UFCW
February 7, 2017
JeffTraeger:
Goodeveningeveryone,mynameisJeffTraegerandI'mthePresidentofUFCW
Local832.Iwanttowelcomeyoualltothe2017WinterTelephoneTownHall
GeneralMembershipMeetingformembersofUFCWLocal832thatisnow
calledtoorder.
Also,Iknowit'sFebruary,butIwanttotakethechancetosayHappyNewYear
toallofyouontheline.Withmeinthestudiotonight,alongwithour
communicationsteamofBlakeCarruthersandChrisNoto,isyourSecretary
TreasurerBeatriceBruske,yourDirectorofourLegalDepartmentGarry
Bergeron,yourDirectorofEducationandTrainingErinSelby,andaSpecial
GuestNellieMinvillefromourexecutiveboardwhoworksattheSt.Boniface
Hospital.
AlsowithusismyExecutiveAssistantMarieBuchan.We'vedoingthe
TelephoneTownHallformatforabouttwoyearsnow,anditcontinuestobea
verypopularwayofconnectingwithourmembers.Overthattimewe've
listenedtoyou,andouractivists,whohavetoldusthattheywouldpreferto
haveusspendlesstimeonreadingandreviewingreports,andmoretime
bringingyouissuesofintereststoallofourmembersandtakingtimetoanswer
yourquestions.
Tomakethathappen,we'retryinganewformatforourTownHallmeeting's
startingtonight.Sincetherearethreereportsthatneedtobevotedonatthese
meetings,thosebeingtheminutesofourpreviousmeeting,thesecretary
treasurersreport,andthepresident'sreport.Wehavepostedthosedocuments
onourwebsiteatufcw832.comforyoutoreview.
Thosedocumentshavebeenpostedforthelastweek,andwillstayonour
websiteinafolderthatcontainsthearchiveddocumentsofallofourprevious
TownHallmeetings.We'renotgoingtoreadthosedocumentstonight,butwe
willconductthreevotesthroughoutthemeetingtopasstheapprovalofthem.
Thiswillgiveusmoretimetohearfromourguest,andtotakeyourquestions.
Forallthemembersonthelinethatwouldliketoaskaquestion,pleasepress
the*keyfollowedbythe#3andyou'llbeplacedinaqueuetoaskyour
question.Iwouldaskthatyoupleaserememberthatthepurposeofthis
meetingistodiscussissuesoraskquestionsaboutmattersthataffectallLocal
832members.
Ifyouhaveaspecificquestionaboutagrievanceoranissuethataffectsyour
workplacealone,IwouldaskthatyoucontactyourfulltimeUnion
representativewhosenameandcontactinformationisavailableontheUFCW
BulletinBoardinyourworkplaceoronlineatufcw832.com.
ThoughtonightisourfirstquarterlyTownHallMeetingGeneralMembership
Meetingof2017,andIwanttothankallofyouwhohaveparticipatedinthese
meetingsformakingthemsuchasuccess.Ifyouknowofanymemberswho
haven'tparticipatedfromyourworkplace,pleaseaskthemtotrycallinginfor
onemeetingjustsothattheycanstaymoreconnectedtotheirUnion.
Ouragendatonightbeginswithvotingtoapprovetheminutesofthelast
meetingheldDecember13,2016.Whilewe'recompletingtheresultsofthat
vote,wewillhaveapresentationbyGaryBergeron,ourLegalDepartment
Director,whowillbespeakingaboutattendancemanagementprograms,which
isanissuethatcouldpotentiallyaffectallanyUFCWmemberandisoften
misunderstood.
WewillopenthelineforquestionsfollowingGary'spresentation,andthenwe'll
callforavotetoapprovetheSecretaryTreasurer'sreport.Whilethatvoteis
takingplace,we'llhearfromamemberofourexecutiveboard,NellieMinville,
whoworksattheSt.BonifaceHospitalwhichisheadedintoaverytoughround
ofnegotiationswithheremployerwhoisthenewgovernmentofManitoba.
AfterwehearfromNellie,wewillagainopenthelineforquestions.Andfinally,
we'llcallforavotetoapprovethepresident'sreport,andwhilethattakesplace
wewillhearfromyourDirectorofEducationandTrainingErinSelby,whowill
tellusaboutsomeexcitingnewinitiativestakingplaceatourtrainingcenters
andaboutourupcomingactivistconferencethisApril.
I'llbeginbymakingamotiontoapprovetheminutesofourlastmeetingwhich
tookplaceonDecember13th,2016.Ithasbeenmoved,andseconded,so
pleasevoteYesbypressingthe#1onyourkeypad,orNobypressingthe#2on
yourkeypad.Onceagain,togetinthelineuptoaskaquestionsimplypressthe
*keyfollowedbythe#3,andyouwillbeplacedinthequeue.
Sincewewillbeopeningthephonelinesupforquestionssoon,pleasegetin
thequeuenowifyouhaveaquestion,againbypressingthe*keyfollowedby
the#3.IwillnowturnitovertoGaryBergerontotalkaboutattendance
managementprograms.Gary.
GarryBergeron:
PresidentTraeger,oraswecommonlycallyouJeff.Jeffaskedmetoput
togetherashortpresentationregardinganaspectofabsenteeismprograms
thatseemstocomeupregularlywithourmembers.WhatIdidwaslookat
someoftheissuesthatcomeuponaregularbasis,andwhatI'mgoingtolook
at,weonlyhaveabrieftenminuteshere,soI'mgoingtocovertwotypesof
absenteeismthatIareusuallycoveredintheabsenteeismprogram.
