Agriculture Union National Council Meeting May 28-30, Château Laurier Ottawa, Ontario MINUTES

Transcription

1 Agriculture Union National Council Meeting May 28-30, 2004 Château Laurier Ottawa, Ontario MINUTES In Attendance National Executive: Yves Ducharme National President Bob Kingston First National Executive Vice-President R.S. Panickar Second National Executive Vice-President Debbie Forsythe Third National Executive Vice-President Denis Sicard Fourth National Executive Vice-President Regional Vice-Presidents: Dawn Aisenstat Manitoba and Nunavut (RVPs) Gary Dionne Western Ontario Ron Filteau Southern Saskatchewan André Grégoire Eastern Quebec Janice Hilton North Western Ontario Bob Jackson Western British Columbia and Yukon Steve Kaytor Southern Alberta Allan MacRae Western Atlantic Ernie Mazepa Northern Alberta and Northwest Territories Ruth McDiarmid Eastern British Columbia Fabian Murphy Eastern Atlantic Ian Smith Eastern Ontario Raphael Tarasco Western Quebec Howard Willems Northern Saskatchewan Directors: Madeleine David Public Service Commission of Canada Marianne Hladun Equal Opportunities Jasmine Stroz-Breton Department of National Defence Staff: Larry Budge Administrative Officer Christine Gauthier Administrative Assistant Sylvia Prowse Service Officer Debbie Ramsay Secretary Sylvie Rochon Service Officer 1. Call to Order The meeting was called to order at 9:00 a.m. by the National President. 1

2 2. Opening Remarks He was very disappointed with Mr. Fadden s ; he thought it was provocative and confrontational the fact that it was sent to all employees helped us mobilize our members and we thank him for it! - It s time to bargain at the negotiating table, not via . Thanked the Council for the work done during the strike votes at Treasury Board and CFIA. The changes introduced by the Martin government have created additional work for our Union and the PSAC. 3. Adoption of Agenda It was stated by Yves that a brief discussion will take place at 11:30 Friday morning to discuss communications (item 10); this will help the Finance Sub-Committee on Communications to draft a recommendation that will be presented to the Council later in the weekend. M/S/C McDiarmid/Filteau THAT the agenda be adopted. 4. Hours of Session It was noted the Friday session would be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.; and that the Standing Committees would meet in the afternoon between 1:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. It was noted the Saturday session would be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. and from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. It was noted the Sunday session would be held from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. or until such time as business was completed. M/S/C MacRae/Murphy THAT the hours of session be adopted. 5. Approval of Minutes of November 2003 Correction It was noted that Sister Janice Hilton s title on page 1 should read RVP North Western Ontario. Correction at item #9 References made to Sylvia Rochon should be changed to read Sylvie Rochon. M/S/C Stroz-Breton/Aisenstat THAT the minutes of the November 2003 Council meeting, including the above mentioned corrections, be approved. Unanimous - Recorded Vote #1 2

3 6. Business Arising out of Minutes It was noted by Sylvia Prowse that the NUMC meeting at the CPMA did take place on December 4, 2003; minutes of that meeting will be available soon. With respect to the strategic planning session that was to take place at the Executive meeting, Yves responded to Brother Willems that due to time constraints the session did not take place; also, regarding upcoming federal elections, he noted that the Executive did not take a position on any of the candidates and or parties. With respect to item 9 (CFIA Update), Brother Jackson wanted a progress report regarding Susan Deyoung s petition; Yves responded that he will follow up with Brother Kaufman and he will have it translated and sent to all locals. With respect to item 21 (Other Business) and the Agency s training programs for inspectors (evaluation methods and pass marks), Yves mentioned that a new policy will be presented soon, so we will wait and see. 7. Financial Report Item dealt by the Finance Standing Committee see report. 8. National Office Yves and Larry gave updates. It was reported that Beverly Wellon s LTD leave was extended for at least another six months; she is scheduled to return in November Service Officer Gerry Blondin informed Yves that for medical reasons he s unable to work more than three days a week. Therefore as of June 2004, Gerry will be working three days a week. Gerry also informed Yves that he plans on retiring no later than September Update Canadian Food Inspection Agency update Classification Reviews Sylvie Rochon provided updates on all the classification reviews (PI Review, Admin. Support Review and the PM - Fair Labelling Reviews) On the PI review, it was noted that no time frame has been established and that the process is still ongoing. Also, as agreed with the Agency, results will not be divulged until the process is over. Howard Willems read from a management type document that he was able to retrieve from the Agency s web site; it shows that the employer is reluctant to proceed quickly. Sylvie asked Howard to provide her with a copy of the document. With members getting more impatient, Raphaël Tarasco feels it s time for the Union to develop an action plan; also, on June 16 th and in conjunction with Solidarity Week, he and André Grégoire have organized sit-ins to show the employer the resolve 3

