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Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

On December 6, 1989, 25-year-old Marc Lépine walked into the École Polytechnique in Montreal and shot 28 people before turning the gun on himself. Lépine, who specifically targeted women because of their gender, killed fourteen women that day. The National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women is an occasion to remember those who died that day and take action to prevent other women from becoming victims of violence.

Violence against women takes many forms. In 2010, girls and women accounted for 7 in 10 victims of police-reported family violence.[1] Shelters for abused women in Canada took in approximately 62,000 women and 38,000 children in a one-year period between April 2007 and March 2008.[2] Women are about three times more likely to be victims of spousal homicide than men.[3]

When we speak of violence against women, we often talk about domestic violence. But many women are victims of violence in the workplace, which includes assault, sexual harassment, bullying, and harassment based on race, disability, sexual orientation, and religion.

In a 2004 study by the Centre for Research and Education on Violence Against Women and Children, researchers found that women “experience a range of physical, emotional and financial costs due to their harassment.[4]” The effects aren’t limited to the workplace; the psychological and economic toll often has repercussions on women’s family lives. These women find different ways of dealing with their experience:

Some coping mechanisms may help end the problem of harassment, and others may focus on getting through the day at work.  While some women confront their harasser, the majority of women cope in other ways, such as avoiding the harasser, denying the experience is happening and blaming themselves. [5]

The report identifies a number of suggestions for unions, including getting appropriate training, allowing women to bring their own personal support person into meetings with union representatives, and evaluating whether it is within a complainant’s best interest to address their complaints through a grievance, an employer designed process or a joint union-employer process.

For more information on workplace violence, consult the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety. If you know a woman who is being abused, Health Canada recommends contacting the following services in your community: shelter or transition home, police department, victim services, crisis centre or crisis line, women’s centre, social service agency or health care centre.

[1] Marie, S. (2012) Family Violence in Canada, 2010: A statistical profile Statistics Canada Juristat Article. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2012001/article/11643-eng.pdf

[2] Family Violence in Canada: a statistical profile (2009) Statistics Canada. Retrieved from : http://www.phac-aspc.gc.ca/ncfv-cnivf/pdfs/fv-85-224-XWE-eng.pdf

[3] Beattie, S., Cotter, A. (2009) Homicide in Canada. Statistics Canada. Retrieved from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/85-002-x/2010003/article/11352-eng.htm

[4] Carr, J, Huntley, A, MacQuarri, B, and Welsh, S. (2004) Violence and Harassment in the Workplace. Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children. Retrieved from: http://www.crvawc.ca/documents/WorkplaceHarassmentandViolencereport.pdf

[5] Carr, J, Huntley, A, MacQuarri, B, and Welsh, S. (2004) Violence and Harassment in the Workplace. Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children. Retrieved from: http://www.crvawc.ca/documents/WorkplaceHarassmentandViolencereport.pdf

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Let's bring people together

Everyone knew that I was ‘different’ – everyone except for me.

My family tried very hard to take the concept of “different” out of my understanding. Others took great pride in pointing out my disability to my parents and siblings – and to me. Some, believe it or not, thought that they were being helpful. Some just intended to be funny; others meant to be cruel.

All I know is how it made me feel.

I learned early that I would have to toughen up if I was going to be able to deal with being ‘different’. After all, I was reminded of my disability every day. Sometimes it was intentional and sometimes it was accidental – but I was reminded nonetheless.

I remember riding in an elevator with a father and his young son. As I left the elevator, I heard the child ask his father, “Why does that man walk like that?” His father quickly and softly replied, “Don’t ask questions”.

Why not? What is the fear? The fear of offending? Walk around me, ignore me or laugh at me – will I not be offended then? Is it the fear of embarrassment? Whose embarrassment? Yours or mine?

I wish that everyone had the self-assuredness of that young boy; I wish they had the courage to ask their nonjudgmental questions so that they could come to an understanding to satisfy their curiosity. I wish everyone would simply accept me just as I am.

Yes, I am different. But so are you. We need to be! Imagine how boring life would be if we had 8.3 billion copies of the same person.

