December 10, 2010 at 4:00 PM
Roll Call:
- District 711 (Vancouver) Don Ross, John Murawesky, Tom Troughton
- District 712 (Calgary/Edmonton/Winnipeg) Peter Brown
- District 713 (London) Ryan Boundy, Carver Thompson, Ben Bachl
- District 714 (Montreal/Ottawa/Quebec City) Patrick Chiasson, Daniel Marion
- District 715 (Halifax) Simon Hirtle, Tim Way, Pat McNiven
- District 716 (Toronto) Mike Lilly, Ghobud Khorasani
CAW National Council
The CAW National Council was held in Toronto December 3-5. These Council meetings bring together all the CAW Locals from all sectors of the CAW: Aviation to Fisheries, Nurses to Railway workers. It is certainly not only about Auto Workers. After each Council meeting, District Chairpersons receive a copy of the CAW newsletter entitled Contact which breaks down the details of Council. Some attendants (including myself) will be submitting a short report providing details of the event.
Pension Committee
There is a new product coming to the pension choice line up. It is basically for the member who does not take an active approach but rather take a hands-off style of pension investing. This vehicle called Target Funds will automatically remix your asset allocation on a preset glide path on to retirement. More information will be available in the minutes which will be available shortly.
Sheila Simpson
As many have already heard, Sheila Simpson – our Administrative Assistant from the Vancouver Local office – is retiring at the end of this year! As we all know, it is the Administrators who really run the show in all the organizations, and Sheila has been the stalwart of our Local. She has been our solid foundation over the years of change and she will be sorely missed. I speak for everyone when I say, “Happy Retirement Sheila, you’ve earned it!” With Sheila leaving, expect a bulletin out soon on the changes this will trigger.
Conflict Resolution Course
I recently attended a PEL (Paid Education Leave) course called Conflict Resolution. This particular course was added exclusively for our Local and has received rave reviews. Conflict is every where! It is in the news, at work, and at home. We have learned some principles regarding how we listen, and how we speak, and how we can best interact with others to find common ground to mediate and find ways to resolve conflict. It was not a mediation course. Mediators take years to learn that trade and we only had 5 days.
Expenses
Officers are reminded to have any and all expenses submitted by Dec 15th. This helps Patty Southey – Local 2002 Financial Secretary – get the year end completed so that the auditors and trustees can do their thing!
Resolutions
Everyone is reminded that any proposed amendments to the Local 2002 bylaws must be submitted no later than December 31st. Any member that requires assistance with wording and/or formatting, please feel free to contact me and I can assist you. Remember that no amendment can be in conflict with the CAW National Constitution.
Accommodations
Several bases commented on how long it takes to get an accommodation finalized. Each case is, of course, judged on its own merits, but it can be an arduous task that takes months. We thank the District Chairperson, Jonathan Cristo (Benefits Representative), and Ashley Watkins (Executive Assistant) for having the persistence and patience required to get these completed.
Vacation Bids
Vacation bids are either completed or nearly completed at all the bases. Having enough slots is still a concern at many bases, but not all. Calgary, for example, reported having enough slots for everyone where Toronto, even with their arbitrated extra slots, still did not have enough.
London Base Manager
Caesar Longori will be the new Base Manager for Heavy Maintenance in London. This will be Caesar’s second tour of duty as base manager in London and the membership is optimistic that this will be a change for the better.
Contract Translation
The contract has been translated by the Company and they have now handed it off to the Union for a proof reading before going to the printers. No date is available at this time for issuing printed copies.
Health & Safety Coordinator
Ben Bachl will be visiting Calgary to help carry out an air quality test in their shops. Air quality has been a recurrent issue for Calgary and Ben hopes to make a comprehensive and conclusive test next week.
As this is the last conference call of the year, I wish to take this opportunity to say thanks to all the Union Officers for all their good work throughout the year. It has been a pleasure serving along side you all and I look forward to starting it all again in the New Year.
Wishing you all a safe and happy holiday season!
In Solidarity,
Don Ross
CAW VP Local 2002
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