Thetwotypesofabsenteeismthatarecoveredintheabsenteeismprogramor
theattendancemanagementprogramarewhat'sCulpableAbsenteeismand
NonCulpableAbsenteeism,orisalsocalledInnocentAbsenteeism.Beforethat,
Ishouldprobablyprovideyouwithabriefdefinitionofwhatanabsenteeism
programisandhowtheywork.
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Iwouldsuggestthatmostofourmembers,certainlythelargermembers,have
absenteeismprogramsthroughtheiremployer,butnotalldo.Generally
speaking,absenteeismprogramsareprogramsputinplacebyemployersforthe
purposeofmonitoringhighabsenteeismlevels.
Onanabsenteeismprogram,anemployerwillreviewwithanemployeewho
hasbeenmissingafairamountofwork,theabsenteeismlevelswiththe
employeesoastoraisetheemployeesawarenessoftheproblemaswellasthe
employersconcerns.Theywillalsousethistimetoofferassistance,suchasthe
employeeassistantprogramandEAPprogram,andortrainingwhere
appropriate.
Thefirststepinanysuchprogramisthecommunicationtotheemployeeofthe
employersattendanceexpectations,andthefurthercommunicationto
employeesofthepotentialconsequencesofthefailuretoliveuptothese
expectations.
Also,particularlywithrespecttoNonCulpableAbsenteeism,orInnocent
Absenteeism,thisprovidestheopportunityforboththeemployerand
sometimestheUniontounderstandtheemployeesattendancedifficultiesand
toaccommodateorotherwiseconsideradjustmentsthatmightbenefitall
parties.
Usuallyifanemployee’sabsenteeismrecorddoesnotimprove,therewillbe
severalmorestepsintheprogramwherethepartiesmeetagain,reiteratingthe
employersposition,pointingouttheneedtoimproveonlevelsofabsenteeism,
andeventuallywarningtheemployeethatterminationcouldoccurifthe
absenteeismisnotreduced.
Justsoyouknowthough,anyabsenteeismprogramthatyouremployerhas
mustcomplywiththecollectiveagreementinplace,mustbereasonableinits
applicationandmeetanyapplicablelegislation.Inparticular,Manitoba,wellin
allofthem,theHumanRightsCode.
ThiswholefactthatitmustcomplywiththecollectiveagreementandHuman
RightsCodethat'sawholedifferenttopic,andwecouldtalkaboutthatfor
hours,butthat'snotwhatwe'redoingtoday.
Anyways,asstatedinthebeginning,therearetwotypesofabsenteeism
coveredbyanabsenteeismprogram.YouhaveCulpableorNonCulpable
Absenteeism.Culpableisfairlyeasytoexplain,ifthecauseorthereasonforthe
absenteeismcouldandshouldhavebeenaddressedandcollectedbythe
employee,thenitfallsintotheCulpablecategory.Basically,absenteeismthat's
theemployee'sfault.
ExamplesofCulpableAbsenteeismwouldbebeinglateforwork,leavingwork
early,notcallingin,notnotifyingtheemployerabouttheabsenceinatimely
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manner.Iknowthatthere'squiteafewofourmembersanhourortwobefore
theshift,there'sadesignatedtimetoprovidetheemployerenoughtimeto
replacethemandiftheydon't,theycouldbedisciplined.
Abusingaleadpolicybyusingitforreasonsnotintendedsuchasbeingatthe
Jetsgametonightwhenyou'resupposedtobeonsickleave,butIamhere.
Anyways,employeeswilllikelybedisciplinedforreasonssuchasthese.Culpable
Absenteeismisfairlystraightforward,butwestillhavetherighttogrievethe
disciplineimposed,usuallyforvariousreasonssuchasitdidn'thappen,orthe
disciplineimposedwastooharshandthelike.
ThenyouhavewhatisreferredtoasNonCulpableAbsenteeism,orInnocent
Absenteeism,andthat'snotyourfault.Thewholeissueisabitmorecomplex.
ExamplesthatfallintotheInnocentAbsenteeismcategorywouldbeyoursick,
yoursufferingfromsomeillness,yoursufferingfromadisability,youhave
occurrencesofafamilycrisis,familyleaveandthelike.
ThesetypesofsituationsfallintotheNonCulpablecategory,asintheyarenot
yourfault.Now,let'sbeclear.Thisisactuallythemostimportantpartofthis
lecture,ofthisbriefdiatribe.Iftheabsencesarenotyourfaultbecauseyouare
legitimatelyillordisabled,thenyoucannotbedisciplinedfortheseabsences.
Theemployercannotimposesuchthingsaswrittenwarnings,suspensionsor
thelike,cannotplaceyouontheprogressivedisciplinetrackifyourabsences
areinnocent.It'sagainsthumanrights,it'sagainsttheHumanRightsCodeto
disciplineyouforbeingsick.It'snotyourfault.
Thatbeingsaid,wedohaveinstanceswhereemployeesaresickbutfailtobring
inamedicalnotetoprovethattheywereindeedill.Somecollectiveagreements
orabsenteeismprograms,atsomepoint,requirethatanemployeeprovide
medicaldocumentation.Thisrequirementusuallykicksinwhenyouhavebeen
offforaspecificorextendedperiodoftime.
