Public Service Alliance of Canada BC

PSAC National Convention report by Carol Pegura, observer, PSAC BC Human Rights Committee - May 1 to May 5, 2006

It is my pleasure, as the observer sent from the BC PSAC Human Rights Committee to have attended the 2006 National Convention of the PSAC. It was an exciting, interesting and tiring week. A week filled with caucus meetings, equity caucus meetings, lunch meetings, lunch rallies, convention work, and social get-togethers, where the talk from morning until night was all Convention.

My participation began on Sunday April 30, 2006 when I attended the PSAC BC Caucus. Members in attendance discussed what was coming up beginning the next day, which included:

• privatization policy
• student hiring
• resolution 41A (cost or no cost - depended on budget passing) (costing in process)
• Joy indicated her component was not in favour of resolution 41A and was voting against
• discussion regarding credentials committee
• decision to wear out wonderful caucus shirts on Wednesday

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Delegates at the PSAC National Triennial Convention in Toronto pledged in excess of $45,000 to help members of PSAC Local X3050 on strike against BHP Billiton at the Ekati diamond mine, 300 kilometers north-east of Yellowknife. This amount comes in addition to the $100,000.00 already pledged by the Union of Northern Workers for its hardship fund.

The pledges were announced after more than five hundred PSAC members and supporters took to Toronto streets in a demonstration in support of Ekati diamond mine workers. (Images of delegates rally for BHP strikers).

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OTTAWA — The Public Service Alliance of Canada is planning its first organizing drive of the thousands of students it claims the federal government hires every year as ”cheap labour.”

John Gordon, PSAC’s newly elected president, said the campaign is aimed at ensuring students get top-notch job opportunities and income without being ”exploited as cheap labour” and undermining the jobs and security of regular public servants.

”The youth today aren’t much different than the youth of yesterday,” said Gordon. ”When you join the workforce as a student, you learn pretty quickly that you are doing the same job as the colleague next to you but you’re not getting the same pay and benefits.”

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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.

TORONTO – While 400 of its members at the Ekati diamond mine north of Yellowknife suffer the consequences of having scabs in the workplace, the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) applauds the anti-scab Bill introduced today by the Bloc Québécois aimed at stopping this practice.

“During the last session of Parliament, the Bloc introduced Bill C-263 which was lost by only 12 votes,” explained PSAC President, Nycole Turmel. “We will work with the Bloc Québécois and other Canadian unions to ensure that finally, workers under federal jurisdiction are protected by anti-scab legislation.”

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Delegates and observers at the Public Service Alliance of Canada’s 14th triennial national convention will demonstrate in support of the striking workers on Wednesday.

Delegates will be marching from the Westin Harbour Castle Conference Centre to the park located behind the Westin Harbour Castle Hotel. Speakers at the rally will include PSAC National President Nycole Turmel, Union of Northern Workers President Todd Parson, Ekati Mine striker Robert Beaulieu.
The Ekati diamond mine, about 300 kilometres north of Yellowknife, is something of a cash-cow for BHP Billiton. The mine opened in 1998, and cost about $900 million to build. But the revenue has long-since left that number in the dust.

When it’s at full production, Ekati cranks out from three to five million carats a year. The diamonds tend to be of very high quality, commanding prices of $110 to almost $200 per carat. Late last year, Ekati President Sean Brennan reported to investors that the mine earned more than $350 million, before taxes, in both 2004 and 2005 fiscal years.

Those diamonds account for about six per cent of the world’s annual supply by value, but four per cent by volume, according to the company. It’s all done with a workforce of about 740 people who fly in and out on two-week rotations. About 390 are members of the Union of Northern Workers, part of the Public Service Alliance of Canada. They went on strike on April 7, and the standoff continues.

Continue reading the CBC North Ekati strike feature.

On May 1, 1886, a general strike was called in the United States at a time when the right to organize and strike did not exist. A peaceful mass meeting at Haymarket Square in Chicago that followed was broken up by the police and led to the hanging of four labour leaders. All these events sparked the declaration of May 1 as an international day to remember and celebrate workers’ struggles.

