Delegates in Banff returned bright and early for the fourth day of UNDE’s 20th’ Triennial Convention and got immediately to work hearing resolutions from the Bylaws Committee. As the final day to conduct business, they worked diligently to finalize the remaining resolutions and adopt a budget.
Recognizing exemplary service
Early in the day, delegates paused to present Brenda Ebear of Local 30902 with the UNDE Lifetime Membership Award — UNDE’s highest honour recognizing those who have performed exemplary services for the membership through personal and devoted efforts in the affairs of the Union.
Throughout her 27-year career at DND, Ebear became someone members, stewards and Local executives knew they could turn to. In her presenting speech, President June Winger praised Ebear for her ongoing commitment to UNDE.
“Because when you look back at Brenda’s contribution, there is a common thread. She stepped up,” Winger said. “That is what lifetime commitment to a union looks like. “
Convention business nears a close
As the final day to hear Convention business, delegates spent large portions of the morning and afternoon working through more resolutions and the important work of approving the budget that will guide the union’s work for the next three years.
Before the day’s end they debated the final resolutions and voted to adopt UNDE’s budget for the next three-year mandate.
Making waves with decision-makers and the real costs of contracting out
Throughout the day, UNDE delegates broke from business to hear from two speakers: Shannon Philips, Alberta’s former Minister of Environment and Parks and Minister Responsible for the Climate Change Office and Simon Enoch, Researcher from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives.
Philips captivated delegates with an informative talk on how to get decision-makers to pay attention, how to build relationships without losing sight of what we’re fighting for and how to turn advocacy into actual change to advance our union’s goals.
In Enoch’s address, delegates learned more about the economics behind contracting out and what the evidence is telling us about the true costs and current realities of outsourcing — like heavily redacted documents that make the true cost analysis difficult to analyze.
“The more information we can get the better,” Enoch encouraged delegates, as the Centre for Canadian Policy Alternatives continues their work updating the 2020 Uncover the Costs Report.
President June Winger encouraged anyone with information that could be helpful for their work to follow the reporting instructions on our Stop Contracting Out campaign page.
Next stop: elections
With the business of Convention wrapped up and a big day of elections on the horizon, delegates recessed to prepare for the evening’s festivities — a banquet dinner to mark the 20th Convention for the Union of National Defence Employees.
