I (Keehan Koorn) attended the Region 2 Equity Conference on Jan 14, 2017 at the Hilton in Mississauga.  It was great to chat with other people doing equity work in locals across the region.  I saw a whole group of people from just one local looking to learn and celebrate together - that's something we could do too!  And of course, I learned about some of the work being done to advance equity within OPSEU, and it was way more than I was expecting...

Provincial Francophone Committee/​Comité provincial des francophones du SEFPO
Sylvie Valcourt introduced the work being done to increase awareness and understanding of Francophone issues throughout the membership in all Francophone communities across the province.  You can check out their facebook page here.

Young Workers Committee (YWC)
The YWC advances issues such as part time pay, job security, the environment, and increasing union participation in young adults age 35 and younger (whew, I have one more year!).  You can follow them on facebook and Twitter.

Workers of Colour Caucus
The Workers of Colour Caucus provides support and advocates on behalf of racialized members of OPSEU and external communities of colour.  They also provide education on cultural competency to union locals.  The big thing coming up is the Black History Forum on Feb 17th, 2017.  Check out the Workers of Colour Caucus page for more info.

Provincial Human Rights Committee
Marco Costa, the Region 2 member of the committee, introduced the PHRC, which establishes human rights committees in OPSEU and across Ontario, promotes human rights within OPSEU, and increases awareness and understanding of human rights issues.  You can connect with them on facebook. 

OPSEU Indigenous Circle
​Theresa O'Connor (who you may remember from the last GMM in October 2016) focused on OPSEU's mandate to provide ongoing education of OPSEU management and staff about Truth and Reconciliation.  You can follow their work on facebook and watch a great video about Truth and Reconiliation here.

Rainbow Alliance Arc-En-Ciel
The Rainbow Alliance rep spoke about some of the work being done to advance the rights and needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, and queer workers within OPSEU.  They can be contacted at pride@opseu.org or through facebook.

Provincial Women's Committee
Shana Shipperbottom is our Region 2 rep.  She celebrated the removal of taxes from feminine hygeine products, and talked about the work being done to get domestic violence leave included in collective bargaining agreements.  You can reach her at shana_shipperbottom@hotmail.com.  

Your bargaining committee is pleased to announce the demand set meeting has been rescheduled.

​The original meeting was cancelled due to inclement weather and has been rescheduled for Thursday January 26th.

Plan to attend at the Guelph Regional Office (400 Speedvale Ave W, Guelph) for 6pm.  The committee will provide a short presentation summarizing the information collected from the demand set surveys.  There will then be a vote to determine the top 5 priorities for the membership going into collective agreement negotiations.

​Please RSVP by January 20th.  We want to ensure we have quorum for this meeting, and we'd like to know how much pizza to order ;)

​**Note: You must be a member in good standing (signed a membership card) in order to vote**

An Afternoon of Information and Education
Friday,  Feb. 3, 2017 from 1-6 pm
Hilton Meadowvale, 6750 Mississauga Rd., Mississauga
 
 
Keynote Speaker: Pam Doig OPSEU Administrator of Communications
Update on OPSEU’s ground-breaking We Own It campaign
​​

Hear the latest from our panelists on privatizations happening to:

• Hydro
• LCBO
• Jails 
• Water

 
Brainstorm on actions we can take to protect public services from privatization!
 
Learn how to STAND UP and SPEAK OUT against privatization!
 
IMPORTANT NOTE -  For the Friday –  Fighting Privatization:  We Own It Campaign Event:  If time off is required to attend, you are able to access the LTO 80/20 fund, for this day only.  If assistance is needed to fill out the information please contact your Staff Representative.

​If you're interested in attending, let us know!  To download the registration package, click below:

Your opportunity to develop skills and learn more about activism and OPSEU is back!

​February 4th and 5th at the Hilton Meadowvale in Mississauga, Region 2 is hosting the first of the 2017 Educational sessions.

​The sessions being offered this time include:

• ​Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building
• Mental Health: Challenging the Stigma in the Workplace
• Public Speaking: Finding your voice, connecting with your audience
• Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace (Revised)
• Stewards 2: Facing the Employer, Building Member Involvement (This course is also available in French)
• Women in Unions: Getting Involved

​Interested?  Or know that you're going to attend?  Email us so we can connect you with the other L291 members attending.  Please note hotel rooms must be booked by January 14th to secure the OPSEU rate, and applications must be received by January 18th at the Guelph Regional Office via fax, mail, or email.

​To download the application package (which includes descriptions of each of the courses), click below: