Posted on

International Women's Day

Today is international women’s day. It’s a chance to reflect on the road traveled and the long road still ahead. As of 2012, Canada ranks 21st on the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report; a yearly study on gender equality among 135 countries.1

That said, we were three points higher in 2011. According to the World Economic Forum, Canada fell three spots because of “a small decrease in the secondary education ratio and in the percentage of women in ministerial positions.”2

In fact, Canada has suffered a steady decline since 2006, due primarily to the absence of women in politics.

While Canada has legislation in place to prevent workplace discrimination based on gender, it’s a little harder to do that in the political arena… or is it?

Many countries have passed quota legislation to make sure women were well represented in office. Costa Rica is an excellent example:

“The first quota legislation in 1994 basically relied on Costa Rica’s political parties to voluntarily increase the participation of women in elections. A second set of laws in 1998 mandated that women occupy at least 40 percent of each party’s candidate list, and in the 2002 election the law required that women be in at least 40 percent of the electable positions.”3

According to Texas’ Rice University, the number of women occupying positions within municipal legislatures in 2002 “was unmatched by any other democratically elected national legislature in the world”.

Costa Rica is currently one of the very few countries headed by a democratically elected woman – there are currently only 17.

Heather Sams, the Union’s National Equity Representative for Women, says that women in Canada are still a long way from reaching parity with men in politics.

“Think about it, last election Canadians sent a record number of women to the House of Commons,” said Sams. “That number was 76 – most of them were NDP… but that’s still just barely 25% of the seats in the House.”

And while women continue to be underrepresented in Canadian politics, there are still other battles that need our attention, especially in the workplace.

Sams says that the income gap between men and women continues to be a real problem in Canada.

“As unionized women, we’re almost there – but non-unionized women are still fighting a tough battle,” said Sams.

According to the Canadian Labour Congress, unionized women earn 93% as much as their unionized male counterparts, while non-unionize women only earn 75% as much as non-unionized men. In the private sector, the unionisation rate among women is also lower than that of men.4

“Basically, we’re still a long way from equality in the workforce,” concluded Sams.

[1] Hausmann, R., Tyson, L. & Zahidi, S. (2012). The Global Gender Gap Report, World Economic Forum.

[2] Idem

[3] Sherindan, P. (2005). To elect more women, countries should follow Costa Rica, Rice University News and Media.

[4] Still A Long Way From Equality. (2008). Canadian Labour Congress.

Posted on

More Layoffs

During the last two weeks, 7 of our members at the National Capital Commission and 19 members at the National Gallery of Canada were told they will lose their jobs.

The employees at the National Capital Commission were told they would be out of a job by the end of March. Unfortunately, these members do not benefit from the same workforce adjustment provisions found in collective agreements like those of the Treasury Board or Parks Canada. The Local was only given a 15-minute advance notice of the layoffs.

The National Capital Commission has eliminated 29 positions this year, mostly through attrition. Last year, it eliminated 22. The organization is still trying to deal with the budget cuts imposed by the 2010 federal budget.

Winterlude and Canada Day are among the many events that the commission promotes to celebrate Canadian heritage.

“These members were shown the door mere days after the end of Winterlude,” said National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy. “It’s pretty vile to do that to your employees after they’ve given 110% to promote one of your biggest events.”

Kennedy says small businesses in Ottawa should start to worry.

“Most of the members who were laid off worked in public affairs, marketing and communications. How are you supposed to promote your events without these key people? It’s small businesses that really depend on tourism that are going to suffer from these poor decisions.”

Meanwhile, the National Gallery of Canada chose to eliminate 24 positions – and this, after drawing thousands to last year’s Van Gogh exhibit. That exhibition was the fourth best attended since the gallery moved to its current location in 1988, with over 230,100 paying visitors.

“This is just another example of cuts directly impacting Canadian families,” said National President Doug Marshall. “The National Gallery is fast becoming a skeleton of what it once was. With the recent loss of guides, these cuts are robbing young minds of valuable opportunities to learn beyond the classroom.”

At the nearby Ottawa School of Art, Executive Director Jeff Stellick says the people who use the gallery on a deeper level are bound to notice the cuts.

“It’ll mean longer wait times and less availability of resources. It’s going to make life more difficult for anybody going there to do research,” said Stellick. “Not to mention how much more difficult it’s going to make life for the 29 people who don’t have a job anymore.” [Editor’s note: the Gallery cut 29 positions, of which 24 were positions unionized with the PSAC.]

Five of the positions cut last week belonged to the gallery’s library and archives. Students at the Ottawa School of Art often use that service research and study prints and drawings.

