Please join us for the Region 1 – Weekend Educational on June 24 & 25, 2023
Dates: Saturday, June 24, 2023 (9:00am – 4:30pm) & Sunday, June 25, 2023 (9:00am – 1:00pm)
Location: Best Western Guildwood Inn, Sarnia/Pt. Edward
The deadline to submit your application is Friday June 2, 2023 at 4:30pm.
OPSEU/SEFPO Region 1 is offering the following weekend courses:
BPS Benefits and Appeals: Helping Members Navigate through the Fine Print:
Benefits are increasingly under attack from employers, insurers, the media and government. It’s time to protect these hard-won working conditions. The BPS Benefits and Appeals course examines internal and external benefits and the many interactions they have with workers’ day to day lives. Additionally, the course provides skills for the union activist to support members in understanding and navigating their particular benefit situation. Lastly, the course explores what we can do as a union to defend and strengthen our collective agreements and the social safety net from current attacks.
Political Action for Union Activists:
What do you know about the political climate in your municipality, in Ontario, in Canada? How do you get insights into the current issues in your community? What is your confidence level when speaking to someone about a possibly controversial political issue? Can you use your power of communication to raise awareness of a subject that is making an impact on your life? Do you know the players in the political arena? How do you find the right persons to speak with? These are some of the topics that will be covered in this newly updated course. You will share insights, and get the tools needed to build your union and communities. You will also develop strategies for engaging your members, campaigning and lobbying politicians.
Taking Action on Workplace Stress:
Is your work stressing you out? If so, you’re not alone. In Canada, one in four workers report feeling highly stressed at work. Factors such as excessive demands, lack of control, precarious work, inadequate resources and support, and workplace bullying and harassment can all take their toll on the well-being of workers. Participants will be able to identify workplace factors that negatively affect workers’ health and wellbeing and gain familiarity with terminology associated with workplace stress. The course will help to develop strategies for influencing change in the workplace as well as examine ways to work with your union to address and resolve workplace stress issues.
Union Skills for Workplace Investigations:
Have you ever been called, at the last minute, to the employer’s office to “represent” a member who is being accused of serious wrongdoings? Have you wondered what to do and how best to represent this person, particularly if you suspect that they may have broken a rule or two? This hands-on course takes you step by step, through a workplace investigations process. It starts with the first contact with the member through to the response to the investigation findings, with lots of practice in between. Through case studies and a variety of active exercises, you’ll practice interviewing the member, anticipating the investigator’s questions, preparing the member for meeting the investigator, taking good notes at the meeting, and working with the member to respond to the findings. The Resource Toolkit has additional information about investigations in different sectors, use of surveillance and other issues.
Registration Package:
R1 Educational Package (Callout, Registration & Child Care Form)