4 of their members on all issues. Note: later in the weekend, Council decided to order t-shirts to be sent out to our locals in time for Solidarity Week; Yves thanked Marianne Hladun for providing a sample of her region s t-shirt. With respect to the Administrative Support Review, Sylvie stated that all grievances have been dealt with and that the process was technically over; members must contact her to have their file closed or to indicate that they want to carry on with their grievance. Regarding the regional structure, Denis Sicard noted that Marlene O Neil had informed the committee members that the process had been completed and that the committee was now dissolved. CFIA Negotiations Bob Kingston provided Council with a progress report. Meetings with the employer were extremely frustrating, the level of incompetence displayed by the employer s team was shocking; the conciliator was just as frustrated as our bargaining team. That being said, we re in process of applying for a conciliation board. CFIA Designations Howard Willems, who was Chairperson of the Designations Committee, reported to Council; he started off by thanking team members Sylvia Prowse, John Langs and Henriette Pollon for their involvement. It was noted that a total of 1781 members were designated; overall, the total percentage was down compared to the last round of designations. The designation list and letters were now being prepared and everything will be sent out to the locals shortly; Local Presidents and all Council members were not designated. President Ducharme also thanked the team; he then pointed out that in the event of a strike, all Council members regardless of who they work for, must support members in their region that are out on strike; they are to book time off without pay if they must and we will pay for their loss of salary. CFIA Consultation The next NUMC is scheduled for June 18 th ; Yves and the Executive stressed that it s important for members to use every opportunity to put pressure on the employer, including UMC meetings at all levels. CFIA - Emergency Situations Bob Jackson gave a report on the Avian Flu outbreak in BC; the effort put in by our members was incredible; many came from across the country to help out. At the height of emergency, a ground force of almost 300 people was in BC to assist in the emergency; a total 18 million birds were ordered culled. Despite the way we are treated by the employer and despite they way they ve been acting at the negotiating table, our members have acted professionally and have shown integrity throughout the crisis. Yves concurred with Bob s remarks and made reference to the Executive s note of appreciation which was posted on our web site. CFIA - Meat Hygiene update Brother Pani gave a progress report; he mentioned that the Agency is working on a new pilot project for a plant in Edmonton, but so far nothing is ready. Regarding the MPIP team itself, changes were brought in and the team is now comprised of the following: 4

5 National team: Yves Ducharme, Denis Sicard and RS Panickar (Chairperson); Regional contacts for Poultry are: Marjorie Taylor (Atlantic), Ricardo Ferro (Québec), Harry Finge (Ontario) and Bob Jackson (Western). Regional contacts for Red Meat are: Romeo Leblanc (Atlantic), Ricardo Ferro (Québec), Sheik Bacchus (Ontario) and Mike Vanson (Western). With respect to inspection stations, Ron Filteau voiced his concerns. Pani said that if changes have been brought in then it s up to the Local H&S committee to ask for a new ergonomic study. Bob Kingston pointed out that H&S laws and regulations call for the matter to be referred to the National Policy Committee on H&S; the changes, despite being plant specific, could have an impact on other work sites. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada update EG Generic Job Descriptions Sylvia Prowse gave a progress report. She noted that Sister Darrell-Lee Mackenzie and other members of the committee met about six weeks ago. A computerized work description writing tool has been developed and it s now in the hands of the IT people. Once testing is done on the computerized templates then the process of rewriting job descriptions will begin. Sylvia pointed out that the templates will be used nationally. AAFC - Collective Staffing Sylvia Prowse gave a progress report. This issue is brought up at regular meetings with the employer as we have many concerns; at present, it s mostly affecting our AS1 and AS2 members. The interview process is not underway yet but testing has begun. With respect to internal/external pre-qualifying pools, Ron Filteau and Howard Willems brought up concerns that have come up in Saskatchewan; Yves wants to learn more about their issues and instructed them to send detailed information to the National Office. AAFC Canadian Pari-Mutuel Agency Sylvia Prowse gave a progress report. On the issue of consultation, managers at the Agency are very difficult to deal with she said. With respect to issues on hours of work and variable shift premiums, discussions are still ongoing; however, we ve filed a reference to section 99 of the PSSRA. The next meeting is scheduled for June 4 th. AAFC Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program Sylvia Prowse gave a progress report. The program, formerly known as NISA, may soon need fewer employees and AAFC has therefore asked Treasury Board to suspend its Term Policy as of June 30/04. This would mean that service time put in after that date will not count towards the 3 years of service needed for an automatic rollover to indeterminate status. Also, nothing has been decided with respect to the possible transfer of the program over to the Canada Revenue Agency. Canadian Grain Commission update Joint Classification Committee It was noted that our proposal to have a Joint Classification Committee was accepted; since then however, Sylvia has tried to hold discussions with her counterpart but without any success. With respect to the next NUMC, Dawn Aisenstat mentioned that it will take place on June 21 st. Gordon Miles is currently touring Canada with his What is 5

