PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE CONVENTION 2005

PRESIDENT’S REPORT TO THE CONVENTION 2005

This is the second time that I have had the honour of presenting a President’s Report to our National Triennial Convention.  This report will cover the Stewardship of the Office of President for the last three years.

Under the By-laws of UTE, the specific duties outlined for the Office of President are as follows:

Union of Taxation Employees
By-Law 8

DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 1- President

The President shall:

(1) represent UTE on the National Board of Directors of the PSAC as required by the Constitution;
(2) (a) uphold the Constitution of the PSAC and the By Laws of UTE; 
   (b) preside at all meetings and Conventions;
   (c) be an ex-officio member of all committees;
   (d) perform all duties that are incidental to the office of President;
(3)   be responsible to the Executive Committee, to the Executive Council and to the Convention;
(4) make written reports on the administration of the office and on the affairs of UTE to each regular meeting of the Executive Council and to each Convention;
(5)   be responsible for the administrative management, control and allocation of staff in the National Office;
(6) be responsible for the receipt and keeping of all monies of UTE along with their disbursement under the direction of the Executive Council;
(7) ensure that notices and agendas of each Executive Council, Executive Committee meeting, Presidents' Conference and Convention are prepared and circulated in advance;
(8) be responsible for the minutes of all meetings of the Executive Council, Executive Committee and Presidents' Conferences and will countersign them along with the first Vice-President;
(9) be responsible for the preparation of a complete record of any Convention;
(10) ensure that copies of minutes of the Executive Council or Executive Committee meetings are sent to each Local within four (4) weeks and ensure that the record of any Convention is sent to each Local within four (4) months;
(11)   ensure that the National Office provides services in both official languages; and
(12)   ensure that UTE directives, policies and procedures are updated and subsequently forwarded to Locals.

Although the Office of the President is directed by the specific duties listed in our By-laws, direction and/or guidance is also received from the Supreme Governing Body of our Organization, our Triennial Convention, the Executive Council, Executive Committee, Presidents’ Conference, Locals and UTE members.

I have tabled written reports at each of the scheduled Executive Council meetings since the last convention, which were published with the minutes of the meetings. 

To say the least, it has been an interesting and busy three years.  This goes for the membership, local executives and stewards, as well as, the national executives.  At the last convention, I said in my report that “to my recollection, we have never spent as much time conducting union duties as we have in the last three years” and if it is possible I believe that we were even busier from 2002 to present.  Much of the work of our national officers and local executives is keeping them occupied almost full time.  Our employer has kept us busy and active and our membership demands the excellent representation that they expect from their Union, the Union of Taxation Employees.

I would like to formally thank the membership for their support of their Union, the Union of Taxation Employees.  It must be stated clearly, that without the membership we could not accomplish anything.  The membership has shown repeatedly their commitment to achieving what is important to them.  This certainly holds true with the process of negotiations with the CRA during the last round of bargaining.  Whether it was conducting information pickets, plantgating, participating in strike and ratification votes, or walking the picket line; the members were there.  They were the ones who sent the message to the employer that they are ready and willing to fight when they need to. 

The local executives and stewards also deserve recognition, as you are the front line of the union for the membership.  You are the ones who listen to members, represent them at the initial stages, deliver the Union message and conduct the votes and campaigns.  Your work is invaluable to the organization.  The cause for a great deal of the local activism of the membership can be attributed to the local executives and stewards.  I know that at times it feels like a thankless job but something always keeps us going.  I call it dedication, drive, perseverance and maybe a real need to do the right thing.  Whatever it is, it works.  The CRA recognizes that we are not a Union to be taken for granted. 

I would also like to thank the members of the Executive Council.  They are all opinionated, passionate on issues and very vocal to say the least.  However, for the last three years I can say that we have worked together as a unit regardless of the differences of opinions.  Once a decision has been made, there is a commitment to move forward and to get the job done. 

Finally, I would also like to thank the Staff for their contribution to the Union of Taxation Employees.  Their work with the National Committees is exemplary and we have made a conscious effort to reduce the grievances on hand.  I will admit however that we need to continue that work on a daily basis.  We have developed and delivered an excellent course for local executives called “Developing Membership Activism” and the reviews have been very favourable by the participants.

I would now like to look back on some of the major issues that have faced us since our last Convention. 

Negotiations:

During the press conference on November 1, 1999, I said, “the only good thing about going into Agency status was that we would finally be able to “bargain” directly with our employer and not the nameless, faceless people at Treasury Board.  Our bosses all over the country could finally be held accountable for the state of negotiations”.  We would also be able to pursue issues that were of specific concern to our members instead of having to share time with the diverse groups represented at the Treasury Board Tables.  After three rounds of bargaining, most of our members are paid higher than their counterparts in Treasury Board and we have clauses in our Collective Agreement that are specific to us. 

