Region 1 Educational – Jan 27-28, 2024

October 27, 2023

Registration form – Due by Dec. 15 at 4:30pmThe next Region 1 Weekend Educational will be in-person at the St Clair College Centre for the Arts and will take place on Saturday, Jan. 27 from 9 am to 4:30 pm and on Sunday, January 28 from 9 am – 1 pm.

Event: Region 1 – Educational
Dates: January 27 and 28, 2024
Location: St Clair College Centre for the Arts, 201 Riverside Drive West, Windsor, Ontario
Registration deadline: Completed registration form Friday, Dec. 15 at 4:30pm.
Hospitality Suite and Member Engagement – Join Us in the Skyline “B” Ballroom on Saturday from 7:30pm-11pm

Important information

The participant and course selection process will be carried out in accordance with the OPSEU/SEFPO Education Policy.
Hotel Reservations – Best Western Plus Waterfront Hotel, 277 Riverside Drive West, Windsor, Ontario
- Members are responsible for making their own Accommodation and Payment arrangements. $159.00 + GST, Parking is $15.00 per vehicle/per night. Please call 1-800-780-7234 OR 519-973-5555 to reserve your accommodation, and request the OPSEU/SEFPO group rate. *Reserve your hotel room as soon as you submit your application.
- Reservation Deadline – Rooms should be booked no later than Friday, Dec 15. All unreserved rooms will be released for re-sale after this date. OPSEU/SEFPO Policy states that members are responsible for their own rooms and paying for same, you are also responsible for any cancellation. Failing cancellation, you are responsible for the room charges.
- Cancellations – To cancel your registration, please notify the Regional Office by email to [email protected]
Meals – *Breakfast & Lunch will be provided on Saturday, January 27 and ONLY Breakfast on Sunday, January 28 at the St Clair College Centre for the Arts, 201 Riverside Drive West, Windsor, Ontario at the Skyline “B” Ballroom (these are not claimable expenses)
Wages are paid for this educational. You are responsible for making your own time-off arrangements.
- If your Employer requires proof of time-off to attend the educational, you can request a letter be sent to your Employer (see application form for time-off requests). LBED Members must submit a RUL form for requesting time-off (how to submit your RUL form).
Childcare is being offered at the Best Western Plus Waterfront Hotel, please fill out the attached form. Members seeking Childcare through OPSEU/SEFPO must submit their completed Childcare Registration form by Monday, January 8. If childcare is required, children must be registered for Childcare, if the child is not registered you will be responsible for the full cost of the accommodation.
- Breakfast & Lunch will be provided on Saturday & Breakfast ONLY on Sunday for children registered in Childcare in the Skyline “B” Ballroom.
Family/Attendant Care will be reimbursed at the rate of $15.00 per hour to a maximum of $220.00 per 24 hour period and must be signed by the care provider(s). Please specify hours claimed for each day. This policy covers the expenses for persons over the age of 16, permanently residing with, and under the care of a member, who are differently-abled and/or aged. The Family/Attendant Care form must be submitted with your application.
Advance – please fill out the attached form and email to [email protected]
Direct Deposit – if you do not already have Direct Deposit, please email the completed form to [email protected]
Human Rights Accommodation – please email the completed Human Rights Accommodation request form and email to [email protected] and copy Region 1 Support Staff at [email protected]
As a reminder in accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO policy, full attendance is mandatory for all participants at the educational. If you are unable to attend with Full Attendance, without an acceptable reason, you will not receive credit for the course and your expenses (if any) may not be paid.

Forms

Course descriptions

Stewards 2: Facing the Employer, Building Member Involvement

*No Prerequisite requiredThis revised follow-up to Stewards 1 focuses on investigating and writing a grievance, facing management, and involving members in worksite action. Participants will use their own collective agreements to identify grievances. They will become immersed in an evolving case study in order to interview a grievor, write up a grievance, face the employer at a step 1 and make a presentation on safety issues to the union side of the Joint Health and Safety Committee. They will examine the elements of effective mobilization and develop a campaign strategy for a local. Participants should bring their collective agreements.

Duty to Accommodate: A Tool for Inclusive Workplaces

Provincial legislation and existing case law require employers and unions to provide accommodation short of undue hardship. This interactive course examines the roles and responsibilities of the employer, the union and the member in accommodating members with disabilities and all other protected groups under the Ontario Human Rights Code. It builds activists’ skills to support members requiring an accommodation, and to deal with employer resistance to accommodation in the workplace. (March 2010).

Advanced Grievance Handling

Does your local have a grievance committee? Can your experience in handling a grievance help to build the local? Can you use your knowledge of common grievance issues to raise awareness at demand setting meetings? Have you ever thought of what it is like to be on the Employer side of the table? These are some of the topics that will be explored in the NEW Advanced Grievance Handling for Union Building course.You will also get the opportunity to practice being on the Union’s team and the Employer’s Team as you work through some scenarios. Building on the Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building course, this course focuses on expanding both the steward’s and Local’s ability to process grievances from start to finish.Through active interviewing process, participants will explore how to identify grievances, practice negotiating settlements and draft realistic, enforceable grievance settlements. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.

Let’s Start Meeting Like This! Running Meetings that Build the Union

Have you ever been confused at meetings about when you can speak and when you can’t? Perhaps you have tried to run a meeting where there was no quorum, or where people kept interrupting each other and getting off track. Maybe you’re discouraged because you’re not sure how to make meetings a good use of anyone’s time.This course examines the potential of meetings to tap into diverse members’ energy and interest, and to build union capacity. Practical, hands-on activities will help you a) develop an interesting agenda and get members to the meeting; b) understand how to write and put forward a motion and use basic rules of parliamentary procedure effectively; c) facilitate an effective meeting discussion; d) deal with meeting “nightmares” who often look like members who won’t stop talking, or who can’t agree. Materials include templates for committee reports and meeting minutes, as well as step by step guidelines on running different kinds of meetings.

OPSEU/SEFPO Health & Safety: Level 1 – Rights of Committees

This is an OPSEU/SEFPO Health & Safety course designed for members and stewards who want to become more involved in health and safety activities in their workplace. There is a strong focus on health and safety legislation to enable participants to use the legislation effectively in their own workplaces.Participants work in groups to explore the legislation and to gain a better understanding of their rights and employers’ obligations under the Occupational Health and Safety Act and its regulations. Participants are introduced to the concepts of hazard identification, assessment and control and develop a greater understanding of the components of an effective health and safety system.* this is not a WHSC certification course

Local Treasurer’s Course

This course is aimed at Local Treasurers and Trustees who are either NEW to the role or experienced members who are seeking a “refresher course”. The goal is to give the necessary tools and education to Local Treasurers and Trustees in order for them to fulfill their roles in the Local. It will also draw on members’ experiences to solve problems occurring with the administration of Local funds.