“It’s going to make that kind of experience much more difficult and harder to come by,” said Stellick. “They’re not just going to let people walk in and start pulling prints from the drawers. It’s going to put more work on the staff that are left and make art less available for people who go there and want to see things.”

“It’s all going to have the same impact, which is less access in the long run.”

Posted on

Local 71201's First AGM

Slippery roads, 20 centimetres of snow, major traffic delays and pure chaos. That’s what Ottawa was grappling with last Wednesday. And if you don’t think it was that bad, check out this picture of Ottawans pushing a bus stuck in the snow.

But all that mayhem didn’t stop dozens of Rideau Carleton Raceway members from attending their first-ever annual general meeting.

“We really have to congratulate these members who braved the elements to cast their votes,” said National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy. “Over a third of the membership showed up during one heck of a snowstorm. That’s pretty fantastic!”

With quorum substantially exceeded, members of Local 71201 elected a new executive.

Brenda McCullough was elected President and Georard Goertz Charest was elected Treasurer.

The Local chose to have four vice-president positions in order to ensure that each section would have someone with the right level of familiarity to address their issues.

The following positions were acclaimed: Vice-President Cage and Coin, Brenda Ryan; Vice-President Slot Operations, Jesule Balmir; Vice-President Marketing, Valet, Coat Check and Shuttle Bus Drivers; Christina Brady; Vice-President of Housekeeping and Facilities Maintenance, Tomislav Mastilo; Secretary, Lynda Lalonde; Chief Steward, Heidi Sjolander.

Congratulations to all the newly elected officers!

Posted on

The Review needs you!

[Update: the deadline for this has passed! Stay tuned for more information]

Do you work in communications or public relations? Are you bilingual? Do you live in the National Capital Region? We need your help during the All Presidents’ conference, from April 4 to 7!

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

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 local President… because, let’s face it, you have a conference to participate 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.

Posted on

Pink Shirt Day

Wear a pink shirt on Wednesday, February 27 for the sixth annual Pink Shirt Day. By wearing a pink shirt, you’re saying that bullying won’t be tolerated.

Pink Shirt Day honours the actions of two brave boys from Nova Scotia who took a stand when they saw a Grade 9 boy being bullied for wearing a pink shirt. The next day, David Shepherd and Travis Price got 50 of their fellow students to wear pink shirts.

Sexual minorities and those who are perceived as gender-nonconforming are often the targets of bullying. Almost half of Canadians students report hearing anti-gay epithets at school – almost 10% of LGBT students report hearing frequent homophobic comments from teachers.

74% of trans students, 55% of sexual minority students, and 26% of non-LGBTQ students reported having been verbally harassed about their gender expression.

More than one in five (21%) LGBTQ students reported being physically harassed or assaulted due to their sexual orientation.1

Many schools are actively trying to eliminate bullying, and rightly so. However homophobic bullying is often ignored. According to Gerald Walton, doctoral candidate in the Faculty of Education at Queen’s University, the education system reinforces the idea that “straightness” is “normal”.

Heterosexuality in schools is validated through pervasive discourse on teenage other-sex dating; straight sexual mechanics and pregnancy in sex education classes; straight territorialisation (such as high school dances and prom nights); and mass media images, textbook representations, and fictional stories exclusively about and featuring heterosexual relationships.2

Consider that in the US, gay and lesbian teachers are often fired simply because of their sexual orientation. In 2010, an Oregon teacher was fired for mentioning to a fourth-grader that he wasn’t married because he couldn’t legally marry a man. The school principal told the teacher that his comments regarding his marital status were “inappropriate”.3

Last year, a St. Louis music teacher was fired after marrying his long-time partner. The Catholic School said it couldn’t condone acts that were “contrary to the church”.4

And earlier this month, a Catholic school administrator was fired for supporting marriage equality – despite being a heterosexual man who is married to a woman.5

Katherine van Wormer of the Department of Social Work at the University of Northern Iowa contends that, instead of firing openly gay and lesbian teachers, schools should be hiring them to serve as positive role models.6

“Unfortunately, in the U.S. and Canada, school social work tends to be crisis-driven rather than prevention-driven (Loughborough, 2000). This needs to change. School bullying, which takes a tragic toll on gender-nonconforming youth, can and must be stopped through effective adult intervention.”7

[1] Egale Canada, National Climate Survey on Homophobia, Biphobia and Transphobia in Canadian Schools.[2] Walton, G., (2004) Bullying and Homophobia in Canadian Schools: The Politics of Policies, Programs and Educational Leadership. The Haworth Press.

[3] Mirk, S. (September 30, 2010) Beaverton Student Teacher Says He Was Fired for Mentioning in Class That He Would “Choose to Marry a Man”. The Portland Mercury.

[4] Browning, W. (March 1, 2012) Gay Teacher Fired for Getting Married. Yahoo! News.

