REVP in Westman

Friends,  This Monday, March 8th is International Women’s Day. This year’s theme is “Choose to Challenge.” It is rooted in the need for all of us to be responsible for our own thoughts and actions - all day, every day.

RE: Black History Month Friends, February is Black History Month. It is a month to reflect on and celebrate the enormous contributions made by Black Canadians. One example close to home is James Calbert Best; among many other achievements, Best co-founded and became the first President (1957 to 1966) of the Civil Service Association of Canada (CSAC), which evolved into the Public Service Alliance of Canada.

Thursday, December 3, 2020 Friends,  This coming Sunday is December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. For members who do not know, this national day of remembrance was established after the 1989 shooting of 14 women at École Polytechnique in Montréal, also known as the Montreal Massacre. 

Bill 16, Labour Relations Amendments Act This bill will significantly change collective bargaining rules in Manitoba and tip the scales in favour of the employer, disenfranchising workers and their unions. It is clear Premier Brian Pallister is taking a page out of Alberta Premier Jason Kenney’s book, who makes undermining workers’ labour rights practically his full-time job. He wants to punish the public sector unions who challenged his unconstitutional bill – and won.

During these unprecedented times, your REVP and union want your feeback on how we adjust to our new COVID reality. In order to do this, we are asking members to complete an online survey. PSAC Prairies has had some successful new approaches since the start of the pandemic such as the numerous skills training webinars provided in the winter and spring while our respective communities went into lockdown. However, it is important to hear directly from the membership on what your union is doing well and what we could improve on.

RE: National Aboriginal Veterans Day, Remembrance Day Friends, Today I would like to take a moment to acknowledge National Aboriginal Veterans Day, Sunday, November 8, 2020 and Remembrance Day, Wednesday, November 11, 2020. Both are days that encourage Canadians to remember and pay tribute to the people who sacrificed their lives for their country as well as those who fought and survived the often unspeakable horror of war. 

For Immediate Release – Friday, October 30, 2020 EDMONTON – This week, PSAC-UNDE released a report detailing the failure of privatization within the Department of National Defence. Most Department of National Defence (DND) bases contract out facilities management, cleaning, food preparation, grass cutting, and trades work. Services critical to DND operations, such as helicopter maintenance and airport management, are also contracted out. 

For Immediate Release – Wednesday, October 28, 2020 WINNIPEG – This week, PSAC-UNDE released a report detailing the failure of privatization within the Department of National Defence. Most Department of National Defence (DND) bases contract out facilities management, cleaning, food preparation, grass cutting, and trades work. Services critical to DND operations, such as helicopter maintenance and airport management, are also contracted out. 

RE: Orange Shirt Day Friends, Today I would like to take a moment to acknowledge Orange Shirt Day. For those of you who are not familiar, Orange Shirt Day was established in 2013 out of the work of the St. Joseph Mission (SJM) Residential School (1891-1981) Commemoration Project and Reunion events that were held in Williams Lake, BC. 

RE:  Labour Day 2020 This year will be a very different Labour Day. Normally we would be joining other labour unions for a parade in our respective regions and connecting with each other in person at the annual barbeque. However, with the coronavirus pandemic, that is not possible.