Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting

Minutes of the Executive Council Meeting
June 8, 9 and 10, 2020

MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2020
MORNING SESSION

1.  CALL TO ORDER OF THE REGULAR MEETING

The Executive Council meeting was called to order at 11:00 a.m. via videoconference with President Brière in the chair.  In attendance: Doug Gaetz, Adam Jackson, Kimberley Koch, Greg Krokosh, Gary Esslinger, Cosimo Crupi, Jamie vanSydenborgh, Linda Koenders, Brian Oldford, Ken Bye, Jérôme Martel, Eddy Aristil, Daniel Camara and Sylvie Bastien.

2. HOURS OF SESSION OF THE REGULAR MEETING

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Greg Krokosh

That the hours of session be as follows:

Monday:          11:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.; 2:45 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
                         3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Open Discussion
Tuesday:         11:00 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.; 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday:    11:15 a.m. - 1:45 p.m.; 2:45 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.

Coffee Break:  12:15 p.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Lunch:             1:45 p.m. – 2:45 p.m.

Motions to amend

m/s     Jérôme Martel / Eddy Aristil

That the hours of session be amended as follows:

11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Session
12:30 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Break
1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. - Session
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Break
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. – Open Discussion 

Motion to amend an amendment

m/s     Adam Jackson / Kim Koch

That the hours of session be amended as follows.

12:15 p.m. – 1:00 p.m. - Lunch
2:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. - Break

  • MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED.

3.  ADOPTION OF AGENDA

m/s     Ken Bye / Gary Esslinger

That the agenda be adopted as printed with the following additions:

New Business

16.  Replacing the RVP on the Executive Committee (Doug Gaetz)

Open discussion

7.       Teams versus Zoom (Adam Jackson)
8.       Working after 6:00 p.m. – Voluntary or not (Jérôme Martel)
9.       Paid parking by our members (Cosimo Crupi)
10.     Public Service Week (Jamie vanSydenborgh)
11.     Pressure for split shift (Kim Koch)
12.     Compressed schedule during a pandemic (Jérôme Martel)
13.     Revisit of March per diems (Cosimo Crupi)
14.     Committees and committee work (Jamie vanSydenborgh)
15.     Determinate employees (Jérôme Martel)
16.     Regional Budgets carry-over into 2021 (Cosimo Crupi)

  • Recorded Vote #1.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

4.  ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

m/s     Greg Krokosh / Ken Bye   

That the minutes of the Executive Council Meeting of April 2020 be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #2.  MOTION CARRIED.

That the recorded votes on April 29, 2020 – New date for the UTE 2020 Triennial National Convention be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #3.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

That the recorded votes on May 13, 2020 – Donation – Stronger Together Fund be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #4.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

That the recorded votes on May 13, 2020 – Donation to Food Banks Canada be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #5.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

President Brière turned the Chair over to Brother Doug Gaetz, 1st National Vice-President.

5. PRESIDENT’S FOLLOW UP ITEMS

m/s     Marc Brière / Adam Jackson

That the follow up items of the President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #6.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

6. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

m/s     Marc Brière / Adam Jackson

That the report of the National President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #7.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Brother Gaetz returns the chair to President Brière.

Recess for lunch


AFTERNOON SESSION

The meeting was called back to order at 1:00 with the National President, Brother Marc Brière in the Chair. 

7.  REPORT OF THE 1st VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

That the report of the 1st National Vice-President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #8.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

8. REPORT OF THE 2nd VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s     Adam Jackson / Doug Gaetz

That the report of the 2nd National Vice-President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #9.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

9. REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS / ALTERNATES

m/s     Kim Koch / Gary Esslinger

That the activity reports of the RVPs and ARVPs be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #10.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

President Brière turned the Chair over to Brother Doug Gaetz, 1st National Vice-President.

10.  REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

m/s     Marc Brière / Adam Jackson

That the report of the Executive Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #11.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Brother Gaetz return the chair to President Brière.

11 a)  REPORT OF THE STAFFING COMMITTEE

m/s     Jérôme Martel / Adam Jackson

That the report of the Staffing Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #12. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 b)  REPORT OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE

m/s     Ken Bye / Jérôme Martel

That the report of the By-Laws Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #13. MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 c)  REPORT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE COMMITTEE

m/s     Brian Oldford / Kimberley Koch

That the report of the Technological Change Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #14.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 d)  REPORT OF THE WELL-BEING COMMITTEE

m/s     Kimberley Koch / Linda Koenders

That the report of the Well-Being Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #15.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 e)  REPORT OF THE HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Brian Oldford

That the report of the Health & Safety Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #16.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

OPEN DISCUSSION

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

With the approval of the Executive Council, Brother Cosimo Crupi would like to remove the item “UTE Scholarship Deadline:  June 15, 2020” from the open discussion section.