Youhavenumerousabsencesinashortperiodoftime,oryou'vebeenoffforan
extendedperiodoftimesothenexttimeyou'reoffsickyou'llhavetobringina
doctor's.Thatemployeewouldhavebeenadvisedofthenecessitytobringin
thenoteatsomeearlytime,andalsoadvisedoftheconsequencesofnot
bringingthenote.
Nexttimetheemployee'soffclaimingtobesick,anddoesnotprovidethe
medicalnotewhenwediscern,willresultintheemployeebeingdisciplinedby
theemployer.Let'sbeclear,inthatsituationyou'renotbeingdisciplinedfor
beingillandmissingwork,butratherforfailingtobringinthemedicalnote.
Thatisalegitimatereasonfordiscipline.
Anyways,thecaselaw'sevolvedovertime.Whencertainserioussituationsof
excessiveInnocentAbsenteeism,thismayresultintheterminationofthe
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employmentrelationship.Thistypeofterminationisnotviewedasdisciplinary
innature.It'snotviewedasdiscipline,thefactthatyou'relosingyour
employmentforexcessiveInnocentAbsenteeism.
Whatyouhaveisanemploymentrelationwhichisbasicallycontractual.The
employerhashiredanemployeetoworkforthem,thereforeanemployer
shouldhavetherighttotheperformancetheyarebeingpaidfor.Incertain
situations,ithasbeenrecognizedthatanemployershouldhavethepowerto
replaceanemployeeonajob,notwithstandingtheblamelessnessofthe
employee.
Theconceptisthatifanemployeecannotreporttoworkforreasonswhichare
nothisorherfault,heorsheimposeslossesonanemployerwhoisalsonotat
fault.However,aftercertainstagesreachtheaccommodationofthelegitimate
interestsofboththeemployerandemployee,requiresapowerofjustifiable
termination.
WhatitcomesdowntoisthatInnocentAbsenteeismcanresultindismissal.
However,priortoanemployerbeingallowedtoletyougoforInnocent
Absenteeism,theemployermustestablishtwothings.Thattherehasbeen
undueabsenteeisminthegrieverspast,andthatthegrieverisincapableof
regularattendanceinthefuture.
Ikindofviewthisasathreeprongtest.Youhaveapast,present,andafuture.
Hastherebeenaseriousproblemwithabsenteeisminthepast,isitongoing,on
whatisthefutureprognosisoftheemployeetoreturntoworkonaregular
basisintheforeseeablefuture.
Aquickexample:anemployeebecauseofamedicalconditionhasbeenoff
workforalengthyperiodoftime.We'renottalkingforafewdayshere,we're
talkingmonthsifnotyears,sothishasbeenongoing.Atsomepointthe
employercanaskforamedicalreport,askingwhentheycanexpectyoubackat
work.Also,animportantpoint,whattheycandotoaccommodateyourreturn
towork.
DutytoaccommodatestillexistsandisapplicableincasesofanInnocent
Absenteeism.Sothedoctorsreportcomesback,andstate'sintheforeseeable
futureyouwillnotbecomingbacktowork,eveniftheemployercan
accommodateyourdisabilityorusuallyiftheycanaccommodateyourdisability,
thedoctor'ssayingthey'renotcomingbackintheforeseeablefutureorany
timesoon.
Atthatpoint,they'veestablishedthatyou'vehadproblemswithAbsenteeismin
thepast,it'sstillongoing,andintheforeseeablefutureyouwillnotbereturning
towork.Incaseslikethat,InnocentAbsenteeismmayresultinyoulosingyour
position.Unfortunately,eventhoughit'snotbeenyourfault,youcanloseyour
job.
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Anotherimportantpointisthatif,byterminatingyouremploymentfor
InnocentAbsenteeism,itresultsinyoulosingyourbenefitsthatyourentitledto
underthecollectiveagreement,thantheycan'tdoit.Theyhavetokeepyouon.
Let'sjustsayyou'reanemployeecollectingLTD,andtocollecttheLTDtheir
LongTermDisabilityyouhavetobeanemployee.
IftheyletyougoforInnocentAbsenteeismyou'renolongeranemployee,so
youwon'tbeentitledforyourlongtermdisabilityanymore.Insituationslike
that,theemployercannotletyougo,soyou'resafe.Now,eachabsenteeism
managementprogramisslightlyorsometimesgreatlydifferentfromeach
other.
Theabovestatementsweregeneral,soifyouhavebeenplacedbytheemployer
intotheirabsenteeismprogram,contactyourUnionrep.Reviewthesituation
withthem.Seeifyoudeservetobeonit,don'twaituntilyou'reinthefinal
stagesoftheprogramtocontactus,andcertainlyifyouhavebeenterminated
forInnocentAbsenteeismorevenCulpableAbsenteeismforthatmatter,
contactusimmediately.
Thatmayhavebeenabittoospeedy,butquestions?
JeffTraeger:
We'vegotafewquestionsonthelinenow,butGaryreallygoodadviceatthe
endthere,andthatisthesoonerthatwenowthatyou'reonanattendance
managementprogrambyyouremployerintheworkplace,theeasieritisforus
togiveyoutheproperadvicetomakesurethatitdoesn'tendcausingyouto
loseyourjob.
Inoticedthatthevotetoapprovethepreviousminuteshaspassed,sowe're
goingtoopenupthephonelinesnowandwe'regoingtotakeafewquestions.
