My name is Cathy O’Kane. I work as an accounts clerk at CFB Gagetown, and I am also the Vice President for the Staff of the Non-public Funds with the Union of National Defence Employees (UNDE). I’ve been an employee at Non-Public Funds for 34 years.  

For me, this round of bargaining is personal because I am the same as the people I represent. Working for NPF, unfortunately also means you will need a a second job to make ends meet.  

Like most NPF workers, I have a strong connection with the military. My family was in the military and my siblings were born all over the country. I remember the support my mother received when my father was away. It mattered.  

People think that because we’re on bases we must be getting paid well. We’re supposed to be considered the same as Department of National Defence workers, but instead we’re the department’s second class workers. 

We are proud of the services we provide to military members and their families, but the fact we’re paid so little hurts us and we are prepared to strike if we can’t come to an agreement at the bargaining table. 

When I began with NPF, I was a casual and a single mother; everything I did was to provide for my family. Even though it was just my daughter and I, it was still difficult to get by and I needed social assistance even when I became full-time with NPF, after 8 years. I am not embarrassed about this at all. What is more embarrassing is that we still have an employer today who does not pay their workers enough to afford the basics.  

Buying groceries was always stressful, so we used to play a game: I challenged her to add up the cost of items that went into the cart. She didn't realize that I was also counting to make sure I had enough money to pay. 

When I ask my daughter, who is a mother now, what she thought of her childhood, she had no idea that we needed the extra help. I am very proud of making sure we had everything we needed while receiving close to poverty level wages. 

NPF members will leave their position—even if it is full-time —and take a casual position with the Department of National Defence. This shows that we’re willing to risk leaving a full time job that barely pays the bills for better wages in a short-term contract.

It has taken me more than 30 years to reach the same pay as a casual worker at DND but I am staying. I want to make things better for all NPF members so others don’t have to go through what I did. 

We need to fight for ourselves because the change we need will come from us.