REPORT OF THE

REGIONAL EXECUTIVE VICE-PRESIDENT

PRAIRIES

TO THE

NATIONAL BOARD OF DIRECTORS

June 7 – 8, 2007

This report covers the period from the last NBOD meeting.

Regional Council

The Council met in Saskatoon March 17th and 18th with the 19th being a joint meeting of Council and staff.  We were very pleased to have a presentation from Sister Raj Dhir, the Prairies JLP Co-coordinator. We had a half-day session facilitated by Sister Judy Shannon.  Our main objective was to ensure that we were fulfilling our responsibilities as Council members with increased direction, commitment and confidence.  At our joint meeting, we had a presentation from sister Elizabeth Woods on the Collective Bargaining survey and Sister Michelle Sweeney on Organizing.  We then moved into a Union Café workshop with four areas.  These areas were Building Provincial Teams, Raising the Profile of the PRC, PRC committee work and Campaigns. As always, we had a number of agenda items but two items are most noteworthy for the NBOD.  The first is the issue of the asbestos abatement being done in the atrium of the Harry Hays building in Calgary.  This federal complex has many departments as tenants.  We know that there are Health and Safety meetings with each of the Departments/Components however; the Council believes that the Components should be talking to each other to have a unified position.  There has to be an increase in communication across Component lines.  The second issue was that of concern for our members who are working in the Passport Offices.  Our Council members reported long lines of citizens at the Passport Offices.  They also express concerns as to how our members were being portrayed in the media.  They would like to see PSAC in the media placing the blame squarely where it belongs and that is with the management or should we say mismanagement of the Passport Offices.

Area Councils/Regional Women's Committees/Human Rights Committees

Our Area Councils continue to be very active.  The Winnipeg Area Council has been very busy around the provincial election.  They sent approximately 2700 letters to our members in the swing ridings.  The letter highlighted some of the issues that our members should be aware of when entering the polling stations. The PC had held one of our target ridings for the last 21 years and I am very pleased to announce that the NDP took it by a comfortable margin.  For the first time ever, we have a third NDP majority government with an historical 30% of the seats being held by women.  The Lethbridge Area Council has had their AGM and I want to congratulate the following executive members: President-Sister Brea Lewis, Vice President-Brother Greg Krokosh, Secretary-Brother Bill Engel and Treasurer-Brother Dave Pearson.  The Saskatoon Area Council will be volunteering in June for the Habitat for Humanity.  They will be working with other organizations to build a house.

Our Regional Women’s Committees have been very active in the planning of the Prairie Region Women’s Conference.  The theme is “The Empowerment of Women – Moving our Vision Forward”.  Our panel and workshops will be “Defending Quality Public Services”, Supporting our Sisters: Equality for Aboriginal Women” and “Increasing the Political Engagement of Women”.  We are very privileged to have Theresa Ducharme from Sisters in Spirit and Judy Wasylycia-Leis, MP Winnipeg North.

The Regina Women’s Committee organized and sponsored a one-day workshop entitled “Strengthening our Union Sisters”.  It was very well attended and thoroughly enjoyable.  Our RWC’s continue to work on the Code Blue and Put Equality Back on Track campaigns.

I am very pleased to report that the Saskatoon RWC has two new co-chairs.  I want to congratulate Sisters Carey Allchurch and Nancy Johnson.  I am looking forward to working with all of the Sisters in Saskatoon.

The Edmonton Human Rights Committee recently held their AGM.  I want to congratulate Chair – Sister Doreen MacIntosh, Vice-Chair – Brother Frank Lloyd, Treasurer – Sister Nina Kiviluoma and Secretary – Sister Jo Chelick.  The Committee met jointly with the Area Council, the RWC and a representative from the United Way to strategize around community work that they can do to increase the profile of the PSAC.

