Minutes of the Executive Council

TUESDAY, MARCH 24, 2015
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, Madonna Gardiner, Wayne Little, Bob Carpenter, Gary Esslinger, Jamie vanSydenborgh, Doug Gaetz, Ken Bye, Bill Blair, Daniel Camara, Denis Lalancette, Annette Melanson and Pierrette Labrie.

Brothers Sabri Khayat and Adam Jackson were absent with permission.

2. HOURS OF SESSION OF THE REGULAR MEETING

m/s  Doug Gaetz / Bill Blair
   
  That the hours of session be as follows:

Tuesday:  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. - 12:00 noon; 

• MOTION CARRIED.

3. ADOPTION OF AGENDA

m/s  Ken Bye / Jamie vanSydenborgh

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

New Business

18. Governor General’s Funding (D. Gaetz)

Open discussion

3. Centralisation of Office Exam Workload (D. Lalancette)
4. Unsolicited References (D. Camara)
5. March 18th Event Call Centre (K. Bye) withdrawn afterward by the mover
6. Education (J. vanSydenborgh) withdrawn afterward by the mover
7. PSAC Events (B. Blair)
8. Telephone Town Hall (G. Esslinger) withdrawn afterward by the mover
9. Harper Statements (D. Lalancette)
10. Confident Person Investigations (J. vanSydenborgh)
11. Call Centre Response (G. Esslinger)

• Recorded Vote #1.  MOTION CARRIED.

4. ADOPTION OF MINUTES OF THE PREVIOUS MEETING

m/s  Denis Lalancette / Wayne Little

That the minutes of the Executive Council Meeting of December 2014 be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #2.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

5. PRESIDENT’S FOLLOW UP ITEMS

m/s  Bob Campbell / Madonna Gardiner

That the follow up items of the President be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #3.  MOTION CARRIED.

6. REPORT OF THE PRESIDENT

m/s  Bob Campbell / Madonna Gardiner

That the report of the President be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #4.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell resumed the Chair.

7. REPORT OF THE 1st NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s  Marc Brière / Madonna Gardiner

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

• Recorded Vote #5.  MOTION CARRIED.

8. REPORT OF THE 2nd NATIONAL VICE-PRESIDENT

m/s  Madonna Gardiner / Marc Brière

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

• Recorded Vote #6.  MOTION CARRIED.

9. REPORT OF THE REGIONAL VICE-PRESIDENTS / ALTERNATES

m/s Wayne Little / Gary Esslinger

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

• Recorded Vote #7.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

10. REPORT OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

m/s  Bob Campbell / Madonna Gardiner

That the report of the Executive Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #8.  MOTION CARRIED.

President Campbell resumed the Chair.

11 a) REPORT OF THE STAFFING COMMITTEE

m/s  Bob Carpenter / Denis Lalancette

That the report of the Staffing Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #9.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 b) REPORT OF THE BY-LAWS COMMITTEE

m/s  Ken Bye / Wayne Little

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

• Recorded Vote #10.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 c) REPORT OF THE TECHNOLOGICAL CHANGE COMMITTEE

m/s  Madonna Gardiner / Doug Gaetz

That the report of the Technological Change Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #11.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 d) REPORT OF THE EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM COMMITTEE

m/s  Wayne Little / Denis Lalancette

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

• Recorded Vote #12.  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 #13.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 f)  REPORT OF THE EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES COMMITTEE

m/s  Bob Carpenter / Madonna Gardiner

That the report of the Equal Opportunities be adopted.

m/s  Wayne Little / Gary Esslinger

That the report of the Equal Opportunities Committee be postponed until a recommendation showing the dates and locations of the Regional Conferences be presented to Council.

• MOTION CARRIED.

Recess for lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION

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

11 g) REPORT OF THE HONOURS AND AWARDS COMMITTEE

m/s  Denis Lalancette / Wayne Little

That the report of the Honours and Awards be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #14. MOTION CARRIED.

 
11 h) REPORT OF THE WORKFORCE ADJUSTMENT COMMITTEE

m/s  Bill Blair / Doug Gaetz

That the report of the Workforce Adjustment Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #15. MOTION CARRIED.

11 i) REPORT OF THE HARASSMENT COMMITTEE

m/s  Ken Bye / Jamie vanSydenborgh

That the report of the Harassment Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #16. 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  Wayne Little / Bill Blair

That the report of the Finance Committee be postponed until the committee members meet to approve the proposed recommendation.

• MOTION CARRIED.

 11 k)  REPORT OF THE COMMUNICATIONS COMMITTEE

m/s  Gary Esslinger / Daniel Camara

That the report of the Communications Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #17.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 l)  REPORT OF THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE

m/s  Madonna Gardiner / Bob Carpenter

That the report of the Bargaining Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #18.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

m/s  Jamie vanSydenborgh / Doug Gaetz

That the report of the Political Action Committee be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #19.  MOTION CARRIED.