[5] Newcomb, A. (February 12, 2013) Catholic School Worker Fired for Supporting Gay Marriage. Good Morning America.

[6] van Wormer, K. & McKinney, R. (2003) What Schools Can Do to Help Gay/Lesbian/Bisexual Youth: A Harm Reduction Approach. 

[7] Idem

Posted on

New collective agreement for members at Parks Canada

The members have spoken; Parks Canada employees have voted in favour of the tentative agreement that was presented to them.

Over the past few months, we’ve reported a few times on the collective bargaining process, the tentative agreement and the hard work of the bargaining team.

For Loretta Moar, a first-time member on the bargaining team, yesterday’s announcement was very happy news.

“When the announcement was made, I danced around my living room,” admitted Moar. “This is great. I’m glad the membership chose to ratify the agreement.”

The bargaining team’s hard work cannot be overlooked. They spent countless hours on the road, away from home, going from one Local to another to meet with members.

And while the traveling can be tiresome, Moar says it’s not all bad.

“It was nice to meet all the members in my region!”

National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy, who also works for the agency, says he’s very happy with the results and wished to extend his congratulations.

“The bargaining team worked extremely hard to ensure we got the best deal possible, given these uncertain economic times,” said Kennedy.

And for those of you who are curious about Mike LeBlanc’s cat…

“She’s very happy that her daddy is home and was super glad that the collective agreement has been ratified,” said LeBlanc. “It means daddy will be home more. Her tail is up and she is purring!”

Congratulations to our members – and here’s to the bargaining team getting some much deserved rest!

To find out more about the new collective agreement, click here.

Posted on

World Day of Social Justice

In 1912, Helen Keller sent a cheque to support the striking textile workers in Little Falls, New York. In the accompanying letter, Keller concluded:  “Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice cannot be attained.”1

Unions have long advocated for social justice. At the PSAC, the Social Justice Fund has worked to “advance the role of our members in building stronger communities, a better country and a more just and humane world.2

According to Louise Casselman, the PSAC Social Justice Fund Officer, the fund helps address inequities both at home and abroad.

“Unions are not just about putting bread on the table – that’s obviously an important aspect – but it’s also about reaching out and being active in the society we live in,” said Casselman.

About half of the fund helps support programs in Canada.

“We have a literacy program that we support, for example, in Nunavut, in the Prairies and  Atlantic regions and, right now, we’re supporting literacy programs for injured workers in Ontario and also immigrant workers in the area of Montreal.”

Literacy skills are especially important in our modern economy. The 2005 International Study of Reading Skills revealed that a great proportion of Canadians scoring lowest on literacy were immigrants or individuals who grew up with a mother tongue other than English or French.3

The majority of Canadians struggling with literacy report earning less than $25,000 a year.4

The fund also supports after-school programs for at-risk-youth and shelters for victims of domestic violence. The union is also teaming up with Canada Without Poverty to fight for decent public housing.

“We’re all working together to improve the lives of those people who are more marginalized in our society,” said Casselman.

She adds that many of our members are involved in these programs at the grassroots.

“It’s hard,” admits Casselman. “Union members work all day long, and then volunteer at night for their Local, Area Council or Human Rights Committee – it’s all volunteer time – and then they’re involved in the community. It’s a lot on their back.”

“It’s really important to bring attention to all this work, so we want to recognize all those champions of social justice that we have in our union.”

[1] Helen Keller, and Davis John. Helen Keller: Rebel Lives. Saint Paul, MN: Consortium Book Sales and Distribution, 2003. Print.

[2] PSAC Social Justice Fund Mission Statement

[3] The Daily, January 9, 2008, Stats Canada

[4] Idem

Posted on

Death leaves a heartache

“Death leaves a heartache.”

Those were the words on a card that Jennifer Chieh Ho, the UNE’s Regional Vice-President for B.C. and Yukon, received during last week’s Memorial March.

While countless Canadians were putting final touches on their Valentine’s Day plans, many others took to the streets to honour our country’s missing and murdered women. The first Memorial March took place 22 years ago in Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Over the past decade, these marches have started taking place in many cities across Canada.

Kristin Gilchrist, a co-founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit and a doctoral student at Carleton University’s department of sociology, says these marches have grown considerably thanks to the important work of countless grassroots organizations.

“They draw critical awareness to the violence happening in our communities, especially violence directed at Indigenous women,” wrote Gilchrist.

Chieh Ho and a few members of her Local attended this year’s march where it all started: in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She said she was especially happy to see such a diverse group of allies demonstrating for this important cause.

“There were many aboriginal brothers and sisters, but there were also a very encouraging number of men and women of all nationalities, of all ages, who came to support,” she remarked.

