WHERE: Delta St. John’s Hotel
WHEN: August 21-25, 2023
CONVENTION CALL
Daily Recaps
Day 1 (Aug 21, 2023)
The UNDE National Triennial Convention officially began this morning. Over 130 delegates from coast to coast to coast have arrived in St. John’s, NL, on the ancestral land of the Beothuk.
To begin the Convention, Elder Amelia Reimer welcomed everyone onto this land. Greg Mansfield, local 60303 Gagetown, led the room in a drumming session, opening convention. Amelia and Greg concluded the opening with two traditional songs and a smudging ceremony. Members are welcome to join Greg for smudging every morning of convention, in the courtyard of the Delta St. John’s at 7 a.m.
UNDE National President, June Winger, officially opened convention, and welcomed Danny Breen, Mayor of St. John’s, to the stage. Mayor Breen welcomed delegates to the city. Then, President Winger introduced and invited the convention host committee to the stage. They were pleased to inform the delegates that so far, they have raised $2000 from two nights of the hospitality suite – these profits will go to the Nevaeh’s Angel Foundation, a children’s paediatric cancer foundation.
President Winger introduce the National UNDE Executive, “I thank you very much for all your hard work. And you’ve continued to work as a strong untied team through all of the difficult times, and the good times,” said President Winger of the National Executive.
These introductions were followed by the opening address of National President Winger. She reflected on the challenges and accomplishments for UNDE this cycle. She highlighted the incredible amount of work done by the members during the strike, and expressed her gratitude to all of the members on the picket lines. UNDE also saw break throughs in job security, and wage increases. “We gained the knowledge that solidarity works. When we put solidarity into action, the members will always win,” said President Winger.
After lunch, members stood in solidarity with NPF locals currently in a Public Interest Commission (PIC) process this week. Three locals with Non-Public Funds bargaining units in Quebec, Valcartier, Montréal and St. Jean, will jointly present their demands. Members of the convention are standing in solidarity with the NPF members.
After this action of support, President Winger welcomed Marc Diotte and Mindy Mackie to the stage to provide the delegates with information about the Joint Learning Program.
This presentation was followed by one from Stephanie Torrealba, UNDE Human Rights Advisor, who spoke about the advances that UNDE is making towards human rights for all members. “We need to show the employer how we want to be treated, by showing each other that respect,” said Stephanie. She encouraged members to come to their table to suggest ways to make our union a better, more welcoming place. You can watch some of the videos from Stephanie’s presentation here: https://psacunion.ca/accommodate.
Day 2 (Aug 22, 2023)
Day two began with a wrap-up of the bylaw’s committee resolutions. The delegates adopted resolution 23; UNDE will establish a National Young Workers Conference, once per term. Many delegates spoke on the importance of engaging young members in UNDE.
After the committee wrapped up, National President June Winger welcomed Chris Aylward, PSAC National President, to address the convention.
During his address, President Aylward thanked members of the Union of National Defence Employees for the crucial work they do from coast to coast to coast. He thanked them for the hard work and dedication they showed to their union during the general strike in April. “This is your victory, and I hope you see the hard work and dedication in these collective agreements,” said President Aylward to the members.
President June Winger welcomed UNDE Special Projects Officer, Elanor Sherlock, to the stage. Elanor explained to the delegates she will be responsible for the development of and participation in any UNDE anti-contracting out and privatization campaigns. “Our goal is to shed light on this issue,” said Elanor. She will focus on engaging the UNDE regions into campaigns that can be adapted to highlight specific examples of contracting out and privatization within the DND.
Delegates ended the session by starting debate on the budget, to be continued tomorrow morning.
After the hours of session ended, members participated in the host committee event at Quidi Vidi brewery. They had the opportunity to socialize with each other and see a beautiful town in Newfoundland!
Day 3 (Aug 23, 2023)
Day 4 (Aug 24, 2023)
Day 5 (Aug 25, 2023)
