Category: Human Rights

Last October, during the human rights conference, Joyce Hendy was awarded our annual human rights award. We recently caught up with Hendy to find out more about her legacy in our union and to pick her brain about human rights.

Before 1990, the human rights committee (or, as it was once called, the equal opportunities committee) was made up of appointed representatives, as opposed to elected ones.

“They were appointed by their respective [regional] vice-presidents or the national president,” explained Hendy. “One of the drawbacks of this status is that they didn’t have an official voice on the National Executive – they reported through the national president.”

As part of her work leading up to the 1990 convention, Hendy chaired a committee that saw the Vice-President of Human Rights become an elected position – and one that had a voice on the National Executive.

Hendy’s committee also led our component to adopt a clear and inclusive family policy.

“[The Union of National Employees] was one of the first components to have such a policy,” said Hendy. “And it’s still a leader in terms of what family cares costs it covers for activists.”

The policy makes it easier for activists with family care issues to participate equitable in their union, she said.

How far we’ve come

A lot has changed, on the human rights front, since Hendy first became an activist at the national level in 1987.

“There were no equity committees,” explained Hendy. “Equal pay had not been achieved, gay rights weren’t on the radar, First Nations issues were not discussed, and no one even considered that mental health issues were human rights issues – or ones that unions should take on.”

“The union I first became a part of in the 80s is not the same union that we know today,” she added. “The most significant change has been the inclusion and participation of the various equity groups.”

“We are a much better union as a result of the inclusion of all our members in the decision-making process.”

Looking towards the future.

Like most of us, Hendy recognizes that the union has some tough challenges. She pointed to an increasingly global marketplace and an (equally) increasing anti-union atmosphere as two issues that will make it difficult for unions to hold on to the gains they’ve made.

“The challenge will be to educate our new, younger members as to what has been won over the years and the reasons for continuing to push the agenda forward,” said Hendy.

“Many of these new workers do not understand how hard it was to win these rights.”

Related: Find out about the last human rights award recipient, Cheryl Aucoin, who won the award in 2007.

Although it’s primarily an American holiday, Martin Luther King, Jr. Day gives us an opportunity to honour one of the most important voices of the 20^th century and a true friend to the labour movement.

As labour activists, you might be surprised to find out how passionate Dr. King was about labour unions. In fact, Dr. King strongly believed that the civil rights movement could help the labour movement – and vice-versa.

Dr. King contended that the forces opposed to organized labour were the same forces that opposed any semblance of equality for African Americans.

“The duality of interests of labour and Negroes makes any crisis which lacerates you, a crisis from which we bleed,” said Dr. King in his 1961 address to the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations.

“Negroes in the United States read the history of labour and find it mirrors their own experience. We are confronted by powerful forces telling us to rely on the goodwill and understanding of those who profit by exploiting us. They deplore our discontent, they resent our will to organize, so that we may guarantee that humanity will prevail and equality will be exacted”

Dr. King didn’t mince words. Labour and the equity-seeking African American community shared a common threat: the ultra-right wing. According to him, they threatened everything that was decent and fair about American life.

And among these right-wing threats, of course, was right-to-work legislation (yea, it’s been around that long!).

“We must guard against being fooled by false slogans, such as ‘right to work’. It is a law to rob us of our civil rights and job rights,” said Dr. King. “Its purpose is to destroy labour unions and the freedom of collective bargaining by which unions have improved wages and working conditions of everyone.”

But while union were trying hard to eliminate discrimination, they didn’t all have their hands clean. Certain unions were quite simply denying membership to African Americans; other black union members were denied opportunities for training and education.

“Labour, which made impatience for long-delayed justice for itself a vital motive force, cannot lack understanding of the Negro’s impatience,” implored Dr. King. “There is a maxim in the law – justice too long delayed is justice denied.”

King believed that the labour movement occupied a special position with respect to the civil rights movement – and that was all the more reason to eliminate discrimination within its membership.

“Although organized labour has taken actions to eliminate discrimination within its ranks, the standard expected of you is higher than the standard in the general community.”

“Your conduct should and can set an example for others, as you have done in other crusades for social justice.”

Each year on December 6, Canadians pause to remember the 14 women who died on that day in 1989. It’s also a time to reflect on gender-based violence and the steps we can take to eradicate it.

In 2012, a survey conducted by the Canadian Women’s Foundation revealed that 67% of Canadians know at least one woman who has been a victim of a physical or sexual assault. Even today, hundreds of women are turned away each night because many shelters are at full capacity.

For Regional Vice-President Jennifer Chieh Ho, the issue of violence against women compelled her to take action in her local community. For the third year in a row, a candlelight vigil will be held in Surrey, British Columbia.

“We asked guests to bring warm clothing to donate to the local women’s shelter,” explained Chieh Ho. “We’re also hoping people will make monetary donations.”

Supporting women’s shelters is something the Union of National Employees has been passionate about for a very long time. In British Columbia, these shelters are all the more crucial for women who are economically-disadvantaged.