We did manage to settle two rounds of negotiations since the birth of the CRA without a strike but not the third and most recent round of bargaining.  The last round was by no means a “normal” round of bargaining with the stubbornness of the CRA, the delays caused by the CRA, the proximity of our table with the timing of the Treasury Board tables and the intervention of no less than three Cabinet Ministers to settle the matter.  A lot of the decision making was taken out of our hands through no fault of ours or our Negotiating Team.  However, when the membership supported the strike vote they also acted positively when it came time to call the strike.  As I have stated at many recent Annual General Meetings, it was the first strike that has happened since I took over the Office of the President but certainly not my first strike, either legal or illegal.  I found out very early on that no matter what decision I made, I would not satisfy everyone.  The phone calls and e-mails that I received prior to, during and after the strike confirmed that fact.  However, the membership was the most positive thing to come out of the strike.  Their actions were united, determined and creative when it came down to the strike and strike activities.  We had our first taste of Strategic Strike Action and the members from Client Services, Cash, Mail Room and Call Centres were front and centre for that call to action.  It is not easy to find activities for over 3000 people to do when they could not picket their own worksites.  However, it was done and it was successful.  These members deserve special recognition from the entire organization for their efforts.

I would like to see the day when there is no waiting for a “retro cheque” because we would have concluded a collective agreement before the old one expires.  As you know, everyone should have a dream and that one is mine.  Personally, I would like to see the teams go into a room on a given date prior to the expiry of the old collective agreement and not come out until they have reached either a tentative agreement or an impasse. 

As you know, Bill C-25 will change the way we bargain, the timing for strike votes and strike, as well as having Essential Service contracts, instead of “designations”.  I have already served notice to the CRA that we would like to conclude the Essential Service Agreement prior to mid 2006.  This is one hurdle that I would like to see put behind us early in the process.  I suspect that the future rounds of bargaining will prove to be quite challenging.

Finances:

I continue to fully support the changes that have been introduced over the last three years to tighten the spending and managing our assets.  We need to continue to watch our funds, control our spending, account for our expenses and look ahead to see what we want to continue to spend our money on or what new endeavors we want to pursue.  We should always be looking 4 or 5 years ahead.

The state of the PSAC’s finances is also very important to UTE members.  Effective financial control and monitoring within the PSAC was one of the things that UTE delegates demanded at the 2000 and 2003 PSAC Conventions.  It is necessary if UTE members are to get value for their dues.  That’s why I stood for re-election to the PSAC National Board of Director’s Standing Finance Committee and why I have been actively involved in its work over the last three years.  I can report to this Convention that the finances of the PSAC have continued to improve over the last three years.  I do attribute some of it to the active roll of the PSAC Standing Finance Committee.

Communication:

I know that we have continued to improve our communications with the membership over the last three years.  The following are some of our improvements:

  • The invaluable work of our Communications Committee.
  • The hiring of a full time Communications/Web person.
  • The UTE Membership Questionnaire.  This was the first time that the Organization went directly to the members for input.
  • The National and Regional Action Plans that were developed from the input of the Questionnaire.
  • The UTE Newsletter.
  • The establishment of a “News Group” with over 300 individual e-mail addresses to directly receive Union information.
  • The establishment of a “Subscribe” system on our website.
  • The timely updating of our website.
  • The updating and distribution of our publications.
  • The continued training aspect of our Presidents’ Conferences.
  • The UTE training courses and sessions on specific issues that are conducted either nationally or regionally.

CEUDA:

I really did not want to report on this issue again but I feel that I must.  The “Riche Decision” came down and the individual local anomalies were also looked at and decided upon.  A few other individual cases have also arisen over the last three years and do continue to arise from time to time and the PSAC National President has and will continue to rule on these situations.  The most recent being the GST Pools in Saskatoon and Regina.  The members in those work sections have been assigned to us. 

The most positive thing that I can say about this issue is that we no longer have two people sitting side by side, doing the same job, but belonging to two different Components.  It is the will of the entire National Executive to have all PSAC workers in the CRA to belong to the Union of Taxation Employees component and we will continue to strive to make that happen. 

CRA Staffing Regime:

Staffing within the CRA is protected by the legislation that enacted the Agency.  Currently the only thing the Agency has to do is submit a report to Parliament, which I believe no one will even read.  This has been an area where our gains have been slow in coming.  However, even using the rules that the CRA has put in place, we have had few failures to date in our challenges using the Independent Third Party Review (ITPR) process.  We have now named individuals in the field to handle the staffing challenges, as we did with the appeal representatives.  A training plan for them needs to be concluded, as soon as possible. 
 
We should also continue to table staffing demands at the bargaining table and educate the members as to their importance.  It would be quite a change if the members were willing to strike over good staffing language. 

Youth:

In my report to the last Convention, I stated that we needed to work on involving the Youth of our organization.  UTE held a Youth Conference since then and we have reaped some of the benefits of this by way of some Youth becoming activists in our locals.  However, if we look around at our local executives and the national executive, we are still hard pressed to find many members of the “youth” group.  It is obvious to me that we still have more work to do. 

It was my great pleasure to chair the Youth Caucus during the conference.  It certainly brought renewed vigor to me.  Their enthusiasm was quite contagious.  I think that we must remember that we will not be around forever and that we have a need for a mentoring program for those that will continue the union work after we have left our positions.  This is something that we should encourage and not be afraid of.
 