6 happening message; Dawn said she will provide Yves with an update. With respect to the working environment in Thunder Bay, Janice Hilton noted that the new way of doing business has not changed the CGC s militaristic approach to HR issues; the Union voice and presence is still being undermined. Public Service Commission update New Canada School of the Public Service Madeleine David provided the update. Since April 1/04, she mentioned that 308 members have been transferred over to the new school and this leaves the PSC with 417 Agriculture Union members. With the creation of the new school, she has taken the opportunity to educate the members there. Department of National Defence update Section 23 Jasmine Stroz-Breton gave an update. Unfortunately there is nothing new to report she said; harassment and intimidation, with far reaching proportions, is still going on. Yves added that he can not comprehend how, over the course of 2 years, the commanding officer in St-Jean is allowed to ignore 5 decisions from HRDC, it s appalling. 10. Communication Officer As outlined at item #3, this was discussed on Friday morning at 11:30. The item was then referred to the Finance Sub-Committee on Communications; see item 13 - Committee Reports. 11. Agriculture Union Convention Larry Budge gave the update; both he and Yves visited two properties in late April: The Delta St. John s and Fairmont s Hotel Newfoundland. Both properties had the same to offer in terms of service; however rates at the Delta were much more competitive. That being said, the next convention will be held at the Delta St. John s, in Newfoundland. 12. AU Structure Committee Debbie Forsythe provided Council with a progress report. The Committee will be meeting on June 19 and 20, 2004, to discuss feedback received from the Regional Seminars. Later in the fall, the Committee plans on putting out a second draft of recommendations. With respect to the first set of recommendations, Madeleine David and Dawn Aisenstat voiced the concerns they received from their members. 13. Standing Committee Reports Collective Bargaining/Health and Safety Committee On behalf of the committee, Fabian Murphy presented the report, see attached. 6

7 M/S/C Kingston/Murphy THAT the report of the Collective Bargaining/Health and Safety Committee be accepted as presented. Unanimous - Recorded Vote #2 Finance Committee Allan MacRae presented the report on behalf of the committee, see attached. M/S/C Panickar/MacRae THAT the Executive hire a communications consultant to assist in developing communications strategy... (see item 5 of report for complete resolution) Unanimous - Recorded Vote #3 M/S/C Panickar/MacRae THAT the report of the Finance Committee be adopted as presented. Unanimous - Recorded Vote #4 Standing Committee on By-Laws and Education The Secretary of the committee, Ron Filteau, presented the report, see attached. M/S/C Forsythe/Filteau THAT we hire casual help to compile Resolutions of Record.(see report for complete resolution) Unanimous - Recorded Vote #5 M/S/C Forsythe/Filteau THAT Regulation 8, section 10 be amended (see report for complete wording) Unanimous - Recorded Vote #6 M/S/C Forsythe/Filteau THAT the report of the By-Laws and Education Committee be adopted. Unanimous - Recorded Vote #7 General Committee On behalf of the General Committee, André Grégoire presented the report, see attached. M/S/C Sicard/Grégoire THAT the Union shall send a delegate to the PSAC ACCESS Conference (see item 3 of report) Unanimous - Recorded Vote #8 M/S/C Sicard/Grégoire THAT the report of the General Committee be adopted as presented. Unanimous - Recorded Vote #9 14. TB Negotiation Progress is very slow and unfortunately there was not a lot to report; all the information on the PSAC web site is current and members can sign up for regular updates if 7