We'llstartwithFredfromBrewersDistributorLtdhereinWinnipeg.HiFred,
howareyou?
Fred:
I'mnottoobadhowareyou?
JeffTraeger:
I'mdoingwellthankyou.What'syourquestion?
Fred:
MyquestionisdowestillhaverepresentationfromtheUnionforappealsfor
compensationclaims?Whenyouhaveagoodclaimthereandit'sdenied.Ihad
RobHilliardonceandhewasgreatgettingmeanappealandwinningit.Now,
dowestillhavethatvenue?
JeffTraeger:
Theanswerisyes,andno.Westilldoworkerscompensationappealsonany
claimthatwouldrepresentaprecedentsettingclaimoraclaimwhereit'sclear
wheretheemployersactionsareegregious.WehavePhilKraychuk,whoisour
HealthandSafetyDirector.
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Asamatteroffact,he'sdoingacompensationappealthisweek,buthedoesa
triageonthecasesandwemakesurethatsinceourresourcesarelimited,that
wetakeonthemostimportantcaseshere,andthenwealsohaveourrepswho
aretrainedtohelpwiththefirststepoftheappealprocess,whichistosendit
tothereviewoffice.
Ifit'srelativelysimpleinnature,somethinglikesomeone'spaywaswrongand
thereappealhastobefiledinordertogetthatcorrected,wereferthemtothe
WorkerAdvisoryOfficeatWorkersCompensationBoard.Butforacasethatis,
asIsaidprecedentsetting,wethenabsolutelydomakesurethatwehandleit
hereatouroffice.
We'vegotanothercallfromBrewersDistributorLtd.ThisoneisfromDale.Dale,
goahead.
Dale:
HiJeff,howareyoudoing?
JeffTraeger:
Notbad,howareyou?
Dale:
Verygood,thanks.We'regoingintonegotiationssoon,andIwaswondering
aboutBlakeCarruthers.Hashenegotiatedbefore?And,also,whatishis
background?
JeffTraeger:
Sure,okay.BlakeCarruthers,I'llstartbackwards.BlakeCarrutherscametousas
ourCommunicationsDirectoraboutadecadeago,andhewasrunninghisown
businessdoingcommunications.Healsohadalotofexperienceworkingwith
someUFCWLocalsoutinOntario.
Foraboutadecade,heranourCommunicationsDepartment,buthealsospent
sometimegoingthroughtraininganddoingsomenegotiationsonsmaller
contractsforus.Aboutlastfall,hemovedintothenegotiationsrolewithus,just
recentlyfinishratifyingacontractforacouplehundredmembersatVantage
Foods.
Oneofthethingsthatwedobecausenegotiations,Dale,issuchanimportant
partoftheservicethatweofferforourmembers,ofthethingsthatwemake
surewedowehaveaDirectorofCommunicationsMartinTrudel.
ThenallthreeofthepeopleintheleadershiproleswiththeLocal,myself,
BeatriceBruske,andMarieBuchanallcontinuetodonegotiations,butwehave
regularmeetingswithournegotiatorstomakesurethatiftheyhaveany
questionsorifthey'rerunningintoanytoughissuesatthebargainingtablethat
thosearediscussedwiththeleadershipandwiththedirector.
EverynegotiatorattheLocalhastocometomeandgetapprovaltoagreeto
anyconcessionsinbargaining,sowekeepareallycloseeyeonit,butIcantell
youthattheworkthatBlake'sdoneinournegotiationssofarhasbeenvery
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good.Lotsofgoodfeedbackfrommembers,andI'msurewiththesupportthat
BlakehashearatLocal832thathe'sgoingtodoagreatjobatbargainingyour
contract.
WewillmoveontoBarbara,fromStore4867Sobey's.Goahead.HiBarbara,
howareyou?Barbara,areyouthere?We'regoingtomoveontoBeverleythen.
IsBeverlythere?
Technicalglitchesinthestudiohere.Okay,welostboththecallers.Nowwe're
goingtomoveontoournextguest,butbeforewedothatI'mgoingtomakea
motiontoapprovetheSecretaryTreasurersreportwhichisonline
ufcw832.com.ThatreportisfortheelevenmonthperiodendingNovember
30th,2016.
BeatriceBruske:
Seconded.
JeffTraeger:
ThankyouBea,it'sbeensecondedhereinthestudio.Pleasepress#1onyour
keypadtovoteYes,and#2onyourkeypadtovoteNo.Ifyouhaveaquestion
abouttheSecretaryTreasurersreportoranythingelseatall,pleasepressthe*
keyfollowedbythe#3andwe'llgladlytakeyourquestion.Currently,wehave
nomembersinthequeue.
I'mgoingtoturnitovertoNellieMinville,whosehereinstudiowithustogive
herpresentation.Goahead,Nellie.
NellieMinville:
MynameisNellie,IhavebeenemployedwithSt.BonifaceHospitalfor42years
invariousdepartmentsthroughoutthehospital.Ihavealsobeeninvolvedwith
theUnionasaShopStewardandalsoasanExecutiveBoardMemberforthe
lasttwentyyears.
Thiswillbemythirdoccasiononthenegotiatingcommittee.Theprevioussetof
bargainingwasextremelydifficult,anditrequiredaconsiderableamountof
timetoarriveatanagreement.Thisroundofbargainingwillprovetobe
equally,ifnotasperplexing.
