My name is Robin Delve, and I am a supervisor of the cadet mess at the Royal Military College of Canada in Kingston, Ont. I manage staffing, operations, and events that take place in the mess hall and bar.  

As public service workers at Non-Public Funds, we offer important services to Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, and their families. Unlike PSAC members working with the federal government, we don’t work at National Defence or Treasury Board.  
 
Each day, I interact with the future faces of Canada’s military and their families. Canada’s next Chief of Defence Staff – the head of the Canadian forces - is someone I might see on a daily basis. We have people stationed in Kingston from all over the country. One of the best parts of my job is getting to know the cadets, their stories, and why they chose this work.  

A lot of people who hear ‘Non-Public Funds’ may not really know what we do. Workers in the same jobs that we have on military bases are paid much higher wages elsewhere in the public service. But we want to stay with the NPF because our families are here, and we’ve built a community.  

Even with our low wages, we put money right back into the communities we serve. As an NPF member, we aren’t asking to live in mansions – we want a standard of living that we deserve for the work we do supporting thousands of military members and their families across Canada, each and every day. Some of my coworkers are single parents who struggle to make ends meet, and others have taken second jobs to be able to support their families. 

We’re asking our managers to recognize that we deserve respect on the job and for this government to pay us fairly.  

All we want is respect and to be valued with a decent contract that improves our workplaces.