We all need to learn ways to bring people together, not force people apart.

Unity in Diversity should be celebrated every day. On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, make it a point to ask someone to share a part of their story with you – and yours with them.

You may be surprised at what you find out – about them, or about yourself!

Michael Freeman is the Union of National Employees’ Regional Representative for Human Rights in Ontario.

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Rideau Carleton Raceway members get a collective agreement

The latest Local to join the Union of National Employees now has a collective agreement! Last June, we reported that employees at the Rideau Carleton Raceway, a racetrack and slots facility in Ottawa, became members of the UNE.

The new collective agreement is currently being proofread and awaiting signature, but the good news is that it’s already in effect.

Members of Local 71201 will receive a one-time signing bonus of $800. The collective agreement also gives them a grievance process for the first time, which means that they now have a way to address issues in the workplace.

On a day-to-day level, employees will now be able to select their shifts based on seniority. As for part-time employees, they now benefit from up to three paid lieu days, which they can use to leave work early or as vacation time – much in the same way that full-time employees use their lieu days.

The employees at Rideau Carleton Raceway have also been concerned with the future of their workplace ever since the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation announced plans to ‘modernize’ its activities. Luckily, the Local’s first collective agreement protects them in the event that their slots facility is purchased by another casino; the terms and conditions are guaranteed until the expiry of the collective agreement.

“We’re extremely happy that these members now have a collective agreement,” said National Executive Vice-President Eddie Kennedy, who has been acting as president this week. “At the end of the day, we’re talking about something that will really help us protect these members’ rights,” added Kennedy.

“The bargaining team should be especially proud of their hard work.”

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NCR-TB Regional Seminar: a great success

Last weekend, members of the NCR-TB region got together for a historic regional seminar; this was the first union event in the history of the PSAC that included a visit from the clerk of the Privy Council.

Wolfgang Schulz, of Local 70183, said that Wayne Wouters’ participation on the panel was the seminar’s highlight.

“I really liked what he had to say and the way he talked about what he’s doing for the public service,” said Schulz.

The regional team had organized a panel discussion that included, David MacDonald, senior economist at the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives, Mathieu Ravignat, NDP MP (Pontiac), Wayne Wouters, Clerk of the Privy Council and Larry Rousseau, regional executive vice-president for the national capital region of the PSAC.

“I’m very happy with how it turned out. We wanted to do something different, and I believe we have,” said Regional Vice-President Richard Balance.  “We haven’t done the same old, same old and I believe that has engaged the membership.”

The two-day seminar also included a number of workshops and sessions. The subjects covered included our union’s structure, human rights, how to run an annual general meeting, local finances and many more.

We took a bunch of pictures during the seminar: go to Flickr to check them out!

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Parks Bargaining Team Reaches Tentative Agreement

The Parks Canada bargaining team has reached a tentative agreement with Parks Canada Agency.

The package includes a number of breakthroughs, including salary increases, a letter of agreement on students and a subcommittee on benefits. You can read more about the package on the PSAC website.

“Getting student language is a huge deal,” said Mike LeBlanc, an assistant regional vice-president in the Atlantic region and a member of the Parks bargaining team. The proposed package includes a letter of agreement that creates a sub-committee of the National Labour Management Consultation Committee to discuss and recommend on student employment issues.

“It’s huge – it’s monumental.”

Parks Canada has had a tendency to replace employees with students. LeBlanc said it would be great to finally have students included in the collective agreement, as they’re essentially workers. He hopes this can be the start of a process that will offer students better protections, especially when it comes to health and safety.

The bargaining team is also proud of the improvements to volunteer leave. Employees will now be able to take volunteer leave when they reach 12 weeks of work, rather than the current 18-week requirement. “It’s a little thing, but it’s still there,” said LeBlanc

Many classifications at Parks Canada were underpaid in comparison to their counterparts who work for Treasury Board. LeBlanc said the tentative agreement will finally bring the members of the PG, FI and CS groups up to par with employees of Treasury Board.

LeBlanc, who spent twelve weeks at the bargaining table, is quite happy with finally having such a great tentative agreement to present to the membership – and doing so before the NHL!

