Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

We have lots of photos this month! Many from May Day in Vancouver where a good contingent of the PSAC BC members and staff joined migrants, immigrants, undocumented, indigenous and Canadian workers for the May Day Organizing Committee’s annual International Workers’ Day march & rally on May 1st. This years’ theme was “Reclaim May 1st, International Workers’ Day! March for Workers Rights!”. Megan Adam, Alternate-REVP and First Vice-President for the PSAC Vancouver & District Area Council (VAC), spoke as a member organization of the May Day Organizing Committee at Grandview Park in Vancouver.

As well as some from the 2008 BC Regional Triennial Convention (a full convention report and all the photos are coming soon) and from the May Day celebrations in Terrace where Be Gomes, RC Geographic Coordinator for Northwestern BC, distributed “Think Public!” materials with the Kitimat-Terrace and District Labour Council.

Cheers to Jack Seto and the GSU 20008 Executive for sending in some We Support Our Bargaining team photos (the posters have been signed and sent to the TB Bargaining Team) and to Rosemary MacKenzie, James Little and Cindy Little (RC Coordinator for the South Island) who attended the April 28th Day of Mourning event in Victoria.

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Delegates to the B.C. regional convention have re-elected Kay Sinclair as their Regional Executive Vice-President. Kay is particularly active in human, women’s and LGBT rights, as well as on issues involving health and safety and the environment. She has held the REVP position since May 2006 when she replaced now National Executive Vice-President Patty Ducharme, following elections at the PSAC triennial convention.

Megan Adam, a member of the current PSAC bargaining team for the Program and Administrative Services unit, was elected alternate REVP. Megan, a member of the Union of Environment Workers, is a Communications Advisor at Fisheries and Oceans Canada and community and anti-poverty activist.

Guest speakers PSAC National President John Gordon and Jim Sinclair, President of the B.C. Federation of Labour, were given standing ovations as delegates pledged to renew their commitment to political action federally and provincially in support of quality public services and in opposition to service cuts.

Delegates also acknowledged and thanked Regional Coordinator Janet Routledge for her hard work and commitment to the PSAC. She leaves to join the Federation of Labour later this summer.

The convention was held in Vancouver from April 18 to 20. We will have a full convention report, updated list of regional council members, and photos available on the regional website shortly.

It is a privilege to submit the report of the Regional Executive Vice-President to the delegates, observers, and guests of the 2008 BC Regional Triennial Convention and to the membership of the Public Service Alliance of Canada in BC.

While the REVP-BC is required by the BC Region By-Laws to submit this report to Convention, I do so on behalf of, and thanks to, all members and staff who contribute to PSAC BC. Whether it is as a member of the PSAC BC Regional Council, a Local or Branch Executive member, an activist on a regional committee, a Component national or regional officer, a strike captain, a steward, a rank-and-file member, or a PSAC regional staff member, you make a difference in our Region, and you make our Union strong.

This report highlights some of our main accomplishments over the past three years, and perhaps more specifically since I took office as REVP for B.C. in May 2006.

Download this document as a .pdf: Report of the REVP to the 2008 BC Regional Convention or continue reading below

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Here are the resolutions that have been submitted by Locals, Area Councils & Committees to the 4th BC Regional Triennial Convention. The Finance, Bylaws, and General Resolutions Convention Committees have been working hard on their reports and we plan to have them available to members and delegates by the end of this week.

Download the …

• Resolutions referred to the By-laws Resolutions Committee
• Resolutions referred to the Finance Resolutions Committee
• Resolutions referred to the General Resolutions Committee

Please note they are all .pdf documents.

Also please note the Regional Office will make a list of Convention delegates available to any delegates that require them.

The Vancouver Area Council is preparing for the upcoming PSAC BC Regional Convention and plans to discuss resolutions and other issues.

• Vancouver & District Area Council Meeting
• Tuesday April 8, 5PM
• 200-5238 Joyce St. (1 1/2 block south of the SkyTrain)

The Area Council has authored a number of resolutions, but any resolutions submitted to the Convention can be taken up.
All delegates and observers to PSAC BC Regional Convention as well as interested members in the Lower Mainland are welcome to attend! Please RSVP to the Vancouver RO at 604.430.5631 as a light dinner will be served.

All delegates are asked to complete the delegate registration form and return to the REVP’s office by February 25th.

