Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

Advanced Steward Training (AST)

This training will be of interest to members who have some experience representing members on workplace problems. The focus of this course will be on the attitudes, knowledge, and skills required by the effective Union Representative. Topics will include the Duty of Fair Representation; building a case file; communicating with complainants and grievors; case analysis and preparation; and making effective presentations to management.

Prerequisites: TUB and Grievance Handling

Course dates & locations

• Victoria, for members on Vancouver Island - June 1-4, 2007
• Vancouver, for members on the mainland - June 7-10, 2007

To apply: download and mail or fax back to either the Vancouver or Victoria RO.

• Vancouver Island application form (pdf)
  
• Mainland application form (pdf)
  

Health and Safety Level II

This advanced Occupational Health & Safety Course has been designed to allow workplace Health and Safety committee members, worker representatives and activists to develop tools, resources and strategies to tackle more complex Health and Safety issues in their workplaces. The course will take place March 9,10,11 at the Hilton in Burnaby.

• Apply online for this course (deadline: Feb 9th)
  

The course will explore the general concepts of legislation relevant to the safety field and through a comprehensive review of the Canada Labour Code Part II, will set the tone for introducing the concepts of workers’ compensation, safety regulation, due diligence, consultation and enforcement.

|inline

The preliminary education schedule for spring 2007 has been posted on the education page. We have scheduled courses for Vancouver & the Island. The schedules for the Fraser Valley, North and Okanagan will be posted soon.

How important is your CLC Winter School? Would you believe us if we say that it will help improve the lives of millions? The accomplishments of the labour movement in Canada over the last 50 years have raised the quality of life of the vast majority of Canadians to a point envied by many nations. In the beginning, each and every one of these accomplishments started out as a struggle for union activists and their allies.

But these were activists that were trained to win. You will acquire some of that knowledge and many of these skills during your week at winter school.

The Canadian Labour Congress Winter School will take place January 21^st to February 16^th in Harrison Hot Springs.

Visit the CLC Winter School website for more information, including online application and course descriptions. The registration deadline is December 15^th

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 402 has established, through the BC Federation of Labour, a memorial scholarship for a union woman to attend the “Women In Leadership” course at the Canadian Labour Congress Harrison Winter School, January 21 - 26 2007.

The scholarship will cover the costs of tuition, accommodations and meals for this event.

|inline

The PSAC has just produced a booklet which offers information on staffing in the Federal Public Service. The booklet includes suggested questions to help Locals intervene effectively in their workplace staffing regime.

|inline

The application deadline for the 2006 Union School, which will take place November 17-19, is Friday October 13th.

Union School is an opportunity for PSAC members to gain more specialized knowledge and skills. You will network with other members from BC and return to your workplaces and locals energized and educated to work on behalf of the membership. This years courses:

• Stress and Conflict in the Workplace: Identifying Tools for Change
• Health and Safety Activism: Empowering And Mobilizing Members
• Human Rights Are Workers’ Rights: Becoming Effective Human Rights Activists
• Building For Tomorrow: Revitalizing Your Local - Recruiting New Activists
• Bargaining From Strength: Strategies For Getting Better Collective Agreements

Read more about the Union School here, or go straight to the online application.

PSAC members from Treasury Board locals who are interested in facilitating workshops for the PSAC-PSHRMAC Joint Learning Program (JLP) can apply on-line to become program facilitators.

The next JLP Facilitator Orientation course in the BC region will be in Vancouver from November 6 – 10, 2006. The deadline date for applications is September 29, 2006. For more information, visit the JLP web site.

The British Columbia Federation of Labour (BC Fed) is offering numerous upcoming Occupational Health and Safety Educational opportunities. These courses are single day events at a cost of $85.00. The following is a list of courses being offered

Registration forms can be obtained through the BC Fed’s website or by contacting James Little at the BC PSAC office. For further information, please visit the BC Federation of Labours Occupational Health & Safety Education Resource Center.

PSAC members from Treasury Board locals who are interested in facilitating workshops for the PSAC-PSHRMAC Joint Learning Program (JLP) can apply on-line to become program facilitators.

The next JLP Facilitator Orientation course in the BC region will be in Vancouver from November 6 – 10, 2006. The deadline date for applications is September 25, 2006. For more information, visit the JLP web site.