11 n)   REPORT OF THE CALL CENTRE COMMITTEE

m/s  Jamie vanSydenborgh / Denis Lalancette

That the report of the Call Centre Committee be adopted.

m/s  Jamie vanSydenborgh / Ken Bye

Recommendation #1

That the following Terms of Reference for Call Centre Committee be adopted:

Call Centre Committee
Terms of Reference

Composition

The committee shall consist of:

• Two National Officers of which one shall be appointed chairperson;
• One member who works at a Call Centre elected by the Local Presidents representing Call Centre members; and
• One Labour Relations Officer assigned as the staff advisor to the committee.

Aim and Objectives

The Committee shall:

• Promote, encourage, and continually strive to improve working conditions in Call Centres;
• Consult with the employer on Call Centre issues;
• Maintain and facilitate communication with Call Centre contacts and locals with call centres; 
• Educate all locals and activists on Call Centre concerns;
• Maintain and update the Call Centre contact list;
• Encourage and assist in the development of bargaining demands specific to Call Centre  issues that may be submitted by locals; and
• Deal with all matters as assigned by the President, Executive Council, or Convention.

Meetings

The committees shall meet at the call of the chairperson and the approval of the President.

• Recorded Vote #20.  MOTION CARRIED.

Recommendation #2

That the following Roles and Responsibilities for Local Call Centre Contacts be adopted:

Roles and Responsibilities

Local Call Centre Contacts

• Promote, encourage and continually strive to improve working conditions in Call Centres;
• Be the person in your local to receive concerns from your members and bring those concerns to the Local Executive to deal with;
• Bring local Call Centre issues and concerns to the attention of their Local Executive to deal with;
• Be the local liaison between your Call Centre and other Call Centres, Regions or the Call Centre Committee; and
• Be prepared to gather information about your Call Centre activities and to share that information as requested.

m/s  Doug Gaetz / Wayne Little

That recommendation #2 be amended to read :

• Gather information when required about your Call Centre activities and to share that information as requested.

• MOTION CARRIED.

• Recorded Vote #21.  MOTION CARRIED.

That the report of the Call Centre Committee be adopted as a whole.

• Recorded Vote #22.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

m/s  Doug Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

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

• Recorded Vote #23.  MOTION CARRIED.

12.   ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

m/s  Marc Brière / Gary Esslinger

That the Financial Statements be postponed until the Finance Committee report comes back to the table.

• MOTION CARRIED.

13. EXPENSE CLAIMS OVER 90 DAYS

m/s Marc Brière / Doug Gaetz

That the expense claim over 90 days be accepted.

• Recorded Vote #24.  MOTION CARRIED.

14.   COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

A discussion took place.

15.   AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

m/s  Marc Brière / Doug Gaetz

That the Audited Financial Statements 2014 be postponed until the next day.

• MOTION CARRIED.

At the request of the Council the session went ‘’ in camera ‘’

16.   INVESTIGATION COMMITTEE REPORT

m/s  Bill Blair / Jamie vanSydenborgh

Be it Resolved that the Investigation Committee Report be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #25.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

Recommendation #1

The Investigation Committee recommends to the Executive Council that Sister Lee Ann Bota not be permitted to hold any Union position for a period of 2 years, effective immediately, for violations of the UTE By-Laws.

m/s Doug Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

That recommendation #1 be amended to read:  for a period of 5 years and to delete the words: effective immediately

As amended:

The Investigation Committee recommends to the Executive Council that Sister Lee Ann Bota not be permitted to hold any Union position for a period of 5 years, for violations of the UTE By-Laws.

• MOTION CARRIED.

• Recorded Vote #26.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

m/s Bill Blair / Denis Lalancette

Recommendation #2

The Investigation Committee recommends to the PSAC that the membership of the Sister Lee Ann Bota be suspended for a period of 2 years, effective immediately, for violations of the UTE By-Laws.
 
m/s Dough Gaetz / Gary Esslinger

That recommendation #2 be amended to delete the words : effective immediately

As amended:

The Investigation Committee recommends to the PSAC that the membership of the Sister Lee Ann Bota be suspended for a period of 2 years, for violations of the UTE By-Laws.

• MOTION CARRIED.

• Recorded Vote #27.  MOTION CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY.

The Council then moved back into its regular session.

OPEN DISCUSSION

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

The meeting recessed at 5:00 p.m.

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 25, 2015
MORNING SESSION

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

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

m/s  Bob Carpenter / Madonna Gardiner

That the report of the Equal Opportunities be adopted.

m/s  Bob Carpenter / Madonna Gardiner

Recommendation #1

That the following dates and sites for the three inter-regional EO Conferences in 2015 be approved by Council.

