Local elections are the
foundation of OPSEU democracy.
Local elections choose
leaders – leaders who represent their co-workers
in the workplace, plan local activities, and
manage local funds. Local elections also elect
delegates to OPSEU Convention to help steer the
union as a whole.
The following is a
rough guide for OPSEU members at the LCBO who
are starting a new local from scratch or joining
an existing OPSEU local.
Q1. Who gets elected?
Local elections take
place on two levels:
• Members in
individual workplaces, or clusters of
workplaces, elect Stewards. In “multi-unit”
locals, members also elect Unit Stewards (see
Q5 for details).
• All local members elect the Local Executive
Committee (LEC), which is the leadership of
the local. All LEC members must be elected as
Stewards before they can run for an LEC
position. Each local elects a President and at
least two other officers to the LEC.
“Single-unit” locals elect a Chief Steward to
the LEC as well.
In single-unit locals,
all stewards sit on the LEC; in multi-unit
locals, unit stewards sit on the LEC, but shop
stewards do not (see diagram on next page).
Q2. What do stewards
do?
Stewards handle
grievances and speak to management on behalf of
their co-workers, keep co-workers informed of
union issues and activities, encourage
participation in union activities, and serve as
a link between their co-workers and their Unit
Committee or Local Executive Committee.
Q3. What rights do
stewards have so they can do their jobs
effectively?
Stewards have the right
to attend LEC or unit committee meetings. They
have the right to know the status of grievances
from their group. They have the right to high
quality education and training.
Q4. What other
supports are in place for stewards and LEC members
so they can do a good job?
The OPSEU training
program for stewards at the LCBO is being
developed now, and will be piloted shortly. All
stewards and LEC members are eligible to attend
regional educationals and other training
programs.
New local presidents
attend a new presidents’ orientation at OPSEU
head office. Locals also have their own staff
representative and access to office space and
equipment located at OPSEU regional offices and
membership centres.
Q5. What is the
difference between a “shop steward” and a “unit
steward”?
Shop stewards are
directly elected by the members in their work
area. In single-unit locals, all stewards sit on
the LEC.
In multi-unit locals,
groups of shop stewards form a “unit committee”.
Members from each unit elect one of the stewards
on the unit committee to serve as the unit
steward. This unit steward sits on the LEC.
The number of unit
stewards in a local depends on the size of the
local.
Q6. How do locals
decide how many stewards to elect?
The OPSEU staff
representative assigned to each local will work
with the existing leadership (and members in the
workplace) to decide what makes sense. A local
with (say) 25 small stores will not likely want
to elect a steward from each store. A better
solution might be to create four groups of
stores, with each one electing its own steward.
Q7. Who gets elected
in “composite” locals where a group of LCBO
employees are joining an existing OPSEU local?
Members elect their
stewards in the same way they would in an all-LCBO
local. From among these stewards, one person is
elected immediately to sit on the LEC as a unit
steward. The unit steward from the LCBO unit may
run for any position on the LEC when the next
local elections are held.
Q8. Can locals change
their steward structure after the first elections?
Yes. Once the new
locals are up and running, LECs will be able to
change the number of stewards and/or the areas
they represent. Where changes occur, locals will
hold by-elections to fill any vacancies.
Q9. What do the
various officers of the LEC do?
The President enforces
the by-laws and the regulations ofthe local and
the union, presides at local meetings, and
generally supervises the affairs and operations
of the local. The President is an ex officio
member of all local committees. This means he or
she is a full voting member of all such
committees.
The Vice-President
stands in for the President when he or she is
absent and exercises any and all duties assigned
by the President or the Local Executive
Committee.
The Secretary attends
all local meetings, keeps minutes, distributes
notices to members, handles local
correspondence, and sends updated membership
information to the OPSEU regional office.
The Treasurer oversees
expenditures of the local and generally
safeguards its finances.
The Chief Steward
supervises and assists the Shop Stewards.
Q10. What other
positions are elected by the local as a whole?
Every local must elect
at least two members to a two-year term as
Trustees to sit on the local audit committee.
The job of the Trustees is to examine the books,
records, and property of the local and its units
at least twice a year and report their findings
to OPSEU head office and to local members at a
general membership meeting. Trustees may not be
stewards and may not hold any other office in
the local.
Q11. Who votes?
All members in good
standing of the union may vote in steward, unit
steward, and LEC elections. During the
transition, this includes those who have signed
OLBEU cards and/or OPSEU cards.
Stewards are elected by
the members in their work area; officers of the
LEC are elected by all members of the local.
Q12. How do local
elections work?
All positions in the
local must be elected by a clear majority (50
per cent plus one) of those voting. This may
require more than one ballot.
Balloting for stewards,
unit stewards, and LECs takes place at a general
meeting of the members in the area (for stewards
and unit stewards) or the whole local (for LECs).
Q13. Who will run the
elections for OPSEU members at the LCBO?
The OPSEU staff
representative assigned to each local will work
with the existing (OLBEU) leadership in the
local to plan how elections will be held. Staff
representatives will oversee the voting to make
sure it is done fairly in accordance with the
OPSEU Constitution.