This course is a follow-up from the Women at Work Part I that was held last year. Each participant or group of participants from 5 geographic areas were asked to decide on a course that would be meaningful to women activists in their respective geographic areas, and to set a date and recruit participants for this one day course. The areas were to be each location where there is an existing Women’s Committee and one location where there might be sufficient interest to start another Women’s Committee. Therefore, the areas will be: Vancouver, Victoria, Prince George, Okanagan and North Island. We agreed to hold the Vancouver training in Surrey.

|inline

The YOUR course application deadline is in 7 days …

The YOUR course is a participatory, action-oriented course for PSAC members under the age of 30. It is a unique opportunity for young workers to share their experiences, discuss common struggles and analyze the issues they face at work, in the Union and in society. The course will take place in Vancouver, September 30 & October 1, 2006.

Click for more information, or go straight to the online application.

New weekend courses have been announced in Nelson, to take place in the fall …

Click for the full education schedule, and/or apply for these courses online.

Young, Organizing, Unionizing and Resisting!

YOUR course is a participatory, action-oriented course for PSAC members under the age of 30. It is a unique opportunity for young workers to share their experiences, discuss common struggles and analyze the issues they face at work, in the Union and in society.

Participants will discuss their rights as workers and discuss what it means to be in a Union like the PSAC. They will also share and learn about global issues and discuss the role of young workers in the dynamic movement for social justice.

The course will take place in Vancouver, September 30 to October 1. Members under 30 from across the province are encouraged to apply before the deadline of August 18. Apply on line here and/or download the course poster (pdf).
|inline

After a brief hiatus, the highly successful PSAC-PSHRMAC Joint Learning Program is back! The initiative resulted from the collective bargaining in the fall of 2004 and over $8M was dedicated to the Joint Learning Program (JLP) to fund learning activities, designed and delivered jointly by union and management. It highlights how bargaining agents and the employer can work together to modernize and improve relations in the workplace. Click for more information about the Joint Learning Program.

JLP Regional Field Coordinators

The JLP is recruiting 12 field coordinators to help implement the program across the country. The coordinators, 6 to represent the PSHRMAC and 6 to represent the PSAC, will be hired for 2 year terms. If you are interested in applying for one of these positions, or would like more information, visit the JLP web site.

Become a JLP faciliator …

The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC), and the Public Service Human Resources Management Agency of Canada (PSHRMAC) invite you to apply to join our team of facilitators for the PSAC-PSHRMAC Joint Learning Program (JLP). Read more at jlp-pam.ca.

This years Union School will take place on November 17,18,19th at the Hilton Metrotown, Burnaby.

What is the Union School?

Union training at its best! It is an opportunity for PSAC members to gain more specialized knowledge and skills. You will network with other members from BC and return to your workplaces and locals energized and educated to work on behalf of the membership.
Courses offered this year:

• Health and Safety Activism: Empowering And Mobilizing Members
• Human Rights Are Workers’ Rights: Becoming Effective Human Rights Activists
• Building For Tomorrow: Revitalizing Your Local - Recruiting New Activists
• Bargaining From Strength: Strategies For Getting Better Collective Agreements

For more information, and to apply on-line, visit the Union School 2006 page.

Collective Bargaining: How It Works And How To Make It Work!

We have a collective agreement but how did it come about? This 1 day course is for those who wonder about the “who”, “what”, “why”, “when”, “where” and “what” of the process. Who is at the bargaining table? Why does it take so long? What is conciliation? Why do we need to take a strike vote? What happens at the expiry date of our collective agreement? These questions and more will be answered during this short primer on collective bargaining. But more importantly, we will look at ways individual members can be involved, and things our union locals can do to increase membership interest and participation in collective bargaining.

Note that this course is geared towards members in the following bargaining units: Treasury Board, Agencies and other federal separate employers. Members in non-federal government bargaining units are encouraged to apply for the Bargaining From Strength: Strategies for Getting Better Collective Agreements course being offered at the Union School from November 17th-19th. Here are more details about the Union School. Click below for the course schedule.

|inline

Here is the upcoming education and meeting schedule for June …

For the full schedules, visit the education page or the calendar pages. Apply online for these courses.

Here are some recent additions and changes to the PSAC education schedule:

Visit the education page to see all the courses scheduled to date. Register for these courses online.

Please note some recent additions the PSAC BC education schedule …

Visit the education page to see all the courses scheduled to date. Register for these courses online.