Local 20 – NS Hearing & Speech Centres Leadership Opportunities with Your Union!

There are a number of leadership positions to be elected for Local 20, as per the NSGEU’s constitution. Once again, the union is putting out a call for Local 20 members with an interest in sitting on one (or more) of the following committees, councils, or the Local executive.  Aside from general training provided at various points during the year, we will provide training for elected Local Executive and Stewards specific to Local 20 soon after all positions are filled.

WHY SHOULD I GET INVOLVED?

A union (and its Locals) are only as strong as the sum of its parts! That means we need the members we represent to step up and take an active role in their union: bringing workplace issues forward, ensuring your collective agreement is being respected, and acting as a point of contact between the union and your coworkers. Becoming active with the union is also a rewarding experience: you will have the plenty of support from the union and have the opportunity to participate in training and education, and meet many other like-minded individuals along the way!

The positions to be filled for your Local are:

• President (1)
• Vice-President (1)
• Secretary (1)
• Treasurer (1)
• Chief Steward (1)
• Stewards
• Occupational Council representatives (2 + 2 alternates for Trade Union Health Care)
• Regional Council representatives (2 + 2 alternates for EACH of the following regions: Cape Breton, Valley, Metro B, Pictou/Antigonish/Guysborough, South Shore, Cumberland/Colchester)
• Committee Pool members (2)
• Bargaining Committee members (3 + 1 alternate)

Below, you will find a brief description of the roles and responsibilities for these positions.

If you are interested in acting in one or more of these positions, please email ssutherland@nsgeu.ca before Thursday, November 15th. If we receive more candidates than are required for a position, a mail-in vote will be conducted.

Thank you for taking the time to review this information, and for taking an interest in the future of your Local!

Best regards,

Jo-Ann Bailey

Servicing Co-ordinator, Community Care

President:

• Conduct the affairs of the Local as dictated by the NSGEU Constitution and By-laws and NSGEU’s Policy Manual.
• Hold executive meetings prior to Local meetings to discuss items of importance and plan strategy for Local meetings.
• In advance supply dates, time and location of Local meetings.
• Notify an ERO and/or NSGEU Office – Dartmouth, of the meeting schedules.
• Prepare and post an agenda for the Local meetings
• Conduct a business meeting according to Parliamentary Procedure.
• Ensure that the members’ questions are answered and that issues of concern are discussed at each meeting.
• Ensure that the attendance record is circulated at each meeting.
• Review with the recording Secretary the minutes of the meeting to ensure that all pertinent data has been included.
• Inform members of the local of all Educational seminars, workshops, etc.
• Inform the membership of Scholarship and Bursaries available to members and members’ children.
• Be knowledgeable of the finances of the Local.
• Make recommendations to the Union Executive concerning certificates of merit for Local members.
• Maintain a close liaison with the rest of the Local executive.
• Use the Constitution as a guideline for calling meetings for election of delegates to conventions, elections of Local officers, and elections of bargaining unit representatives.

Vice-President:

• The role of the Local Vice-President is to assist the President in their duties, and where necessary to replace them.

Secretary:

Pre-Meeting duties:

• attending local executive meetings, and also, recording any executive recommendations on correspondence or matters that will be brought forward at the union meeting.
• preparation of agenda for the union meeting
• preparation of notices for the union meeting
• posting, mailing out, or distribution of union meeting notices
• arranging for meeting facilities, refreshments, etc.
• review minutes of the last local union meeting.
• copies of various reports & newsletter
• contact those who are responsible for reports as per the agenda.
• distribution of minutes to members via e-mail or regular mail
• forward copies of minutes to NSGEU Office – Dartmouth
• sign-in sheet – book

Meeting duties:

• read minutes from the previous meeting
• record the proceedings of the meeting
• maintaining meeting attendance records (attendance book)
• extra supplies of union info, bursary, scholarship, membership cards, new membership kits, contract.
• request for information from members or executive at the meetings.

Post-Meeting duties:

• Prepare minutes for inclusion into minute book or binder
• Take action on items arising from the meeting: i.e. – responding to correspondence
• filing correspondence
• forwarding copies of minutes to membership (depending on Local Union tradition)
• follow-up on the “action items” with those designated.

Treasurer:

For the Local Imprest Account, the Treasurer is required to:

• Ensure funds for the Local Imprest Account are maintained in a separate account called the Local #20 Imprest Account.
• Keep accurate records and Bank statements on the account.
• Prior to issuing payment to members for expenses, review the accuracy of claims and ensure all expenses claimed eligible expenses according to NSGEU policy 3.1.
• Write cheques for valid claims submitted by members.
• Make regular submissions to NSGEU on the appropriate forms and with the required documentation to maintain the funds in the account.
• Keep a copy of attendance records for submission of claims to NSGEU.
• Submit a written report to the Local on this account at each Local Meeting.
• Ensure the account is audited every term as per NSGEU Policy.
• Ensure a written audit report is submitted at the Local Triennial Meeting.