Infact,Ifeelitwillbemuchmoresoduetoamorechallenginggovernmentthat
hasimplementedastricteragenda,andhasdeterminedthatfinancialchanges
needtobemade.Theimplementationofthishasalreadybeennoticedinthe
workplace,startingwithcutbacksofovertimeinnon-clinicalareas.
I'msuretherewillbemanymorecutbackstocomeinthefuture.Itwillbea
difficultfighttomaintaintheitemsthatwedohave.Ourplanistofacethe
challenge,fightforwhatwehavefoughtforandacquiredandhopefullyacquire
moreforourmembers.
Wewillallbeworkingaboveandbehindtoacquirethebestdealthatwe
possiblycan.Atthistime,wearegoingthroughalltheproposalsubmissionsand
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tryingtofinalizetheproposalsthatwearegoingtobringforward.Weare
hopingtobeginmeetingsoonwithmanagement.
Ihopethateveryonewillcontinuetogiveusthesupportthatweneedtoget
ourcontractratified.Thankyou.
JeffTraeger:
Excellent.ThankyouverymuchforthatNellie.Iknowit'sgoingtobeatough
roundofnegotiations,andI'msurethatattheendofthedaywe'llcomeouton
topaswealwaysdo.
IseeonthescreenthatthevotetoaccepttheSecretaryTreasurersreporthas
beenpassed,andwedon'tcurrentlyhaveanyquestionsinthequeue.Sobefore
movingontoournextguest,I'mgoingtomakeamotiontoapprovethe
President'sreport.
BeatriceBruske:
Seconded.
JeffTraeger:
Ithasbeenmovedandseconded.Pleasepressthe#1onyourkeypadtovote
Yes,andthe#2onyourkeypadtovoteNo.Ifyouhaveaquestionaboutthe
President'sreportoranythingelseatall,pleasepressthe*keyfollowedbythe
#3keyandwewillgladlytakeyourquestion.
I'mnowgoingtoturnitovertoyourDirectorofEducationandTrainingErin
Selbytospeaktoyouaboutthenewinitiativeshappeningatthetrainingcenter.
Erin.
ErinSelby:
ThankyouJeff,I'mreallyexcitedtobejoiningeveryonetonight.There'salotof
thingsgoingonatthetrainingcenter,butIwanttostartwithtalkingalittlebit
aboutWebCampus.Ifyou'vebeenonourwebsite,youmayhavenoticedthis
wordWebCampusandnotbeenquitesurewhatitis.
Thisisanonlinelearningtoolthat'sbeendevelopedandismaintainedby
UFCW'snationalofficeinToronto.Ifyougoonit,youcankindofscrollthrough
andtakealookatallthedifferentcoursesthatareofferedthere.Thereare
literallyhundredsofcoursesoffered,andthey'reconstantlyputtingnewones
on.
Icantellyoufirsthand,I'vetriedafewofthem.They'rereallyinteresting.You
candosomereallypracticalonesthatmaybearerelatedtoyourworkplace,
thingslikelearninghowtohandlebiologicalhazards,orperhapsyouwantto
knowaboutFoodSafety.
There'salsothingsforpersonaldevelopment.Youcanlearnsomethinglikehow
toplanforyourretirement,ormaybeyoujustwanttolearnanewskill.Floral
design,orhowtotakebetterpictures.There'slotsofcoursesonthatsortof
thingaswell.
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Theotherthingthat'sinterestingaboutitiseverythingisfree.Everythingisfree
forourmembers,andsomeofthecoursesthatareonlineandfree,youcando
themanytimeonyourowntime.They'reactuallyrecognizedascreditat
universitiesandcolleges.
Rightnow,AthabascaUniversityinBrockUniversityarejustamongsomeofthe
onesthatwillrecognizethecreditthatyou'vedoneonline,andyouwillactually
earnacredittowardsauniversityoracollegedegree,whichisprettyexciting
stuff.There'salsotheabilitytogoonanddosomeofthetrainingforShop
StewardorHealthandSafetydiplomas.
Ofcourse,wealwaysliketoseeyouatthetrainingcenter.Itgetsachancefor
ustoseeyouinperson,andreallyagoodopportunitytomixwithotherShop
StewardsorpeoplewhoareinHealthandSafetyCommitteesfromother
workplaces.
Sometimesthat'snotgoingtobepractical,soifyouwanttoyoucanheadonto
WebCampus.Youcanchoosetodoanumberofcoursesonthere,andthatwill
gotowardsyourdiplomaeitherasaShopStewardorHealthandSafety.
Again,it'sfreeformembers.Checkitout,IdidtheFloralDesignoneandI
learnedaheckofalotfromit.You'llfindit'sprettyinteresting.Ifyou'recurious
tocheckitout,youcangotoourwebsiteufcw832.com.You'llseesomething
thatsaysWebCampus,justclickonit.
Ifyouhaveanyquestions,don'thesitatetophonethetrainingcenterandwe'll
chatwithyouaboutthataswell.AcoupleofotherthingsgoingonthatIwanted
tosharewithyouaswell,wehavebeenrevampingandrewritinganddoingall
kindsofnewthingswiththecourses.
Ifyouhaven'tbeentothetrainingcenterinthelastyearorso,comebackand
seeusbecausetheremightbesomenewthingsyouhaven'tseenbefore.We
haveadiplomaseriesforShopStewards,anewdiplomaseriesforHealthand
Safety.Don'tworryifyou'vealreadydonethecoursesundertheoldsystem,
we'renotgoingtotakethatawayfromyou,we'lljustadditintothenew
system.