On a final note, all of our committees were involved in the CLC Better Choices Campaign.  We had members who worked directly for the CLC and they ensured that presentations and information was disseminated to our committees and Locals.  We currently have an input call out to our Saskatchewan Regional Council members to identify members who may want to work on the SFL Labour Issues campaign.  This campaign is designed to bring awareness to the citizens of Saskatchewan and prepare them for a possible fall election.

Regional Activities and National Portfolios

The Prairie Region conducted an Organizing Information and Outreach Table at the First Nations University of Canada 29th Annual Pow Wow in Regina on April 7th and 8th.  The event drew about 8 – 10000 visitors and participants.  Brother Andre Paul, NAIM and EOC representative, and Brother Danial Curottee PRC Aboriginal Representative, staffed the booth along with several other PSAC members from various Locals who gave up their time on a holiday weekend. Our organizer continues to work with the UNDE and the NPF members in Suffield.

I was able to participate in the Leaders Solidarity BBQ at the MFL May Day event. We also had an information table that Sister Sweeney coordinated.

We had three members attend the SOS Medicare conference in Regina.  The Prairie Region as well as the PSAC supported the conference in which there were guest speakers the caliber of Shirley Douglas and Stephan Lewis.  The members who attended indicated that they thoroughly enjoyed it and will be sending me a report in due time.

We were a sponsor for The Bells of Hope Conference.  The conference theme was “Youth in Peril: The Realities of Human Trafficking”.  The main organizers were NASHI – a Saskatchewan based organization working to divert children in Ukraine from human trafficking through job development and public awareness and Communities for Children – a Saskatoon based organization-providing leadership in issues affecting quality of life for children and youth through community consensus, collaboration, research and social planning.  We were able to send several members who were very taken with the key note speaker Victor Malarek, a CTV Journalist who spent 2 years interviewing traffickers and their victims to write the novel “The Natashas: Inside the New Global Sex Trade”.

I spoke at the Ontario Regional Women’s Conference on Defending Quality Public Services.  The conference was well attended and very well organized.  I will not be attending all of the Regional Women’s conferences but as the AEC assigned to the Women’s Program I look forward to receiving reports on their successes.

The SV (Table Two) has met with the Employer and have exchanged demands.  On May 14th, we had activities from coast to coast to coast with respect to the “launch “of the NO ZONES campaign.  All Regional offices have a one-page flyer designed to educate our membership as well as the video that can be used at Local meetings. 

