Edmonton District Labour Council (EDLC) Annual Labour School. February 24 26, 2017

Transcription

1 Edmonton District Labour Council (EDLC) Annual Labour School February 24 26, 2017 Your CUPW Edmonton Local Executive Committee would like to invite any interested members to apply to the Edmonton local office by Friday, February 3, The courses being offered at this year s school that may be of interest to you are: 1. Basic Shop Steward 2. Advanced Shop Steward (Representation Skills and Tools) 3. Contract Interpretation 4. Conflict Resolution 5. Collective Bargaining 6. Municipal Elections Retirement Planning/Pensions/ RRSP *Please Note: Not all courses offered are considered equivalent with CUPW education courses. Basic and Advanced Shop Steward courses are offered here as an educational opportunity but may not be recognised by CUPW. COURSE DESCRIPTIONS 1. Basic Shop Steward Shop stewards are the cornerstones of the labour movement. They are the first lines of defense for employees in the workplace. The members rely on shop stewards for firsthand information about their rights under the collective agreement. Shop stewards provide support, encouragement and inspiration in defending those rights. The best source of union leadership is found in the ranks of the shop stewards. They are key to a strong, democratic and activist union. This course is designed for stewards, committee persons and union activists. It covers: Communication with the members; their concerns, complaints and expectations. Day to day administration and policing of the collective agreement, the grievance procedure, including investigation and processing up to arbitration. Preparation for negotiations.

2 2. Advanced Shop Steward - Representation Skills and Tools Prerequisite: Basic Shop Steward This second level course builds on the framework of steward skills established in our Level 1 course. The course will focus on representation issues such as knowing your membership, working with union executive, grievance preparation, problem solving, conflict resolution and representation skills. Participants in the course will review the following topics such as: Review the 6 Ws Develop strategies to respond to common management tactics Simulate grievance investigation and interviewing Practice enhancing the participants role as a leader and activist 3. Contract Interpretation There is no magic formula to contract interpretation. Understanding the reason why your collective agreement reads a particular way will assist you in applying it at the worksite, in grievances and arbitration. This course will include: Principles of contract negotiations, how negotiations affect contract interpretation (the intent of the parties), Impact on current issues, Duty of fair representation, Duty to accommodate, Arbitration awards, Language in collective agreement, Process: negotiations, arbitral jurisprudence. Bring your collective agreement, your suggestions and your questions. 4. Conflict Resolution This course provides union activists with a toolkit of strategies, tactics and skills to manage specific disputes as well as conflict in the workplace. Managing workplace disputes and conflict focuses on mastering coaching and communication skills, investigative techniques, documenting facts, utilizing frameworks for analyzing disputes, strategies for generating alternatives and evaluation options as well as dispute system design techniques. After this course, representatives will be able to: describe a continuum of dispute resolutions options, evaluate appropriate frameworks for analyzing disputes, practice techniques for effective coaching of others within their union examine procedures for conducting investigations, contrast methods of generating alternatives and evaluating options or solutions demonstrate various communication skills, and identify techniques to deal with systemic conflict.

3 5. Collective Bargaining If you re on your bargaining committee, or if you want to know more about the bargaining process, this is an important course to take. We all have ideas about what the collective bargaining process looks like and feels like this program provides a closer view of what actually goes on at the table and in preparations for bargaining. It focuses on the importance of contract language, preparation, leadership, strategies and tactics for maximizing your bargaining power and developing a strategic approach to bargaining. 6. Municipal Elections 2017 No election campaign can be successful without campaign volunteers. This course will build the skills you need to help elect a strong, progressive voice to city hall or to your school board. The training covers the basics of an election campaign, the structure of your council or school board, how to reach out to voters in your community and how to build support for a candidate. Whether you ve never been involved in a campaign before, or whether you re looking to learn campaigning skills specific to municipal elections, this course is for you. Also included in this course is training on electing and supporting diverse candidates. Canada is known for its diversity. Yet, at almost all levels of government in Canada that diversity is not reflected by the people who we elect to represent us. This training focuses on how to engage with the diversity of your community in an election campaign. It also aims to build skills and resources necessary to recruiting and supporting candidates from diverse background. 7. Retirement Planning/Pensions This course will equip workers to better understand retirement planning, pensions, the politics of pension reform, and what labour activists are doing around pensions, specifically from a union and workers' perspective. The course does not require or assume any prior experience with or knowledge of pensions. Rather than providing an exhaustive look at pensions and retirement issues, the course offers a short introduction to the subject, providing resources for workers and activists to continue building their knowledge of pensions. Course materials for participants will be designed to facilitate further learning and involvement with pensions.

4 All classes will take place at Concordia University College of Alberta ~ 7128 Ada Boulevard Edmonton Schedule: FRIDAY, February 24, 2017: Registration Plenary Classes *SATURDAY, February 25: SUNDAY, February 26: *Lunch supplied Saturday 5:00-6:30 PM 6:30-8:00 PM 8:00 8:30 PM 8:30 AM-4:30 PM 8:30 AM-12:30 PM Please Note: You must be in attendance for all classes and times listed CHILD CARE: The EDLC will reimburse reasonable childcare costs. Please indicate on the registration form if you will require childcare reimbursement.

5 EDLC School Registration Form Name (please print): Work Location: Shift/Wave: Position: Scheduled Work Hours: Phone #: Choose one course from the course selection. First choice will be accommodated on first come first serve basis. 1st Choice: In the event that your first choice is not available indicate your alternative course preferences. 2nd Choice: Dietary Requirements/Allergies: ********** All applications must be submitted to the CUPW local office ( Ave) on or before February 3/17 **********