Minutes of the December 11-12, 2019 Executive Board Meeting

Therefore be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board adopt the OPSEU Executive Board Minutes October 23-24, 2019, November 20-21, 2019 and December 3, 2019 OMERS E-Poll.

Whereas OPSEU has oversight of its appointed and elected sponsors and trustee representatives and has an obligation to ensure the policies of the Union are being followed and that trustees and sponsors are acting with integrity and in good faith in all that they do; and

Whereas The Executive Board has already suspended Jennifer Richards from her position as OPSEU Sponsor Representative at OMERS as the result of significant concerns identified by the Pension Liaison Committee and furthermore are recommending removal; and

Whereas any OPSEU elected or appointed trustee or sponsor representative may be removed from their position by a resolution at a meeting of the OPSEU Executive Board, which has the approval of a majority of the attending OPSEU Executive Board Members;

Therefore be it resolved that the Executive Board votes to remove Jennifer Richards from the position of OPSEU Sponsor Representative at the OMERS Sponsors Corporation Board of Directors.

Whereas OPSEU is a member-driven union; and

Whereas inSolidarity is intended to be a vehicle for the voice of the members; and

inSolidarity Committee is responsible for fairly and responsibly writing and vetting submissions, editing content and laying out inSolidarity;

Therefore be it resolved that the following policy replace the policies titled “In Solidarity: Newsletter for Stewards and Activists” and “Awards: Best Local Newsletter” under Section 3 and “Awards: Best Local Newsletter” under section 15 of the Policy Manual:

inSolidarity: Newsletter for Stewards and Activists

OPSEU will fund a quarterly newsletter for activists. The newsletter will be steward-driven, reflecting stewards’ experiences and concerns. It will include practical tips on stewardship and internal organizing for the membership.

inSolidarity is dedicated to ensuring OPSEU has active and educated stewards in every workplace to effectively represent the membership. It is a vehicle for the free flow of information and discussion from the central union to stewards and back, and from steward to steward to steward. The content and editing of this newsletter will be determined by rank-and-file activists. Members have ownership of inSolidarity, and it should be viewed as independent of any particular segment of the union.

Content will come from OPSEU activists and other labour sources.

OPSEU will provide resources for inSolidarity articles to be uploaded to the OPSEU website on a regular basis between publications.

The inSolidarity Committee will be elected from among the participants at OPSEUs biennial Editors’ Weekend educational conference. The inSolidarity Committee will consist of five members whose term will commence immediately following Editors’ Weekend. The participants will also elect up to five alternates by plurality.

The inSolidarity Committee will elect a managing editor for the two-year term from among the committee members. The managing editor will be responsible for organizing and chairing committee meetings, working with the Executive Board Liaison to ensure all content meets OPSEU Constitution and policy requirements, and the staff to ensure the committee members have the resources to fulfil their elected roles.

To assist the inSolidarity Committee and to ensure good communications, an Executive Board Member will sit on the inSolidarity Committee as an ex officio member. The board member will provide guidance on the Constitution and policies of OPSEU and advocate for the inSolidarity Committee, as required.

The inSolidarity Committee will be charged with ensuring inSolidarity carries out its mission in a non-partisan manner. It shall be the determinant of what material shall be included in each issue. The committee will perform this role free from political interference, but will accept guidance from the Executive Board or annual Convention.

The following editorial policy will guide the inSolidarity Committee:

While all contributions are welcome, the inSolidarity Committee asks that they be constructive. They should contribute positively to the welfare of this union and its members. The committee will accept articles with only constructive criticism of union members or their actions.

To be considered for publication, articles must be signed and include local number. Anonymous contributions will not be accepted.

Articles that violate the Statement of Respect or contain allegations that may be inflammatory and/or cannot be verified will not be considered for publication.

The inSolidarity Committee strives for a positive balance between editorial responsibility and the members’ right to express ideas and opinions freely. Thoughtful discussion of all related issues is encouraged, and the committee reserves the right to edit for length and clarity, and to communicate directly with

submitting members, where there seems to be a misunderstanding of the union and its policies.

