National Local 20088

National Composite Local 20088 Executive Committee Meeting Minutes May 5, 2008

Attendees:

• Marion
• Andy
• Karla
• Duncan
• Zelda
• Jennifer
• Gordon
• Rodney
• Wanda
• Isabelle
• Colette Savarie, PSAC Service Officer

Guests:

• None

Regrets:

• Marie

Call to Order

Approval of Agenda (Karla/Gordon - carried)

April minutes approved as amended (Wanda/Andy - carried): May Minutes (once approved will be forwarded to Patrick Bragg for posting)

Officers of the Local - Oath of Office: Zelda, Isabelle, Rodney, Jennifer, and Duncan have all been officially sworn in!

President Report - Marion

• Attended Lancaster House Human Rights and Accommodation Conference in the beginning of April.  Valuable discussions on subjects like addiction, duty to accommodate, and privacy in the Facebook age.  Presented both Union and employer point of view.
• BC Regional Convention was April 18-20 quite a few of us from the local attended as delegates and observers.  Kay Sinclair was re-elected REVP, Megan Adams is Assistant REVP, and Karla was elected one of the alternate coordinators for the Regional Council.
• The PSAC is hosting a convention course on May 24th at the main office.  I would highly recommend it to anyone who will be attended a conference as a delegate or observer.
• Duncan and I attended a meeting at INAC about the re-organization of the Funding Services Unit in which 12 positions were deleted putting our members in a workforce adjustment situation.  We reminded management of their duty to consult as we were informed the same day as the general announcement and a week before implementation.  Also, one of the deleted positions was listed in the proposed Essential Service Agreements provided by the department.
• Applications as a delegate or observer are now being accepted to the PSAC Aboriginal Peoples conference in September.
• I received a final list of delegates to convention and the total from this local are  myself, Rodney, Wanda, Andy, and Steve so we will be well represented.

Vice President Report - Karla:

• New ADM working on office re-org and advises that changes will happen soon.
• Staff feeling is positive as most feel management is inefficient, management more nervous than staff.

Health and Safety – Rodney:

• Excellent JLP document which outlines “Operational Requirements” posted on the Steward Network site
• Raised the Translink program and the JLP planning for the next UMCC Agenda

Youth Report - Duncan:

• Camp Jubilee – Young Workers Conference
• UMCC will be attending meetings with Rodney

Finance Report - Andy:

• Income and Expense Statement for April 2008 was reviewed
• National UMCC held in Vancouver was very productive – management agreed to union interests
• Participating on the JLP Facilitator Training this week

PSAC Rep - Colette:

• Reviewed locations of Area Councils
• May 14 – Regional Women’s Committee (Regional Office at 5:30)
• July 9-13 Women Program in BC – Summer Institute for Union Women
• Union School – testing a new format with 15 options of which you could choose one on each day of the school to a total of 3
• Renovations – Floor 2&3 is planned for June / will be able to provide advanced courses (we will have to have our file cabinet moved to the new space)
• Stewards Network – on the website at psacbc.com and updates are being posted
• Health and Safety – is fully operational (Rodney participates)

Human Rights Report - Gordon:

• Participating on the JLP Facilitator Training this week
• Union Co-Char for the Health and Safety Committee at WD and National Rep for WD Health and Safety – working with the Management Accountability Framework by Treasury Board on the reporting of H&S, appears management team is more concerned about checking off boxes on the list than they are about the actual health and safety issues that exist in the work site, that they are more concerned about the quantity of activities rather than the quality, definitely need to have more attention paid to this file than they currently allocate
• Regional security consultation as a result of an incident that occurred at the Reception area (must monitor)
• Have a number of additions to membership with coop student terms who are very active on green initiatives

Steward Coordinator - Wanda:

• Reviewed out dated materials from our local archives… and will destroy materials from more than 7 years ago.
• BC Regional Convention – interesting resolutions, much time spent on items that weren’t burning issues for most of our members, need to anticipate some resolutions that may be considered for submission next cycle and discuss how some of the resolutions this cycle need to be addressed at National Component and then PSAC Triennial Convention.  Also participated by being one of three members on the host committee.

