Beginning with the Pacific Region the week of Sept 20th and ending in the Prairie region the week of November 22nd, each regional executive hosted a symposium in their respective regions. These special meetings proved to be an excellent forum for our regions to come together and share experiences from this mandate. Your national executive attended all of these meetings in order to meet and discuss with members from all over the country about the issues that concern them.
Every local from each region were able to assemble and discuss many topics such as union life, grievances, mental health, mobilization and return to work. Each delegation was asked to prioritize key issues faced by our members today. Time was also allotted to discuss the modernization of the upcoming National General Assembly in May 2022.
The feedback given by the members in each region was both valuable and informative and will help guide the union into the future. There were certainly some common themes across the country in terms of priorities including our next round of negotiations, mandatory overtime, mental health, tools to do our job more effectively (drone detection, body scanners) and union life were seen as top priorities for most regions.
When it comes to union life, a key issue raised by most executives was member participation at local meetings and mobilization events. Each executive discussed some possible solutions to improve members’ involvement and committed to having further discussions locally on ways to communicate more effectively. But let’s remember that the strength of UCCO-SACC-CSN resides with our solidarity as CXs; all members need to engage their local executives to creatively find ways to increase member participation. To maintain our militant reputation, we need the help and knowledge of all members.
A special thanks to each executive member who helped organize these events in their regions and to all the participants and speakers who made these meetings such a success.
In Solidarity
Your National Executive