The Communications Department will provide the staff resources that are required to produce the newsletter and Web-based support of online articles. These include a staff liaison member to attend committee meetings, provide technical advice, assist with in-house liaison; access to the necessary computer equipment; and assistance from in-house graphic designers for logos or layout. If further needs are identified, the requests must be reasonable, considerate of the department’s workload, and should be made through the Administrator.

Convention

The inSolidarity Committee will attend OPSEU Conventions to provide a member view of Convention events. Articles and commentary will be provided to Convention attendees through electronic and/or hard-copy formats. The committee members will attend as media with no status otherwise. Where a committee member is entitled to be in a role as a participant at Convention, the member must choose which role to accept for the duration of the convention. In order to meet the inSolidarity editorial policy guidelines, an inSolidarity Committee member attending OPSEU Conventions as media cannot have any other role for the duration of the Convention. Budget for inSolidarity Committee members to attend Convention shall be part of the Convention Expenses budget.

Editors’ Weekend

There will be an Editors’ Weekend every two years to promote better communications within locals, sectors and divisions by providing education on written communication and the use of a variety of media. This will be a separate budget line for the applicable years.

Whereas the Local Time Off Fund is an important, useful tool for locals to access in order to book members time off for union business; and

Whereas the local is responsible to track the usage of this Fund and complete all necessary application forms; and

Whereas there have been some instances where Stewards have signed the Local Time Off form where the Local Executive Officers may not be aware;

Therefore be it resolved that the current Local Time Off policy be amended to require the signatures of two (2) Local Executive Officers, instead of two (2) Local Executive Committee Members.

Whereas the Local Time Off Fund is an important, useful tool for locals to access in order to book members time off for union business; and

Whereas the local is responsible to track the usage of this Fund and complete all necessary application forms; and

Whereas there have been some instances where Stewards have signed the Local Time Off form where the Local Executive Officers may not be aware;

Therefore be it resolved that the current Local Time Off form be reviewed to ensure it clearly indicates two (2) LEC officers should authorize the leave instead of two (2) LEC members.

At least one of the two signatories be an LEC Officers

Whereas the Local Time Off Fund is an important, useful tool for locals to access in order to book members time off for union business; and

Whereas the local is responsible to track the usage of this Fund and complete all necessary application forms; and

Whereas there have been some instances where Stewards have signed the Local Time Off form where the Local Executive Officers may not be aware;

Therefore be it resolved that the current Local Time Off form be reviewed to ensure it clearly indicates two (2) LEC officers should authorize the leave instead of two (2) LEC members.

Be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board waive the 30-day notice for expenditures in excess of $20,000 for this Board Proposal.

Whereas the Ford government has attacked public services in Ontario by freezing public sector salaries, privatizing cannabis, selling liquor and wine in corner stores, and restructuring and cutting public health care, among other schemes; and

Whereas all Ontario MPPs must understand that neglecting and cutting public services, and attacking public service workers, is harmful to the province, and detrimental to their constituents; and

Whereas OPSEU members are eager to fight back, and must acquire training and knowledge on how to campaign in order to be effective political actors in their regions;

Therefore be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board approve the expenditure of $434,275 for the Constituency Office Lobby Days (COLD) campaign.

In the resolve, after “approve the expenditure” replace the dollar amount with “outlined in the attached proposal”

Whereas the Ford government has attacked public services in Ontario by freezing public sector salaries, privatizing cannabis, selling liquor and wine in corner stores, and restructuring and cutting public health care, among other schemes; and

Whereas all Ontario MPPs must understand that neglecting and cutting public services, and attacking public service workers, is harmful to the province, and detrimental to their constituents; and

Whereas OPSEU members are eager to fight back, and must acquire training and knowledge on how to campaign in order to be effective political actors in their regions;

Therefore be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board approve the expenditure outlined in the attached proposal for the Constituency Office Lobby Days (COLD) campaign.

