World Day of Social Justice

In 1912, Helen Keller sent a cheque to support the striking textile workers in Little Falls, New York. In the accompanying letter, Keller concluded:  “Until the great mass of the people shall be filled with the sense of responsibility for each other’s welfare, social justice cannot be attained.”1

Unions have long advocated for social justice. At the PSAC, the Social Justice Fund has worked to “advance the role of our members in building stronger communities, a better country and a more just and humane world.2

According to Louise Casselman, the PSAC Social Justice Fund Officer, the fund helps address inequities both at home and abroad.

“Unions are not just about putting bread on the table – that’s obviously an important aspect – but it’s also about reaching out and being active in the society we live in,” said Casselman.

About half of the fund helps support programs in Canada.

“We have a literacy program that we support, for example, in Nunavut, in the Prairies and  Atlantic regions and, right now, we’re supporting literacy programs for injured workers in Ontario and also immigrant workers in the area of Montreal.”

Literacy skills are especially important in our modern economy. The 2005 International Study of Reading Skills revealed that a great proportion of Canadians scoring lowest on literacy were immigrants or individuals who grew up with a mother tongue other than English or French.3

The majority of Canadians struggling with literacy report earning less than $25,000 a year.4

The fund also supports after-school programs for at-risk-youth and shelters for victims of domestic violence. The union is also teaming up with Canada Without Poverty to fight for decent public housing.

“We’re all working together to improve the lives of those people who are more marginalized in our society,” said Casselman.

She adds that many of our members are involved in these programs at the grassroots.

“It’s hard,” admits Casselman. “Union members work all day long, and then volunteer at night for their Local, Area Council or Human Rights Committee – it’s all volunteer time – and then they’re involved in the community. It’s a lot on their back.”

“It’s really important to bring attention to all this work, so we want to recognize all those champions of social justice that we have in our union.”


[1] Helen Keller, and Davis John. Helen Keller: Rebel Lives. Saint Paul, MN: Consortium Book Sales and Distribution, 2003. Print.

[2] PSAC Social Justice Fund Mission Statement

[3] The Daily, January 9, 2008, Stats Canada

[4] Idem

Death leaves a heartache

“Death leaves a heartache.”

Those were the words on a card that Jennifer Chieh Ho, the UNE’s Regional Vice-President for B.C. and Yukon, received during last week’s Memorial March.

While countless Canadians were putting final touches on their Valentine’s Day plans, many others took to the streets to honour our country’s missing and murdered women. The first Memorial March took place 22 years ago in Vancouver’s downtown eastside.

Over the past decade, these marches have started taking place in many cities across Canada.

Kristin Gilchrist, a co-founder of Families of Sisters in Spirit and a doctoral student at Carleton University’s department of sociology, says these marches have grown considerably thanks to the important work of countless grassroots organizations.

“They draw critical awareness to the violence happening in our communities, especially violence directed at Indigenous women,” wrote Gilchrist.

Chieh Ho and a few members of her Local attended this year’s march where it all started: in Vancouver’s downtown eastside. She said she was especially happy to see such a diverse group of allies demonstrating for this important cause.

“There were many aboriginal brothers and sisters, but there were also a very encouraging number of men and women of all nationalities, of all ages, who came to support,” she remarked.

“The march took us to a number of spots where women were found murdered or were last seen before they went missing,” said Chieh Ho. “We took a moment at each spot to honour each woman.”

Chieh Ho said that a rose was left to mark each spot: a red rose for women found murdered – a yellow rose for women who have gone missing.

“I was a bit shocked and saddened by the number of times we stopped,” she added.

The Native Women’s Association of Canada has a list of more than 500 confirmed cases of missing and murdered native women – and those are just the ones they can actually confirm.

Gilchrist says that Indigenous women face many barriers when it comes to being heard.

“Barriers are especially apparent when there’s a failure by allies to make connections between anti-violence, anti-colonialism, and settler responsibility,” wrote Gilchrist.

She says Indigenous women’s voices are often included only as an afterthought or silenced altogether. And it’s not at all uncommon for those running their own agenda to simply expect these women to go along with their plans.

“These things happen far too often,” she added.

The Harper government continues to brush off demands for a public inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women.

As Jennifer Lord of the Native Women’s Association of Canada told us last year: “This is what the families want.”

There are many photos of the march on Flickr.

Why am I working on Family Day?

For many of us, today is Family Day. And I can bet you a tasty cupcake that in lunchrooms across the country, this question is bound to come up:

Why am I working family day?

