Summary of Actions - Refugees and Migrant Workers

   Local/Regional Actions

-      Invite refugee advocacy groups to be guest speakers at union events, hold lunch and learns; speakers/theme at weekend educationals

-      Develop ‘Beyond Borders’ as a regional educational

-      Engage in public education – prepare newsletters with myths and facts for In Solidarity, prepare a pamphlet on international solidarity issues

-      Develop local union links to refugee/immigrant organizations – support their work on an ongoing basis

-      Find out about local and regional actions that support immigrant and migrant worker actions, attend them and invite union members to join

-      Lobby your MPs and MPPs about corporate accountability – ask for fairer trade practices, products, human rights scans etc.

-      Boycott – learn about whether or not activists from the south are calling for boycotts and follow their lead, don’t buy or use services they tell you are unjust

-      Engage in media work – prepare a press release for International Refugee Day on June 20th

-      Bring the issue to Labour Council with an informed advocate 

-      Write resolutions for local to send to Convention -  for example, a constitutional amendment designed to increase participation of marginalized groups at Convention.

   Larger OPSEU

-      Organize exchanges – trips for workers from the South to come here to teach us about their struggle and successes, and vice versa   

-      Work with NUPGE - Lobby for changes to Federal Immigration Laws with refugee and migrant rights groups that are designed to increase the health and safety concerns of temporary and migrant workers

-      Develop a resolution on Migrant Worker issues – ask for financial support for refugee and migrant rights groups who can then lobby for legislative reform

-      Develop a resolution for “lobby packages” to be developed on the three international issues of the Conference for the next election

Summary of Actions -  Violence against Women

   Local/Regional Actions

-      Provide more education on how the context of violence (ie. being a temporary worker, non-Citizen etc.) affects choices around safety, shelters, and our intervention strategies.

-      Develop a course for regional educationals, facilitate a breakfast event to provide speakers and available resources to members; always include speakers with first hand experience; base educationals on a survey of member needs/interests

-      Start an information and research campaign on how violence against women affects our members and their workplaces

-      Work with local groups by asking how we could build effective partnerships with them

-      Identify a day/month to support a women’s shelter in your town – ask them what they need

-      Participate in or organize a September ‘take back the night’ walk in your area

-      Participate in or organize a December 6th Day event to commemorate the Montreal Massacre in your area

-      Bargain for additional assistance or services through the benefit plan for victims of  violence; Bargain language for time-off, health and legal appointments related to violence

   Larger OPSEU

-      Submit resolutions at Convention 2008 for OPSEU to develop an educational; also to provide educational material resources regarding violence against women at all OPSEU events

-      Develop a lobby campaign on violence against women with post cards and petitions

-      Ask the OPSEU Provincial Women’s Committee to work with locals on bringing this issue to their attention

-      Identify and train union counselors for all locals on this issue through the Labour Education Centre

-      Lobby to change the Human Rights Code by adding psychological harassment and bullying

-      Research what, if any, education is happening in schools on this issue – if there is no education, organize for advocates and speakers to go into schools for children’s education

-      Develop a resolution that sponsors commercials developed by immigrant support organizations  (ie. language and context specific)

-      Develop a resolution for “lobby packages” to be developed on the three international issues of the Conference for the next election

Summary of Actions -  Fair Trade & Corporate Accountability

   Local/Regional Actions

-      Support local markets

-      Educate our children – teach them to be responsible consumers in the future

-      Prepare information materials about the human rights and environmental abuses by large multi-national corporations (MNC’s) such as Coke, Nestle etc. for the website and newsletters; invite Fair Trade advocates to speak at local events; take information from the Conference back to the Locals

-      Identify groups in the South that are engaged in grass-roots union and other organizing; provide financial support with no strings attached

-      Lobby local MP’s and MPP’s on fair trade and corporate accountability

-      Participate in Labour Council and develop a strategy to inform all members about the situation with Fair Trade Advocacy organizations

-      Put forward resolutions on the issue of free trade. For example:

-        Propose that the Greening of OPSEU include monitoring of the environmental impact of corporations that receive government contracts

-        Propose that NUPGE, in coalition with OPSEU and other unions, form a delegation to attend at the next action against Free Trade

-      Boycott – learn about whether or not activists from the south are calling for boycotts and follow their lead

   Larger OPSEU

-      Join in coalition with other unions and organizations to push the government to revisit NAFTA – and inform members about this work

-      Exchange knowledge with workers in the South about strong labour laws and human rights legislation that protect workers

-      Lobby the Harper government, through NUPGE, to call off free trade negotiations with Columbia

-      Lobby OPSEU to monitor the Ontario government to make sure it does not enter into free trade agreements with other provinces (ie. TILMA)

-      Ask head office to ban all Coke products at meetings, conventions, vending machines – inform members about what products they should avoid – work with the Provincial Young Workers Committee

-      Pressure the provincial government to follow through on the Walkerton Inquiry  

-      Develop a resolution for “lobby packages” to be developed on the three international issues of the Conference for the next election

Summary of Actions -  HIV/AIDS

-      Get contributions from members to buy the new cookbook as fundraiser for HIV

-      Encourage locals to contribute $1 per member per month to the Live and Let Live Fund

-      Bargain employer contribution to Live and Let Live Fund (i.e. 1 cent per member hour worked)

-      Volunteer with the Ontario AIDS Network group in your community

-      Develop a resolution for a “lobby package” to be developed on this issue for the next election