In the resolve, after the acronym “COLD” add “and other protest strategies”

After “protest” add ”/lobbying”… strategies

In the resolve, after the acronym “COLD” add “and other protest/lobbying strategies”

Whereas the Ford government has attacked public services in Ontario by freezing public sector salaries, privatizing cannabis, selling liquor and wine in corner stores, and restructuring and cutting public health care, among other schemes; and

Whereas all Ontario MPPs must understand that neglecting and cutting public services, and attacking public service workers, is harmful to the province, and detrimental to their constituents; and

Whereas OPSEU members are eager to fight back, and must acquire training and knowledge on how to campaign in order to be effective political actors in their regions;

Therefore be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board approve the expenditure outlined in the attached proposal for the Constituency Office Lobby Days (COLD) and other protest/lobbying strategies campaign.

In the resolve, last line after the word “campaign” add “, to include municipally elected officials”

Strike “within a week” and after “teleconference” add “in the first week of January 2020”.

Replace “in the first week of January 2020” with “on January 13, 2020”.

Referral of the proposal back to President’s office to come back via teleconference on January 13, 2020.

Whereas OPSEU issued a signed letter to the Employer of Brother Kazi Anwar OPSEU L.546 Member; and

Whereas Brother Anwar is not and has not ever been campaign manager of the federal NDP campaign or nomination campaign of Brother Kingsley Kwok; and

Whereas circulation of information contained in the original signed letter has not only put Brother Anwar in jeopardy by triggering a Public Service Act investigation by his employer and also risked compromise of the campaign of Brother Kwok;

Therefore be it resolved that OPSEU issues a signed follow-up of the signed OPSEU letter to the Employer of Kazi Anwar OPSEU L.546 Member and any and all recipients of the original letter with a clear statement that the original letter was incorrect to identify Brother Anwar as campaign manager of Kingsley Kwok and also including an apology for the error and any confusion it may have caused, with a copy each to brothers Anwar and Kwok.

After “this letter” add “or any other resolve that the parties involved agree upon”

Referral to president’s office to come to an appropriate resolve on this letter or any other resolve that the parties involved agree upon

Be it resolved that the hotel accommodations for designated Executive Board and Executive Committee meetings for 2020 continue to be booked with DoubleTree by Hilton Toronto Airport West.

Whereas Amy Stiles was a member of OPSEU Local 237 who worked in Conestoga College, part of OPSEU’s CAAT A Division; and

Whereas Amy was a nursing faculty member at Conestoga, where she worked as the coordinator for the Personal Support Worker program at Riverside Glen in Guelph, and where she conducted a “Living Classroom” with on-site learning for her students; and

Whereas Amy was tragically killed in a car accident in 2017 on her way home from a rally at Queen’s Park in support of striking college faculty; and

Whereas OPSEU has existing scholarships (i.e Larry Bishop Scholarship Fund, Curt Bishop Scholarship Fund) dedicated in memory of long standing union activists who worked tirelessly in support of all workers;

Therefore be it resolved that OPSEU create an annual scholarship, as a standing donation, in Amy Stiles’ honour with the amount not to exceed what is indicated in the proposal.

Be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board waive the 30-day notice for expenditures in excess of $20,000.

Whereas the next round of bargaining (expiry September 2021) for the CAAT Academic Division poses many challenges for the Division and many of the locals are facing turnover within their local executive committees, as many long-standing activists are retiring; and

Whereas the CAAT Academic Division is seeking re-engagement within the locals through a focused approach with the reintroduction of the Building Local Capacity (BLC) program as a critical factor in rebuilding the many locals in transition, and ultimately the Division, as we head into negotiations; and

Whereas the CAAT Academic Division is also seeking to update the 2014 Report on the State of the College Education in Ontario to educate the membership, and to support the fight against the erosion of the bargaining unit work and this document will also allow for the creation of a far-reaching organizing tool leading up to our next round of bargaining in 2021;

Therefore be it resolved that the Executive Board approve the funding for this two part request from the CAAT Academic Division in order to strengthen and mobilize their division;

Phase 1- the Executive Board approve the funding to allow for the Building Local Capacity program to be revitalized and the program to be rolled out to each CAAT-A local in 2020 in preparation for the 2021 round of bargaining including a one day Train

the Trainer session for 24 CAAT A Local members, 5 Divisional Executive members, the CAAT A negotiator and staff representatives with CAAT A assignments and

Phase 2- the Executive Board approve the funding to hire a faculty member on a temporary contract for a period of five (5) months to update the 2014 Report on The State of College Education in Ontario to reflect the current realities in the Ontario college system also in preparation for the 2021 round of bargaining; and

Be it further resolved that the Executive Board approve the funds outlined in this proposal and the funds be drawn from the contingency fund.