It’s a valid question. Last week, it was Family Day in British Columbia. As Regional Vice-President Jennifer Chieh Ho pointed out to CBC, many public service employees had to go to work while businesses and daycares were closed, causing headaches for parents with young children.

“In my office, I do have quite a few young workers who have little children, and some of them have had to take time off in order for them to spend time with their family, their spouses,” she told CBC.

But why is it that public service employees have to work on Family Day?

Well, for starters, Family Day isn’t a national holiday. It’s a provincial holiday in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario. Prince Edward Islanders also have a provincial holiday today: it’s called Islander Day – Manitobans, likewise, have Louis Riel Day.

A federal public servant is entitled to statutory holidays that are fixed by proclamation of the governor-in-council (in other words, it’s a cabinet decision). Provincial holidays are enacted by lieutenant-governors.

If you’re a public service employee, there are two roads to getting an extra day off in February:

Family Day would have to become a statutory holiday.

Essentially, the federal government would have to pass a law making Family Day a statutory holiday. There was an effort to do something like that in 2007, when NDP MP Peggy Nash introduced a private member’s bill that would have made Flag Day (Feb. 15) a statutory holiday.

“Flag Day is a great day to have that break, especially in the middle of winter,” Nash told CBC. “It’s a good way to get over the February blahs.” (We agree!)

Or, Family Day would have to become part of the holidays recognized in your collective agreement.

The great thing about being unionized is that every member has the opportunity to improve their work conditions. Each time your bargaining team goes to the table, they present demands from the members.

It’s thanks to collective bargaining that we have paid sick leave and family leave – and, let’s face it, a greater number of vacation days than our non-unionized counterparts. There’s no reason why we can’t go to the bargaining table asking for another paid holiday, if that’s what the members really want!

Update from the National Executive

It’s a big (and somewhat formal) boardroom. There’s a huge table that barely fits everyone. And there are a bunch of union officials from all over the country packed into one room.

It’s the national executive meeting and, at first glance, it’s an intimidating place.

“When I first sat down I felt overwhelmed,” admitted Melody Raabe, UNE’s newest assistant regional vice-president for Manitoba.

Raabe came to Ottawa last month to officially get sworn-in and to attend her first ever national executive meeting.

Very quickly, Raabe started to feel comfortable. “As discussions began, I quickly felt as though I was sitting around the table with family,” she added.

During the meeting, the national executive reviewed ongoing business, including actions being taken in regards to workforce adjustment. It was also the chance to hear about collective bargaining from members who are on the bargaining teams.

Later, the executive was given an update on upcoming conferences: the All Presidents’ Conference (in April! Register now!), the Human Rights Conference and the 2014 Convention.

The national executive also decided to establish a committee to examine how best to engage members.

Finally, PSAC President Robyn Benson stopped by for a meet-and-greet and to share a few thoughts. Benson was especially outraged about Bill C-377; a bill that demands “transparency and accountability” from unions.

“It’s a way to attack unions, because it’s specifically directed to trade unions,” said Benson. “We’ve been encouraging our members to go find the financial statements [on our website] and to look at them. We are open and transparent; our budget is passed by convention – the spending is appropriate.”

After all that, Raabe said she felt really lucky to be part of such a dedicated group of union activists.

“I soaked up every word,” she added.

“These individuals give so much of their own time, away from their families, to strengthen our union – and to help to fight injustice and inequality. It’s exciting for me because I think I was born ‘all about justice’. It’s why I’m so proud to be a part of our union and the UNE team.”

The PIC report is in!

The highly-anticipated Public Interest Commission report came in last month. As you may recall, the TC group was hoping the commission’s recommendations would lead to a fair tentative agreement to present to the membership. We caught up with one UNE bargaining team member to get the whole scoop!

“The report is favourable,” said Garry Larouche, Regional Vice-President for the Ontario. “It’s favourable in the sense that a number of our issues were recognized, including our economic demands.”

The report, in fact, points directly to UNE members in one paragraph, where it reads:

“The union’s brief is compelling in that it discloses that Labour Affairs Officers (LAOs) are paid less than their provincial counterparts for work of a similar and, in some cases, identical nature.”

The report also recognizes that Measurement Canada is having difficulty in “retaining both TI-03 recruits and [their] more experienced TI-04 staff.” In other words, Larouche explained, “we can’t hire – and when we do finally have them, they leave to the private sector.”

As a solution to both situations, the report recommended monthly terminable allowances. These allowances enable the employer to increase the salary of a particular group of employees without affecting the entire classification.

However, the employer doesn’t seem eager to accept these recommendations. A partial letter of dissent was written by the employer and included in the report.