“The provincial income assistance rate is absurd,” declared Hilla Kerner, a spokeswoman for the Vancouver Rape Relief & Women’s Shelter in a recent press release. “Women can’t leave abusive husbands because what they will get from welfare is not enough to provide shelter and food for their children. Women resort to prostitution because what they get from welfare is far from being enough for even their most minimal needs. This government is directly responsible for women’s poverty and therefore for women’s vulnerability to violent men.”

The British Columbia Federation of Labour will also be hosting a candlelight vigil in Vancouver; the PSAC Victoria Regional Women’s Committee is sponsoring one in Victoria.

Those who will attend the Surrey vigil will be treated to quite a lineup of politicians, labour leaders and other speakers – among them, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President Bob Jackson and UNE National Vice-President for Human Rights Karoline Klüg.

While the events in Vancouver and Victoria are sure to dominate local media, Chieh Ho felt it was important to have an event in her city.

“I’ve been living in Surrey for 22 years,” said the UNE activist. “I wanted to have an event here.”

She’s also keeping her fingers crossed for a large turnout at this year’s candlelight vigil.

“In the past, we’ve only had 70 to 80 people show up – and they more mostly union activists,” said the Surrey resident. “This year, the message has gone out to a lot of other networks.”

“We have more experience now; hopefully we’ll have more people in attendance.”

The Canadian Labour Congress has an exciting opportunity to recognize the work of members working for fairness. The organization is currently seeking nominations for its annual Carol McGregor Disability Rights Award.

This award aims to recognize individuals who have made an impact in promoting the rights of persons with disabilities. Carol McGregor, the woman whose name represents the award, was a long time member of the National Union of Public and General Employees and fierce advocate for persons with disabilities. You can read more about her outstanding work and the award here.

If you know someone in our union who demonstrates the same commitment to fairness and equality, please consider nominating them for the Carol McGregor Disability Rights Award. You can nominate a member online by clicking this link.

Last Sunday wrapped up the Human Rights Conference in Winnipeg. For Genevieve Babineau of Alberta, for whom this was her first UNE event, the conference blew away her expectations.

“I laughed, I cried, I laughed some more,” said Babineau. “I met a lot of good people. It was a great networking opportunity.”

Babineau said she also learned a lot more about the union during this conference.

“The union’s role isn’t just to sit there and hear complaints – there’s activity going on all the time to make things better.”

Related: Were you at the Human Rights Conference? Please fill out our survey.

For the B.C.-Yukon region, the conference was a chance to raise money for a good cause. They used Nadine Kirychuk’s award-winning painting to create buttons. These were sold to raise funds for Sisters in Spirit; a branch of the Native Women’s Association of Canada that aims to put a stop to the growing number of missing and murdered aboriginal women.

“We started selling them for $3 each,” said Regional Human Rights Representative Steve Houston (B.C.-Yukon). “And then we thought, ‘if we just sold them by donation, then people could give $20 a button.’”

“And some people did, actually.”

Houston mentioned that at one point, signed copies of the buttons were going for $10 each.

“I think people had fun with it,” he added.

And speaking of fun, the hospitality suite became another place to raise money for this important cause. Assistant Vice-President for Human Rights Daniel Toutant said he never expected to find a grand piano in the hospitality suite.

While Toutant was cranking out some tunes on the piano on the first night, a member placed a tip jar on the piano.

“I said ‘no, this money won’t be for me. Everything we raise, we’ll donate to Sisters in Spirit,’” recounted Toutant.

On Saturday morning, Toutant woke up with a better idea: he was going to start charging $2 per song.

“At one point, I had a choir of 20 people around me,” he said.

“It was an incredible success. People were singing – just thinking about it, I still get goosebumps.”

While pianists typically take 20-minute breaks to rest their fast-moving fingers, Toutant played from 8:15 p.m. to midnight on Saturday night. But even if he woke up the next day with his fingers still numb, he would do it all over again.

“In my entire career as a pianist, it was the best experience of my life.”

In fact, if there’s a piano in Victoria, Toutant says he’ll do the same thing to raise money for a local battered women’s shelter.

Related: There are pictures of Piano Dan in action on Flickr.

In the end, conference participants raised more than $4,000 to end violence against our aboriginal sisters.

Fundraising aside, the conference was a great place for participants to expand their knowledge of human rights.

“I was very happy with the weekend. I found that everybody participated.” said National Vice-President for Human Rights, Karoline Klüg. “It was most amazing.”

After one of the workshops Klüg facilitated, she was surprised to see discussions continuing well into the break. And even if the sessions ran late a few times, participants didn’t bail; they were still engaged – totally enthusiastic.

“I found the engagement of our participants totally inspiring.”

For conference first-timer Genevieve Babineau, the experience solidified her desire to get involved with the union. She was elected as a convention delegate and as the first alternate human rights representative for Aboriginal Peoples.

“I think the people who were there weren’t there because they thought it was cool, but because everybody at one point or another experienced something unpleasant in the workplace,” said Babineau.

“Everybody I talked to had an amazing story of courage. I thought: wow, I’m not the only one.’”

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