Choose more accountability

May 6, 2018

OPSEU is accountable for every dollar spent. Our members decide on the services and resources that benefit them, and we make sure they know exactly how their dues are spent.

We know that transparency is important; it’s the only way that members can hold their locals accountable.

So, what does more accountability look like?

Strong local bylaws

OPSEU local bylaws have strict rules around spending. All locals must have an elected treasurer, and your local treasurer must account for every dollar spent through an audit reporting system called the Trustee’s Audit Report (TARs).

Two trustees, elected by your local, must sign off on these audit reports before they are sent to OPSEU. These audit reports are mandatory in order for a local to receive their dues rebates.

While it’s important for local executives to have some spending flexibility, OPSEU bylaws ensure there is a reasonable cap ($500 – $1000) on any spending that doesn’t have the members’ approval.

Treasurers are required to give a report to members at every General Membership Meeting. OPSEU members are confident about how and why their dues are spent.

Strong central support

In OPSEU, most member expenses are covered by OPSEU central. This includes travel, accommodation, meals and lost wages for members attending convention, education courses, bargaining sessions, grievance hearings, and the many other meetings and events that the union organizes or participates in.

That means locals have more funds available to spend as they see fit; to support initiatives within their communities, or send extra members as observers to convention – no matter what, it’s up to the local to decide.

Strong democratic structure

OPSEU’s supreme governing body is its annual convention, held every spring. As a member, you elect delegates to represent you at convention, based on the size of your local.

It is members who steer the OPSEU ship. The co-workers you elect to convention set union policy, approve the annual budget, and revise the constitution.

Every two years, local delegates also elect the members of the union’s Executive Board at regional meetings. In election years, your convention delegates elect the union’s President and First Vice-President/Treasurer from among the elected board members. They also rank the Regional Vice-Presidents. Between conventions, the Executive Board runs the union.

But it begins with the locals. In OPSEU’s democratic framework, locals hold the keys to power. Other structures within the union bridge similar workplaces, share common experiences, and draw locals together within a geographic area. These links support locals and give them wider influence.

For more accountability, choose OPSEU.

OPSEU’s got your back.

Service. Accountability. Strength.