One of the most important jobs of the local is to ensure that members are informed about union activities and to help members to feel a common cause with the union beyond their own worksite. Too often, we hear some members say ‘”What has the union ever done for me?” Unfortunately, if the members don’t hear concrete evidence that their union is fighting on their behalf, they will assume that the union is doing nothing. If members don’t hear about their union from their Local, they form impressions from the mass media…and we all know what a distorted picture of unions that paints.
By keeping the membership informed about what is going on at the Alliance level, it is easier to a get them involved in the activities of your Local and those of the Alliance and the labour movement as a whole. Examples of membership involvement are campaigns on such matters as pension indexing, high interest rates, pay equity; demonstrations in solidarity with other unions and to support the maintenance and improvement of Canada’s social programs; political action programs with union and social coalitions; boycotts etc.
As members become more informed and educated about the union and the workers’ cause at the worksite, they also become aware of the role you play as a Local Officer in helping them reach this understanding. Both your credibility and that of the Local are thus increased. In turn, members start to come to you with problems and new ideas and you become more and more aware of the new needs developing within the membership and the changes necessary to make the Alliance a Union which truly responds to the needs of its membership.
The Minutes of the proceedings of the National Board of Directors are an important source of information to you as a Local Officer. These are distributed to Components and Locals for your information and that of the whole membership. If the Local does not receive them, contact your Component or the PSAC Regional Office if you are a Directly Chartered Local. The Minutes include the reports of the National President, the Executive Vice President and the seven Regional Executive Vice Presidents.
These reports give a general outline of the activities between the Board Meetings. You will also find reports of various Board Committees including the Finance Committee, and other items of importance to the membership. These Minutes further show the voting record of the members of the Board on all issues of current concern to the Union and to the membership. They provide you with some essential information about the position and orientation of the Union and of the Components on all substantial matters brought before them.
As a Local Officer and as a representative of your Local, you can have input into the decision making process of the Alliance at the level of the National Board of Directors. Component Locals are represented at the National Board of Directors by their Component President, Directly Chartered Locals by the respective Regional Executive Vice President, and the membership for Countries Outside Canada by their Regional Vice President (RVP)
As Component Local representatives, you can lobby your Component President by going first through your Component Regional Vice President (RVP). The Component Regional Vice-President is the voice of Locals on the Component Executive Representatives from both Component and Directly Chartered Locals can also lobby the Alliance Regional Executive Vice President. The newly established Regional Councils are important forums for direct communication with the Alliance executive officers and between Locals in the same region as well as information on union activities and debates on important issues. Finally, the Local’s voice can also be heard via Area Councils through the Alliance Regional Executive Vice-President in charge of Area Councils.
Further, meetings of the National Board of Directors are open to observers and Locals can be allocated a seat. In order to get this seat, you must contact your Component President or the Regional Executive Vice President. It takes an informed membership and active Local Officers to make a large Union, such as the Alliance, responsive to the needs of its members while providing leadership within the entire Canadian labour movement.
Staff support
There is a PSAC regional office in every province and territory and in every major city in Canada. The staff of the Regional Offices are there to provide union education, technical advice on workplace problems, coordinate campaigns and organize new groups of members. Regional staff negotiates collective agreements and provide advice and guidance to Locals on matters pertaining to workers’ compensation appeal boards and arbitration panels. In addition, there are staff in Ottawa who provide important support to the national leadership and administer a large national organization. Staff in Ottawa include labour law experts, researchers, media specialists, health and safety experts and human rights specialists.