• Download the delegate registration form (.doc)
• Download the delegate registration form (.pdf)

The nominations have been re-opened for the PWD and Aboriginal delegate elections, the deadline for nominations is Wednesday, February 20, 12:00 noon.

•  Download a delegate nomination form (pdf)

And a reminder: the deadline for sumbission of resolutions to the BC Regional Convention is February 15, 2008. Resolutions may be submitted by Locals, Branches, Regional Women’s Committees, Area Councils in good standing, and nationally and regionally recognized committees. We welcome resolutions written in clear language format.

Funding for the B.C. Regional Triennial Convention will be as follows:

For those delegates living more than 20 kilometres from the Hyatt Regency:

• PSAC will cover the costs of hotel, travel, per diem, parking, and loss of salary for Thursday, if a travel day.
• If on shift on Saturday and/or Sunday, loss of salary will be provided.
• Loss of salary for Friday will not be covered.

For those delegates living 20 kilometres or less from the Hyatt Regency:

• PSAC will cover the cost of travel, meals, and parking.
• Hotel will not be provided.
• If on shift on Saturday and/or Sunday, loss of salary will be provided.
• Loss of salary for Friday will not be covered.

A registration fee of $50.00 will be requested from all delegates, and observers.

If you have any questions about funding please contact Regina Brennan or call 604-430-5631/1-800-669-1655.

The deadline for nominations for the racially visible delegate to the B.C. Regional Convention has been extended to Friday, January 25th at 4 p.m. The Convention will be held in Vancouver from April 18-20, 2008.

Nominations for the racially visible delegate are open to racially visible members in good standing who have self-identified. Please ensure you have completed the self-identification form.

Please see the attached nomination form (pdf) which may be faxed to the REVP office at (604) 430-0194.

This is the official call for nominations for the position of Regional Executive Vice-President and Alternate Regional Executive Vice-President for the BC Region. Elections for these positions will be held at the BC Regional Convention in Vancouver, April 18-20, 2008.

As a result of a decision by delegates at the 2003 PSAC Convention, Regional Executive Vice-Presidents and their Alternates are elected in the regions, at their respective Regional Conventions. Any PSAC member in good standing in BC is entitled to run for these two positions. The nominator and the seconder must be delegates to the BC Convention.

As Regional Coordinator, I have been assigned the responsibility for sending out the call for nominations, receiving the nominations in advance of the Regional Convention, and working with the Nominations Committee at the Convention itself.

Here’s how the procedure will work, and what to do if you want to run for office.

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Call Letter: 4th Triennial British Columbia Regional Convention, April 18-20 2008

The British Columbia Regional Convention of the Public Service Alliance of Canada will be held at the Hyatt Regency Vancouver at 655 Burrard Street, Vancouver, from Friday, April 18 to Sunday, April 20.

Delegates to the B.C. Regional Convention will be elected based on Section 9 of the B.C. Regional Council By-Laws and Regulation 1 (below).

Information on funding available to delegates will be provided under separate cover.

The following positions will be elected at the B.C. Regional Convention (subject to any by-law changes)

• The Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP)
• The Alternate REVP

Geographic Coordinators to be elected:

• North Vancouver Island 1 (one)
• South Vancouver Island 2 (two)
• Northern B.C. 2 (two)
• Okanagan/Kootenay 2 (two)
• Fraser Valley 2 (two)
• Metro Vancouver 3 (three)

Constituency coordinators to be elected:

• Women 1 (one)
• Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgendered 1 (one)
• Racially Visible 1 (one)
• Aboriginal 1 (one)
• Members with Disabilities 1 (one)
• Directly Chartered Locals/small Separate Employer Units 1 (one)
• National Officers 1 (one)
• Youth (under 30 years of age)
  1 (one)
• Health and Safety 1 (one)

Delegate s/election:

• Equity delegates: One delegate will be elected from each of the following equity groups: Racially visible; aboriginal; lesbian, gay, transgender, bisexual; and members with a disability.
• Youth delegates: Three delegates will be elected amongst youth members.
• Directly chartered locals/small separate employers: One delegate will be elected from amongst the applicable locals. (We will contact the affected locals.)
• Mail-out ballots will be sent out once the nominations have been closed.
  To nominate or be nominated you must be a member in good standing.

