I am helping a variety of people meet their goals!. It is also great to see colleagues that I’ve helped with training continue on with it.

For us fitness instructors, joining the union was a great move. It gave us a backbone,  a voice and support that we  just weren’t getting from City management.  Fitness is a serious profession. Thanks, CUPE, for your support.

 

 

Sharon F

Fitness Professional

I’ve belonged to CUPE since last summer. I believe that things are better for us at work. For one thing, our pay is better. Joining a union provided guidelines for fair pay and benefits. There are rules in the agreement that must be followed. Our contract gives workers protection and security.

I’m an aquatic fitness instructor, yoga instructor and group fitness instructor.  I love the sense of community. I love seeing the smiling faces of the participants, how they look forward to coming, seeing each other and doing their fitness classes. They’re doing something that improves the quality of their life.

The community centre I work at has so many class formats that people can choose from – including aquatic fitness, yoga, and group fitness . It’s a great one-stop shop. It’s an easily accessible and well-kept facility . I really like it!

 

Cathy J

Fitness Professional

I have been working in the fitness industry for over 20 years as a group fitness instructor, personal trainer, recreation leader, and weight room supervisor. I love inspiring people to get healthy and fit by taking their fear of fitness away and giving them the tools to change their lives. A lot of fitness workers are contracted and feel that they don’t have any rights. That is why it is so important for them to have a union and have a voice. They need to be recognized for their work and all that they put into it because being a fitness worker is not just a job, it’s a lifestyle. We sleep, eat and breathe fitness.

I’m really happy to belong to CUPE. I love the support and feeling of community. Especially in this pandemic, we’re not alone. We’re all in this together.