Be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board waive the 30-day notice for expenditures in excess of $20,000.

Whereas the social mapping project was launched to identify gaps within the membership; and

Whereas the response to the 2019 census has not met expectations; and

Whereas the membership will be more inclined to participate when they are contacted directly by their peers;

Therefore be it resolved that the executive board approve the amount outlined in the attached budget for member mobilizers to be booked off 5 days a week for 3 weeks to promote the census by making phone calls and allow for the census deadline to be extended to January 26th 2020

In the resolve, replace “making phone calls” with “to promote a census by communicating directly with members in ways other than travelling and attending meetings”

In the resolve, replace “phone calls” with “direct member contact and incentivizing with innovative prizes”

In the resolve, to strike “the amount outlined in the attached budget for member mobilizers to be booked off 5 days a week for 3 weeks to promote the census by making phone calls and allow for”

Whereas the social mapping project was launched to identify gaps within the membership; and

Whereas the response to the 2019 census has not met expectations; and

Whereas the membership will be more inclined to participate when they are contacted directly by their peers;

Therefore be it resolved that the executive board approve the census deadline to be extended to January 26th 2020

Whereas the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) continues to face aggressive governmental attacks on the hard-won Collective Agreement benefits and support for its members; and

Whereas the Doug Ford Government has already clearly indicated its position to further attack and reduce the Ontario Public Service (OPS); and

Whereas the members of the Ontario Public Service provide valuable, professional, and affordable services to the people of Ontario;

Therefore be it resolved that OPSEU send a clear message to the current and future provincial governments on its resolve to support all members in labour disputes by increasing the current strike pay by $2.50 per hour and dependent care by $5.00 per week to the following:

-$12.50/hr (from $10.00) for the first 3 weeks totaling $250.00 per week and to $17.50/hr. (from $15.00) totaling $350.00 per week for the 4th week onwards.

*Based on 4hrs. per day and 20 hrs. per week minimum of recorded strike line activity.

-$55.00/week (from $50.00) dependent care.

Therefore be it resolved that the Executive Board support the recommendation of the committee and leave Resolution C2 in against

Whereas St. Josephs Hospice Resource Centre of Sarnia Lambton has voted to join OPSEU on June 20, 2019; and

Whereas they are to be assigned to a local within the region and Local 145 has voted to accept these new members; and

Whereas the Local minutes from Nov 20, 2019 have been filed with the Corporate Secretary

Therefore be it resolved that the OPSEU members of the new unit, St. Josephs Hospice Resource Centre of Sarnia Lambton, be placed into Local 145

Therefore be it resolved that section 9.6 of our policy be amended as follows:

Joint Insurance Benefit Review Committee (Union Side)

A) The membership of the Joint Insurance Benefits Review Committee shall be:

1. The First Vice President, or a designee chosen from the Regional Vice-Presidents.

Amend to read:

1. The First Vice President or a designee chosen from the Executive Board Members

and

C) the First Vice President, or a designee chosen from the Regional Vice-Presidents shall chair the committee.

Amend to read:

C) the First Vice President, or a designee chosen from the Executive Board Members shall chair the committee.

To reconsider the consent agenda to amend the September Executive Board minutes

Be it resolved that the OPSEU Executive Board amend September minutes to add the names of Laurie Nancekivell, Edie Strachan, Anna Ainsworth and Joel Usher to be recorded as filing a minority report on the item of Censure.

Be it resolved that the donation recently passed in the 2020 Budget for the “GTA Injured Worker Resource Centre” be redirected to “Women of Inspiration”