By Josée-Anne Spirito, PSAC North Regional Executive Vice-President
In the North, we all recognize how important community is. We rely on each other, and when something affects one person or a small group, it often impacts everyone.
The same is true of the labour movement, as we work to make sure workers’ voices are heard. When workers in the North achieve hard-fought victories together, our wins – like better working conditions and more respect in the workplace – are not just for union members; they ripple out to strengthen our entire region.
That’s why it’s important to do more than just promise to support each other. We need to show our collective strength and take action together. We need to mobilize. Solidarity means making ourselves seen at work and in our communities. Employers notice when workers are organized, informed, and ready to act, especially during collective bargaining.
Bargaining is when you come together with your colleagues and demonstrate your collective power to fight for what you deserve. When bargaining teams are at the negotiating table, their leverage comes from their fellow members. Coworkers who aren’t at the table still have an important role in presenting a united front to the employer. This can include small steps that everyone can take, like staying informed through bargaining updates, asking team members about issues at the table, or talking to coworkers about shared priorities.
As bargaining progresses, this may include wearing union swag to work, participating in a rally or day of action, and being prepared to take stronger collective action when necessary.
Solidarity also gives bargaining teams confidence that members will stand behind them when negotiations become difficult. Facing a critical round of bargaining amid cuts to public services, federal government workers in the North and across the country have held coordinated Days of Solidarity, most recently today, Aug. 19, with members wearing black clothing to work and sharing photos to show the strength of their actions.
As territorial government workers here in the Northwest Territories – along with our counterparts in the Yukon – consider our own round of ongoing bargaining, we must remember that actions like these show that the bargaining team has thousands of members behind it, and that, small and large, every action counts. Every day we have opportunities to show our employer that the demands at the table reflect what workers collectively expect and are prepared to fight for.
When workers fight together, and when community members stand with workers, we aren’t just making things better for union members, or for workers in specific sectors or communities. Bargaining teams compare agreements, and employers do too, so when public service workers negotiate better wages, leave, job security, health and safety protections, or other improvements, those gains establish a stronger benchmark. Workers should be able to point to each other’s gains and ask for what they deserve.
Workers and families here in Yellowknife, and throughout all three territories, need this kind of solidarity now more than ever. Better-supported workers are better equipped to provide the services Northerners rely on. As we witness a changing regional economy and continue to endure the rising cost of living, we all have the power to address these challenges together and ensure our communities are places where everyone can thrive.
This column appeared in the Yellowknifer on August 19, 2026.