Congratulations to the four union activists and community organizers of Migrante BC who were nominated and presented with The King Charles III Coronation Medals and Certificates in Vancouver. Thank you, Cora, Catalina, Maria Fe and Leo for your work in promoting workers’ rights and migrants’ rights!
The Coronation Medal commemorates the coronation of His Majesty King Charles III as King of Canada. The commemorative medal was created to recognize the outstanding contributions of these individuals in their communities.
Cora Mojica, a food service worker and Catalina Samson, a housekeeper – both from Vancouver General Hospital and members of the Hospital Employees Union (HEU) — were nominated by MLA Adrian Dix and presented with their medals and certificates in a celebration at the VGH on September 13, 2024. Maria Fe Infante, recently retired health worker and HEU labour activist, was nominated by MP Don Davies and received her medal, together with Leo Alejandria, at the ceremony held at the Polish Community Centre on February 16, 2025.
Mojica, Samson and Infante are union members of the Hospital Employees Union which represents 60,000 members working for public, non-profit and private employers in the BC health care system. These women workers saw and experienced firsthand the effects of the Liberal government health care privatization policy in 2002 that damaged the public health care system and devastated the working lives of thousands of health care workers, many of whom were women and racialized workers. To this day, it remains as the most extensive privatization of health services and the largest mass-firing of women workers in Canadian history.
In 2021, the provincial government under the NDP ended this twenty-year-old health care privatization policy. Mojica, Samson and Infante not only witnessed the return of thousands of privately contracted health service support workers to work under their health authority but also supported them as HEU organizers in this transition. The return meant workers had a collective agreement, with wage increases, better health benefits, and access to a pension plan and education fund.
Leo Alejandria is a retired custodian, union activist in the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 2 and Justice for Janitors who continues to champion workers’ rights, empower migrant workers, and to connect the Filipino community with the organized labour sector. He is a key member of Migrante BC and a strong voice for Filipino immigrants. He believes in political advocacy and in mobilizing voter participation in municipal, provincial, and federal campaigns.
The recognition given to these union activists who are Migrante members is an acknowledgement of the exceptional things they do as activists and leaders in Vancouver and in British Columbia and the life-changing differences they make in the lives of workers and the Filipino community.
Other members of the Filipino community who also received the King Charles III coronation medal were Dr. Khristine Carino and Sammie Jo Rambaua. I will add a friend of Migrante and mine, Chau Ngo, whose library and union work with CUPE local 391 continue to make differences in the lives of our diverse communities.
Congratulations again! All of you make us so proud!
Photo credits: HEU, Mabuhay House Society and Eriemae