Respectfully submitted,

Robyn Benson,

Regional Executive Vice-President,

Prairie Region

January  4	Special NBoD Meeting Via Conference Call
January  5	NBoD Strategy Committee Conference call
January  8	Meeting With Anita Neville MP Winnipeg South Centre
January 12	Aramark Strategy Conference Call
January 14	Travel to Ottawa
January 15	AEC meeting
January 16	AEC meeting
January 17	P 3 meeting AM
January 17	Womens Program meeting PM
January 18	National Health and Safety Conference
January 19	National Health and Safety Conference / Aramark Conf. Call
January 20	National Health and Safety Conference
January 21	National Health and Safety Conference
January 21	Travel to Winnipeg
January 22	Status of Women Canada Conference Call
January 22	PRC Political Action Committee Conference Call
January 22	Meeting with Minister Vic Toews – Steinbach
January 23	Travel to Calgary
January 23	Calgary – attend Regional Womens Committee
January 23	Local Visits – UTE Local 30025
January 24	Local Development meeting 9:00am – 4:00pm
January 24	Calgary – attend Calgary AC and  HRC meetings
January 25	Travel to Lethbridge
January 25	Workplace Visit – Chicken Slaughter Plant
January 25	Workplace Visit – Horse Slaughter Plant
January 25	Attend meeting – Lethbridge Area Council
January 25	Travel to Calgary
January 26	Travel to Winnipeg
January 26	Meet with MB PRC Geo Reps 2:00pm – 4:00pm
January 29	Womens Program Conference Call
January 30	Travel to Ottawa
January 31	Public Service Dental Care Plan management meeting
February 1	National Bargaining Conference
February 2	National Bargaining Conference
February 3	National Bargaining Conference
February 4	National Bargaining Conference
February 5	AEC meeting
February 6	National Board of Directors meeting
February 7	National Board of Directors meeting
February 8	National Board of Directors meeting
February 8	Travel to Winnipeg
February 12	Travel to Ottawa
February 13	CLC Executive Council meeting
February 14	Travel to Winnipeg / Weather delay at Ottawa Airport
February 15	Winnipeg Area Council – AGM
February 18	Travel to Ottawa
February 19	CLC Womens Retreat
February 20	CLC Womens Retreat
February 21	CLC Womens Retreat
February 21	Travel to Winnipeg
February 22	Travel to Calgary
February 22	Speak at UTE Local 30024 AGM
February 23	Travel to Winnipeg
February 25	Travel to Ottawa
February 26	AEC meeting
February 27	AEC meeting
February 28	Zones Committee meeting
February 28	Meet with National Bargaining Team
February 28	Travel to Winnipeg
March 12	Federation of Labour Reps. Conference Call – SFL
March 12	Meeting with Manitoba Minister of Labour - Nancy Allen
March 13	Federation of Labour Reps. Conference Call – AFL
March 13	Meeting with Federation of Labour Reps. - MFL
March 14	Travel to Saskatoon
March 14	SFL – Labour Issues Meeting – Davidson SK
March 14	Attend Saskatoon Area Council Meeting
March 15	Travel to Prince Albert
March 15	Attend Prince Albert Area Council Meeting
March 16	PRC Meet and Greet – Saskatoon
March 17	Prairie Region Council Meeting - Saskatoon
March 18	Prairie Region Council Meeting - Saskatoon
March 19	Joint Prairie Region Council / Regional Staff Reps. Meeting
March 20	Prairie Region Staff Conference
March 21	Prairie Region Staff Conference
March 21	Travel to Winnipeg
March 25	Travel to Ottawa
March 26	AEC Meeting
March 27	AEC Meeting
March 27	Travel to Winnipeg
March 28	Interview EA Candidates
March 29	Travel to Vancouver
March 29	Pride Conference
March 30	Pride Conference
March 31	Pride Conference
April 1	Pride Conference
April 1	Travel from Vancouver to Ottawa
April 2	Ships Crew Meeting
April 2	Conference Call Zone Committee
April 3	CFIA Bargaining Meeting
April 3	Travel Ottawa to Calgary
April 4	Travel Calgary to Lethbridge
April 4	Lethbridge Area Council Meeting
April 5	Travel to Winnipeg
April 10	EA Interviews
April 11	Travel to Edmonton
April 11	Edmonton Area Council Meeting
April 12	Travel to Winnipeg
April 17	Meeting with Prairie Region Womens Rep.
April 18	Travel to Ottawa
April 19	UCTE Discipline Committee
April 19	Travel to Toronto
April 20	Ontario Regional Womens Conferece
April 20	Travel to Regina
April 21	Regina and Area Womens Workshop
April 21	UNDE Council of Locals – Moose Jaw
April 22	Travel to Winnipeg
April 23	AEC Meeting Conference Call
May 1	Labour Fair –
May 6	Travel to Ottawa
May 7	EOC Meeting
May 8	EOC Meeting
May 9	EOC Meeting
May 9	Meeting PRC Finance Committee Conference Call
May 9	Travel to Winnipeg
May 13	Travel to Ottawa
May 14	SV Group Bargaining
May 15	AEC Meeting
May 16	AEC Meeting
May 17	Travel to Lethbridge
May 17	Lethbridge Area Council Meeting
May 18	Travel to Winnipeg
May 22	NBoD Conference Call
May 22	Travel to Quebec City
May 23	Administration – NHWU
May 24	Administration – NHWU
May 25	Administration – NHWU
May 25	Travel to Winnipeg
May 26	Open PSAC Prairie Regional Women’s Conference – Winnipeg
May 27	PSAC Prairie Regional Women’s Conference - Winnipeg