“It gives us an idea of where Treasury Board is on the issue,” explained Larouche. “We’re not sure we’re going to get everything in the report.”

Larouche feels there’s still a lot of work to do. The next step will include mobilizing on the issue and putting pressure on the employer.

Soon, members of the TC bargaining team will start to hold town halls to provide more information on the road ahead. Locals who are holding annual general meetings should also consider inviting a member of the bargaining to speak with members.

“We want to explain where we are and where we want to go – but more importantly, we want to hear from the members,” said Larouche.

Manitoba & Saskatchewan Regional Seminar

“The theme of this seminar is: go with the flow,” joked Saskatchewan’s Regional Vice-President, Omar Murray, during the Manitoba-Saskatchewan regional seminar.

What do you do when all your seminar material is lost somewhere between Toronto and Regina? As the old union adage goes: “the seminar must go on.” Thanks to a lot of last minute printing (*cough* thanks a lot, Purolator! *cough*), the seminar was a great success.

“The event started off a little shaky,” admitted Manitoba’s Regional Vice-President, Martin Kaminski. “But with a positive outlook on things, we managed to roll with the punches.”

This is the second time that the Manitoba and Saskatchewan regions chose to host a joint regional seminar. “We figured the more people, the more fun,” explained Murray.

Kaminski says he particularly enjoyed the presentations by UNE staff. Among other things, participants were treated to workshops on local finances, communications and grievance handling.

There was also an eye-opening lecture by Idle No More co-founder, Sylvia McAdam and invigorating speeches by UNE National President Doug Marshall and PSAC’s Regional Executive Vice-President of the Prairies Region, Marianne Hladun.

“Sylvia’s presentation on Idle No More and Doug’s presentation on the evil Bill 377 were topical and right out of today’s headlines,” said Murray.

Finally, we were all very fortunate to receive a surprise visit from Holly Serle, Manitoba’s former regional vice-president. Sister Serle drove over 200 kilometers to surprise us – and we’re very glad she did!

“I really enjoyed the opportunity to touch base with some familiar faces and some new ones,” concluded Kaminski.

Black History Month – Viola Desmond

Last year, in honour of Black History Month, we shared with you the story of Mary Ann Shadd Cary, a pioneer of the equality rights movement in Canada. We did that primarily because Black history, especially Black women’s history, has largely been overlooked.

Dr. Audrey T. McCluskey, Professor of African-American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University-Bloomington, confirmed this sentiment when we corresponded with her last year.

“Black women’s history has been in the shadows for too long,” wrote Professor McCluskey. “So much more needs to be done to bring this history of struggle, courage, disappointment, and overcoming—continually overcoming—to a broader audience.”

So with those inspirational words in mind, we’d like to shine the spotlight on another brave Black woman. Her name was Viola Desmond – and in 1946, she caused quite a commotion.

Desmond was a Halifax-born Black woman who owned a hair salon. While on her way to Sydney on business, her car broke down in New Glasgow. After checking into a hotel, she decided to catch a movie. When she asked for a main-floor ticket, she was informed that she’d have to sit in the balcony (apparently, this was the theater’s version of making Blacks sit at the back of the bus).1

“But Viola Desmond recognized instantly that she was being denied seating on the basis of her race. She made a spontaneous decision to challenge this racial segregation, walked back inside and took a seat in the partially-filled downstairs portion of the theatre.”2

That’s when the manager was called… and then the police… until finally, Desmond was dragged out of the theater. Oh, and then they threw her in jail for twelve hours.3

Enter the Judge

The Crown attorney must have dug really deep in the law books because they decided to charge Desmond with defrauding the Nova Scotia government. Yep. Fraud!

When Desmond slipped a dollar for her main-floor ticket, 70 cents were returned to her and she was told to sit in the balcony. A main-floor ticket in the “whites only” section would have cost 40 cents, 4 cents of which were tax. The prosecution alleged that Desmond’s actions amounted to trying to defraud the government out of that extra 1 cent in tax.4

Desmond wasn’t informed of her rights and didn’t have an attorney with her the next morning when she entered the court room. She was fined $26.5

The Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People raised money to fight her conviction and her case made it all the way to the Nova Scotia Supreme Court.

Unfortunately, justice didn’t prevail. Desmond lost her case on a technicality.

She may have lost her legal battle, but she lives on a part of our history that deserves be remembered. Our country is often remembered for being a haven for escaped Black slaves. For free Black men and women, it was a place that guaranteed their freedom while the Fugitive Slave Act in the U.S. had been putting their brothers and sisters back into slavery. That’s a part of our legacy that we can be proud of.

But we mustn’t deny the darker parts of our history. Segregation did exist on this side of the border.

