Minutes of the Executive Council

Minutes of the Executive Council
March 19 - 20, 2013

TUESDAY, MARCH 19, 2013
MORNING SESSION

1. CALL TO ORDER OF THE REGULAR MEETING

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 hours.  President Bob Campbell was in the Chair. In attendance: Marc Brière, Denis Lalancette, Pamela Abbott, Lorne Roslinski, Gary Esslinger, Adam Jackson, Jamie vanSydenborgh, Doug Gaetz, Robin Johnson, Bill Blair, Sabri Khayat, Jean-Pierre Fraser, Annette Melanson and Pierrette Labrie.

2. HOURS OF SESSION OF THE REGULAR MEETING

m/s Sabri Khayat/Gary Esslinger

That the hours of session be as follows:

Tues:            9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:15 p.m. - 4:00 p.m.
                    4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. Open Discussion
Wednesday:  9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.; 1:15 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Sunday:        9:00 a.m. - 11:45 a.m.;

  • MOTION CARRIED.

3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA

m/s  Robin Johnson/Gary Esslinger

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

Open discussion

11. Ottawa Citizen Article (B. Blair)
12. Sustainable Development (J.-P. Fraser)
13. Call Centre Rehire Process (L. Roslinski)
14. Employer Checking out Medical (B. Blair)
15. Administrative Suspension (J.-P. Fraser)

  • MOTION CARRIED.

4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

m/s  Marc Brière/Sabri Khayat

That the minutes of the Executive Council Meeting of December 2012 be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #1.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell turned the Chair to Brother Brière, First National Vice-President

5. PRESIDENT’S FOLLOW UP ITEMS

m/s  Bob Campbell/Sabri Khayat

That the follow up items of the President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #2.  MOTION CARRIED.

6. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

m/s  Bob Campbell/Denis Lalancette

That the report of the President be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #3.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell resumed the Chair.

Recess for lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION

The meeting was called back to order at 1:15 with Brother Campbell in the Chair. 

7. REPORT OF THE 1st VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s  Marc Brière/Denis Lalancette

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

  • Recorded Vote #4.  MOTION CARRIED.

8. REPORT OF THE 2nd VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s  Denis Lalancette/Marc Brière

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

  • Recorded Vote #5.  MOTION CARRIED.

9. REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS / ALTERNATES

m/s Doug Gaetz/Jean-Pierre Fraser

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

  • Recorded Vote #6.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell turned the Chair to Brother Brière, First National Vice-President

10. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

m/s  Bob Campbell/Sabri Khayat

That the report of the Executive Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #7.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell resumed the Chair.

11 a) REPORT OF THE STAFFING COMMITTEE

m/s  Sabri Khayat/Adam Jackson

That the report of the Staffing Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #8.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 b) REPORT OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE

m/s  Gary Esslinger/Sabri Khayat

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

  • Recorded Vote #9.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 c) REPORT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE COMMITTEE

m/s  Doug Gaetz/Gary Esslinger

That the report of the Technological Change Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #10.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 d) REPORT OF THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COMMITTEE

m/s  Bill Blair/Lorne Roslinski

That the report of the Employee Assistance Program Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #11.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 e) REPORT OF THE HEALTH & SAFETY COMMITTEE

m/s  Doug Gaetz/Marc Brière

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

  • Recorded Vote #12.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 f)  REPORT OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE

m/s  Robin Johnson/Jean-Pierre Fraser

That the report of the EO Committee be adopted.

m/s Robin Johnson/Jean-Pierre Fraser

Recommendation #1

That the attached guidelines for developing terms of reference for local and regional employment equity / diversity committees be adopted.

m/s Sabri Khayat/Gary Esslinger

That recommendation #1 be postponed until we have the same document in French.

  • MOTION CARRIED.

m/s Robin Johnson/Jean-Pierre Fraser

Recommendation #2

Be it resolved that the attached Terms of Reference for the Equal Opportunities Committee be adopted.

m/s Marc Brière/Gary Esslinger

That recommendation #2 be postponed until we have the same document in French.