8 they want. Council members talked about mobilization efforts underway in their regions; they also talked about events being planned in conjunction with Solidarity Week. 15. H&S Policy and Issues Excessive Overtime; Reviews; PSAC National Conferences This item was referred to the Collective Bargaining Standing Committee; see item 13 Committee reports. 16. Review of PSAC Regulation 15 This item was referred to the By-Laws and Education Standing Committee; see item 13 Committee reports. 17. Appeals and Staffing Third Party Services This item was referred to the General Standing Committee; see item 13 Committee reports. 18. Bill C-25 President Ducharme provided an update to the Council. The PSAC and the Components are not happy but hope to minimize the impact of Bill C-25 by being involved in drafting the legislation. The Council will receive updates as they become available. With respect to Council s November 2003 resolution on training, the PSAC was unable to provide proper documents in time and therefore training did not take place. However, Yves did give brief presentations at all the regional seminars. Since then, training sessions are now available and locals should check with their PSAC RO. 19. Questions and Answers On Saturday, a general Q&A session took place at 4:30 p.m. 20. Next Meeting Executive: Executive: Council: October 2-3, 2004 (to be confirmed) November 17-18, 2004 (to be confirmed) November 19-21, 2004 (to be confirmed) Confirmed Dates for 2005: Executive: April 13-14, 2005 St.John s Newfoundland Council: April 15-17, 2005 St.John s Newfoundland 8

9 Adjournment Before adjourning the meeting, Jasmine Stroz-Breton presented a motion regarding Agriculture Union life members. It was pointed out by Yves that the Council would need more info before being able to vote and therefore Jasmine agreed to discuss this at the next meeting where she will provide the necessary info. M/S/C Filteau/MacRae THAT the meeting be adjourned. Minutes submitted by, Larry Budge Administrative Officer 9

10 Recorded votes Recorded Votes Aisenstat David Dionne Filteau Forsythe Grégoire Hilton Hladun Jackson Kaytor Kingston MacRae Mazepa McDiarmid Murphy Panickar Sicard Smith Stroz-Breton Tarasco Willems Ducharme =yes/pour 2=no/non 3=abstain/abstention 4=absent 10

11 Collective Bargaining, H&S report Report of the Collective Bargaining/Health and Safety Committee Chateau Laurier Hotel Ottawa May 28, 2004 Members Present: Bob Kingston Howard Williams Gary Dionne Ian Smith Fabian Murphy (Recording) 1) Policy Review, There was a request from Local 67 to have all employer Health and Safety policies posted on the Agriculture Union Website. Further to this, the local requested that all employer Health and Safety policies be reviewed annually by the respective committees. Response: Policy review is an ongoing process for each Health and Safety Policy Committee. Policies are reviewed by the committee as needed or when concerns are brought to the committee s attention. It was decided by the committee that it would not be feasible to post all Health and Safety policies from all employers on the Agriculture Union website. The committee recommends that a list of policies, be posted. Furthermore, a list of National Health and Safety Union Committee members and the employers they represent would also be posted. The contact information for the committee members would include work telephone numbers as well as work addresses. With this information members can request any healthy and safety policies from a committee member. All issues or concerns with regards to the policies should be brought to the committee members. 2) Excessive Overtime It has been identified that many processing plants within CFIA are experiencing overtime of up to 350 hours per week. During emergency situations the CFIA pushes overtime to excessive and dangerous levels. 11

12 Collective Bargaining, H&S report Response: The Canadian Labor Code has defined standards which establish one extra shift per week as appropriate in normal working situations. The Public Services Staff Relation Board accepts this standard as well. In emergency situations the rules are somewhat suspended and overtime over and above the standard is acceptable. During emergency situations there are safe guards which must be in place to ensure the safety of personnel. Employers are responsible for monitoring the health of employees working crisis situations. EAP personnel should be on site to provide advice and counseling to employees. Union members must be aware of the dangers involved in working excessive overtime, i.e. operating equipment or driving while fatigued. Members can refuse to work overtime from a personal health and safety perspective if they feel it is detrimental to their health, i.e. Unable to perform the duties or return home safely after work. The following items will be brought forward to the CFIA NOSH committee: following an emergency crisis situation all employees should go through a debriefing process, managing of overtime in an emergency situation, the CFIA Emergency Response Policy should be reviewed by the NOSH, managers must be made aware of the dangers of assigning excessive overtime, managers must be made aware of the liabilities involved in assigning excessive overtime to employees, National Health and Safety Conference Update: The PSAC National Health and Safety conference was held in Toronto, Ontario March 26-28, The PSAC has a vital interest in protecting the health and safety of its members. Whether at the collective bargaining table or during legislative changes, our members want their Union to promote and protect their health and safety. The PSAC National Health and Safety conference identified the following priorities: Globalization and the effects of it on workers health and safety. Health and Safety issues are to be placed at the core of all union business. Locals are to ensure that Health and Safety is a standing agenda item at every meeting. Ensuring that Health and Safety issues are connected to the work and decision-making process at every level of our Union. Establishing and maintaining clear, two way communications with Health and Safety activists, especially the front line members. Ensuring that effective, union orientated Health and Safety training is delivered to all union Health and Safety activists. Pushing for improved enforcement of Health and Safety legislation by the territorial, 12

