Just look under the career tab on I-Service to find info on ESDC’s mentoring program. It is worth checking out.

“In learning you will teach, and in teaching you will learn.”
― Phil Collins

Wednesday, February 25, 2015
starting at 4pm
1st floor, orange boardroom
457 Richmond St.
London

*refreshments will be served
* elections will be held for (local) positions of President, Vice-President, Secretary
> you can send nominations via email to sandy.snider@servicecanada.gc.ca or nancy.york@servicecanada.gc.ca and yes, you can nominate yourself

Hope to see you there.

Federal Election 2015 is fast approaching and we want to make sure that workers’ concerns are well represented in the discussions and outcomes. To see change happen, we need to act and talk to our colleagues, neighbours and families about these values, who best represents them and will work to safeguard them in our laws. Our plan is to bring together seasoned campaigners and new activists from a wide range of communities and workplaces to share the experience they have while learning the latest and best practices for effective campaigning – from outreach and training to social media. Our goal is to show them how to take on the negative, powerful politics of greed and deliver a win for fairness.

A series of skill-building workshops will help you:

•Obtain new skills to help in local campaigns
•Get the tools to talk to anyone about this election and all the important issues
•Build face-to-face skills to talk to people in the workplace and on the door step
•Learn how to build political support and capacity in your community
•Learn how to use social media for effective campaigning
•Learn how to reach out to different communities of interest
Who should go?

The people in your union who can build, lead and deliver a winning campaign need to be at this conference – leaders, community campaigners, organizers and communicators; women and men, young and old; workers of colour, with disabilities, Aboriginal, LGBT; public sector and private sector; full-time, part-time or retired.

Itinerary

Friday:
Registration 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Opening Session – 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
**Reception to Follow Immediately

Saturday:
Discussion/Workshops – 9:00 a.m. – Noon
Lunch – Noon – 1:00 p.m.
Discussion/Workshops – 1:00 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.

For more information, please contact ontario@clc-ctc.ca
When: 30/01/2015 6:00 PM – 31/01/2015 5:00 PM Where: OPSEU Regional Office
1092 Dearness Drive
London, ON
***This is a free event. If you want to attend, let Sara Johnson Vleuten know.

I hope everyone’s 2015 is moving along ok so far and that you enjoyed your holiday celebrations.
We finally got some winter weather, which is nice for winter activities, but makes many of us long for spring.
Fyi -Without a contract, we are vulnerable and are trying to maintain some kind of a strike fund, just in case. Decisions are being made to protect our members as best we can.

We are working on scheduling our next Annual General Meeting for the end of February.
As a head’s up, there will be elections for President, Vice-President and Secretary at that meeting. More info will follow.

PSAC’s National President, Robyn Benson, on behalf of the Alliance Executive Committee, wishes a wonderful holiday season to all. Thanking you for the work done in 2014 on the “We are all affected” campaign, Sister Benson reiterates the importance of resting up for 2015 because a lot of work is ahead of us.

via PSAC wishes a wonderful holiday season to all.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 19TH. Please Stop into the 6th floor break room for some treats and info. And just to say hello.  12-1 during lunch. Thanks!

My name is Souad Soubra (Sue), and at our last PSAC Ontario Regional Convention, I was elected as the Members with Disabilities Representative for Ontario Region. Consequently, this makes me a member on the PSAC National Human Rights committee representing members with disabilities.

So, as your Representative for members with disabilities, I am your voice in order to make sure that your concerns and/or challenges are voiced and I will bring forward your issues in order to make your workplace more inclusive and improve your quality of life and assist in any way possible in your participation in PSAC events.

PSAC has fought for disability rights for many years, from the fight to bring about employment equity in the federal public sector in the 1980’s and 1990’s, to the struggle to advance accessibility and the duty to accommodate both within workplaces and within our union. The struggle for a society and for workplaces that recognize and encourage the full participation of all people of different abilities is far from over. Confronting discrimination and harassment at work, protecting benefits such as sick leave and disability insurance, and continuing to advance employment equity are some of the key issues.

PSAC is working on a webpage for members with disabilities that will be a great resource and would give you a point of reference for issues like: Mental Health, Duty to Accommodate, knowing your Rights, and would also give access to some useful resources and tools. This will be launched in the next few months.

I would like to encourage members in your local to contact me by email so I can work on a contact list to communicate information, receive your concerns, suggestions and ideas via email at: sue.soubra@yahoo.com

I am looking forward to working with you and to helping Members with Disabilities in any way possible.

In Solidarity,

Souad Soubra (Sue)
Members with Disabilities Representative
PSAC Ontario

This is an excerpt from an email we received at work today:

With flu season underway, now is a good time to review the actions we can all take to ensure a healthy workplace.
There are a number of simple steps that we can all take each and every day to help prevent the spread of infection. As outlined by the Public Health Agency of Canada, these include:
• Wash your hands often and thoroughly in warm, soapy water or use hand sanitizer;
• Cough and sneeze in your arm, not your hand;
• Keep common surfaces and items clean and disinfected; and
• Stay home if you are sick, unless directed to seek medical care.

I find it interesting that it instructs you to stay home if you are sick at the same time the employer is trying to shove this “wellness plan/short term disability” down our throats.
Yes, there is a gap between our accumulated sick days and long term disability and some changes may need to happen, through fair negotiations. However, I think that would be better done by bringing in a sick SUB plan, like we have for maternity and parental benefits. (I sent this up as a bargaining demand from our local) There will be an unpaid waiting period with any short term plan the employer is proposing. So, what would that mean? If you have exhausted your small amount (proposed by employer) of sick days for that year and you get the flu, what you are really facing is the choice of going to work sick or taking the day without pay. Not a great choice really. Do you think so???

Remember that the employer has a ‘Duty to Accommodate’ (DTA) those members who need accommodation in the workplace due to a disability.

________________________________________________________________

The annual observance of the International Day of Disabled Persons was proclaimed in 1992, by the United Nations General Assembly resolution 47/3.

This observance Day aims to promote an understanding of disability issues and mobilize support for the dignity, rights and well-being of persons with disabilities. It also seeks to increase awareness of gains to be derived from the integration of persons with disabilities in every aspect of political, social, economic and cultural life.

This year’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities sheds light on the role of access and technology; with the theme Sustainable Development: The Promise of Technology.

The goal of this theme is to harness the power of technology to promote inclusion and accessibility to help realize the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society. You can learn more about this year’s theme by visiting the United Nations webpage: http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1620

In Solidarity,

Souad Soubra,
Members with Disabilities Representative,
PSAC Ontario Council

If you have rec’d a red bracelet, please wear it! ..especially tomorrow, November 19th in support of our bargaining team.