How do you deal with rotating shifts and running two meetings back to back to ensure your members get the message?  What is considered quorum?  What is the difference between by-laws and adding an item to your budget line?  These are a few of the challenges that 24 new presidents discussed at the New Presidents Orientation on June 1 and 2 in the head office theatre.

New Presidents got the opportunity to meet with representatives from many of OPSEU’s departments. Participants and OPSEU staff shared ideas on how to communicate with their members through newsletters, web pages, social media and face to face.  They shared strategies on dealing with health and safety issues and how to use health and safety as a tool for mobilizing.  Presidents answered equity, by-laws and stewards quizzes, had an overview on the importance of keeping good financial records and got an opportunity to talk about grievances, demand setting and collective bargaining with the rationale for keeping all of these on their radar.

They developed these strategies around the building of an effective steward’s body:

• Ongoing communication – e.g. through a newsletter

• Pulling in people, who request that the union do something, to help with the action

• Gifts and incentives

• Core group of stewards delegates tasks

• Follow-up on agreed-to action

• Using information stewards to connect 5-8 members each on a regular basis

• Getting minutes of joint-committee meetings out on time, and circulated to members – e.g. Health and Safety

• Develop agenda items for the General Membership Meetings from the members, through the stewards

• Identify the different strengths of each steward and encourage them to run for positions or become the expert in areas that use their strengths

• Develop and keep current, a home e-mail list

The new presidents also created a list of things they have done to gain management’s respect for the union and challenge unfair management practice.

• Filed a grievance and asked for specific remedies which we got

• Used management’s policy against them which resulted in employer-paid training for everyone

• Give a “heads-up” and then used the media to draw attention to an issue; do what you say you will do

• Use the staff rep to insist on respect for the union

• Policy grievance got the labour/management committee active; we used surveys, discussions, and e-mail to get members together

• Building relationships with members through events – like a holiday party

• We negotiated a second break in the day; management tried to remove it; we organized people to take the break anyway and management agreed to keep it.

OPSEU President Smokey Thomas was present for swearing in of the new presidents and spent some time updating them on current projects OPSEU is undertaking as well as thanking them for stepping up into a new and exciting role. 

Top row, left to right

Marilyn Bello-Crispo, Pierre Velhelst, Randy Hall, Steve Kovacs, Mark Hotte

 

Middle row, left to right

Richard Catton, Barb Thomas (facilitator), Lauro Loverita, Daryl O’Grady, Brian Dunham, Michael Hocevar, Jennette Smith, Marie Brien, Tammy Lanktree, Joel Usher

 

Front row, left to right

Kay Singh (facilitator), Barbara Quade, Carley Leathem, Ellen Clark, Jodi Eastwood, Edie Strachan, Trish Schaefer, President Smokey Thomas, Rosemond Owusu-Sekyere, Jason Allado, Kim King, Theresa McMillan.