13 Collective Bargaining, H&S report provincial and federal governments in our respective workplaces to provide and maintain a healthy and safe environment. Establishing collective bargaining strategies reflective of the experience of our health and Safety activists to ensure that workplace Health and Safety issues are being addressed. Collective Bargaining Update: With regards to the request for job action, the committee would re-affirm and insist that all RVPs and Directors to become involved with the regional strike structure. Each regional office is working with the regional strike committee to develop strike action plans for their respective regions. With regards to Strategic Strikes, each table/agency should develop a plan for a Strategic strike. RVPs and Directors should encourage locals to develop plans to submit to the National Strike Committee to present to the AEC for approval. 13

14 Finance report Report of the Finance Committee May, 28, 2004 Members Present: Pani Panickar Chair Allan MacRae - Secretary Dawn Aisenstat Bob Jackson Steve Kaytor Larry Budge Guest - Sylvie Rochon As of April 2004 printout the Agriculture Component has 8199 members. 1)Financial Statement The audited Financial Statement was reviewed. 2) New Meal Rates as of April 2004 Breakfast $11.55 Lunch $11.30 Dinner $31.80 Incid. $17.30 Total $ ) Rand Deductees The Agriculture Union continues to have a high number of rand deductees. According to the April 2004 printout the number is 936. The committee would like to remind Council members to have these rand deductees signed up as soon as possible. We would also like to remind the Council that when casuals/terms return they may also need to be resigned. When you are signing a member, please remember to send the card to Christine Gauthier in the Component office who will then forward the information on the PSAC. If the information is required by another party (such as the PSAC regional office) please photocopy the information and again send the original card to Christine Gauthier. 4) Contact Information Update There was a concern referred to this committee regarding the current contact information on the website not being up to date. This information will be verified to ensure it matches the information in the national office. A reminder that all national officers are required to report any changes in contact information to the membership clerk as soon as possible to avoid any future problems. National officers are also reminded to ensure local contact information is sent into the national office when changes occur. 14

15 Finance report 5) Communication Sylvie Rochon has provided assistance with this issue and her contribution is appreciated. The discussion of the acquisition of a communications consultant was brought to the committee. The committee re-affirmed that we need to improve our communication strategy. The Committee makes the following Motion BE IT RESOLVED that the National Executive hire a communications consultant for the Agriculture Union to assist the component in developing a communications strategy to meet membership needs. This strategy should include, but not be limited to, website design & maintenance, media blitzes, newsletters, pamphlets and press releases. BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED this action should be undertaken as soon as practicably possible and the National Executive report back to the National Council as soon as the action has been initiated. Moved by Dawn Aisenstat Seconded by Allan MacRae Note: Details such as tenure and specific duties were not indicated as the Executive would have the authority to establish the work of this individual. REMINDER: Agenda items for the upcoming meetings should be received no later than 10 days prior to the meeting along with all background information. These items should be sent to the President with a copy to the Administrative Officer. The Agenda should be sent out immediately after the cutoff date for input so that the Council will have time to properly prepare for the meeting. It is recognized that items may come forth at the last minute. These items can still be discussed at the meeting, however a complete discussion and resolution may not be possible due to the late submission and the inability to prepare. When a request for feedback on an issue is sent from the National Office members are reminded to respond within the time period specified in the original request. 15

