Category: National Executive

[Editor’s note: There was an error in the e-newsletter that pointed to this article. To be clear, it was Garry Larouche and not Gary Sparvier who attended the last meeting of Local 00381.]

During the last meeting of the executive, we unfortunately had to say goodbye to two of our Locals. In the Northwest Territories, Local X0305 saw its functions transferred to the territorial government; in Toronto, all the members of Local 00381 were laid off.

Sandy Bello, an assistant regional vice-president in Ontario, was there for Local 00381’s final meeting – a rather solemn occasion.

“The entire facility – offices and warehouse, was stripped of furnishings, records and shelving,” explained Bello. “There was a ‘for sale’ sign on the lawn, outside the front door.”

Remarking on the photographs they shot that day, Bello added, “If you think the walls are bare – they were!”

The Local was made up of Library and Archives Canada employees who were responsible for storing government records. Since the department removed that function from its mandate, four regional records centres were nixed.

“The decision was made to shut down the centres that don’t have archival offices attached to them,” explained Andy Yung, an assistant regional vice-president in British Columbia. “Library and Archives doesn’t consider records with no archival value worth keeping.”

In the past, all government publications and documents were stored by Library and Archives Canada. The government’s policy will likely lead to a decrease in transparency, since there’s a risk that important documents that shaped Canadian history will be lost forever.

Since each department will be responsible for housing their own dormant records,   researchers will undoubtedly see their work become more difficult. The Canadian public is already grappling with less access to our heritage; and there are fewer services being provided by the department.

If you think these changes are being made in the name of saving taxpayers money, you’d be wrong. Most functions have been contracted out to a private company; we’re paying more for less access.

It’s these changes that led to about 15 members in Toronto having to find work elsewhere in the federal government or retire. Among these members was Jerome Varney, who had been president of his Local for over 25 years.

During the meeting, Varney was presented with a certificate of appreciation and a UNE hoodie. Joyce Hendy, a UNE life member and a recipient of our human rights award, and Garry Larouche, regional vice-president, were also in attendance.

Local 00381 was officially dissolved during our recent national executive meeting. The motion was put forward by Regional Vice-President Garry Larouche, who provided some background about the members who were affected.

“The members of that Local did their job well and they were very proud of the work they did,” said Larouche.

Remarking on the final meeting, the regional vice-president characterised it as being “a very sad day – an emotional day.”

Photos of the last meeting of Local 00381 are on our Flickr page.

The National Executive met recently, in a meeting that was largely dominated by convention preparations. And it’s no wonder; with convention only a few months away, you’ll be waking up in beautiful British Columbia before you know it (albeit, a bit jet-lagged)!

The highlight of the meeting was the announcement that our UNE family won’t be split apart. As reported in an earlier article, Pɑssport Canada members will be staying with the UNE.

The meeting was also a great opportunity to extend our thanks to Garry Larouche, who announced that he will be retiring sometime after convention. Garry has been involved with our union since 1977 and was a powerful voice on many TC-group bargaining teams.

Andy Yung was also thanked for his service to our union, as he will be taking a hiatus from his assistant regional vice-president position during the next mandate. Andy was given kudos for his talents with numbers and his skills with hospitality suites.

After the conclusion of the National Executive meeting, it was off to the races! …the race to tackle convention resolutions, that is. There were three convention committees charged with examining all the resolutions that will be presented at convention.

All in all, there were over 60 resolutions submitted to convention. Members will be able to peruse these resolutions shortly, once we put the finishing touches on each committee’s report.

The National Executive will meet in Ottawa from May 29 to 31, before convention committee meetings. The first session will start at 9 a.m. at the Minto Suites Hotel.

If your Local wishes to place an item on the agenda, please contact your Regional Vice-President and provide him or her with clear and concise information. He or she will gladly bring your item before the executive.

About the National Executive:
The National Executive is responsible for the policies, programs and direction of the Union of National Employees. Between conventions, it makes important decisions and creates policies that help look after our union. The executive also carries out resolutions adopted by the members during the last convention. Its members meets three times per year to review the union’s activities and ensure that they reflect the will of the membership.

A pretty jam-packed national executive meeting was held last month in Ottawa. While the city was caught in the deadly grip of a deep freeze, our union leaders were fired up and ready to get to the important business of running our union.

“I found it rather intense,” admitted Hayley Millington, who was just recently elected the national equity representative for women.

Understandably, it was particularly intense for Millington because this was her first time attending a meeting of the National Executive.

“There’s a lot of information to process,” Millington added. “But I also found it really impressive. There were so many different characters around the table, but they were able to work together to get the job done.”

“Everyone is different but everyone’s goal is the same.”

And, certainly one of the key goals, as of late, is engaging our membership­­­. During the meeting, the National Executive recommitted itself to reach out to as many members as possible as part of the pledge card campaign.

Related: Watch Robyn Benson’s video about the pledge card campaign

Like many, Millington fears that union leaders at all levels have to contend with a certain level of apathy. That’s why she feels engagement is so crucial.

“I’m trying to be active in my Local,” she said proudly. “When it’s time for those pledge cards, I speak to members in the lobby. I call them over and do my best to engage them.”

“For those of us who are active, sometimes it’s hard to bridge that gap to reach them,” explained Millington. “Sometimes we can become sort of uneasy about approaching because we’re unsure about how they’ll respond. But now is a good time to engage.”

The National Executive also gave the thumbs up to an improved bargaining process aimed at single bargaining units. Unlike Treasury Board and Parks Canada bargaining units, single-bargaining units have to draft bargaining demands without the help of a program of demands.

“Locals shouldn’t be left on their own to figure out what changes should be brought to their collective agreement,” explained National President Doug Marshall.

“From now on, we’ll play a much more active role in helping these locals craft bargaining demands,” he added.”

For example, if a particular issue keeps being grieved, the UNE may suggest bringing a bargaining demand to address that issue. Since each workplace has its own culture (and its hiccups), this tailored approach at dealing with bargaining should help win stronger collective agreements.

“We’ve gotten some really great feedback on this,” added Marshall. “We’re looking forward to providing more support and working a lot more closely with local leaders.”