For the Local Social Account, the Local Treasurer is required to:

• Ensure funds for the Local Social Account are maintained in a separate bank account.
• Keep accurate records and bank statements on the account.
• Make regular submissions to NSGEU on the appropriate forms and with the required documentation according to NSGEU Policy 3.2 to document the use of funds as approved by the Local at Local meetings.
• Submit a written report to the Local on this account at each Local Meeting.
• Ensure the account is audited every term as per NSGEU Policy.
• Ensure a written audit report is submitted at the Local Triennial Meeting.

Chief Steward:

• Be vigilant and monitor the implementation of the Collective Agreement, and issues arising in the workplace. This includes (but is not limited to) contact with the employer, and regular contact and consultation with Stewards and other Local Activists, concerning issues arising out of the workplace/collective agreement.
• Participation in Labour-Management Committees and other joint committees, when applicable.
• High level involvement in Local Executive activities, and regular communications with other Local Officers regarding pertinent matters.
• Recruit and orient Stewards to the Local culture re: collective agreement and complaints.
• Call regular Steward meetings.
• Work with the ERO to hold annual Steward training (on Collective Agreement issues) meetings if necessary.
• Conduct Steward elections at Local meetings.
• When elections are not possible, appoint Steward subject to ratification at the next Local meeting.
• Chief Stewards should keep in touch with, and receive reports from, Stewards and be informed about complaints, and potential areas of labour-management conflict.
• At the request of the Local President, the Chief Steward shall report on his/her activities, bearing mind the confidentiality of grievances and reporting only on the location and subject of the of the grievance.

Stewards:

• Stewards must be familiar with the collective agreements for which they are responsible.
• Stewards will keep the Local’s Chief Steward and the Employee Relations Officer, assigned to their areas, informed about complaints, and potential areas of labour-management conflict.
• Issues that may properly be dealt with by a Labour/Management Committee, where they exist, should be brought to the attention of the union representatives on that Committee.
• The Steward is responsible to represent the members who elected her/him.
• The Steward should attend all Local meetings and meetings of her/his bargaining unit called by the Local bargaining unit representative, or at least attend the required number of meetings to maintain eligibility for holding office in accordance with the Local By-Laws, where applicable.
• At the request of the Local President, the Chief Steward shall report on his/her activities. Stewards should bear in mind the confidentiality of grievances and report only on the location of the grievance and its subject.

Occupational Councillors:

• Represent their occupational group within the local from which they are elected.
• Takes a full and active part in the operation of the Occupational Council and may serve in various capacities as required.
• Takes concerns of the occupational members of the local to the Occupational Council and vice versa.
• Establishes and maintains communication between the occupational members of the Local and the Occupational Council.
• Attends and participates in meetings of the Occupational Council and their respective local. If requested, may attend Regional Council meetings in own respective area.
  Ensures a verbal/written report of the Occupational Council meeting is given to the occupational members of the local and/or to the entire local.
• May be required to represent the Union at local, provincial or national functions.
• Adheres to the Constitution and By-Laws and respects the rights of each individual member.
• Keeps confidential those matters designated as such.
• Assists in and be aware of the policies, goals and objectives of the Union.
• Makes decisions without personal prejudice in the best interest of all the members they represent and with welfare of NSGEU being top priority.
• May be involved with negotiations when and where required.
• To be elected as an Occupational Councillor, the member may be required by their local to have attended a certain percentage of local meetings.

Regional Councillors:

• Represent their local at the Regional Council.
• Takes a full and active part in the operation of the Regional Council and may serve in various capacities as required.
• Takes concerns of their local to the Regional Council and vice versa.
• Establishes and maintains communication between their local and the Regional Council.
• Attends and participates in all meetings of their Local, Regional Council and special meetings that may be required from time to time unless absent do to just cause.
• Ensures that a verbal/written report of Regional Council and/or Board of Directors activities are given to their local.
• May be required to represent the Union at local, provincial or national functions.
• Adheres to the Constitution and By-Laws and respect the rights of each individual member.
• Keeps confidential those matters designated as such.
• Assist in, and is aware of the policies, goals and objectives of the Union.
• Makes decisions without personal prejudice in the best interest of all the members they represent and with the welfare of NSGEU being top priority.
• To be elected as Regional Councillor, the member may be required by their local to have attended a certain percentage of local meetings.

Committee Pool Members:

NSGEU Provincial Committees are selected by the Union Executive, from the “committee pool” elected by Locals. Your Local elects a number of committee members, (minimum 2) based on size. Your allocation (that is the number that your Local is entitled to, according to the constitution) is included in the election return form included with this package.  Each committee has 8 members, one from each region of the province. (PAG, South Shore, Valley, Metro A, B and C, Cape Breton, and Cumberland-Colchester.) Ad-hoc Committees are not selected from among the committee pool, but a special “call for expression of interest” is emailed to members and put on the website. Members are selected from these “expressions of interest.”