Report of the Communications Committee

Communications Committee
Report of the Communications Committee
December 2014

Gary Esslinger

The committee met November 3rd – 5th, 2014.  The committee reviewed submissions and selected a number for inclusion in the newsletter as well we prepared articles for the upcoming edition of the Union News. As the new chair of the committee it was a very interesting process, one of the most challenging things is ensuring that both English and French versions say the same thing.  A challenge sometimes was taking something written in English having it translated into French and having it say the same thing.  At times the committee had to rewrite some of the English text so that the French translation would have the same meaning.  It was interesting to see that some things written in English just don’t translate. 

The committee was also provided with the opportunity to review the new revised website. Everyone thought that the final version was appealing and had a number of improvements and new features.  Barring any setbacks it is scheduled to go live in January 2015.

The committee took some time to review some of the information on the website which is part of its mandate, and made some changes with respect to the communications committee’s terms of reference.  It is suggested that all committees review their terms of reference and at a minimum where necessary revise them to reflect changes that were made at the last convention, for example three-year terms for committee members. The committee’s recommendations with respect to terms of reference are at the end of this report.

Susan Duncan, our technical advisor, shared with the committee some possible format revisions for the Union news. There wasn’t enough time to come to a decision on this but it will be discussed at an upcoming communications committee meeting.

As well, Susan mentioned that the National President had assigned a couple other responsibilities to the committee that being reviewing the owner’s manual and achievement booklet. The committee felt that these 3 responsibilities and projects need to be dealt with outside of the meeting used for the newsletter preparation.  Early in the New Year with the permission of the National President the committee hopes to meet to deal with these outstanding issues.

As a new member of the committee, one that has had the same members on it for quite a number of years I want to thank everyone for their cooperation and support in my transition to chair of the committee.  I especially want to thank Susan Duncan for all of her support and assistance.

Respectfully submitted,
 

Gary Esslinger
Chair of the Committee

RECOMMENDATION #1:

TERMS OF REFERENCE

COMPOSITION

The Committee shall be composed of a chairperson and a co-chairperson recommended by the National President and approved by Executive Council; a President’s representative selected by the presidents at the September Presidents’ Conference every two (2) years starting with an even number; and a technical advisor selected by the National President from the National Office staff.

The Committee shall be comprised of a Chairperson and Co-chairperson, from the Executive Council, recommended by the National President, and approved by the Executive Council.  The local presidents at the September Presidents’ Conference elect a Presidents’ Representative for a term of three (3) years. The National President will appoint a staff advisor from the National Office staff and/or other Committee members as required.
       
  Aims and objectives

  1. The Committee shall endeavour to promote, encourage and continually strive to improve communications and ensure that effective communications are maintained at all levels of the union. in an effort to ensure that communication at all levels of the UTE is effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of the union and its members.
  2. The Committee shall make recommendations on all aspects of communication to the National President and/or to the Executive Council.
  3. The Committee shall review input from the National President, Executive Council and the Membership on a regular basis.
  4. The Committee shall deal with issues referred to the Committee it by the National President, Executive Council or Convention.
  5. The Committee shall review By-Laws and Regulations relating to communication and recommend changes.
  6. The Committee shall oversee, prepare and distribute arrange for distribution of the national newsletter.
  7. The Committee shall review the web site to ensure that it is current and informative and make recommendations for improvement of the web site to the National President or Executive Council.
  8. The Committee shall regularly review policies relating to communications and recommend necessary revisions.
  9. The Committee shall make recommendations to ensure that our technology is used to its full potential that we use technology to enhance our ability to communicate.

Meetings

The committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson of the committee and approved by the National President.

For the benefit of council, the following is how the terms of reference will look.

TERMS OF REFERENCE

Composition

The Committee shall be comprised of a Chairperson and Co-chairperson, from the Executive Council, recommended by the National President, and approved by the Executive Council.  The local presidents at the September Presidents’ Conference elect a Presidents’ Representative for a term of three (3) years. The National President will appoint a staff advisor from the National Office staff and/or other Committee members as required.

Aims and Objectives

  1. The Committee shall endeavour to promote, encourage and improve communications in an effort to ensure that communication at all levels of the UTE is effective, efficient and responsive to the needs of the union and its members.
  2. The Committee shall make recommendations on all aspects of communication to the National President and/or to the Executive Council.
  3. The Committee shall deal with issues referred to it by the National President, Executive Council or Convention.
  4. The Committee shall oversee, prepare and arrange for distribution of the national newsletter.
  5. The Committee shall review the web site to ensure that it is current and informative and make recommendations for improvement of the web site to the National President or Executive Council.
  6. The Committee shall regularly review policies relating to communications and recommend necessary revisions.
  7. The Committee shall make recommendations to ensure that we use technology to enhance our ability to communicate.

Meetings

The committee shall meet at the call of the chairperson and approved by the National President.