  • MOTION CARRIED.

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

  • Recorded Vote #13.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 g) REPORT OF THE HONOURS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

m/s  Jean-Pierre Fraser/Robin Johnson

That the report of the Honours and Awards Committee be adopted.

Recommendation #1

m/s  Jean-Pierre Fraser/Robin Johnson

Be it resolved that Debbie Ferguson be presented with the Betty Bannon Health and Safety Award.

  • Recorded Vote #14.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

  • Recorded Vote #15.  MOTION CARRIED.

OPEN DISCUSSION

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2013

MORNING SESSION

The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. with President Campbell in the Chair.

11 h) REPORT OF THE WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE

m/s  Pamela Abbott/Bill Blair

That the report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #16. MOTION CARRIED.

11 i) REPORT OF THE HARASSMENT COMMITTEE

m/s  Jamie vanSydenborgh/Pamela Abbott

That the report of the Harassment Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #17. MOTION CARRIED.

11 j) REPORT OF THE FINANCE COMMITTEE

m/s  Marc Brière/Gary Esslinger

That the report of the Finance Committee be adopted.

m/s  Marc Brière/Doug Gaetz

Recommendation #1

That the following line items be approved for overspending:

December 31, 2012 Executive Council & UMC
2012 Budget $218,500.00  Actual Projected $220,892.76
Overage ($2,392.76)

  • Recorded Vote #18.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

  • Recorded Vote #19.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 k) REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

m/s  Lorne Roslinski/Sabri Khayat

That the report of the Communications Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #20.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 l)  REPORT OF THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE

m/s  Denis Lalancette/Sabri Khayat

That the report of the Bargaining Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #21.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

m/s  Adam Jackson/Jamie vanSydenborgh

That the report of the Political Action Committee be adopted.

m/s  Adam Jackson/Jamie vanSydenborgh

Recommendation #1:

Be it resolved that the Guidelines for Funding for Political Action / Campaigns be amended as follows:

Guidelines for Funding for Political Action/ Campaigns

The Guidelines apply to requests to conduct Political Action or Campaigns submitted by a UTE Local, a Region, Executive Council or the National Office.

GUIDELINES:

  1.  A Local, a Region, Executive Council or the National Office may request funding to conduct a Political Action or Campaign.

  2. To request funding, a “proposal for funding” shall be submitted. The proposal should include:

    a. type of event/campaign;
    b. objective of the event/ campaign, including targeted audiences;
    c. date/timeline of the event/campaign;
    d. location of the event/campaign;
    e. estimate of number of members attending, if applicable;
    f. budget for the event/campaign;
    g. amount requested;
    h. an outline of how the event or campaign is UTE specific;
    i.  the name and the contact information of 1 (one) direct contact person.

  3. The requester shall forward the proposal to UTE’s National President and 1st National Vice-President. If the requester is a Local, the request shall be forwarded to their RVP, who will forward it to the National President and 1st National Vice-President.

  4. All proposals must get prior approval by both the National President and the 1st National Vice-President before the event occurs.

  5.  An advance may be requested by the submitting body prior to the event taking place. Such requests are subject to approval by both the National President and the 1st National Vice-President.

  6. Within thirty days of the event/ campaign, the requester shall provide a report to the National President on how well the event/campaign went and an accounting of all monies spent, including receipts for reimbursement.

  7. Budget for the event/campaign should include, but not limited to, costs for travel, translation, loss of salary, per diems, rentals, materials, etc.

  • Recorded Vote #22.  MOTION CARRIED.

Recommendation # 2:

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Terms of Reference for the UTE Standing Political Action Committee be amended as follows:

Terms of Reference

Composition

The committee shall consist of:

  • Two national officers, of which one shall be appointed chairperson
  • One member elected by the Local Presidents

Mandate

As mandated by the 2005 UTE National Triennial Convention, UTE will have a standing Political Action Committee to deal with matters of political action that affects its members, including:

  • The Committee will be charged with coordinating political campaigns, lobbying, and the issuance of press releases as authorized to assist the National Office and the Locals in matters of political interest;
  • The Committee will discuss UTE’s and the members’ involvement in federal, provincial and municipal elections.
  • At the request of the Executive Council or the National President, the Committee shall organize rallys, protests, political manifestations, and other such activities at national events where UTE activists are gathered.