We'llgrandfatheranybodywho’sbeentrainingforsometime.Ifyougoagain
ontoourwebsiteatufcw832.com,youcancheckoutallthethingsthatare
includedinthenewdiploma.IdidwanttoalsomentiontofolksthatGrade12
SemesterhasstartedalreadyinBrandonandinWinnipeg.Thatagainisfreefor
ourmembers.
Ifyou'reinterestedinthat,theclasseshavejuststartedbutwe'llbestarting
againinSeptember.GiveusacallatthetrainingcenterinWinnipegorBrandon
ifyou'dlikesomemoreinformationabouthowyoucantakesomeGrade12
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courses.AlthoughyoucangetyourGrade12diplomawithus,youcanalsodo
someothercoursesaswell.
MaybeyouneedtodosomethingfromGrade10orGrade11,ifyouspeakwith
ourEducationDirectorAnsNorman,hecanhelpyoufigureoutwhere'sthebest
placeforyoutostart.We'vealsojuststartedupoursemesterforEnglishasan
additionallanguagebothinWinnipegandinBrandon.
Anumberofclassesgoinginbothplaces.InBrandon,we'vejustadded
conversationcircles.Forpeoplewhomaybedon'twanttositintheclassroom
anddosomethingthatformal,orperhapsyou'reatthepointwithyourEnglish
asanadditionallanguagethatyou'relookingtogetalittlebitmorepractice,
andhowyouwoulduseyourEnglishindaytodaylife.
Theconversationisalittlebitmorecasual,thereisaninstructorthereaswellto
helpguideyou.It'sagreatwaytopractice,sodon'thesitatethecontactthe
trainingcentersinWinnipegandBrandonformoreinformationaboutEnglishas
anadditionallanguage.
Thethingthatwe'vebeentalkingalotaboutand,IhavetosayI'mgetting
prettyexcitedaboutandI'mhappyjusttobesharingitwithyoutonight,isthe
upcomingActivistConference.FromApril18th-20th,wearegoingtohaveour
ActivistConferencehereattheFairmont.
WewillhaveanearlyregistrationonApril17th,butallthedetailsaregoingto
beuponourwebsiteverysoon.You'llseethatthisweek,you'llalsoseeyour
lettersinthemailforthoseofyouwhoareActivists,ShopStewards,Healthand
SafetyCommitteemembers.You'llbeseeinganenrollmentlettercominginthe
mailverysoon.
There'salotofinterestingthingshappening.Severaldifferentspeakersthatwill
becomingtosharesomeoftheirexperiencewithus,andafewdifferent
workshopsforyoutochoosefromaswell.Inparticular,onethatIwantedto
sharewithyouisaworkshopgearedspecificallytoouryoungermembers.
Now,we'llopenthedoortoanybodywhowantstojoinusandhavesome
conversation,butwe'rereallygoingtotrytogearoneparticularworkshopfor
youngmembers.We'regoingtotalkaboutissuesthatwillprobablymatter
moretofolkswhowillbeunder35,andreallyhopethatyoucanjoinusforthat.
AsIsaid,we'regoingtohaveanumberofspeakersjoiningusandanumberof
differentworkshops,butIdidwanttomentionsomeofourspecialgueststhat
willbepartofourconference.EstherLopezwillbejoiningus.Estheristhe
InternationalSecretaryTreasurerforUFCWInternational.
She'sdonealotofworkondiversity,andwe'rereallyhonoredtohaveher
joiningusattheconference.Anotherspecialguest,thisnamemightbepretty
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familiartoyou.PremierGaryDoer,notourcurrentPremierbutourformer
PremierGaryDoerwillbejoiningusaswell.
Ifyoudon'tknow,Gary'sgotareallystrongUnionbackgroundaswell,sohe
understandswhat'simportanttofolksinourUnionandI'mreallyexcitedthat
he'llbeabletojoinusandsharesomeofhisideas.
Again,ifyouwantmoreinformation,wewillhavethatonthewebsitethis
week,oryoucanalwaystalktoyourrepfordetailsabouttheactivist
conferenceandIhopetoseeyouthere,oratthetrainingcenterverysoon.
Thankyou.
JeffTraeger:
Excellent,thankyouverymuchErin.We'vegotthreequestionsontheline.
Beforeweruntothosethough,I'mgoingtogetBlaketogiveusanupdateona
coupleofevents,heandMarieboth,togiveusacoupleofupdatesonsome
upcomingeventsatthelocal.
Marie:
WehaveourExecutiveBoardelectionscomingupin2017forthethreeyear
termofofficewhichwillberunningfromJanuary2018toDecember31stof
2021.GeneralMembershipmeeting'sandallofthecommunity'sfor
nominationsandelectionswillbeheldasphysicalmeetingsratherthan
TelephoneTownHall's.
Alloftheinformationwithregardstonominationmeetingswillbepostedin
eachoftheworkplaces,aswellasadvertisedinthemagazineandonour
website,sokeepaneyeoutforthatlateronthisspring.
Aswell,wehavea[inaudible00:32:03]thathascometoourBrandonoffice.
SheactuallystartedonMonday.SimilartoourWinnipegoffice,whereJeff
BergeronisourdedicatedLeafRepresentative,we'veaddedthesameposition
toourBrandonofficethisweek.