Timelines:

• Nomination forms for above-mentioned delegates must be received by the REVP Office by January 14th, 2008.
• Ballots for Delegate elections will take place in January/February 2008
• Please note that Local and Component delegates will be s/elected within the Locals and Components, and therefore the nomination forms do not apply. We will be contacting Locals directly to confirm their delegate entitlements.
• Please also note that Area Council, Regional Women’s Committee, and B.C. Human Rights Committee delegates will be s/elected within their respective constituencies.
• We ask that names of delegates be provided to our office by February 15th, 2008.
• Resolutions to the B.C. Regional Convention must be received by the REVP Office by February 15th, 2008. We welcome resolutions written in clear language format.

Attachments:

• Section 9 of the By-laws
• Regulation 1
• Nomination Form

For further information or assistance contact:

Kay Sinclair, BC REVP or Dellie Lidyard, Assistant to the REVP

302 – 5238 Joyce St. 604-430-0191 (phone)
Vancouver, B.C. V5R 6C9 604-430-0194 (fax)
email : revp-bc@psac.com 1-866-811-7700 (toll free)

We look forward to our 4th Triennial B.C. Convention - we see it as a forum for advocating for quality public services, advancing the rights of PSAC members, advocating for and with allies in the community, and perhaps even having some fun.

PSAC BC Education Forum - Dinner and Workshop on Writing Effective Resolutions

• December 12th
• Dinner @ 5:30 pm, workshop @ 6pm
• Vancouver RO - 200-5238 Joyce, 1 1/2 blocks south of the Skytrain

Regional and component conventions are coming up quickly and the deadlines for submitting resolutions are fast approaching! Are you interested in finding out what makes a good resolution? Want to find out how to write resolutions more effectively and get support for them? If there is enough interest, we would like to hold an evening workshop on Wednesday, December 12th on how to write resolutions as part of our education forum series.

All members from Vancouver and the surrounding areas are invited -please RSVP by December 5th to Amal Rana, 604.430.5631 or ranaa@psac.com, a catered dinner will be served.

TORONTO - John Gordon has been elected as the National President of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Gordon has been the union’s National Executive Vice-President since 2000. Competing against three other candidates, Gordon was elected on the third ballot. Over 400 Convention delegates participated in this process.

“PSAC will be moving quickly to implement the plan to defend quality public services adopted at our convention this week,” said Gordon. “We don’t intend to have the Conservative government’s proposed budget ’savings’ come at the expense of needed public services and our members’ jobs.”

Prior to his election as National Executive Vice-President, Gordon was the National President of the Union of Public Works Employees from 1982 to 1999. A PSAC activist since 1974, when he joined the federal public sector as a tradesperson with Public Works Canada, Gordon has held a variety of union positions in his Component.

Delegates also elected Patty Ducharme as the union’s National Executive Vice-President. For the past six years, Ducharme has been PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President (REVP) for British Columbia. Prior to her election as REVP in 2000, Ducharme had worked as a customs inspector in British Columbia and served as First Vice-President of Branch 20040 of the Customs Excise Union Douanes Accise (CEUDA). She has been a PSAC activist for over 20 years holding a number of union positions.

In a two-way contest, Union of Postal Communications Employees President Richard Des Lauriers was elected alternate National Executive Vice-President. All elected officers take up their duties effective immediately.

The countdown has begun!

In a month’s time, delegates, observers, guests and staff will be gathering in Toronto during the 14^th National Triennial Convention. To find out more about the agenda and what delegates will be debating, visit the national website. The agenda, resolutions book and various committee reports have all been posted.

Approved at the RC meeting May 13-14, 2001

Requests for conference grants should

• be in writing (email or paper) to the REVP’s office
• be received 3 weeks prior to registration deadline
• contain a rationale why this conference would be valuable for the applicant
• give an indication how the information/experience obtained at the conference will be used by the participant in union activities
• indicate any other efforts the applicant has made to obtain funding

All requests will be forwarded to the Grant’s Committee for approval.

The following considerations will be used to award grants:

• is the conference is labour, political or social activism related?
• will the Region benefit from our participation in this event?
• has the applicant been awarded previous grants for conferences? if yes, when?
• normally we will not fund more than 3 participants for the same conference
• exceptions to the above should be mostly in the lower-cost category

Grants:

Conference outside BC: $500.00
Conference in BC, and participant has to fly: up to $500.00
Conference in BC and no need to fly: $250.00

There should be a written report to the REVP’s office within one month of the event.

Download a conference subsidy application (pdf).