During the recent national executive meeting, National President Doug Marshall announced that our union was now in a position to assure our members at Pɑssport Canada that they would indeed stay with the Union of National Employees.
Our members in many Pɑssport locals were worried that the recent dissolution of their agency would see them going to another component within the Public Service Alliance of Canada (jargon explanation: “components” are unions within the Public Service Alliance of Canada – there are 17 of them, of which the UNE is the second largest).
When the news was announced at the national executive meeting, the room burst into applause. The reaction was very similar during an Outside Canada caucus meeting held last Friday.
“Doug was invited as a guest to our caucus meeting; that’s when he announced that it was definitive – that we were staying with the UNE,” explained Assistant Regional Vice-President Karl Lafrenière.
“Everyone applauded.”
Lafrenière is quick to credit this victory to National President Doug Marshall, who he said led the charge to keep his members.
To say that Pɑssport members are passionate about their spot in the UNE would be an understatement. While things were still uncertain, they did what they could to keep sporting our colours.
The UNE received one resolution asking that Pɑssport Canada members be allowed to vote on which component should represent them. Given that this is no longer required, the resolution was ruled out of order and won’t make it to convention floor.
There was also a petition, started at the grassroots level, which circulated among the membership and obtained the signature of a majority of all Pɑssport members. The individuals who wrote the petition were about to present it to PSAC President Robyn Benson, but the news that they weren’t changing components came first!
When asked why he thought his members were so fervently trying to stay part UNE, Lafrenière said it all comes down to service.
“Most of the people we talk with say the service is excellent. When we call for help, we get help. When we call with questions, we get answers,” said Lafrenière, who represents more than 900 Pɑssport members in his role as assistant regional vice-president. “The representation we get is excellent.”
For his part, National President Doug Marshall says the effort to keep Pɑssport members within the UNE was a group effort, supported by the national executive, local members and staff.
“For the UNE, it wasn’t just about a loss of membership,” explained National President Doug Marshall. “Had we lost our Pɑssport members, we would have lost some really strong leaders who are involved at all levels of our union – leaders who make our union strong.”