OurnewestUnionRepresentative,hernameisClaudiaColocho,andshe'llbe
providingassistanceandreliefforourcurrentstaffrepsinBrandon,aswellas
havingasmallterritoryofherowntoservice.JoinallofusinwelcomingClaudia
totheUFCW832team.
JeffTraeger:
Okay,sonowwe'regoingtogoontoFred,fromBDL.Secondquestionofthe
nightforFred.Goahead,Fred.
Fred:
Theguybeforetalkingabouttheabsences,especiallyatourworksincewe've
gotalotofolderemployeesthatarehavingsomeproblemswiththeirbodies
nowwithkidney'sandstufflikethat.I'mjustshockedthatit'sagainstthe
HumanRightstogiveyoulettersandfireyou,butyettheygotthatoutthat
theycanbasicallycanyou.
UFCW 02/07/17
Page 12 of 16
It'sjustsurprisingthatalong-termemployeeoncehehassomeissues,maybe
diabetesorsomething,youcangetlegiblelettersfromhisdoctornoproblem
thattheycanstillcanyouiftheywantedto.Isthattrue,though?
JeffTraeger:
I'vegottogiveitbacktoGaryBergerontotakeyourquestion.
GarryBergeron:
No,theycan'tjustcanyou.Can,asyouputit,orterminateyou.Ifsomeonehas
diabetes,theemployerhasadutytoaccommodatesomebodyuptothepoint
ofwhat'scalledUndueHardshipundertheHumanRight'sCode.Insituationsof
employment,theycan'tdiscriminateagainstyouifyou'reillordisabled.
Thatbeingsaid,thereisthispointofUndueHardship,soiftheillnessinany
situation,andthey'reonacasetocasebasis,butifinsomebody'ssituationthat
theirmissingalotofworkbecauseoftheirillnessanditsongoingandadoctor’s
reportsaysit'snotgoingtogetanybetter.
Insituationslikethat,anemployermaybeallowedtoletyougo.Youknow,it's
unfortunatebutthat'sprettywellthewayitis.Wewouldfightitandwewould
lookatit,butifyou'remissinglotsoftime,andwhatexactlyislotsoftimeis
somethingyouwouldhavetolookat,butifyou'remissinglotsoftimeandit's
notgoingtogetanybetterinthefuture,thatwouldbeconsideredUndue.
ThatpossiblycouldbeconsideredUndueHardshipandtheemployermaybe
abletoletyougo.
Fred:
Wow.
GarryBergeron:
We'dhavetoknowtheexactsituation,butgenerallyspeakingthat'sthegeneral
rule.
Fred:
Okay.
JeffTraeger:
FromwhatIunderstandaboutitFred,it'saNonCulpabledischargethatthey
usuallycallafrustrationoftheemployee/employercontract.Thattheemployer
agreestobringyoutoworkandpayyou,andyourpartofthedealistoattend
work.
Youcanmakeawholewhackofexceptionsforavarietyofdifferentillnesses,
butifit'soveralongperiodoftimethearbitratorshavearulethatemployers
havearighttodothat.
GarryBergeron:
ThisiswherehopefullyaLongTermDisabilityprogramwouldkickin,orifitcan
getrelatedbacktotheworkitselfcausedtheinjurythanWCUwouldcoverit.
JeffTraeger:
Alright,sonowwe'regoingtomoveontoDave,fromtheAdultInpatientUnit.I
believethat'soutatSt.Boniface,right?
UFCW 02/07/17
Page 13 of 16
Dave:
Yes.
JeffTraeger:
Davehowareyoutonight?
Dave:
Notbad,Jeff,how'syourself?
JeffTraeger:
I'mhanginginthere,thanks.
Dave:
Iwasjustwondering,becauseI'dheard,arethemembershipabletoaccessLTD
overtheageof60?Becauseit'swelldocumentedeverywherethatpeopleare
havingtoworklongerandlongerwellpastthatage.Thisisprettymuchageism,
whichisagainstthecharter,isn'tit?
JeffTraeger:
Well,youknowIthinkthere'sagrievanceoutstandingonthat,butI'veMarie
Buchananinstudio,andMarieistheChairoftheSecretaryoftheSt.Boniface
HospitalLTDplan,soI'mgoingtoletMarieanswerthatparticularquestion.
Marie:
Hithere.Firstofall,intheTrustAgreementinthedocumentation,thatis
correctthattheeligibilityforprotectionisforfullandparttimemembersofthe
hospitalforundertheageof60.
Thatwouldbesomethingthatwewouldhavetolookatastrusteestoseeifwe
canincreasetheage,anditwouldbebasedonobviouslytheamountofmoney
that'sintheTrust,andhowwecanfundthat.
Thereisacurrentgrievancethat'soutstanding.It'salongstandinggrievance
thathastodowiththeamountofmoneythat'scomingin,andwhetherornot
contributionsarebeingprovidedforthoseovertheageof60,becausethe
collectiveagreementtalksaboutthatthebenefitsareappliedtoallmembers
fortheactualamountthat'sbeingreceived,versuswho'scovered.
Itiscorrectthatforrightnow,theTrustonlycoversthosewhoareunderthe
ageof60.
Dave:
Howisthatnotageismthen?
JeffTraeger:
WellyouknowsomethingDave,IwouldsaythatFederallysomebodywhois
overtheageof71can'tcontributetoorgainbenefitfromRRSPs,andalotof
theotherLTDplansthatwehavesetanAge65limit,andI'mgoingtotellyou
thatIthinkitisfairlyageist.