Viola Desmond lives on because her story reminds us of the countless Black men and women who were victims of discrimination – and to this day, continue to fight ignorance and prejudice. She lives on because she was a strong, brave, progressive woman who took a stand – who refused to accept the status quo – who refused to be told that she was a second-class citizen.

Viola Desmond is a Canadian hero. Let’s honour her and countless others who fought in the name of equality.

Viola Desmond was post-humously pardoned in 2010.6


[1] Bingham, R., Viola Desmond, the Canadian Encyclopedia

[2] Backhouse, C., Racial Segregation in Canadian Legal History

[3] Bingham, R., Viola Desmond, the Canadian Encyclopedia

[4] Backhouse, C., Racial Segregation in Canadian Legal History

[5] Idem

[6] Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia

Catching up with the parks bargaining team

It’s been a few weeks since our members on the Parks Canada bargaining team began meeting with members all across the country to explain the tentative agreement before them. Dozens of Locals have already cast their vote.

“This is what it’s all about,” said Mike LeBlanc, a UNE member on the bargaining team. “It’s entirely up to the members – it’s entirely democratic.”

Over the past three weeks, LeBlanc has been to Kejimkujik National Park, the Halifax service centre, Halifax Citadel National Historic Site, Prince Edward Island National Park, Fundy National Park and Kouchibouguac National Park. Next week, he will be visiting three sites in Newfoundland.

LeBlanc says the reception has been really positive. Most members are very happy with the many gains proposed; some are concerned about trading the accumulation of severance pay in order to get them.

“I basically explain to our members that we can negotiate with it now, or we can have it taken away from us in the legislature later,” said LeBlanc. “If we go back to the bargaining table, the government is still going to push for severance.”

Over in Quebec, meetings are also going very well. Benoit Dubeau, another member of the bargaining team, met with members in Shawinigan last week, including Local President Daniel Toutant.

“The members listened very attentively to Brother Dubeau’s explanations,” said Toutant. “We even took the opportunity to sign up a few Rands.” Take note: that’s a great idea because members need to have a signed union card in order to vote.

“The members seemed to be really happy with the answers they received.”

Heading west a little further, Sister Loretta Moar has been meeting with members in Ontario and Manitoba. So far, she’s met with office staff in Thunder Bay, conservation members in Nipigon and members working at Pukaskwa National Park in Marathon, Ontario as well as those working at Riding Mountain National Park in Manitoba.

“The meetings so far have been very good,” said Moar. She added that most questions have centered around the severance package and payout options.

“There have been no negative comments about any portion of the tentative agreement,” said Moar.

And finally, we’re hoping Brother Kevin King has been travelling with some very warm long johns because he’s been visiting some very cold places. Earlier last week, we posted a photo of King knee-deep in the snow in Inuvik. If you don’t know where Inuvik is, it’s about a 53-hour drive north of Vancouver, in the Northwest Territories… it’s very very north!

King also visited the members in Banff earlier this month. “I spoke for about five minutes, and then answered questions for the next 25.”

His experience echoes that of other bargaining team members. “About 80% of the questions centered on the end of accumulation of severance.”

Brother King later attended meetings with members at Jasper and participated in the recent town hall against the privatization of the Canadian Rockies’ hot springs. More recently, King has been meeting with members in British Columbia along with a fellow member of the bargaining committee, Sister Céline Ahodékon.

By now, some readers might be exhausted just reading about all this travelling! The members of the bargaining team worked very hard to get to a monumental tentative agreement – and their hard work continues until they reach an agreement.

Brother LeBlanc said that while he really enjoys meeting members, he finds the travelling very tiresome.

“You’re away from home a lot. You’re staying in hotel rooms, eating at restaurants, spending a lot of time in airports or driving alone… it’s boring,” explained LeBlanc. “After a while, you almost go nuts,” he added, joking that he’s been talking out loud to himself a lot lately.

But LeBlanc says there are a few things that keep him going, such as the strong support he receives from his wife, Bernadette.

“She’s awesome! Without her support and understanding, I wouldn’t be able to be as involved as I am,” said LeBlanc with a smile. Even apart, the couple finds ways to keep in touch.

“We talk using Yahoo video, we play scrabble online together.”

However, LeBlanc says his cat, Belle, isn’t as supportive. “She isn’t supportive at all. She hates seeing the suitcase,” explained LeBlanc. “And when I finally get home, she ignores me for a few days.”

But despite the many days away from home and a grumpy cat that harbors a grudge, LeBlanc says getting a heartfelt ‘thank you’ makes it all worth it.

