Eva McKaeff – Prairie School for Union Women

Education
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL) Prairie School for Union Women June 9 – 13, 2013 Waskesiu, Saskatchewan  Approximately 80 km north of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, tucked away amidst the beautiful evergreens and poplars, is the scenic town of Waskesiu.  The Saskatchewan Federation of Labour hosts the annual Prairie School for Union Women attracting Sisters from all over the Province/Canada from the various Unions (ie CUPE, SGEU, COPE, UFCW, CUPW, ATU, et cetera).  There were approximately 150 Sisters enrolled in the 2013 school.  Many repeat students and many, like me, attending for the first time.   There definitely was a buzz of enthusiasm at the Opening Ceremonies – a few familiar but many new faces of women trade unionists.  The atmosphere was very inviting.  The evening was an opportunity to introduce ourselves…
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Heather Dillabaugh – Prairie School for Union Women

Education
Prairie School for Union Women June 9-13, 2013 Report by Heather Dillabaugh  I attended the Transforming Conflict into Union Activism.  The course was geared towards being able to understand basic conflict resolution theory, the difference between functional and dysfunctional conflict and how gender and culture affect how we view and act in conflict. The week was centered around learning a Solidarity Skill Set to be used in conflict. There were seven key areas we focused on. After a week of education, we all left with the following skills: Encouraging the Speaker (Body Language) Open-Ended Questions Restating Key Points Reflecting Emotions Validating Values, Indentifying Interests Generating Options, Choosing a Solution Setting Limits, Taking Action There were 21 people registered in the class and we had two instructors.  We did a lot…
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Heather Dillabaugh – COPE National Convention

Education
COPE Conference June 7-9, 2013 Report Submitted by Heather Dillabaugh The COPE Conference is the first conference I’ve ever attended and was completely enthralled by everything! There were a number of speakers that were very interesting to listen to. Ken Georgetti, President of the Canadian Labour Congress, spoke and thanked COPE for its work on Bill C-377.  He predicts that Bill C-377 will end up in the courts.  Georgetti also stressed that we (unions) have to learn to communicate differently and put out a different image of ourselves.  We are about fairness and have to explain the union advantage. Another speaker was Education Rep Marie-Josee Naud from  the Quebec Federation of  Labour and she spoke on defending define benefit pension plans. Alexandre Boulerice, MP, Rosemont-Petite-Patrie, NDP Labour Critic, spoke and…
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Debbie Rebeiro – Handling Grievances Workshop

Education
Handling Grievances Workshop Report (CUPE course) Friday, June 21st, 2013, 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm Ottawa Area Office, Ottawa Facilitator: Kim Monette (CUPE Local 4000 – Health Care Workers) Reported by Debbie Rebeiro The course was a part of a two-day workshop ‘Introduction to Stewarding – Handling Grievances’. I attended a part of it to learn about ‘Handling Grievances’ since I had done earlier the ‘Stewarding’ part by itself. The following are my notes: Types of grievances were discussed: Individual Group Policy/Union Grievance How to investigate a grievance and get the facts. CUPE /COPE has a grievance form which can be used to record facts. Ask member for authority to view their personnel file. Get all records and history of any discipline in the past, etc. All facts must be…
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Debbie Rebeiro – Bargaining Skills Workshop (CUPE)

Education
Bargaining Skills Workshop (CUPE Course) Location:  CUPE Local 4000 Hall, 32 Colonnade Road, Ottawa May 23 & 24, 2013 It was my very first ‘Bargaining’ experience and as such was an eye-opener for me. I have learned that there are specific steps and a structure to follow. The following handouts were given to us: Bargaining Skills Participant’s material which included – The Bargaining Process, Various Tips on how to Take Good Notes, how to Communicate, what to Observe, on Body Language, on Listening, on Making a Deal! Proposed Amendments to the Collective Agreement (Management Team) Bargaining Skills Player’s Manual – Union Team, which included: The Bargaining Scenario Proposed Amendments A Fact Sheet on Flexible Benefits – Resisting Benefits Concession Several activities on what and how to Caucus, and how to…
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Madeleine Vachon – Education Report

Education
Dealing with Workplace Conflict Workshop held at COPE Ontario office, Toronto April 4, 2013 I feel very privileged to have been able to participate in this training session.  As an administrative assistant, I think this workshop is of utmost importance to help deal with conflicts in the workplace. We begin with an overview of definitions and sources of potential conflicts in the workplace; we were given several concrete examples in a first attempt to identify what conflicts are.  Disagreements are unavoidable; however, they do not always escalate to become a conflict. Varying opinions and approaches to the business side of your workplace can bring about disagreements. It can become a distraction and be disruptive, or it can help bring about changes.  This workshop presented us with strategies in order to…
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