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Convention Wrap-Up

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It’s often the busiest weeks that seem to go by the fastest; convention is no exception! Our delegates left convention feeling pumped up and energized, having accomplished a lot of work that will pave the way forward for our union.

A new budget

Having lost 4,000 members in the last three years, our union was able to considerably tighten its belt while still delivering on its commitments. Despite a shortfall in revenue of almost $2M in the last three years, we were nonetheless projecting to break even or have a slight surplus over that period.

During convention, our delegates had to make some tough choices regarding the budget. In the end, they approved a budget that took into account our loss of membership without reducing any of the services we provide.

More information about the new budget will come shortly.

A new position: National Advisor for Parks Canada

This convention, delegates considered an emergency resolution to create a National Advisor position

When the National Executive met last May, we were informed that Parks Canada was open to the possibility of having a union representative deal with national issues on a full-time basis.

While the agency would continue to pay this person’s salary and benefits, he or she would nonetheless answer to the UNE national president.

The creation of this position was approved by convention. Eddie Kennedy was later elected by acclamation to the position of National Advisor for Parks Canada.

To find out more about the new position, please consult this article.

Delegate entitlement formula stays the same

Our delegates voted to keep the existing formula that governs the allocation of convention delegates.

Term limits to stay the same

Delegates were once again presented with a resolution asking them to reconsider our term limits, which prevent national and regional elected officers from serving more than two consecutive terms in the same position. Delegates voted to keep the term limits intact.

Equipping members with the tools they need

Convention delegates also put their stamp of approval on a resolution asking the UNE to develop a tool kit for each local executive position. The kit would include fact sheets on common grievance issues, education material and printable posters, among others.

Three UNE powerhouses awarded life memberships

During convention, we took the time to recognize the important contributions of some of our most dedicated members. Garry Larouche, Heather Brooker and Steve Houston all received life memberships during convention, to rousing applauds.

You can find out more about this story by consulting the third edition of our convention newsletter.

One full day of elections

After a full day of elections, we elected five national positions, countless regional positions and our delegates to the 2015 PSAC convention in Quebec City.

You can find the results of all these elections by consulting this article.

Over $5,000 raised for the Highlands Links

Some of you may remember a 2012 campaign we launched to keep the Highlands Links, a golf course managed by Parks Canada in Cape Breton, from being privatized. Well, just two years later, the government is back at its old shenanigans.

Like most public golf courses, the Highlands Links provides affordable access a sport that is notoriously expensive.

After the National Executive allocated $3,500 from non-recurring membership services to fight back with PSAC, members stepped up to the plate to raise even more money to combat privatization.

By convention’s end, more than $5,000 was pledged to keep this golf course accessible and affordable.

An encore performance by Piano Dan

Those who attended last year’s human rights conference may remember a jaw-dropping performance by Piano Dan (…also known as Daniel Toutant, assistant national vice-president for human rights), who used his musical talents to help raise funds to end violence against our aboriginal sisters.

Toutant once again lent his talents for this great cause during convention, raising over $250 for the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Giving back to the local community

On the last day of convention, a few members of Local 70130 decided they could do something to help the homeless and the hungry in Victoria. Safia Haji-Dayib, Darrel Klerks, Jay Lamothe and Shaun Levesque used leftover food from their hospitality suite – food that was bound to go to waste – to make extra special lunches.

“We made an assembly line and started making sandwiches,” explained Haji-Dayib. “We added a few extra things like dried fruit, cookies and something to drink. Once it was all gone, we went around downtown handing out food.”

Haji-Dayib said it wasn’t long before they were out of food.

“There are a lot of people in need. And if we could do a little to help, it was worth it.”

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Exclusive: our interview with Hassan Yussuff

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Union of National Employees reporters caught up with Hassan Yussuff, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, after his speech at the UNE Convention for an exclusive interview. The following is an excerpt from this conversation.

Union of National Employees – There is a difference between talking about what you’re fighting against and painting a picture of what you’re going to achieve. If you were going to describe the country that you are working to rebuild, what would it look like?

Hassan Yussuff – It would be a fairer country. Working people would be valued in terms of their contribution. The things that matter to working people would be a top priority of our government: good jobs; a better health care system; better pensions so people who have spent lifetime working can retire in dignity in their retirement; a future for young people so they won’t have to live with their parents, so they can have their own place because they make enough money. These are very basic things about any society: feeling it has a purpose and that it is going in the right direction. We’re losing all that. We’re told we can’t have good healthcare anymore because we can’t afford it. We’re told we can’t have good jobs because we live in a globalized economy. We’re told we can’t have pensions because they are way too rich. These are fundamental things and we have to say that we’re all entitled to them. There is more wealth in this period in our history than there was in our foreparents’ when they were trying to create pensions in the first place. We are told that young people can’t expect a full time job or a pension, yet the wealthy seem to have done quite well. I hope my daughter will find this country is a better place than the one I came to. Respect for women’s rights and childcare should be a basic right, not something she has to fight for. Those things are not dreams they can be a reality. We have the money. We can do that. It’s just a priority of the government and a leader to say, ‘hey, do it’. If they can find billions of dollars for tax cuts [for corporations], certainly they can do this.

