UNDE Young Workers Report
National Executive Meeting
April 2018
As the OPI, my role is to guide, inform, and provide support to the Young Workers (YW) committee. This involves teamwork, with the YW leaders from each region diverse in knowledge, views and perspectives.
The YW Action Plan uses four key words for ease of understanding.
Identify – Survey and results – learn about regions
Recruitment – creating links and relationships
Educate – based on needs and issues, young workers and the workplace
Engage – Meet with VP`s/Local Executives/Members – sharing of information
The Young Worker (YW) Committee continues to communicate through conference calls and the UNDE YW committee private Facebook page. During these meetings many items are discussed with YW representatives taking an active role.
Email Accounts – YW`s have an email account for their region using the letters YW.(region)@. Please feel free to share or communicate any events that your regional YW rep may be interested in.
UNDE Web Page YW Committee – YW OPI Mona Simcoe has organized the UNDE YW Committee page to include photo and email contacts for all committee members.
We will be discussing where the best place to add information, whether that’s on the regional pages or the committee page.
Survey – Surveys have or will be shortly sent out to all VP`s for distribution to the locals. As they are collected back the committee will compile the information both regionally and nationally.
Logo – Sister Megan Duthie and the committee continue to finalize a UNDE YW Logo.
PSAC YW Networks – PSAC has been active in building their YW networks. Currently in the prairies they have been working on setting up YW Committees in each of the regions. Mackenzie Campbell is the Regional YW rep spear heading this. Prairie Region Young Workers Conference – 13-15 April brought together activists from AB/Sask/MB provinces to discuss issues that Young Workers may face in the workplace, activism for PSAC young workers, and current topics pertinent to young workers. The conference was comprised of speakers, activities, workshops and opportunities for networking. UNDE encouraged members to apply to attend.
Other Discussions continuing:
Encourage participation in Phoenix campaigns and demonstrations with young workers.
Bring forth resolutions on behalf of young workers for PSAC and UNDE conventions.
Succession planning nationally and regionally for YW reps
Calendar of events
Plan another face to face meeting
Education/Training
Mentorship
Other YW materials/info (PSAC/CLC/Federations of labour)
Regional Highlights:
YW BC – Danielle Dardengo – yw.bc@outlook.com
– YW Surveys distributed with the help of VP. Receiving 22 responses and 18 emails to date. These will be put on an excel spreadsheet for ease of information.
– Gave a presentation at all AGM’s with the approval of the VP. Sister Danielle found it very beneficial to attend the AGM’s even if there wasn’t many YW’s present. She was able to meet members and network with the Local Presidents. The Members that did attend were urged to pass along to YW’s in their workplace that there is a Young Workers Committee.
– Building on the YW Regional email tree several messages have been sent to inform YW’s of opportunities and meetings, including socials and the PSAC Vancouver Island Young Workers AGM.
– Sister Danielle is the First Vice-President of her local.
– Sister Danielle has reached out to other YW’s and their Second Vice-President and Secretary/Treasurer are now also YW’s.
– Sister Danielle and another YW attended the PSAC Bargaining Conference in Ottawa.
– Sister Danielle spoke on behalf of YW’s at “A Sacred Water Ceremony” put on by PSAC BC Region, the Vancouver Island Human Rights Committee and BCGEU.
– She also now attends the PSAC Vancouver Island Human Rights Committee meetings as well as the PSAC Women’s Committee meetings when available.
YW ABN Nicole Boulianne – yw.abn@outlook.com
–Sister Nicole has been very active in her local with lunch & learns talking about various items such as PSAC web page and how to set up a profile, PSAC Triennial convention, How UNDE Locals run, Business of the Locals. These are proving very successful and knowledgeable to both YW’s and members at large.
YW MS Megan Duthie – yw.ms@outlook.com
– Sister Megan has been working with PSAC YW Winnipeg to start a YW committee. Elections were recently held and events are being planned once funding is approved.
– Surveys are slow coming back but at least two locals for MB/Sask do not have any members 35 and under.
– Sister Megan is working with the PSAC National YW Committee to collect any $25 Loblaw’s gift cards from the bread price fixing to donate to local food banks.
YW ONT Joshua Sadler – joshuasadler@hotmail.ca
-Recently attended the PSAC Bargaining Conference
-Involved with the PSAC YW committee
YW NCR Vanessa Skucas – vanessaskucas@gmail.com
– We welcome Sister Vanessa to the committee.
– Sister Vanessa will be at the PSAC Triennial convention as an observer.
YW CSE Jonathan Snowdon – yw.cse.cst@gmail.com
– Brother Jonathan was the lead to creating the YW survey for others to follow and adapt for their own regions.
– The survey was a success in CSE with the main comment that most young people feel they have little knowledge of the union and would love to learn more. But this does not necessarily mean becoming involved in committees.
– Brother Jonathon is planning with his VP some information sessions and lunch & learns to meet the comments of the survey.
– He is involved in the “onboarding” of new employees at the workplace and has made contacts with new YW members through this.
– Brother Jonathon is active in union executive meetings in his workplace and participates in many reviews and training opportunities.
YW QC Simon Richard – jt.uedn.qc@outlook.com
– Brother Simon has been busy in his region with many YW projects involving PSAC and the CLC.
– He has suggested that the UNDE YW rep is a perfect place for new YW’s to become involved. Being able to maximize their time and resources to the committee.
YW NLNB Stephen Warren warren_nissan@hotmail.com
– Working on making YW contacts within the region.
– Making contacts with the PSAC to plan way ahead for the region.
YW NS Amanda Reid – yw.ns@outlook.com
– Sister Amanda was most recently honored during Volunteer Appreciation week with the work she is doing with the FMFCS Adopt a Family.
YW NPF Patrick Desormeaux – yw.npf@outlook.com
– Participated in the NPF Regional Conference. Networking, learning, and interacting with other members and locals developing contacts for the regional YW’s.
– Participated in the UNDE Local Presidents conference.
Respectfully Submitted
Mona Simcoe
OPI Young Worker Committee