OPSEU Executive Board
Members and members of the Liquor Board
Employees Division will also be available to
assist.
Q14. What happens when
there is only one candidate for a position?
The candidate is
acclaimed. To make it official, the usual
practice is that one member from the area or
local casts a ballot to officially elect that
candidate.
Q15. Can locals have
ballot boxes at work locations, or use mail-in
ballots?
Under the OPSEU
Constitution, the president of OPSEU may allow
locals to set up one or more polling stations
not connected to a member meeting, or may permit
other arrangements such as mail-in ballots.
Proxy voting is not allowed. Holding elections
at member meetings has several advantages:
• It helps build the
local by bringing members together to talk
face-to-face;
• It allows members to meet candidates for
office, get to know them, and learn about
issues facing the local;
• It ensures secure control of ballot boxes;
and
• In LEC elections, it allows people who are
not elected to one position to try again and
run for another position.
Q16. Many OPSEU locals
for LCBO employees cover a large geographic area.
How can we make sure members attend?
Geography is a
challenge. It is up to the assigned staff
representative and existing member leadership to
come up with a plan that will:
• notify local
members that elections will be held;
• give members lots of notice so that they can
plan to attend area and local meetings;
• encourage members to run for positions and
vote; and • find ways to make it easy for
members to attend meetings.
Q17. Can locals pay
expenses (e.g., mileage, child care) for members
to attend meetings?
This is up to the
locals themselves. Some OPSEU locals do; some do
not. OPSEU policy encourages (but does not
require) locals to provide child care for local
events. Since the 27 brand new locals for LCBO
employees do not yet exist, expenses will have
to be decided by the assigned staff
representative in consultation with existing
leadership.
Northern locals can
also get assistance from the Northern Lights
fund, which helps locals with accommodation and
travel expenses. Locals should contact an
Executive Board Member for their region.
People with
disabilities who need assistance to take part in
meetings (for example, a personal attendant,
sign language interpretation, braille, etc.) may
have those expenses paid by the union
(centrally) through the Accommodation Fund. For
more information, contact Heather Sinclair in
the OPSEU Equity Unit at 1-800-268-7376 ext.
8790.
Q18. When will local
elections be held?
Soon! All elections
must be completed in February and March so that
locals have time to elect delegates to the OPSEU
Convention scheduled for April 20-22, 2006.
Convention delegates must be registered no later
than April 6.
Q19. Will the Liquor
Board Employees Division and OPSEU head office
provide any support to get locals up and running
(in addition to regional staff reps)?
OPSEU Communications is
mailing an information package to all LBED
members for whom we have correct addresses. The
package includes advance notice of the local
elections, information about the member’s local,
regional office contact numbers, and how to find
out more.
To promote the
election, locals may apply for funding from the
union’s Local Time Off Fund. This fund helps
locals pay for time off for members for union
activities. The Local Time Off Fund is also
called the “80-20 fund” because the central
union pays 80 per cent of the cost and the local
pays 20 per cent. OPSEU head office will pay a
maximum of $10 per member in good standing; the
local contributes $2.50 per member in good
standing.
Since, for the time
being, we have locals in the Liquor Board
Employees Division but no Local Executive
Committee, requests for Local Time Off funding
will be authorized by OPSEU staff reps. Staff
reps will assess such requests based on the
local organizing committee’s workplan. The form
for the Local Time Off Fund is on page 25.
Q20. What do I do if I
want to run for a position?
To run for a position,
you must be a member in good standing of your
union. You must have a union card. For these
elections, you can be a signed-up member of
either OLBEU or OPSEU. If you are not signed up,
contact your nearest OPSEU regional office for
an application.
To run for a steward
position, you must be nominated by a signed-up
co-worker in your work area. To run for a unit
steward position, or a position on your Local
Executive Committee, you must first be elected
as a steward. Then you must be nominated by a
signed-up co-worker from your unit or your
local, respectively. The easiest way to run for
election is to bring along your nominator and
attend an election meeting. However, you can
still run for a position if you don’t attend the
election meeting. Just complete a Nomination
Form (see the .pdf version of this document on
the OPSEU web site) and hand it in to your staff
representative. Members may vote for you even if
you are not there. Of course, if you do not
attend the election meeting you will miss a big
opportunity to persuade voters to elect you.
For more information,
call your OPSEU regional office and ask to speak
to the staff representative assigned to your
local.
Q21. Does OPSEU
provide support (e.g., expenses, phone lists) to
members who want to run for a position?
No. You have to fund
your own political career.
Q22. Does OPSEU have
templates for posters to promote local elections?
Yes. They are included
in the .pdf version of this document on the
OPSEU web site.
Q23. Where can I get
more details about local elections?
Local elections and
structures are governed by Article 29 of the
OPSEU Constitution. You can get a copy of the
Constitution from your nearest OPSEU regional
office or at
http://www.opseu.org/constitution/Constitution2005.pdf
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Local Election Q & A
