Union News - October 2023
The UTE National Triennial Convention was held for the first time in Winnipeg from August 16-19, 2023. There were 188 delegates in attendance along with 88 observers, 14 guests, 12 Life Members and Honorary Members and 15 staff.
The Convention began with the President, 1st Vice-President, the 2nd Vice-President, the 10 Regional Vice-Presidents, and the Life and Honorary Members being piped in.
Linda St. Cyr-Saric, an Indigenous Elder, was introduced. She is a proud Red River Métis woman and citizen of the Manitoba Métis Federation. Linda did a land acknowledgement and said a prayer. She was thanked for her attendance and provided with a token of appreciation from UTE.
The first order of business was to the adopt the Convention Rules of Order. There were a number of procedural motions proposed to amend the Rules of Order. These various motions were defeated, and the Rules of Order were adopted.
Attendees were greeted by the President of the Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL), Kevin Rebeck. Kevin has been active in the labour movement for over 30 years. Brother Rebeck as president the MFL pushed for domestic violence legislation that later spread across Canada, except for Nunavut. He spoke about having a strong united labour movement, a living wage, strong health and safety legislation, strong public services, and adequate staffing.
A moment of silence was observed to commemorate the members who had passed away since the last convention. Their names were displayed during this period.
After all the procedural issues were dealt with, convention was presented with, and passed the reports of the National President, the First Vice-President and the Second Vice-President.
The first committee called was the finance committee. One of the primary responsibilities of the committee is to present a three-year budget for the operations of UTE. Doug Gaetz, First Vice-President, and chair of the committee went through the various items that make up the budget. After debate and questions from the delegates, the budget passed unanimously. The committee’s first recommendation, a line item for promotional items to increase visibility at the PSAC National Convention was carried. The second recommendation, that carries over the unused amounts allocated for non-UTE events and National and Regional Conferences from year to year until 2026, was also carried. The third recommendation setting the per diem was passed earlier.
During the course of debates throughout the convention on various resolutions with a cost, there was a total dues increase of $0.53 per member/ per month or a yearly dues increase of $6.36.
What follows are the highlights of August 17-19 identifying events or resolutions which might be of more interest to the membership.
August 17
A resolution passed which asked that UTE enter into discussion with employer to speed up the accommodation process. Currently it takes far too long for members’ accommodations to be dealt with.
A resolution passed that a review be undertaken of all UTE media to ensure accessibility for all of our members.
During the lunch period, many convention attendees went to the Canadian Human Rights Museum to show their solidarity with our indigenous members and First Nations communities in Manitoba and elsewhere in Canada. We held a demonstration in support of the families of three missing indigenous women whose remains are presumed to be in the Prairie Green landfill, north of Winnipeg.
The Union of Taxation Employees strongly condemns the inaction of the various levels of government on this issue, and we call on them to act immediately and show compassion for the families of the missing. They deserve to be respected and to be able to grieve with dignity and respect.
The Honours and Awards Committee was called up to make some presentations. Cosimo Crupi, Committee Chair presented 25 Year service pins to Sharon Bulger from the Ottawa TSO local and Greg Krokosh the Regional Vice President (RVP) for the Rocky Mountains Region. Greg was not re-offering for the position of RVP as he is retiring in the new year. All his friends and colleagues wish him well in his retirement and he will be missed within UTE.
Gary Esslinger, RVP Prairie Region was presented with a long service pin for his more than forty years of service. What occurred next was a very big surprise to the brother. He was going to proceed to the microphone to say a few words of thanks, but he was asked to sit down by the chair. Brother Crupi then proceeded to tell a story of a member who had dedicated many years of service to the union and the membership and announced that Brother Esslinger was being awarded a Life Membership, the highest award in UTE, for his years of service and dedication not only supporting the members, but also supporting his fellow union activists. To suggest he was surprised was an understatement. He thanked everyone for the great honor and received a standing ovation.
August 18
Friday morning each of the 10 regions held a caucus to elect the regional VP and an alternate regional VP for the region. As well, elections were held to elect delegates and alternates for the PSAC National Convention. This information was presented to the convention on Saturday afternoon. A list of the individuals elected, and their alternates is included in a separate article provided in this newsletter.
In the afternoon, the By-Law Committee was called up and began with a Resolution which would change the regulations to make the position of 2nd Vice-President a paid full-time position. Prior to this, the incumbent was required to take union leave without pay while performing their union activities after which they were required to go back and do work for the employer. A recommendation had been made by the UTE Structure Committee that the position be made a full-time position like that of the National President and 1st Vice-President. After much debate, the question was called, and the committee’s recommendation was adopted. There were two other resolutions debated meant to incorporate into the bylaws the position of 2nd Vice-President. These were carried unanimously.
For information of the reader is worth pointing out that any salary increases provided to the now three paid positions within the UTE National Executive are based upon salary increases negotiated by the union for its membership. As well it should be mentioned any periods that UTE members are on strike the paid national officers receive only strike pay in the same manner and amount as a membership.
Time was set aside to offer a special tribute to Senior Labour Relations Officer, Shane O’Brien who will be retiring. Shane has been involved with the union for many years, starting with his local, then as RVP for the Atlantic Region before joining the staff of the Union of Taxation Employees where he began as a labour relations officer before moving to the senior labour relations position. Shane is an Honorary Member of UTE (awarded 2014). Representatives from all ten regions spoke of Brother O’Brien’s support and guidance over the years. National President, Marc Brière spoke about his reliance on Shane’s council and how much he will be missed. Life Member and previous UTE National President, Betty Bannon joined us virtually to express her thanks for all Shane has done over the years, as well as tell a few stories.
Lastly the Bargaining Committee was called up to deal with a Resolution to be submitted to the PSAC National Convention that in-person voting shall be the preferred option with respect to strike votes and ratification votes. The recommendation was adopted.
August 19
The Chair of the Nominations and Elections Committee, Jean Bergeron gave instructions on the elections process. He began the elections of the three national positions. Results of these elections are also included in a separate article contained within this newsletter.
The oath of office was administered to all the elected national officers as well as the 10 regional Vice-Presidents and their alternates. Following this, the By-Laws Committee was called back up to deal with a few resolutions prior to the end of convention. There were two resolutions discussed: one regarding Equal Opportunities (EO) Committee members and a second one dealing with the Equal Opportunities’ Conferences. The first resolution allowed for the five representatives of the equity groups of the EO Committee to attend the three regional EO conferences, was carried unanimously. The second resolution proposed to add an additional half day to regional EO conferences was also carried unanimously.
Gary Esslinger
Chair of the Communications Committee