“At one meeting, as everyone was rushing to leave to avoid the bad weather, I noticed an older gentleman who seemed to be hanging around,” said LeBlanc. “He came up to me and said ‘I know it’s not easy work. You’ve been here a few times talking about bargaining and I want to thank you for your work because you guys don’t get thanked very often.’”

So, please, let’s all make an important mental note to thank our bargaining committee members. They work tirelessly on behalf of our members and they deserve our heartfelt thanks.

You can share your thanks right now! Please leave a comment in the box below.

Mike and his grumpy cat, Belle

Remembering the victims of the Holocaust

I have learned that the Holocaust was a unique and uniquely Jewish event, albeit with universal implications. Not all victims were Jews, but all Jews were victims. I have learned the danger of indifference, the crime of indifference. For the opposite of love, I have learned, is not hate but indifference. Jews were killed by the enemy but betrayed by their so-called allies who found political reasons to justify their indifference or passivity.1

–       Elie Wiesel, a Romanian-born Jewish American and Holocaust survivor

It was on January 27, 1945 that the Soviet Army liberated the survivors at the Auschwitz concentration camp. The Soviets found a little more than 7000 prisoners; a dismally small number compared to the 1.1 million prisoners murdered at Auschwitz between 1940 and 1945.2

The greatest victims of the Holocaust were Jews, whom Hitler had targeted for genocide. Over 6 million Jewish men, woman and children lost their lives during the Holocaust. Many suffered and toiled in concentration camps that dotted the map from eastern France to modern-day Belarus.

After the war, over 40,000 Holocaust survivors immigrated to Canada.3 Many Jews settled in Montreal, where their French was a great asset. Even in Canada, the Jewish community had to combat discrimination. In 1946, they even had to bring a case against the City of Quebec for preventing them to erect a synagogue.4 By the late 1940s, human rights legislation removed common discriminatory practices.5

A number of other victims also lost their lives during the Holocaust. Among them were millions of Ukrainians and Russians, including many Russian prisoners of war. Millions of Poles and Yugoslavians were also killed. There were also tens of thousands of Gypsies, mentally and physically disabled persons, gay men and Spanish Republicans. Thousands of Jehovah’s Witnesses were also killed – and it’s unknown how many communists, political prisoners, resistance fighters and trade unionists lost their lives.6

Sadly, genocide is not yet part of our past. Many countries are still at risk of genocide and politicide, including Syria, Pakistan, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Nigeria.7

There are many signs that can signal an impending genocide. Perhaps the most troubling is a tendency to create out-groups, which are then stripped of their humanity.8 During the Holocaust, the Nazis regarded Jews as “parasitic vermin.”9 In Rwanda, the Tutsis were often compared to cockroaches.10

On this day, let’s pay honour to the victims of the Holocaust. Let’s also remember to never be a passive bystander; there are countless who paid the ultimate price for others’ indifference.


1. Remarks on Presenting the Congressional Gold Medal to Elie Wiesel and on Signing the Jewish Heritage Week Proclamation April 19, 1985

2. The Liberation of Auschwitz, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

3. The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Jew

4. The Canadian Jewish Chronicle – Sep 25, 1946

5. The Canadian Encyclopedia, The Jews

6. Overlooked Millions: Non-Jewish Victims of the Holocaust, Karen Silverstrim, University of Arkansas

7. Genocide Watch, 2012 Global Watch List

8. Genocide Watch

9. Victims of the Nazi era: Nazi racial ideology, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum

10. Peace Pledge Union

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day in the United States. It’s a day to celebrate the achievements of a civil rights icon – a chance to look back at how much progress that has been made and to look ahead at the tremendous amount work still left to be done in the name of equality.

This year will also mark the 50th anniversary of Dr. King’s famous “I have a dream” speech, which he delivered during the March to Washington. While desegregation and racial harmony were key demands, the march also pushed for more jobs and the elimination of discrimination in hiring practices.

Over 200,000 people joined the demonstration for civil rights. The march had been organized, in part, with the help of labour unions. Asa Philip Randolph, an African-American labour leader, was the march’s head organizer. On that historic day, Randolph told the Times-News that it was “the greatest demonstration for freedom in the nation’s history.”

In 1964, a few months after the U.S. congress passed the Civil Rights Act, Dr. King was awarded a Nobel Peace Prize. During the award ceremony, Nobel Committee Chairman Gunnar Jahn noted the following about Dr. King:

“He is the first person in the Western world to have shown us that a struggle can be waged without violence. He is the first to make the message of brotherly love a reality in the course of his struggle, and he has brought this message to all men, to all nations and races.”