One hundred and twenty years later, workers are fighting to protect their hard-won rights to organize, to bargain collectively and to strike. Recently, there has been a concerted effort by the labour movement to protect the right to bargain by pressuring Members of Parliament to adopt federal anti-scab legislation and first contract arbitration.

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OTTAWA - After six years as the PSAC’s national president, Nycole Turmel will be stepping down and making way for a new leader of the 155,000-strong union. Elections for the new national president and national executive vice-president will be held on Friday, May 5, 2006, starting at 8:30 a.m.

The PSAC Convention officially begins on Monday, May 1, in Toronto, but there will be a pre-convention forum on political action and social justice on the previous day.

The Sunday Forum

• What: Political Action and Social Justice Forum
• Who

• Moderator: Hassan Yussuff, Canadian Labour Congress Secretary-Treasurer
• Panelists: Olivia Chow, NDP Member of Parliament; Carole Lavallée, Bloc Québécois Member of Parliament; Alex Munter, Ottawa Mayoralty Candidate; Jim Sinclair, British Columbia Federation of Labour President

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.

Hello to all fellow members,

My name is Tracy Shudo I would like to put my name in as an observer to the PSAC 2006 Triennial National Convention. I currently am a Treasurer in my local executive and an active member on the BC Human Rights Committee.

As a member that has recently become more involved I feel I am learning and helping effect change in my local union and as an active member on the BC HRC.

I am a person with quite a few challenges but there always seems to be more good days than bad. It is with this thought that I am asking for the help to go to this convention. I believe that with my strong values and passions about all issues that effect all equity groups that sit on the Human Rights Committee .I could explain with convention what some of our strongest concern’s are. Be it the division of the Aboriginal and Visible Minorities convention, or the Gay Lesbian Marriage and how this law must not be changed and last but not least the people with Disabilities group the work on duty to accommodate and the re employment of members that are on LWO due to illness. We as a union have a voice in all these issues pulse more.

My job as an observer would be to network with as many delegates as possible to try and make alliances with members that can help pass resolutions that are important to our equity groups. The most important issue would be to report back to all members the events that took place during convention.

I am honoured to even be concerned for this opportunity.

In Solidarity, Tracy Shudo

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

My name is Carol Pegura, and I sit as a member of the Pacific Region Human Rights Committee. I would like to put my name forward as a possible observer to the upcoming PSAC National Convention in 2006.

At the National Convention, the work of the union will be done. Delegates and observers with gather, some have a voice on the floor, some have a voice which must be used off the floor. A convention gives us face to face time with delegates who have both a voice and a vote on the floor. It gives those of us going as observers the oportunity to meet others and provide them with different viewpoints. It gives us the opportunity for opinion and discussion. Questions will be asked of us and this is the perfect time to bring forward the issues of importance from our Human Rights Committee. The opportunity to do this is rare, but it is of utmost importance and provides the opportunity for delegates to see that human rights activists are real people, not just statistics. That some of our wants and needs are important and necessary for our members. Some will tell us how happy they are to hear our concerns, some won’t listen at all, but we will have the opportunity to network and possibly make a difference, if we send an observer. We can politely listen to opinions and give others the chance to hear ours. We also get face to face time to network with some of our like minded sisters and brothers.

It is not always easy fighting for equality and respect in a world where many are frightened and ignorant of others who are not entirely “like” themselves. As activists in our union affirming one another reinforces that all are embraced, regardless of race, culture, colour, disability, sexual orientation, as equal and valued human beings. This is what Union is all about.

If chosen to be the observer who gets to attend from our committee, I will do my best to address the resolutions which came up at the Unity Conference with delegates who have the voice and vote and who’s vote will make a difference. I will bring forward other relevant issues as charged by the committee and work tirelessly on their behalf.

I hope you will consider sending me.

In solidarity,

Carol Pegura