PSAC National Board of Directors:

As National President of the Union of Taxation Employees, I am a member of the National Board of Directors of the Alliance where I represent the interests of our members.  I serve on two of the Alliance’s NBOD Standing Committee’s, the Finance and the Collective Bargaining Committee.  I am also a member of the Special Structure/Roles and Responsibilities Committee.  The work on the last committee has been tediously slow over the last three years but I hope to see some changes come about prior to the 2006 PSAC Convention. 

The Board meets three times a year and I have presented resolutions on behalf of our Executive Council and our members.  Most have been adopted.  On issues that came from other Components, Committees, or the Alliance Executive Committee, I have voted in accordance with UTE policies and in the best interest of our members.  Brother Bob Campbell is always present at the Board to provide me with advice whether requested or not.

UTE Committees:

The committees have been extremely active in pursuing their mandates and reporting to the membership through their minutes or Executive Council Reports.  Some have also issued Bulletins or Memoranda for the locals to circulate to the membership.  There continues to be a need for improvement in the completion of requested surveys or information to the locals.  The Committees that seek information from the locals in order to conduct their work require this information or they would not be asking for it.  Most of the committees are autonomous with the Chairs keeping the National President informed of their progress.  There are times however when the National President is requested to intervene or meet with the CRA or the PSAC on behalf of a committee.  However, happily this is rare.

Executive Council Activities:

The following is a list of some of the items that the Council has dealt with over the last three years:

  • Moved amounts of budgeted line items around to reflect current needs and spending.
  • Adopted a formula for the Regional/Inter-regional budgets.
  • Dealt with all left over items from the last convention.
  • Provided for many donations to various groups and/or individuals.
  • Reviewed the Policy and Procedures Manual and made appropriate changes to the UTE Regulations.
  • Authorized the Developing Membership Activism course and planned the role out of this course each December.
  • Reviewed and updated our UMC Agreement with the employer for signing.  It should be noted that the CRA has yet to agree to such an Agreement.  Bill C-25 has moved them to a generic Agreement that they want with all Bargaining Agents in the Agency.
  • Have made several changes to our Regulations that were sent to all locals and will be presented for ratification at this convention.
  • Have added several events to the Non-UTE Events list.
  • Have authorized four new locals:  Lethbridge, Moncton, Policy and Planning and Barrie.
  • Authorized an IT Audit for the National Office and set rules for inventory control and the care and maintenance of the UTE computer equipment.
  • Have authorized several Honours and Awards to be presented.
  • Authorized the use of electronic correspondence instead of hard copy.
  • Authorized the UTE Membership Questionnaire to be developed and distributed.
  • Authorized the development and distribution of a New Members Kit.
  • Authorized the development and distribution of a UTE Newsletter to be mailed directly to the members.
  • Approved the Terms of Office for the EO Representatives on the EO Committee to two years.
  • Have attempted to deal with the continually change by Air Canada to the airfares that UTE provides to the locals and individuals.  This is an ongoing problem due to the changes being made by the airline.
  • Approved the budget being proposed at this convention.
  • Approved partial funding for our delegates to the PSAC Regional Conventions.
  • Approved the formation of a Building Committee to look at the needs of UTE and adopted the recommendations of this committee to stay within the PSAC building with additional space and renovations to encompass future needs.
  • Approved the formation of an Ad Hoc Political Information Committee and adopted recommendations made by this committee.
  • Adopted a rule that minors will only be allowed into any UTE Hospitality Suite if they are accompanied by an adult UTE member or staff and it is before 8:00 PM.

Equity:

Since the last convention, there have been regional Equal Opportunity Conferences and one National Conference.  A wide variety of issues were discussed and presented at these conferences.  I attended all Regional Conferences and the National Conference and in my opinion, all of them were extremely well received by the participants.  The organizers should be very proud.  To my knowledge, the UTE is one of the first Components that provided such conferences for their membership.  Every member is welcome and there is no one who does not learn, teach, or share something at these conferences.  We are an inclusive union who attempts to educate the membership on all issues.  The Union is a part of equity and equity is a part of our Union.

A Rule of Life:

In life, you only need two tools: WD-40 and Duct Tape.  If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40.  If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

In conclusion, the UTE has always functioned as an “organization”, not single individuals.  The Executive Council must work together, as well as in harmony with all of the locals.  The initial membership contact is at the local level so it is extremely important for most of the activity to take place at that level.  This is where local development, guidance and experience can be shared by the Regional Vice Presidents and National Officers.  But first and foremost the locals must have vitality, be visible to the membership, have the expertise needed to do the job and operate as a single unit as UTE when required (i.e.:  during bargaining or separate campaigns taken on by the UTE etc).  We have made progress over the last three years but there is still work to be done. 

However, over the last year I have seen several local executives spending a lot of time and energy fighting among themselves.  This is neither productive nor healthy for the membership of a local.  The only ones that this hurts is the membership and it certainly does nothing for the credibility of the local with the employer.  We do not have to be best friends and like everyone to work effectively with them.  This was something that I addressed at the first Presidents’ Conference after I was elected six years ago and it seems that it is time that I addressed it again. 

Respectfully submitted,

 

Betty Bannon
National President