“I remember some of our members said ‘if you guys can get a deal before the NHL, you guys are good.’”

LeBlanc and the bargaining team are looking forward to visiting Locals to discuss the tentative agreement.

“There’s something for everybody at Parks Canada. Everybody is going to benefit from the things we got. I’m quite eager to go out and talk with the membership and see what their reaction is,” said LeBlanc.

The Parks Canada bargaining team was at the bargaining table in Ottawa, last week. Among its UNE members were Céline Ahodekon, Benoit Dubeau, Mike LeBlanc, Kevin King, and Loretta Maur.

What do you think? Leave a comment below!

Correction: an earlier version of this article reported that students would automatically benefit from better protections in the workplace. In fact, the letter of agreement on students opens the door for discussion at the national level on student employment within the Agency. The union hopes that this will help students get better employment provisions and help us have better input on student issues.

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Protect the Prairie

Omar Murray, our union’s regional vice-president for Saskatchewan, recently brought to our attention a very important campaign by our friends at the Agriculture Union. We encourage you to go to ProtectThePrairie.ca and sign the petition. But first, here’s everything you need to know about the issue (yes, it’s time for a wee history lesson!)

In the early 1930s, the entire western world was grappling with the effects of the Great Depression. In Canada, Prairie West and British Columbia were the worst hit. A period of extreme drought and ill-thought farming practices led to massive dust storms commonly called dust bowls in the early 30s (and now you know why they call it the “dirty thirties”!).

Enter the federal government.

By 1935, the government is faced with a massive amount of citizens fleeing the prairies to look for work elsewhere – and then there’s that massive ecological problem in the prairies. Thus is born the Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Administration (PFRA) in 1935.

The PFRA is a great example of how government can help. Despite what some of your conservative friends might tell you, big problems sometimes need big government.

PFRA was established to deal with the problems of soil erosion (and related soil conservation problems) and lack of water resources for agricultural development. Emergency programs instituted to deal with the devastating drought included on-farm dugouts for the conservation of water for livestock, strip farming to prevent extensive soil drifting, seeding of abandoned land for community pastures, and extensive tree-planting projects to protect the soil from wind erosion.1

And it worked! Today, the program lives on.

The PFRA manages 87 community pastures across the prairies, occupying more than 900,000 ha.  Most were established in response to the drought of the 1930s. They provide grazing for local farms, protect the fragile land from erosion and protect biodiversity. […] The PFRA’s Shelterbelt Centre has provided trees and shrub seedlings to prairie landowners for farm, field, wildlife and agro-forestry plantings.2

Enter today’s Conservative government.

The federal government recently announced that it wants to hand over these crown-owned lands to the provinces. Saskatchewan is expected to sell off the lands; Manitoba may do the same. While Saskatchewan’s minister of agriculture says the government intends to sell or lease the pastures to existing patrons as a block, the Agriculture Union isn’t convinced this is realistic.

“Saskatchewan’s plan is fatally flawed because the huge price tag for that land is just not affordable for most producers. The voice of farmers and ranchers is just not being heard by the province or the federal government,” says Milton Dyck of the Agriculture Union.

Dyck said the farmers and ranchers share the union’s our concerns about protecting the environment and conserving these iconic lands for future generations.

Over at the Union of National Employees, Omar Murray is especially concerned about the loss of the Agroforestry Development Centre (formerly the PFRA Shelterbelt centre).

“Nearly every tree that you can see in Southern Saskatchewan, has been planted by somebody, whether it was in the farm yard or shelter belt,” said Murray. “We need to continue this program. Trees are the lifeblood of the planet.”

[1] Gilson, J.C. Prairie Farm Rehabilitation Agency. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved from http://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.com/articles/prairie-farm-rehabilitation-administration

[2] Canada’s Report on Domestic Activities Relevant to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. Retrieved from http://www.unccd.int/Lists/SiteDocumentLibrary/otherParties/canada-eng.pdf

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Trans Day of Remembrance

This International Transgender Day of Remembrance, over 60 transgender people who have been murdered or who died under suspicious circumstances are being memorialized. Among these victims is 26-year-old January Marie Lapuz from Westminster, British Columbia.