Passport Surrey Member At Large - Jennifer:

• Outreach event, need a date and meeting room – follow up invite
• BC Regional Convention – found it very interesting, realized how much there is to learn, Thank You to Marion for working out the approval to attend and the costing from National Component (much appreciated)

INAC Member at Large and Translink Coordinator – Zelda:

• Nothing new to report.

Canadian Heritage Member At Large - Isabelle

• Canadian Heritage was looking for a UMCC representative in mid-March and put out a call of interest to all staff – committee recommended taking some basic Union Education courses to help her on this like Understanding and Interpreting the Collective Agreement and Facing Management
• Consultation on the HR plan will be over in the next few months, new rules under PSMA have been challenging and process of hiring is much longer – usually over one year.
• Is there a future Leaders Forum with the Union? There should be one offered.

Next meeting June 16, 2008 at 5:30 at the Joyce Street Office (booked and confirmed by Wanda with Patrick Bragg)

Observers to Convention - Marion

• It was recognized that the experience of attending conventions has provided both the Local and Members with a good opportunity to learn, that our Local should support additional people to attend.
• Moved that Gordon Law be sent as an additional Observer to the National Component Triennial Convention to be held in Toronto from August 18-22, and that he be fully funded by the Local 20088 for all eligible costs. (Wanda/Jennifer – carried)

SWAG – Karla

• It was recognized that our Local has not invested in materials specific to our Local and that in order to do Outreach we wanted to have material bags with a special logo, carbineer key chains also inscribed with our special logo, and logo shirts for the Local Executive.  Information was shared on the cost of such materials and the related number of items that would make the most sense for an initial investment
• Moved that an additional $3,000 be allocated in the budget under the line item identified for Outreach for a total of $9,000 and that this addition be used for the costs (design, set up, embossing, shipping & taxes) related to the purchase of special logo print materials including 200 Accessories Draw String Bags, 500 Carbineer Key Chains, and 20 Executive “League” shirts. (Karla/Wanda – carried)

Special Event – Karla

• A number of people have agreed to work together on bringing this event together; they include Cheryl Oenema, Nicole Jacobson (both from the BC Regional Council Women’s Rep and Alternate), Terri Lee, and Wanda Stachura under the leadership of Karla Backer.  Additional contact may be made with potential additional members from NAIM and from  Grassroots Women (Monica).  Megan Adam has offered some funding in support of the event, just need to finalize the logistics and budget.  Planning Committee will have teleconference calls to discuss details (date, venue, catering, agenda, etc)
• Moved that a budget of $2,000 be provided as the base for the event to be used at the discretion of the Planning Committee and submission of invoices. (Wanda/Karla – carried)

Service Awards - Wanda

• Executive unanimously agreed to nominate Steve Houston for a Service Award in recognition of his contributions and activism in BC Region.

Area Councils - Marion

• Megan Adams has asked that we affiliate to Vancouver Area Council (.50/member) and Garry Fraser has asked that we affiliate to the Surrey/Delta/Langley Area Council ($1.00 per member for 40 members)
• Moved to affiliate to those Area Councils where members have identified that they would like to attend.  (Marion/Wanda – carried)

Surrey Passport – Correspondence

Executive received a list of member’s signatures requesting the creation of a separate local, no one attended to speak to the request.  Should there be a representative identified by the office to attend and discuss this request, the direction will be given that the same process that the local followed for the Parks request will be followed.  This involved the active involvement of three members at Executive Council meetings to demonstrate a viable Executive could be created, courses and training by the members would also be undertaken to demonstrate an understanding of the necessary procedures and policies to operate as a separate local, and that the recommendation of the Local Executive would have to be presented for vote at the following years AGM after the fulfillment of these conditions have been met.

Next Meeting Date, June 16, 2008, 5:30, Joyce Street Satellite office

8:20 Adjourned