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The Review needs you!

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Do you work in communications or public relations? Are you bilingual? Do you live near Victoria? We need your help during the UNE2014 Convention, from August 10 to 15.

We’re looking for two on-site reporters to attend the conference and write short articles for us. During our last three conferences, we got help from some very talented members to produce The Review: the UNE’s official conference newsletter.

Related: Check out the past editions of The Review here, here and here.

We’re also looking for a talented photographer. We’ll supply the camera, you get us the smiles!

If you’d like to help (and you’re not a delegate… because, let’s face it, you have a convention to take part in!) send us an email at communications@une-sen.org. Write a short list of your strong points and make sure to indicate your strongest language and your linguistic profile.

Volunteers will be considered observers and will be funded by the UNE. We’ll cover your travel, accommodation, loss-of-pay, per-diem and, if needed, family care.

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Ready? Set. Go!

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Our servers were humming a little louder today as hundreds of delegate confirmation letters zipped their way into the cybersphere. (We would have gone with those owls from Harry Potter, but email is faster.)

If you are one of our lucky delegates, this is your time to shine; we have two tasks for you to complete in a timely manner.

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Assuming you’ve received your delegate letter (and have carefully read it!), you’ll need to walk on over to your manager’s office and get your leave form approved.

Your next trip will be to this newfanged thing called the fax machine. We need a copy of your approved leave form before we can approve your travel. You can fax the document to us at 613-560-4208. If you’re a little more tech-savvy, you can email your leave form to Suzanne Boucher.

At this point, you’re all set to book your travel. All flights and train journeys need to be booked with our friends at WE Travel. You can contact their Ottawa office at 1‑888‑663‑6685 or their Vancouver office at 1‑800‑663‑4703. You’ll find all the nitty-gritty details about your travel dates in your delegate letter.

If you do all of this before June 1, we’ll enter you in our draw for a mystery prize! (Insert dramatic music here). That’s all the more reason to complete these three steps as soon as possible!

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Top 5 questions about convention

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We interrupt this regularly scheduled internet programming for some news about convention!

Recently, we compiled a list of the top 5 questions our members are asking about convention. The following are answers to these questions:

How do I make my travel arrangements?
After you’ve received your delegate confirmation letter (coming soon!) – and after you’ve faxed us your approved leave form – you can contact WE Travel to book your flight. You can contact their Ottawa office at 1‑888‑663‑6685 or their Vancouver office at 1‑800‑663‑4703. When booking your flight, you must provide them with the following promotional code: EX47RV71.

Your delegate confirmation letter will include further instructions about completing your travel reservation – stay tuned!

Who reserves my hotel room?
That would be your friendly neighbour administrative staff at the UNE. So, you’re off the hook for your hotel reservation; but it’s up to you to book your flight!

Can I stay a few days before or after convention at my own expense?
Yes, absolutely – you can even stay in the same hotel. Just make sure to inform us of your travel plans.

When can I go ahead and book my flight?
As soon as you’ve received your delegate confirmation letter (it’s coming soon, we promise!) and after you’ve faxed us your approved leave form. Best of all, if you book before June 1, you’ll automatically be entered into a draw for a mystery prize!

Will the UNE launch an artificial sun into space to guarantee sunny weather during convention?
Although the UNE fully endorses sunny weather, an endeavor of this kind would have to be presented as a resolution and approved by a majority of members at convention. In the meantime, all members of the UNE staff are feverishly sending positive thoughts into the cosmos to banish rainy weather for the week.

Do you have a question that isn’t answered here? That’s why we have a great FAQ in the convention section of our website!

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Registration for convention is now open

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Who needs to register for convention? Everyone!

That right; even the national president has to register for convention!

Everyone who’s an automatic delegate (members of the national executive, assistant regional vice-presidents, regional human rights representatives) should go ahead and register now.

Youth delegates elected at regional seminars and equity delegates elected during the human rights conference should also register asap.

By now, many of you will have had elections for delegates to convention. These delegates don’t have to wait until we review their credentials; they can (and should!) go ahead and register right now.

During registration, our members will have the chance to tell us if they require any special accommodations or if they have any allergies or dietary requirements. It’s also during registration that they can let us know if they wish to participate on one of our convention committees.

Don’t forget: We must receive your financial statements by April 1; your delegates’ credentials forms by April 11. For more information on convention, including a comprehensive FAQ, please consult the convention section of our website.

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Don’t hit snooze… (on convention deadlines!)

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Did March just sneak up on you? The clock is ticking for two important convention deadlines.

Locals have to make sure that the UNE receives their financial statements by April 1. That’s less than a month away!

Locals also have to make sure to elect convention delegates and alternates; delegate credential forms are due on April 11. Resolutions to convention share the same deadline.

There’s no need to hyperventilate! We have all the information you need on the convention section of our website (hint: you’ll find it under events!).

If you missed it, the convention callout letter has all the information you need about the event. You’ll find useful checklists and all the necessary form in the convention package.

As for resolutions, you’ll find all the information you need in the resolutions callout letter. The resolution forms are found here.

Don’t dillydally; April will be here before you know it!

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Time to submit resolutions!

The Union of National Employees sent a call for resolutions earlier today. Locals have until April 11 to submit resolutions.

“We really want to emphasize what an important step this is,” declared National President Doug Marshall. “Resolutions are what empower our members at all levels to pave the way forward for our union – to decide to how we run our organization.”

Typically, Locals appoint a resolutions committee to solicit draft resolutions from their members. The committee reviews all the resolutions and prepares a report, which is presented to the membership during a general meeting. Members present debate each resolution before casting a vote. Any resolution adopted by the Local is then sent to the UNE.

But this time around, there’s a second option for members to get a resolution to convention.

“Any member can get five other members to co-sign their resolution – and that resolution will make it to our convention committees for review,” explained Marshall.

“In fact, this option exists thanks to a resolution presented during our last convention – it just goes to show how one resolution can really change how our union operates.”

Later this spring, the Union of National Employees will strike its own convention committees; these will be charged with reviewing resolutions, eliminating duplicates and drafting their own reports to convention.

These documents will be a huge focus of convention; several days are dedicated solely to debating and voting on resolutions.

To view the resolution callout letter, click here. If you missed the convention callout letter, click here.

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Brace yourselves: Convention is coming!

That’s the gist of today’s convention call-out, the letter officially announcing the 2014 convention’s imminent start. This year’s convention will take place in Victoria, British Columbia from August 10 to 15.

The call-out letter was sent to all locals earlier today – it contains important information for all Locals who wish to attend convention (that should be all our Locals!).

“At this point, the main focus should be to have your Local in conformance,” explained National President Doug Marshall. “The next steps would be to hold elections for convention delegates and start thinking about resolutions that ought to be presented at convention.”

A separate letter dealing solely with resolutions will follow shortly.

The Union of National Employees has also developed a convention package that complements the call-out letter; it contains an important checklist for Locals and delegates, and all the forms needed for delegates, alternate delegates and observers.  Those of you who have yet to step foot on Vancouver Island will be happy to hear that the package includes some breathtaking photos of Victoria.

Given that this is a convention year, we’re encouraging all our members to stay tuned to their emails and our website for more information. Don’t want to miss a beat? Consider following us on Facebook and Twitter or signing up for our e-newsletter.

Members who wish to update their contact information can do so by clicking here.