Meetings

The Committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson, with the approval of the National President. Meetings shall normally be held 3 (three) times per year. One of those meetings should ideally be held on the eve and the day following any federal budget announcements.

  • Recorded Vote #23.  MOTION CARRIED.

That the report of the Political Action Committee be adopted as a whole.

  • Recorded Vote #24.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 n)   REPORT OF THE AD-HOC CALL CENTRE COMMITTEE

m/s  Pamela Abbott/Jamie vanSydenborgh

That the report of the Ad-Hoc Call Centre Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #25.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 o) REPORT OF THE AD HOC UNION MANAGEMENT APPROACH (UMA) AND CONFLICT RESOLUTION COMMITTEE

m/s  Sabri Khayat/Doug Gaetz

That the verbal report of the Ad-Hoc UMA and Conflict Resolution Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #26.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 p)   REPORT OF THE AD HOC MENTAL HEALTH CONFERENCES COMMITTEE

m/s  Doug Gaetz/Bill Blair

That the report of the Ad-Hoc Mental Health Conferences Committee be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #27.  MOTION CARRIED.

12.   ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

m/s  Marc Brière/Gary Esslinger

That the financial statements of December 31, 2012 be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #28.  MOTION CARRIED.

13. EXPENSE CLAIMS OVER 90 DAYS

None at this time.

14. COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

A short discussion took place.

Recess for lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION

The meeting was called back to order at 1:15 with Brother Campbell in the Chair.

15. TRAVEL GRANT TOP UP

m/s  Adam Jackson/Bill Blair

Whereas we have, through council, reduced the travel grant locals receive to encourage participation and attendance by observers at conferences,

Whereas we are in a time and position when we need to encourage more activism and new activism,

Whereas the reduction in travel grant has been claimed to have hit harder than originally thought for many locals,

Be it resolved that any local that sends an observer AND has received the new travel grant shall be entitled to a $300 observer grant top up to help defray costs.

m/s Jamie vanSydenborgh/Sabri Khayat

That the motion be postponed till Sunday to hear what the locals have to say on the matter.
 

  • MOTION TO POSTPONE DEFEATED.
  • Recorded Vote #29. MOTION DEFEATED.

16. AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2012

m/s  Marc Brière/Doug Gaetz

Be it Resolved that the 2012 Audited Financial Statements be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #30.  MOTION CARRIED.

17. OVER-EXPENDITURE – FURNITURE & EQUIPMENT PURCHASES LINE ITEM

m/s  Marc Brière/Gary Esslinger

Whereas the Union of Taxation Employees (UTE) must provide a safe working environment for its employees including ergonomic standards; and
 
Whereas the Reception Desk at the entrance of the UTE National Office has an urgent need to be modified for reasons of ergonomics; and

Whereas the estimated cost of these modifications is approximately $4600.00; and

Whereas this expenditure was not foreseen when the budget for the “Furniture and Equipment Purchases” line item was established at the last UTE Triennial Convention.

Be it resolved that an over-expenditure for an amount of $5000.00 be approved for the “Furniture and Equipment Purchases” line item for the year 2013.

  • Recorded Vote #31.  MOTION CARRIED.

Cont’d 11 f) REPORT OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE

m/s  Robin Johnson/Jean-Pierre Fraser

Recommendation #1

That the attached revised guidelines for developing terms of reference for local and regional employment equity / diversity committees be adopted.

  • Recorded Vote #32.  MOTION CARRIED.

OPEN DISCUSSION

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

The meeting adjourned at 4h45.

______________________    ______________________   
Bob Campbell
National President		 Marc Brière
First National Vice-President

RECORDED VOTES