“The march took us to a number of spots where women were found murdered or were last seen before they went missing,” said Chieh Ho. “We took a moment at each spot to honour each woman.”

Chieh Ho said that a rose was left to mark each spot: a red rose for women found murdered – a yellow rose for women who have gone missing.

“I was a bit shocked and saddened by the number of times we stopped,” she added.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada has a list of more than 500 confirmed cases of missing and murdered native women – and those are just the ones they can actually confirm.

Gilchrist says that Indigenous women face many barriers when it comes to being heard.

“Barriers are especially apparent when there’s a failure by allies to make connections between anti-violence, anti-colonialism, and settler responsibility,” wrote Gilchrist.

She says Indigenous women’s voices are often included only as an afterthought or silenced altogether. And it’s not at all uncommon for those running their own agenda to simply expect these women to go along with their plans.

“These things happen far too often,” she added.

The Harper government continues to brush off demands for a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

As Jennifer Lord of the Native Women’s Association of Canada told us last year: “This is what the families want.”

There are many photos of the march on Flickr.

Posted on

Why am I working on Family Day?

For many of us, today is Family Day. And I can bet you a tasty cupcake that in lunchrooms across the country, this question is bound to come up:

Why am I working family day?

It’s a valid question. Last week, it was Family Day in British Columbia. As Regional Vice-President Jennifer Chieh Ho pointed out to CBC, many public service employees had to go to work while businesses and daycares were closed, causing headaches for parents with young children.

“In my office, I do have quite a few young workers who have little children, and some of them have had to take time off in order for them to spend time with their family, their spouses,” she told CBC.

But why is it that public service employees have to work on Family Day?

Well, for starters, Family Day isn’t a national holiday. It’s a provincial holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Prince Edward Islanders also have a provincial holiday today: it’s called Islander Day – Manitobans, likewise, have Louis Riel Day.

A federal public servant is entitled to statutory holidays that are fixed by proclamation of the governor-in-council (in other words, it’s a cabinet decision). Provincial holidays are enacted by lieutenant-governors.

If you’re a public service employee, there are two roads to getting an extra day off in February:

Family Day would have to become a statutory holiday.

Essentially, the federal government would have to pass a law making Family Day a statutory holiday. There was an effort to do something like that in 2007, when NDP MP Peggy Nash introduced a private member’s bill that would have made Flag Day (Feb. 15) a statutory holiday.

“Flag Day is a great day to have that break, especially in the middle of winter,” Nash told CBC. “It’s a good way to get over the February blahs.” (We agree!)

Or, Family Day would have to become part of the holidays recognized in your collective agreement.

The great thing about being unionized is that every member has the opportunity to improve their work conditions. Each time your bargaining team goes to the table, they present demands from the members.

It’s thanks to collective bargaining that we have paid sick leave and family leave – and, let’s face it, a greater number of vacation days than our non-unionized counterparts. There’s no reason why we can’t go to the bargaining table asking for another paid holiday, if that’s what the members really want!

Posted on

Update from the National Executive

It’s a big (and somewhat formal) boardroom. There’s a huge table that barely fits everyone. And there are a bunch of union officials from all over the country packed into one room.

It’s the national executive meeting and, at first glance, it’s an intimidating place.

“When I first sat down I felt overwhelmed,” admitted Melody Raabe, UNE’s newest assistant regional vice-president for Manitoba.

Raabe came to Ottawa last month to officially get sworn-in and to attend her first ever national executive meeting.

Very quickly, Raabe started to feel comfortable. “As discussions began, I quickly felt as though I was sitting around the table with family,” she added.

During the meeting, the national executive reviewed ongoing business, including actions being taken in regards to workforce adjustment. It was also the chance to hear about collective bargaining from members who are on the bargaining teams.

Later, the executive was given an update on upcoming conferences: the All Presidents’ Conference (in April! Register now!), the Human Rights Conference and the 2014 Convention.

The national executive also decided to establish a committee to examine how best to engage members.

Finally, PSAC President Robyn Benson stopped by for a meet-and-greet and to share a few thoughts. Benson was especially outraged about Bill C-377; a bill that demands “transparency and accountability” from unions.

“It’s a way to attack unions, because it’s specifically directed to trade unions,” said Benson. “We’ve been encouraging our members to go find the financial statements [on our website] and to look at them. We are open and transparent; our budget is passed by convention – the spending is appropriate.”

After all that, Raabe said she felt really lucky to be part of such a dedicated group of union activists.

“I soaked up every word,” she added.

“These individuals give so much of their own time, away from their families, to strengthen our union – and to help to fight injustice and inequality. It’s exciting for me because I think I was born ‘all about justice’. It’s why I’m so proud to be a part of our union and the UNE team.”