Equity seats FAQs

Why are Board Equity Seats needed?

• To stop under-representation. Approximately 14 per cent of OPSEU/SEFPO members identify as equity-deserving persons from Black, racialized and Indigenous communities. Their voices currently represent less than 5 per cent on the OPSEU/SEFPO Executive Board.
• As shown clearly throughout the Living Wall project and Social Mapping, Racialized, Black, Brown, and Indigenous members are significantly underrepresented as voters during election-year conventions.
• To remain relevant, strong and united, OPSEU/SEFPO must harness the energy of an increasingly diverse membership:
  • Young Workers – 26% (from 22% in 2010)
  • Racialized members – 14% (from 10%)
  • People with disabilities – 14% (from 9%)
  • People with a sexual orientation other than heterosexual – 10% (from 5%)
  • Women – 72%
  • Indigenous members – 6.5%
  • Francophones – 9%

What recommendations from the Social Mapping Executive Summary support the creation of the Constitutional Amendment?

The Social Mapping Executive Summary contains the following recommendations which directly support this amendment:

4. Establish metrics and transparent reporting on diversity in leadership. Regularly assess the diversity and representativeness of the OPSEU/SEFPO leadership population at the local, regional and provincial levels, comparing the counts to the membership data available from the OPSEU/SEFPO census.5. Establish numerical goals for representation of the groups of focus in leadership positions.20. Introduce impact measurement tied to specific initiatives.31. Solidify and extend the equity-related links between campaign topics and the diverse lived experiences and concerns of members, stakeholders and communities.35. Address any unwelcoming aspects of the environment and culture at Convention and other events. Re-commit to creating a ‘safe space’ for OPSEU/SEFPO members.36. OPSEU/SEFPO should commit to taking the next step in its pre-eminent position in diversity, equity and inclusion among Canadian labour organizations. It should build on its effective policies and practices to foster a first- in-class leadership population that consistently reflects diverse approaches, acts as role models and influencers, and delivers a fully inclusive experience for members.38. Improve communications and outreach to encourage members from the groups of focus to take on responsibilities that they might otherwise consider to be a ‘stretch’.44. Implement a formalized process for strategic succession management to ensure that the union’s “talent pipeline” is diverse and sufficient to meet its upcoming needs. Provide education, encouragement and support for activists in the groups of focus who have leadership aspirations.45. Consider the equity-related implications (risks and opportunities) of a shift to three-year elected terms, including an increased number of Alternates at Regional and Provincial levels.48. Introduce policies to provide for equitable opportunities for election success.

How do the Equity Seats help all members?

• To make strong impactful changes in the Trade Union movement, we need to address our own delegation within the structures of OPSEU/SEFPO.
• The desired outcome is a welcoming and respectful climate fostered by an inclusive leadership approach.
• OPSEU/SEFPO is already recognized as a leader on equity in the labour movement. Our reputation and authority will only grow once one of its highest governing body more accurately reflects its membership.
• Having more diverse representatives at the local level – local executive, bargaining committees, pay equity teams — will create even more equity and more power at a grassroots level

How will having 7 equity seats strengthen the fight against employers?

• The union’s membership has grown by nearly 100,000 members since the Executive Board was reduced to 21 seats in the 1990s. As the union has grown, so have the demands on and responsibilities of the volunteer Executive Board Members (EBMs). Restoring the board to 28 seats  will allow for the work to be delegated and more members will have greater access to their board members
• By strengthening the union, we strengthen members’ ability to advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) in all of our workplaces and communities. We must first address internal inequity in order to empower members to challenge employers externally

Where will the funds come from to pay for restoring the board to 28 seats?

• The financial costs of restoring the Executive Board to 28 seats are relatively small. Remember that board members are not paid and are only booked off from work for board business roughly a dozen times a year.
• Even at 28 members, the costs of the Executive Board will remain a very small percentage of OPSEU/SEFPO’s annual budget.

How does the Not for Profit Act play a role in this Constitutional Amendment?

• In October 2021, the Not-for-Profit Corporations Act came into force as the legislation that governs OPSEU/SEFPO as a corporation.  Among other requirements, the Act requires OPSEU/SEFPO to specify the classes of members with a right to elect the Executive Board Members, President, and First Vice-President/Treasurer.  The delegates to seven Regional Meetings and to Convention currently comprise eight classes of members, each with distinct voting rights.
• The Act authorizes the Executive Board, as the Board of Directors of the corporation, to appoint up to one-third of its Members.  This provision allows corporations to add Directors, such as to support principles of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, but without interfering with the established voting rights of any class of members.
• The Constitutional Amendment relies on this statutory authority to appoint Directors, and also allows members to vote provincially for seven Board Members from equity-deserving groups.  The Executive Board is required by policy to follow the democratic choice of the membership to appoint the seven Equity Board Members.
• This Constitutional Amendment will allow OPSEU/SEFPO to maintain its current regional delegate structure based on locals and Convention, and also to create Province-wide, online voting by individual members of seven equity-deserving groups.  The Executive Board that results will have 28 members instead of 21, and will have greater diversity and representation of equity-deserving voices.

When does the learning about Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) end?

It doesn’t – we all have a responsibility to continuously expand DEI it is not a passing movement or one-and-done action. It must permeate every level of the organization.