REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION JOHN COLTESS

Transcription

1 REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION JOHN COLTESS This Report covers my activities as the Regional Vice-President of the National Capital Region due to the resignation of Brother Terry Fanning from his position of Regional Vice-President of the National Capital Region. Since I was the Alternate RVP elected at the last UEW National Triennial Convention, I have assumed the role and responsibilities of this position. I am excited and ready for the challenge. The NCR Locals will be undergoing change and this is not necessarily a bad thing. This can be an opportunity for all of us to learn and grow personally and professionally. As this is a learning process, please be patient with me. I know I have a lot to learn. I will have the opportunity to be mentored by the National Executive and to be counseled by the experienced leaders within the NCR Locals. It is my belief that Brother Fanning was instrumental in developing the NCR Locals to where they are today and I will do my best to fill his shoes by providing the same level of communication and partnerships within the NCR Locals. I wish him the very best in his new endeavors. He will surely be missed. The NCR Region is very lucky to have very experienced and dedicated activists within the Locals and I hope we will continue to work as closely as we have in the past. I m very excited for our future and know we will raise the bar together.

2 -2-11 th Bi-Annual Ontario Federation of Labor Convention One of my first official acts as Regional Vice-President of the NCR was to attend the 11 th Bi-Annual Ontario Federation of Labour (OFL) Convention held from November 21 st to November 25 th, This was my very first OFL Convention and I must say that the sheer volume of delegates was impressive. The number of delegates attending the Convention was 1500 as compared to approximately 600 delegates from the last Convention. Even with these large numbers, it was mentioned that three other unions had pulled out of the OFL this year because of how the Federation was operating, whether it be policy and/or constitutional based. Nevertheless, due to the large number of delegates, the Convention has quickly outgrown the space at The Sheraton Court Hotel. Upon arriving at the hotel, I quickly registered for the Convention and the appropriate caucuses in which I was entitled to self-identify. I attended the new members orientation session where we were addressed by Sister Sandra and given an overview of what would be happening at the Convention for the week. We introduced ourselves and went through the delegate packages/kits and parliamentary procedure. We also discussed the election procedures, most particularly how we would be electing the Executive Board which consists of the President, Secretary-Treasurer, and 33 Vice-Presidents. The 15 largest unions or groups at the Convention appoint one member to the Vice-Presidents spot. The remaining spots are elected through caucuses along with their alternates. We all know that the NDP is electing a new leader in May of the coming year and we were addressed by one of the candidates, Robert Chisholm. Later that evening, there was a PSAC caucus where we had the opportunity to be addressed by some of the candidates running for office. I was taken aback to see that UNDE had nearly all of its Local Presidents attending this function. It was also a pleasure to see PSAC member Sister Sandra Griffith-Bonaparte running for Executive Vice-President.

3 -3-11 th Bi-Annual Ontario Federation of Labor Convention (Cont d) After the aboriginal opening, normally the Mayor of the City would have performed the welcoming of delegates to Convention. In this case, it would have been the Mayor of Toronto, Mr. Forbes. Due to Mr. Forbes political beliefs, he wasn't invited. Instead, John Cartwright, President of the Toronto and York Regional Labour Council, welcomed the delegation. The address of the President, Brother Sid Ryan, was powerful and humbling at the same time. Brother Ryan asked the delegation to help appeal to the unions that left the Federation to return and remind them that the labour movement is stronger when we stand together collectively. Brother Sid Ryan believes that we need to get back to the streets where we can show that there is fight left in the labour movement to protect our rights as hard-working Canadians. The young people in the Occupy movement happening throughout the world have taught us a lesson in organization and welcoming people of all walks of life. We need to fight for a better life/future for our children and family, fight for a living wage, full-time jobs and free healthcare. Volunteering for the Elections Committee with Brother Chuck Davis was an interesting experience simply due to the sheer number of delegates. When all was said and done, the senior leadership of the OFL remained the same with Sid Ryan as President. PSAC member Sister Sandra Griffith-Bonaparte ran a strong campaign against the popular incumbent. The resolutions and policy papers were debated with excellence and discussions were quite eloquent throughout the five days of the Convention.