16 By-Laws and Education report Report of The Standing Committee On By-Laws and Education May 28, 2004 Members: Debbie Forsythe Chairperson Ronald Filteau Secretary Madeleine David Ernie Mazepa Ruth McDiarmid The committee met and reviewed the minutes from Council meetings following 2002 Convention to present day in order to determine if there were any motions passed which would amend any by-laws and would be required to be forward to the 2005 Convention. None were found that required ratification by convention. The following changes to regulations were approved by Council: 1. Reg 1(A) Sec 3 & 4 Change 20 to Reg 1(3) Removed reference to National Office and changed 4 months to 3 months The following change to By-Law 9 which was approved at the April 2003 Council meeting needs to be added to the By-laws. Section 6 Equal Opportunities Director: 1. attend meetings of the National Council as required; 2. attend committee meetings of the national Council when appointed to do so; 3. file a written report of their activities and recommendations during their tenure to the National Council six months prior to the Triennial National Convention; 4. in general, be responsible to the National Council for the affairs of their constituency and perform such duties as may be required by the National Council; 5. following their election shall resign any Local office within one month of such election; 6. chair meetings of the Agriculture Union Equal Opportunities Committee; 7. provide technical advice to the National Executive and National Council on issues pertaining to Equal Opportunities and Employment Equity; 8. act as a representative of the Agriculture Union on equity issues at union functions. 16

17 By-Laws and Education report Resolutions of Record The following resolution which was adopted at the November 2003 Council meeting needs to be added to the resolutions of record booklet in the General resolution section (Yellow): That, in the matter of promotional clothing, the Agriculture Union will do business with a company that manufacturers both women s and men s clothing. The By-Laws Committee is recommending the adoption of the following motion: That Agriculture Union hire casual help to compile Resolutions of Record. This work to be completed prior to the 2005 Convention and to encompass resolutions from Conventions and Council meetings preceding the 2002 convention. Moved by Ruth McDiarmid Seconded by Ernie Mazepa Carried The Finance Committee has provided costing of $9,000 for this motion. Regulation No. 8 Section 10 The By-Laws Committee is recommending the adoption of the following amendments to Regulation No. 8 Section 10: For Separate employers two (2) representatives will be elected at the seven regional seminars conducted in the year prior to commencement of collective bargaining. Equitable representation of occupational groups and equity representation will be considered. In accordance with Regulation 15 of the PSAC Constitution and Regulations, representatives must hold a union office. These fourteen (14) representatives will attend a national bargaining conference to review the demands and elect members to sit on the negotiating team pursuant to PSAC Regulation 15, Sub Section 3.7. Moved by Ronald Filteau Seconded by Ruth McDiarmid Carried Over the next few months the members of the committee will review the existing By-laws and Regulations to identify any changes which should be made to reflect reality as these By-laws have not undergone an extensive review for a number of years. 17

18 General report Report of the General Standing Committee Members present Denis Sicard Chairperson, 4 th NEVP André Grégoire RVP Eastern Québec Raphaël Tarasco RVP Western Québec Janice Hilton RVP North Western Ontario Marianne Hladun EO National Director Jasmine Stroz-Breton DND Director Sylvia Prowse National Office The report was presented by Brother André Grégoire, RVP Eastern Québec 1. Services of a third party in staffing complaints Sylvia Prowse explained how the choice of persons constituting a third party was made. A. A notice of interest was posted on the Web with criteria such as unionized company, should not be a mediator etc. There was no response. B. A notice of interest was sent directly to private companies. Sylvia and a staffing officer reviewed the CVs submitted and the list of eligible candidates was established. Sylvia pointed out that this list does not necessarily prevail over others that could exist in the regions. 2. National Aboriginal, Inuit and Métis Network (NAIM) Marianne suggested that RVPs ask the locals to submit the names of interested persons to the REVP of each region; the deadline is July 30, National Disability Rights Conference (Canadian Labour Congress) This Conference will take place November 11-14, 2004 in Montréal. It follows up on the PSAC Access Conference. P/A/A Hladun Stroz-Breton That the Agriculture Union send a representative to the National Disability Rights Conference being held in Montreal from November 11-14, Criteria: Persons with an interest in disabilities Persons must self-identify Cost: About $2,

19 General report 4. Strategy for involving young people in the Union Various ways of inciting young people to become involved were discussed: The Union should have a list of initiatives that have already been taken by young people Show young people the progress that has been made in response to their needs (e.g. term to permanent) Encourage them to work in the union in areas of interest to them. The entry into the Union is the Local. Bring young people to meetings, show them what we do. Denis Sicard suggested that RVPs meet Local Presidents and look at ways of drawing young people, submitting findings to Marianne Hladun, EO Director. P/A/A Tarasco Grégoire That the Report of the Committee on General Matters be approved as read. 19