UNE – In your speech, you focused on the benefits that the labour movement has been able to win for our country and for all Canadians. That’s the message that is going to reach people, isn’t it?

HY – I think our role in labour has been about elevating the rights of others, not just ourselves. When we lose sight of that, we lose the public. We have to reengage the public about the good that we do. The other side has been framing us. How are we going to find a way to tell the public that, without us, you won’t get better laws; without us, things don’t improve? The things we fight for are not just for our members; they’re for our whole society.

UNE – You talk about mobilizing and organizing for the next federal election. Do you have any specific suggestions for members?

HY – We will organize political action conferences across the country to discuss a common strategy so we can get the message out about what the government action has been against workers. We want our members to recognize that they are not alone, that affiliates can work together. We have to train people about how we can carry on those conversations in the workplace, help them identify some of the challenges and issues that are going to be the ballot questions in the next election.

UNE – There has been a trend to drive a wedge between the existing workforce and new workers through differences in the benefits and pensions they qualify for under collective agreements. The rights that each can expect are different for each group. Do you feel that this is a strategy that the government is employing?

HY – Yes, this is a well-known strategy. There is a huge issue with how we build our solidarity with younger people. It is a very systematic way of undermining the credibility of the union. Union members rarely recognize that the employer created this two-tiered system. They don’t understand the context and they blame the union. A massive amount of the current workforce will be leaving in a short amount of time. [The government] wants to change the nature of the relationship with workers and they don’t have many years in which to do it. This attack on rights is saying to the new generation that you shouldn’t expect to get benefits and pensions. Clearly we have to take this on because fundamentally this is about the future of young people.

UNE – You mention the exodus that is about to happen. In our union, a lot of seasoned veterans will be retiring soon. Is CLC concerned about how some of the powerhouses of the labour movement are entering retirement?

HY – We are struggling with that right now in the Congress. It’s a concern but I am also confident to know that there are a lot of bright young people coming along. It’s not a detriment to the labour movement. I just think it provides some weaknesses because experience is invaluable as you struggle with these bigger challenges. In many cases we have people who have been around and have lived it and experienced it. But on the other hand, change is exciting. It can lead to renewal and different ways of doing things.

UNE – One of our members on Twitter was joking that you are everywhere. And it does seem like you are speaking and travelling quite a bit, even though you were only elected three months ago.

HY – I am always excited about what the next day holds for possibilities. The opportunity to speak is invaluable for our message and there is a sense that something different is happening in Congress. We have an election coming up and I feel that we need to challenge the government’s agenda. We need to confront it and we need to speak about it. We’re fighting a government that is destroying everything. My job is to inspire our membership. Right now, they don’t think they can win. I’m here to help people get out of that rut. You have to make them feel and believe that they can make a difference. There are times when I am going to have to get some rest; but I figure, after Harper is done, there will be lots of time to rest.

UNE – Thank you Mr. Yussuff.

You can find out more about the Mr. Yussuff’s speech to our convention delegation in our August 13th newsletter. 

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Are you on track for convention?

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Can you believe it? Convention is just a month away!

If you’re planning on joining us for convention, you should make sure you’ve completed all the steps to be in attendance.

By now, our office should have received the following documents from you:   checklist1

You should have also taken a moment to register online:checklist2
Note: If you sent us paper copies of the documents above, you still need to register online!

Once you’ve received your delegate confirmation letter from us, it’s time to book your travel!checklist3
If you haven’t received your delegate confirmation letter, it’s because one of the four steps above hasn’t been completed.

If you’ve put a mental checkmark on all the boxes above: congrats! You’re on track for convention.

If you haven’t, please take a moment to complete the missing pieces; we don’t want you to miss out on all the fun convention has to offer!

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Convention committee reports are in!

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Dying to know what resolutions will be presented to you during convention? You needn’t wait any longer!

Most of your convention binder’s contents are now available online. Because we really like trees, we’d kindly ask you to refrain from printing any of these documents; we’ll take care of supplying you with a printed version in Victoria.

Looks like you’ve got a ton of bedtime reading to do between now and convention!

 Constitution and Bylaws Committee Report
 Finance Committee Report
 Definition of Financial Terms
 General Resolutions Committee Report

Don’t forget: you can find all our convention documents in the convention section of our website!

 

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Building solidarity at the CLC convention

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Just over a week ago, the Canadian Labour of Congress held its convention in Montreal. With close to 5,000 delegates, this mastodon of a convention is big enough to give our teeny-weeny convention a size complex!

During the convention, Hassan Yussuff was elected president; he is the labour organization’s first racially visible president. Yussuf promised delegates that the CLC would be more active.

In her blog, PSAC President Robyn Benson wrote that Yussuf’s election is a reflection of “strong feeling within the labour movement that we need different tactics, a new inclusive strategy, a tougher, member-based approach.”

The landmark election was just one of many noteworthy moments. For Evelyn Beckert, a convention delegate, the event was a great place to be inspired by powerful speakers from a legion of unions across the country. It was also a stark reminder that unions from all sectors are fighting some pretty serious battles.

“I heard from the nurses’ union in British Columbia – about the horrible cutbacks they’re facing,” explained Beckert. “There’s an increased need for medical services, yet there’s more cutbacks.”

Speaking of decisions that don’t make sense: the scrapping of Canada Post’s door-to-door service was front-of-mind for many delegates. Speaking at the convention, Montreal Mayor Dennis Coderre called the move unacceptable.

“I find it unacceptable how Canada Post conducts itself – not only in regards to its workers, but in how it treats all citizens,” said Coderre. “And I demand that Stephen Harper intervenes once and for all.”

Coderre said the issue goes beyond labour; it’s about respecting citizens. He also pointed out how changes to door-to-door service will affect those with mobility issues and the elderly.

“Getting your mail is essential,” he declared. “There are 6,000 to 8,000 people who could lose their jobs. No one’s going to come around and make me believe that it’s all going to magically happen through attrition.”

“There are jobs that are going to be cut. And I want you to know that the municipal sector is behind you and we’ll support you to the end.”

Delegates were moved by the show of solidarity. From Beckert’s point of view, solidarity is what’s desperately needed right now.

“We need to support each other in this fight,” she said. “If it’s just your union supporting your thing, you don’t have as much clout as you can get from all unions saying ‘if you attack one of us, you attack us all.’”

Beckert says she’ll happily join any rally in support of sister unions; she hopes other unions will join us if we ever have to fight for our rights. One of those looming fights could be over pensions.

During the event, the PSAC submitted an emergency resolution regarding pensions. According to the PSAC, “the government wants to provide significant incentives to employers to get rid of the much better defined benefit plans and convert these to targeted pension plans.”

This would undoubtedly inject some instability into retirement income – income already paid for through pension contributions!

But the convention wasn’t all doom and gloom; Beckert says she was pleasantly surprised to find out that leaders of Quebec’s student movement were now actively involved in the labour movement.

“Some of the student leaders are now in the workplace,” she explained. “Several of them were at the CLC convention; they’re very active as unionists and they’re working with us. Their activism didn’t end with the fight to over tuition fees.”

So if anyone ever asks what happened to those students, now you know: they’re with us!

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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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Another great seminar in the NCR

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Has it been three years already? Last weekend marked the end of a successful round of regional seminars held across the country. It was the NCR-Treasury Board region that got honour of hosting the last regional seminar before convention. (don’t hyperventilate… but convention is coming FAST!)

With so much happening on Parliament Hill these days, members weren’t scratching their heads searching for discussion topics. But, according to Regional Vice-President Richard Ballance, scary House bills aren’t top of mind for the average member.

“Our members are encountering a lot of issues with performance management agreements – in how they’re implemented,” explained Ballance.

Tony Clement’s recent comments have many members fearing that performance appraisals are going to become a gateway for disciplinary measures.

Ballance said another issue punctuating workplaces centers on sick leave; managers are increasingly demanding a doctor’s note when people fall ill. Typically, a medical note is only requested when an employee’s absence spans three days or longer.

“More and more, managers are asking for notes on any illness,” he explained. “Especially if they see you as a problem employee.”

The collective agreements we hold with Treasury Board allow for managers to request a doctor’s letter; there’s nothing prohibiting them from doing so, even if the absence was only a day or two.

Ballance is also concerned that this new trend is putting further stress on an already underfunded health-care system.

“And many walk-in clinics charge for these letters; our members are paying out of pocket for that.”

Much like the recent NCR-Separate Employers’ regional seminar, a workshop on resolutions got rave reviews. Anyone going to convention can, we’re told, look forward to “several” resolutions that were written during this seminar.

Finally, you’ll be happy to hear that the UNE got props from the PSAC’s own Chris Aylward for having a provision that sends youth delegates to our conventions. During each regional seminar, young members caucus and elect two of their peers as youth delegates to convention.

Karine Oluyole and Georgina Smith were elected last weekend; they join 18 other youth delegates who will represent their peers at our upcoming convention.

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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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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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Conference news you can use!

The All Presidents’ Conference is well under way. Our members’ brains are overflowing with synaptic action from all the great presentations and discussions we’ve had so far.

You can download the newsletters by using the following links:

Issue 1 (currently unavailable – sorry!)
Issue 2

This newsletter was made possible by the tremendous work of UNE volunteers: René Coignaud, Stephanie Kale and Mathieu Laurin.

There are also tons more pictures on Flickr and great discussions happening on Twitter thanks to this hashtag: #UNE2013.