Ithinkthat'sacorrectwayofputtingit,andIalsoagreewithwhatyousaidoff
thetopwasthatpeoplearehavingtoworklonger,andlonger,inordertomake
endsmeetespeciallyifthey'reasingleincomefamily,right?
Maybeit'ssomethingthatwehavetolookatwhenwe'redealingwithLong
TermDisabilityPlansandlobbyinggovernmentaswell.
UFCW 02/07/17
Page 14 of 16
Dave:
71isabitmorereasonable,butImeantheexpectationseemstobethatwe
shouldbeabletoretireat60,butwe'retaxedtodeathinthiscountry,this
province,andparticularlyinthiscity.So,Imean60isgettingtobeincreasingly
unreasonable.
JeffTraeger:
Yeah,wellasIsaidI'mnotnecessarilyarguingwithyoubutMarie'sgotthe
contexthearwithher,sowe'retryingtogiveyoutherightanswerbutwemay
alsoagreewiththepositionyou'retaking.
We'vegotanothercallerontheline,onemorefromJohnMooreatGrantPark
RedRiverCo-Op.HowareyoudoingJohn?
John:
I'mdoinggood,howareyou?
JeffTraeger:
I'mdoingfinethankyou.
John:
InapreviousUnionmagazine,therewasanarticlewrittenbyyourlegalteam
aboutaSunsetClause,andIwaswonderingifyouwouldbeabletoelaborate
onwhataSunsetClauseis,andhowmanycompaniesundertheUFCWcontract
enjoythatcoverage?
JeffTraeger:
Garywrotethearticle,soI'mgoingtoturnitovertoGarytoansweryour
question.Goahead,Gary.
GarryBergeron:
I'msureDebwrotethatarticle.It'stheotherlawyer.SunsetClauseisusuallyin
acollectiveagreementwithregardstodiscipline.Ifyou'vebeendisciplinedin
thepast,atsomepointwhetherit'stwelvemonths,eighteenmonths,twenty
fourmonthsandI'veseenthemashighasthirty-sixmonths.
Ifyoudon'tre-offendthenthedisciplinecomesoffyourrecordandcan'tbe
usedagainstyouinthefutureatafuturearbitration.That'sbasicallywhata
SunsetClauseis.Howmanyofouremployershavethatintheircollective
agreement?Alot,butIreallycouldn'tgiveyouapercentage.
Wehaveoverahundredcollectiveagreements.It'ssomethingatnegotiations
thatwealwaystrytogetin,wetrytogetitreducedanytimewecan.
JeffTraeger:
OneofthethingsIwilltellyouJohnaboutSunsetClausewheredisciplineis
removedfromyourfile,isthatitisadoubleedgedsword.We'vehadone
employercouncilcometousandsayifyouhaveatwoyearSunsetClauseinthe
collectiveagreement,thanyoucan'tclaimthatoneofyourmembershas25
yearsofperfectservice,orperfectundisciplinedservicebecausehisrecordis
effectivelyexpungedbeyondthetwoyears.
Arbitratorsactuallydeterminedifthatwascorrect,andquiteoftenanarbitrator
willoffermitigationofapenaltyforsomebodythat'sgotagoodlonglengthof
UFCW 02/07/17
Page 15 of 16
service,butwhentheyhaveaSunsetClauseintheretheydon'tnecessarily
agreetodothat,soitisadoubleedgedsword.
I'mgoingtoturnitbackovertoBeaforamoment.GoaheadBea.
BeatriceBruske:
A[inaudible00:41:34]comingupwhichwill[inaudible00:41:35]the8thtothe
19thattheIndianandMetisFriendshipCentreat45RobinsonStreet.Ifyouare
amemberoftheNDPandaUFCWmemberandyou'reinterestedinattending
thisconvention,pleasecontactyourfulltimeUnionrepwhowillmakesurethat
youareregisteredasaUFCWDelegate.
AlsocomingupveryshortlyisthefirstannualSecuritySectorConferencewhich
willbeheldatourtrainingcenteronFebruary22nd.Itistotalkaboutthe
industryandtostrategizesomeoftheissuesthatareoccurringintheindustry
andthatourmembersareoftenfacedwith.
WewillbehavingspecialspeakerscominginfromtheWinnipegPoliceService,
acriminallawyertodiscussissuespertainingtosecuritywork.OurHealthand
SafetyRepwillbeprovidingapresentationonsecurityofficer'shealthand
safetyissues.SomebodyfromtheJusticeDepartmentwillbetheretospeak
aboutlicensing,andtheUnionrepandnegotiatorforthatindustrywillbethere
todiscussservicingandnegotiationsissues.
JeffTraeger:
Alright,thankyouverymuchBea.Iseethatwehavenofurtherquestions.I
wanttothankallofyouforjoiningusonourFebruaryTownHallGM.Wewillbe
conductingournextGeneralMeetingonTuesdayMay16th,2017byTelephone
TownHallaswell,beginningat7:00P.M.
Alsotwicethisyearyouwillseephysicalmeetingstakingplaceinyour
communitiesaswewillbeconductingelectionsforourexecutiveboard
members.Thankyouagainforparticipatingintonight'sTownHall,andfor
participatinginyourUnion.
Wearenowadjourned.
UFCW 02/07/17
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