August 27-30, Toronto – Greater Toronto, Southwestern Ontario, Northern and Eastern Ontario 

October 15-18, Montreal- National Capital, Montreal, Quebec, Atlantic

November 19-22, Vancouver – Pacific, Rocky Mountains, Prairies

• Recorded Vote #28.  MOTION CARRIED.

That the report of the Equal Opportunities Committee be adopted as a whole.

• Recorded Vote #29.  MOTION CARRIED.

Cond 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 / Gary Esslinger

Recommendation #1

Be It Resolved that the following line items be approved for overspending:

UTE
OVER-EXPENDITURES
MARCH 2015 EXECUTIVE COUNCIL

• Recorded Vote #30.  MOTION CARRIED.

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

• Recorded Vote #31.  MOTION CARRIED.

Cont’d 12.   ADOPTION OF FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

m/s  Marc Brière / Doug Gaetz

That the financial statements of December 31, 2014 be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #32.  MOTION CARRIED.

Cont’d 15.   AUDITED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS 2014

m/s  Marc Brière / Doug Gaetz

That the Audited Financial Statements 2014 be adopted.

• Recorded Vote #33.  MOTION CARRIED.

17.   PSAC DISCIPLINE INVESTIGATIONS TRAINING

m/s  Madonna Gardiner / Marc Brière

Whereas All PSAC Discipline Investigations as of March 3rd 2015 must be completed by Investigators that have completed the PSAC Investigators Training.

Be it resolved that the Union of Taxation Employees provide a bilingual training course in June 2015 for Council Members that have not received the training and for ten members, one from each region; and

Be it further resolved that by approving this motion we are also approving the overspending of the line item National Education. 

• Recorded Vote #34.  MOTION CARRIED.

18. GOVERNOR GENERAL’S CANADIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

m/s Doug Gaetz / Bob Carpenter

Whereas UTE has received requests from our members to participate in this worthwhile Leadership training; and

Whereas this is not covered under UTE non-union events at this time; and

Whereas this will provide leadership qualities to our activists; and

Whereas this requires sponsorship/funding in order to attend.

Be it resolved that UTE create a new regulation entitled “Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference Fund” with the following Terms and Conditions:

1. Every member in good standing of UTE who is accepted as a participant for the Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference can request funding from UTE to attend the conference. 
2. The Executive Committee of UTE shall select the recipient(s) of the funding and will fund a maximum of four (4) participants per conference.
3. The following costs shall be borne by UTE:
   
   1. loss of salary and benefits and bilingual bonus while in attendance at the conference.  Loss of salary shall not include any shift premiums, weekend premiums or loss of overtime benefits;
   2. the actual transportation costs to the conference at the commencement of opening plenary  and return home after the closing session.  This cost shall be limited to first class rail or Flex Class Airfare travel;
   3. family care expenses, if applicable, in accordance with current UTE policy; and
   4. other necessary expenses subject to the prior approval of the National president and the 1st vice-president.

Be it further resolved that the successful individual provides within 30 days from the end of the conference a written report and expense claim to the National President.

The mover Brother Doug Gaetz withdrew the resolution.

Brother Gaetz served notice to amend the agenda.

OPEN DISCUSSION

The Council members discussed the items under this section.

m/sDoug Gaetz / Bob Carpenter

That the agenda be amended to add under New Business the item 19 Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Conference.

• MOTION CARRIED.

Recess for lunch

AFTERNOON SESSION

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

19. GOVERNOR GENERAL’S CANADIAN LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE

m/s Doug Gaetz / Bob Carpenter

Whereas UTE has received requests from our members to participate in this worthwhile Leadership training; and

Whereas this is not covered under UTE non-union events at this time; and

Whereas this will provide leadership qualities to our activists; and

Whereas this requires sponsorship/funding in order to attend.

Be it resolved that UTE create a new scholarship entitled “Governor General’s Canadian Leadership Scholarship”.

Every member in good standing of UTE who is accepted as a participant for the GGCL Conference can request funding from UTE.

The Honours and Awards Committee of UTE shall select the recipients of the funding and will fund a maximum of two (2) participants per conference.

Members selected to attend the conference may request funding for two (2) of the following costs if they are not being reimbursed by any other organization for the same costs. The cost of transportation will be the most economical means, for example seat sales, mileage. The maximum amount shall not exceed $2500.00 per participant.

1. Transportation
2. Accommodation
3. Per diem
4. Lost wages; or
5. Registration fees

Members who receive UTE funding for such events shall submit a report to the President within sixty (60) days of the event. The report shall include the value of the event for them and/or other UTE members and the topics covered.

• Recorded Vote #35.  MOTION LOST FOR A LACK OF 2/3 MAJORITY.

The meeting adjourned at 1h45 p.m.