Tuesday, January 6, 2026

Holding the Container

Why strong workplaces begin with care, not conflict

By Jason Goode, Representative

I’ve always been drawn to create safe spaces where people can work, grow, and thrive. Whether I’ve been coaching college volleyball, directing a film set, working as a sports performance consultant, or now serving as a representative for CLAC, the goal has been the same: to create spaces where people can show up as their full selves, safely and confidently.

This isn’t a passive calling. Left alone, teams and workplaces don’t naturally hold together. Without care, they can slide into resentments, power struggles, and bitterness.

The same is true at work as on the court. When I’m coaching youth volleyball, the most important thing I do is hold a strong container for the team—to make sure the values of the team are communicated and upheld and that when issues arise, they are dealt with consistently, gently, and fairly. This allows athletes to feel secure and do what they’ve come there to do: work hard and enjoy themselves.

I’m new to CLAC, but I’ve found an organization with a vision of the world I can get behind: that the places where people work deserve the highest level of dignity, fairness, and justice. Our job is to walk alongside workers—advocating for and negotiating collective agreements that embody these same values.

But that’s only the start. We then stand in the gap between employer and member, advocating on their behalf whenever those agreements are broken. More often than not, violations arise not out of malice but omission: an impulsive decision, a missed detail under stress, a broken line of communication. When that happens, our work is to restore balance, not inflame tension.

In my short time here, I’ve seen how rare that posture is. Too many unions treat the workplace as a battlefield instead of something worth protecting. I’ve witnessed, with some dismay, union tactics meant to intimidate or mislead workers—tactics that put power and revenue ahead of people’s well-being.

But CLAC has chosen a different way. We welcome competition. We believe in what we offer, and we earn trust the hard way—by showing up, face to face. Over the years I’ve been a member of five unions, and I never even knew the name of my representative, let alone saw their face.

At CLAC, our goal is to be visible and available for members to know we’ll answer when they call. That commitment aligns with CLAC’s deeper conviction: that meaningful work relationships require dignity on all sides.

Employers, workers, unions, and government each have a role to play in holding the container together. But lately, I’ve seen cracks forming in that larger structure, especially when government fails to protect workers’ democratic right to choose their representation freely and fairly. When members’ dues from the bigger unions go into political battles instead of direct service, it corrodes public trust. The containers in which people work begin to crack, becoming places of mistrust and resentment.

The good news is that integrity still matters. Every time we negotiate a fair collective agreement, give voice to a worker through a grievance, or simply sit down with a member who needs to be heard, we’re strengthening the container again. We’re demonstrating that it’s possible to advocate fiercely without losing sight of compassion or of the humans at the heart of our work.

That, to me, is the quiet revolution CLAC represents. In a world that often rewards outrage and aggression, we choose steadiness. We choose dignity.

We choose to hold our containers strong so that workers can show up safely and confidently, knowing they have someone in their corner.

Holding the Container

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