The meeting recessed at 4:00 p.m.


TUESDAY, JUNE 9, 2020
MORNING SESSION

The meeting was called to order at 11:00 with President Brière in the Chair. 

Brother Adam Jackson is absent with the permission of the National President.

11 f)   REPORT OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE

m/s     Linda Koenders / Greg Krokosh

That the report of the Equal Opportunities Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #17.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 g)  REPORT OF THE HONOURS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

m/s     Cosimo Crupi / Ken Bye

Recommendation #1

Moved by: Cosimo Crupi
Seconded by: Ken Bye

EXTENDING SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE

WHEREAS public health directives in response to the COVID-19 pandemic have banned public gatherings, closed many workplaces, and enforced the self-isolation of our membership; 

WHEREAS the PSAC has officially closed 233 Gilmour (PSAC HQ) until at least June 30, 2020;

WHEREAS the UTE Scholarship process is governed under Regulation 24 of the UTE Bylaws and Regulations;

WHEREAS all scholarships received are by online submission and Canada Post mailing;

BE IT RESOLVED that UTE extend the 2020 Scholarship application deadline to September 30, 2020 at 11:59 EST;

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UTE communicate the decision to extend the deadline immediately if accepted by the Executive Council, including updating the UTE Website accordingly, and an email by the National President to all locals.

Motion to amend

m/s     Ken Bye / Gary Esslinger

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that UTE communicate the decision to extend the deadline immediately if accepted by the Executive Council, including updating the UTE Website accordingly, and an email by the National President be sent to all locals.

  • MOTION TO AMEND IS CARRIED.

That the recommendation #1 of the Honours and Awards Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #18.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

That the report of the Honours and Awards Committee be adopted as a whole.

  • Recorded Vote #19.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 h)  REPORT OF THE WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE

m/s     Adam Jackson /

That the report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be adopted.

That the #11 h) report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be postponed with the approval of Council in the absence of Brother Adam Jackson.

11 i)   REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Cosimo Crupi

Recommendation # 1

Be it resolved that the following line item be approved for overspending:

DATE

LINE ITEM DESCRIPTION

EXPLANATION

 2020 BUDGET

 ACTUAL OR EXPECTED

 OVERAGE

31-Mar-20

Legal

Over budget approval

25,000.00

28,793.04

3,793.04

Motion to Amend

Brother Doug Gaetz proposed to amend recommendation # 1 of the Finance Committee report.

Recommendation #1

Be it resolved that the following line item be approved for overspending:

DATE

LINE ITEM DESCRIPTION

EXPLANATION

2020 BUDGET

ACTUAL OR EXPECTED

OVERAGE

31-Mar-20

Legal

Over budget approval

25,000.00

28,793.04
50,000.00

3,793.04
25,000.00

  • MOTION TO AMEND CARRIED.

At the request of the Chair, the session went “in camera ".

Council then moved back into its regular session.

That recommendation #1 be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #20.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

That the report of the Finance Committee be adopted as a whole.

  • Recorded Vote #21.   MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.                                   

11 j)   REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

m/s     Gary Esslinger / Ken Bye

That the report of the Communications Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #22.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 k)  REPORT OF THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE

m/s     Adam Jackson /

That the report of the Bargaining Committee be adopted.

That the #11 k) report of the Bargaining Committee be postponed with the approval of Council in the absence of Brother Adam Jackson.

President Brière turned the Chair over to Brother Doug Gaetz, 1st National Vice-President.

With the approval of the Executive Council, President Brière is excused from the meeting.

11 l)   REPORT OF THE POLITICAL ACTION COMMITTEE (PAC)

m/s     Jamie vanSydenborgh / Cosimo Crupi

That the report of the Political Action Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #23.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 m) REPORT OF THE CALL CENTRE COMMITTEE

m/s     Greg Krokosh / Jamie vanSydenborgh

That the report of the Call Centre Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #24.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 n)  REPORT OF THE UNION MANAGEMENT APPROACH (UMA) COMMITTEE

m/s     Eddy Aristil / Ken Bye

That the report of the Union Management Approach (UMA) Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #25.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

12. ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

That the Financial Statements as of March 31, 2020, be adopted.

With the approval of the Executive Council, the “Adoption of the Financial Statements” was postponed until after lunch.

Recess for lunch


AFTERNOON SESSION

The meeting was called back to order at 1:00 with the 1st Vice-President, Brother Doug Gaetz in the Chair. 

Brother Gaetz return the chair to President Brière.

12. ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS (cont’d)

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

That the Financial Statements as of March 31, 2020, be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #26.   MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Brother Adam Jackson joined the meeting.

11 h)  REPORT OF THE WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE (cont’d)

m/s     Adam Jackson / Eddy Aristil

That the report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #27.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

11 k)  REPORT OF THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE (cont’d)

m/s     Adam Jackson / Jamie vanSydenborgh

That the report of the Bargaining Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #28.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

13. EXPENSE CLAIMS OVER 90 DAYS

No expense claims over 90 days.

  • Recorded Vote #29.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

14. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

A short discussion on bargaining took place.

15. CHANGE TO REGULATION 13.10 (J)

m/s     Brian Oldford / Gary Esslinger

Whereas the Union of Taxation Employees Residence Expense pays Officers of the Executive Council (excluding the President or 1st Vice-President) shall receive twice yearly a residence expense to be paid in the months of June and December an amount of $100.00 per month; and

Whereas the Executive Council are working at home more than ever due to travel restrictions to attend virtual meetings; and

Whereas the cost of living has increased considerably i.e. electricity, heat.

Be it resolved that regulation 13.10(j) be increased to $150 per month to help assist with the increasing cost working at home; and

Also be it further resolved that Regulation 13.10(j) be reviewed by the Finance Committee once a year at one of its committee meetings.

Motion to divide

m/s     Jérôme Martel / Cosimo Crupi

Brother Martel motion is to divide the two “be it resolved”.

  • MOTION TO DIVIDE CARRIED.

Motion to amend

m/s     Jérôme Martel / Eddy Aristil

Brother Martel motion is to amend the first “be it resolved” to include the President and the 1st Vice-President and change from $150 to $125.

Point of order

Brother Ken Bye indicated that Brother Martel intent is to change the motion.  The amendment should be done in a separate motion. 

The point of order is well taken by President Brière.  The amendment is going to change the intent by adding the President and the 1st Vice-President.

President Brière indicated that Brother Martel motion is partially taken.  He cannot accept to include the President and the 1st Vice-President in the first “be it resolved”.

Motion to amend

m/s     Jérôme Martel / Eddy Aristil

The motion to amend is to change the amount from $150 to $125.

The rational of the amendment is that the Residential Expense has not been increased since 2005.

  • MOTION TO AMEND DEFEATED.

Be it resolved that regulation 13.10(j) be increased to $150 per month to help assist with the increasing cost working at home; and

  • Recorded Vote #30.  MOTION DEFEATED.

Point of privilege

Brother Cosimo Crupi indicated that we were not provided with the correct information when the vote took place.  His recommendation is to postpone #15 until Wednesday since we were not advised that a two-thirds majority was required.

President Brière advises Brother Crupi that we cannot go back on the vote.

Point of order

Brother Cosimo Crupi indicates that the vote was conducted with incorrect procedures.

President Brière mentioned that it is not mandatory to provide the information that votes should require two-thirds of the votes.  He also indicated that a motion can be submitted to reconsider the vote only if new information provided would cause the person to change their vote and the majority would be two-thirds.

Motion to table

m/s     Adam Jackson / Doug Gaetz

That the motion be tabled.

Also be it further resolved that Regulation 13.10(j) be reviewed by the Finance Committee once a year at one of its committee meetings.

The rational is that we do not need to spend more time on this motion.

  • MOTION TO TABLE CARRIED.

16. REPLACEMENT OF THE RVP ON THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Adam Jackson

Be it resolved that Brother Cosimo Crupi be chosen to sit on the Executive Committee for a 1 (one) year term starting Monday, July 20, 2020 and finishing Saturday, July 24, 2021.

  • Recorded Vote #31.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

OPEN DISCUSSION (cont’d)

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

The meeting recessed at 4:00 p.m.


WEDNESDAY, JUNE 10, 2020
MORNING SESSION

The meeting was called to order at 11:30 with President Brière in the Chair. 

President Brière provided a partial update of the conference call they had earlier this morning with CRA on terms employees.  He will give the Executive Council a thorough summary after the consultation process is finalized.

OPEN DISCUSSION (cont’d)

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

Point of order

Brother Cosimo Crupi indicated that regarding the motion on Residence Expense, he thinks the vote was not done properly.  This issue is about the same issue in March 2018.   In March 2018, there was a resolution on the stipend to include the President and the 1st Vice-President.  The “be it resolved” that removed the President and the 1st Vice-President in order to get a stipend passed 8/5, it was passed with a simple majority and not with a two-thirds majority.  What transpired on Tuesday was much the same scenario, the vote was 7/6, it was a simple majority.   The Finance Committee did not bring a resolution to the Executive Council for the overspending.  It was only noted on a Financial Statements of November 30, 2018 with a tab indicating over expenditure approved by Executive Council in March 2018.