Lapuz was found in her home, fatally stabbed, on September 29.

“The obstacles she overcame as an immigrant, as a transgender person, as a person in poverty, as a person working in a high-risk occupation, she really overcame a lot,” said Alex Shanga of Sher Vancouver, in an interview with the New West Record.

“I learned that society is not providing enough supports for people like January Marie,” added Shanga.

Queen’s Human Rights Office notes that while there is insufficient research on the violence perpetrated against transgender people, preliminary research points to a very high incidence.

Carrie Davis, Director of Operations for GenderPac, reported in a speech in March of 1999 that almost 60% of [transgender] people are victims of violence. GenderPac is also compiling statistics on the number of [transgender] people who are murdered because they are [transgender]. According to their figures, currently in the United States, one [transgender] person is murdered each month. It is believed that this number seriously underestimates the real level of violence because these crimes are often attributed to gay-bashing or other causes.

Additionally, Queens remarks that a transgender person who is a victim of violence may be reticent to identify themselves as transgender when reporting the crime to police.

Trans Day of Remembrance events and vigils will be held across Canada and around the world. To find an event near you, please consult the International Transgender Day of Remembrance website.

For more information on how you can be an ally to trans people in the workplace, please consult the Canadian Labour Congress’ publication entitled Workers in Transition: A Practical Guide for Union Representatives.

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United for a fair deal – TC bargaining

A demonstration was held in downtown Ottawa yesterday, to support the technical services bargaining team. Bargaining with Treasury Board broke down earlier this year, so the team is appearing before the Public Interest Commission this week. The union hopes the commission’s recommendations will result in a fair tentative agreement to present to the membership.

“We’re here today to tell them what you do and why you need to be treated with dignity and respect,” said PSAC President Robyn Benson during the demonstration.

Members of the technical services table include accident inspectors, chemical decontamination technologists, grain-handling regulators, ship and train safety inspectors, and more. At the Union of National Employees, our technical services members include labour affairs officers at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada and inspectors at Measurement Canada.

These members’ collective agreement expired in June 2011.

“Our members provide services that are valuable to Canadians – and the employer needs to recognize that,” said Amy Campbell, President of Local 00258 and a UNE member on the bargaining team.

Campbell hopes that Treasury Board gets the message. “It’s clear that we have the support of the membership,” she added.

For more information and bargaining updates, please consult the technical services bargaining section of the PSAC website.

For pictures of yesterday’s rally, come visit us on Flickr!

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Asbestos: a public enemy

Howard Willems was always an active person. That is until two years ago, when he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, a form of cancer usually caused by exposure to asbestos. Sadly, Brother Willems passed away last week, with his family by his side.

“He was a building inspector for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency,” said Audrey Berlovan, Willems’ sister and a member of the Union of National Employees. Willems inspected a number of older food plants in Saskatchewan while they were under renovation.

“They were full of asbestos,” said Berlovan.

Since being diagnosed, Willems had been urging the provincial government to create a registry of public buildings that contain asbestos. Recently, Saskatchewan’s NDP introduced a bill that would do just that – and yesterday, the asbestos right-to-know bill passed the provincial legislature.

Even last week, while in hospital, Willems was meeting with union members and his city councillor to make the registry a reality. “Even the nurse said ‘you’re lying here, hardly able to breathe, and you’re still concerned about other people’s health and safety,’” said Berlovan.

The Saskatchewan government says it’s safe to assume that any building built before 1980 contains asbestos. “It’s a lot more prevalent than people realize,” said Berlovan.

More work to do

Berlovan wants union activists to make people aware – to bring the issue to their communities and cities. “Talk to your city council. The Saskatchewan Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization website has templates for anyone who wants to start a campaign in their city or province. [Their volunteers are] more than willing to help.”

Many UNE and PSAC members work in buildings that contain asbestos.

The World Health Organization estimates that more than 107,000 people die each year from asbestos-related diseases.