Category: Convention News

The 2020 UNE Triennial Convention will be held at Hotel Fairmont Queen Elizabeth in Montreal from August 24-28, 2020. Before we start paving the way forward for our union, there are a few important things you need to do.

Make sure your Local is in Conformance
You can only attend convention if your Local is in conformance. For a complete list of documents needed from your Local, see the Convention section of the UNE website.

Elect Delegates and their Alternates
Delegates and alternates are elected during general local meetings. The number of delegates per Local is determined by the number of members in good standing six months before the start of Convention as per UNE Bylaw 6, Section 11:

1. Four to 100 members = one delegate;
2. One delegate for each 100 members or portion thereof to a maximum of five delegates for any given local.

Observers
Locals in conformance can also send observers to convention at the Local’s expense. These members can attend convention, but they cannot participate in debate or vote. There is a $75 registration fee for observers, to cover the cost of Convention materials.

Submit Credential Forms
Credential forms for each delegate, alternate and observer must be submitted to UNE. Credential forms for delegates and alternates must include a copy of the general Local meeting minutes showing the election of those members. The credentials forms are available for download on the Convention section of the UNE website.

Registration Deadline

To be recognized as a delegate to Convention, members must complete the online registration and submit the following documents by April 24, 2020 at 4pm Eastern Standard Time:

1. Credential forms, including meeting minutes showing election of delegates and alternates;
2. Local financial documents in conformance with UNE Bylaws and Policies.

Members who miss the deadline will not be able to participate on convention committees and are considered late delegates. Late delegates are seated at Convention by way of procedural motion during the early stages of the opening of our Convention.

Questions about Convention Logistics and Registration?
We hope you will find all the answers on the Convention section of our website.

If you require additional information, please contact Suzanne Boucher, Convention Coordinator, at events@une-sen.org or by phone at 613-560-4359 or 1-800-663-6685.

RESOLUTIONS

Option 1

Locals should appoint a convention resolutions committee; these are normally made up of three to five members. Some Locals may prefer to appoint a committee for each resolution topic: constitution and bylaws, finance, and general resolutions. Your Local should issue a notice asking members to submit resolutions to your convention resolutions committee. Allow plenty of time for the committee to prepare a report. Members of the committee should also be encouraged to submit their own resolutions. Each committee’s report and additional resolutions should be presented during a general membership meeting. This meeting should provide ample time to debate resolutions before members cast a vote.

Option 2

Any member in good standing can submit a resolution to Convention by having it cosigned by five other members in good standing.

Submit Your Resolution Online

You should submit your resolutions electronically on our website. Completing this process significantly reduces the time required to prepare resolutions for committee review in June. If you do not have internet access, you can submit your resolutions by mail or fax.

Submit Supporting Documentation

The resolutions you submit online must also be supported by hardcopy versions of either the signed minutes verifying that the resolution was adopted during a general membership meeting or the resolutions form cosigned by five other members in good standing. You can download the resolution template on our Convention page here.

Please send these hard copies to the attention of Ateau Zola by email at resolutions@une-sen.org.

You can also submit by fax at 613-560-5208, or by mail at: Union of National Employees 900-150 Isabella St. Ottawa, ON  K1S 1V7.

Resolutions received after April 24, 2020 at 4pm Eastern Standard Time will be deemed late and will be dealt with after all other resolutions.

Questions about resolutions? Please contact Ateau Zola at resolutions@une-sen.org or by phone at 613-560-4343 or 1-800-663-6685.

In Solidarity,

Kevin King
National President
Union of National Employees

It’s often the busiest weeks that seem to go by the fastest; convention is no exception! Our delegates left convention feeling pumped up and energized, having accomplished a lot of work that will pave the way forward for our union.

A new budget

Having lost 4,000 members in the last three years, our union was able to considerably tighten its belt while still delivering on its commitments. Despite a shortfall in revenue of almost $2M in the last three years, we were nonetheless projecting to break even or have a slight surplus over that period.

During convention, our delegates had to make some tough choices regarding the budget. In the end, they approved a budget that took into account our loss of membership without reducing any of the services we provide.

More information about the new budget will come shortly.

A new position: National Advisor for Parks Canada

This convention, delegates considered an emergency resolution to create a National Advisor position

When the National Executive met last May, we were informed that Parks Canada was open to the possibility of having a union representative deal with national issues on a full-time basis.

While the agency would continue to pay this person’s salary and benefits, he or she would nonetheless answer to the UNE national president.

The creation of this position was approved by convention. Eddie Kennedy was later elected by acclamation to the position of National Advisor for Parks Canada.

To find out more about the new position, please consult this article.

Delegate entitlement formula stays the same

Our delegates voted to keep the existing formula that governs the allocation of convention delegates.

Term limits to stay the same

Delegates were once again presented with a resolution asking them to reconsider our term limits, which prevent national and regional elected officers from serving more than two consecutive terms in the same position. Delegates voted to keep the term limits intact.

Equipping members with the tools they need

Convention delegates also put their stamp of approval on a resolution asking the UNE to develop a tool kit for each local executive position. The kit would include fact sheets on common grievance issues, education material and printable posters, among others.

Three UNE powerhouses awarded life memberships

During convention, we took the time to recognize the important contributions of some of our most dedicated members. Garry Larouche, Heather Brooker and Steve Houston all received life memberships during convention, to rousing applauds.

You can find out more about this story by consulting the third edition of our convention newsletter.

One full day of elections

After a full day of elections, we elected five national positions, countless regional positions and our delegates to the 2015 PSAC convention in Quebec City.

You can find the results of all these elections by consulting this article.

Over $5,000 raised for the Highlands Links

Some of you may remember a 2012 campaign we launched to keep the Highlands Links, a golf course managed by Parks Canada in Cape Breton, from being privatized. Well, just two years later, the government is back at its old shenanigans.

Like most public golf courses, the Highlands Links provides affordable access a sport that is notoriously expensive.

After the National Executive allocated $3,500 from non-recurring membership services to fight back with PSAC, members stepped up to the plate to raise even more money to combat privatization.

By convention’s end, more than $5,000 was pledged to keep this golf course accessible and affordable.

An encore performance by Piano Dan

Those who attended last year’s human rights conference may remember a jaw-dropping performance by Piano Dan (…also known as Daniel Toutant, assistant national vice-president for human rights), who used his musical talents to help raise funds to end violence against our aboriginal sisters.

Toutant once again lent his talents for this great cause during convention, raising over $250 for the Native Women’s Association of Canada.

Giving back to the local community

On the last day of convention, a few members of Local 70130 decided they could do something to help the homeless and the hungry in Victoria. Safia Haji-Dayib, Darrel Klerks, Jay Lamothe and Shaun Levesque used leftover food from their hospitality suite – food that was bound to go to waste – to make extra special lunches.

“We made an assembly line and started making sandwiches,” explained Haji-Dayib. “We added a few extra things like dried fruit, cookies and something to drink. Once it was all gone, we went around downtown handing out food.”

Haji-Dayib said it wasn’t long before they were out of food.

“There are a lot of people in need. And if we could do a little to help, it was worth it.”