President Brière will not give an answer before looking into it further.  The two-thirds majority required is 9 people. 

Brother Crupi ask if a motion can be brought to reconsider it because it’s an ongoing issue that needs to be resolved.

President Brière indicated that a motion cannot be brought on the same issue at the same Executive Council meeting.  A motion can be brought to reconsider the decision when there was insufficient information that was provided.  There was no missing information on the motion that was voted. The fact that it takes 2/3 of the vote instead of a simple majority to pass the motion does not affect the ability of Council members to vote.  If a motion is to be reconsidered, if it is proposed, it needs to be done by someone from the prevailing side.  On this motion, the prevailing side would be the people who voted against the motion.

President Brière took the matter under advisement and will get back to the Executive Council with the ruling.

Recess for lunch


AFTERNOON SESSION

The meeting was called back to order at 13:00 with President Brière in the Chair. 

President Brière indicated that he has consulted with the former UTE National President, Sister Betty Bannon, to seek some guidance on the ruling he gave yesterday.  Sister Bannon confirmed that he made the right decision but that he made a mistake in March 2018.  The Chair’s position on yesterday’s ruling therefore remains unchanged. Two-thirds (2/3) of the votes are required. A motion cannot be accepted to reconsider this decision at this Executive Council meeting.  In all transparency, the Chair gave Council the options available to them; regarding the issue on the Residence Expense, a motion can be brought at a subsequent Council meeting to propose any changes on this issue. With respect to the motion that was passed in March 2018 regarding the stipend, there is a procedure in the UTE Rules of Order, under the glossary of terms, that can be used to repeal the motion. Someone can bring forward a motion to rescind a previous motion at a future Council meeting.  Such a motion may be proposed if an error is to be corrected or if the Council Officers have changed their minds on a matter.

OPEN DISCUSSION (cont’d)

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

With the approval of the Executive Council, Brother vanSydenborgh would like to remove the item “Committees and Committee Work” from the open discussion section.

The meeting adjourned at 4:00 p.m.

 

________________________                          ______________________
Marc Brière                                                       Doug Gaetz
National President                                            1st National Vice-President


MOTION:

New Date for the
UTE 2020 Triennial National Convention

APRIL 29, 2020

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Adam Jackson

Whereas Canadian public health authorities directives prohibit public gatherings in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and require the closure of several workplaces and make self-isolation of our members mandatory;

Whereas the pandemic and these public health directives have forced several PSAC Components to postpone their Conventions scheduled to be held between July and October 2020, into 2021;

Whereas the PSAC National Board of Directors (NBoD) has approved the suspension of timelines regarding the scheduling of Component Conventions;

Be it resolved that the UTE Triennial National Convention originally scheduled for July 2020 be now held July 21-24, 2021, still in Winnipeg, Manitoba.


MOTION:

Donation - Stronger Together Fund

May 13, 2020

m/s     Doug Gaetz / Brian Oldford

Whereas that the province of Nova Scotia experienced the worst mass murder in Canadian history with the death of twenty-two innocent people on April 18 and 19, 2020; and

Whereas that this tragedy has impacted twenty-two (22) victims and their families and the communities within the province in Nova Scotia; and

Whereas that UTE has been known for their caring and generosity in cases of need; and

Whereas that there has been a charity set up for families for short and long-term needs; and

Whereas that this charity is being administrated by the Red Cross and in cooperation with the Nova Scotia government; and

Whereas that this charity is known as Stronger Together Fund;

Be in resolved that the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) make a donation in the amount of one thousand dollars ($1,000.00) per victim for total donation in the amount of twenty-two thousand dollars ($22,000.00) to the Red Cross - Stronger Together Fund.


MOTION:

Donation to Food Banks Canada

May 13, 2020

m/s     Gary Esslinger / Linda Koenders

Whereas that in 2019 in Canada there were over 1.1 million monthly visits to food banks located across Canada; and

Whereas that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic significant job losses, layoffs and business closures have occurred which is predicted to increase the demand on food banks by between 30 and 50%; and

Whereas that the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) is currently in a position to aid Canadians from coast to coast to coast; and

Whereas that Food Banks Canada provides assistance and support to over 640 food banks located in communities all across Canada; and

Whereas that the pandemic has had an impact on many Canadian working families including some of our own UTE members and their families, and

Whereas that this has resulted in many situations where those once considered isolated from financial hardship have as well had to turn to food banks for help to support and feed their loved ones.

Be it resolved that the Union of Taxation Employees provide a donation to Food Banks Canada in the amount of One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000.00).