4 -4-11 th Bi-Annual Ontario Federation of Labor Convention (Cont d) The following concurrence resolutions where presented to the floor and passed: i.e., 17 (Fair Taxation), 14 (Public Funding of Education), composite resolution 70 (Collective Bargaining for all), 72 (Canada Health Accord), composite resolution 76 (Homophobia/Day of Pink), 56 (Unions and Women s Leadership), 58 (Pay Equity), 50 (Social Service), 61 (Settlement Agencies), 48 (Child Care), 12 (Recruitment Agencies), composite resolution 71 (Anti-Scab Legislation and 74 (Condemnation of Mowat Centre EI Task Force Recommendations). In addition, the following Policy Paper was debated; i.e., Present, Protect, Compensate for the Next Generation. For complete details on the resolutions, it would be best to visit the OFL website at My thoughts on the Convention are positive and I enjoyed the experience tremendously. The rallies, marches, and theme throughout the week were of demonstrating the strength of the labour movement and its continuous commitment in working for a more prosperous future giving the next generation of Canadians a better tomorrow. Workforce Adjustment (WFA) Environment Canada has already developed its WFA Committees at the national and regional levels. Along with the Local Presidents of the NCR, I have sat on the Regional Committee and have already conducted two meetings. The sessions have been positive. The participating Branch managements have come prepared to the meetings and are willing to address the concerns of the membership being brought forward to the Committee. The frustrating aspect of this endeavor is that each Department is autonomous in dealing with and defining the merit used for the retention process.

5 -5- Workforce Adjustment (WFA) (Cont d) Therefore, any complaints or questions should first be brought to the Departmental Heads to get an answer in the hopes of rectifying the problem. It is also worth noting that the Committee does not have the power to force other Departments on what merit they should use. Nevertheless, it has been clearly identified that the more processes that are involved in the merit process for retention, the more transparent it becomes. I have been contacted by management and the Human Resources division of DFO and will participate in their upcoming WFA meetings. Annual General Membership Meetings This will be the first opportunity I have had to participate at the AGM meetings of other Locals within the NCR. It will be a great opportunity to meet the membership I will be representing. I have been in discussions with the Local Presidents on setting dates and times when each Local is thinking about holding its AGM meeting. Some Locals have already confirmed their dates and are in the process of distributing the information to the membership. Joint Regional Conference National Capital Region and Ontario Region Our Region will once again hold a Joint Regional Conference in The Conference will be held in Ottawa on April 18 th to April 21 st, It has been decided that the Conference will be a three-day event with one day allocated to training by the PSAC covering WFA and possibly the NCR Locals speaking on Mental Health Issues.

6 -6- PSAC Triennial National Convention I will be attending the PSAC Triennial National Convention being held in Ottawa in I have attended the Convention in the past as an observer and I am looking forward to participating as part of the delegation that will shape the financial and constitutional future of the PSAC. Regional E.O Representative The national office sent out a call letter for RVPs to initiate the election process of the Regional E.O. Representative. Two names were nominated within the NCR and when the votes were counted, Sister Melissa Chancey was elected for the next term as our new Regional E.O Representative. We look forward to working with Sister Chancey in the coming months as the PSAC restructures its E.O Program nationally. Unfortunately, there were no names brought forward as it relates to an Alternate to the Regional E.O. Representative. Union Activities - November 8 th to December 13 th, 2011 Date Activity Location November 8 UEW- Meeting at National Office Ottawa November 10 Call to each Local President Conference Call Ottawa November 14 DOE WFA Committee Meeting Ottawa November 16 Local Meeting Ottawa November 17 UEW Meeting at the National Office Ottawa November OFL Convention Toronto November 28 UEW Meeting at the National Office Ottawa December 8 UEW Team Session with National Office Ottawa

7 -7- Union Activities - November 8 th to December 13 th, 2011 (Cont d) Date Activity Location December 9 UEW National Executive Seminar Ottawa December 10 UEW National Executive Strategy Session Ottawa December UEW National Executive Meeting Ottawa