OPSEU/SEFPO Region 7 is offering the following courses:
Stewards 2: Facing the Employer, Building Member Involvement
This 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 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.P
Pre-requisite: Stewards 1
Stewards 3: Dealing with Discipline
This is an advanced-level steward course. It is suggested that participants take Stewards 1 and Stewards 2 prior to signing up for this program. Dealing with Discipline is a skill and knowledge-focused workshop that will assist union activists in their duties representing members that are facing discipline up to and including dismissal.
The course bridges concepts from Stewards 1 and 2, Basic and Advanced Grievance Handling, and Workplace Investigations. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.
New Course: Dismantling Anti-Black Racism (DABR)
The 1.5-day Dismantling Anti-Black Racism course will raise awareness, provide a better understanding, and include strategies to dismantle anti-Black racism (ABR). It explores the topics of what anti-Black racism is and provides Black history highlights for a deeper understanding of the history of slavery and its impacts today. The course addresses the need to confront white supremacy. Participants will understand how colonization and the socially constructed concept of race has affected Black people. Additionally, the course highlights past, present, and future efforts to address anti-Black racism in the workplace and in OPSEU/SEFPO.
In this introductory course, participants will develop skills and strategies in order to identify and intervene in situations of anti-Black racism. They will use case studies, videos, and real-life scenarios to navigate difficult conversations. Participants will also have access to current terminology and be provided with tools to have (ABR) discussions that are important to engage in, especially with family members, fellow union members, neighbors, and co-workers. This course will equip participants with the knowledge and ability to take action against anti-Black racism in our Union.
This course is a core OPSEU/SEFPO educational component that is valuable for all Union activists to attend.
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 accommodation, and to deal with employer resistance to accommodation in the workplace.
Labour History: Strategies for Today through the Lens of the Past
This is an introductory course examining the issues facing members in their union, locals, and workplaces today. The course will explore how these issues have been approached in the past and the outcomes. Potential topics include; health and safety, working conditions, bargaining, equity, globalization and the environment. By examining the actions of OPSEU, the labour movement, and individual workers, participants will devise strategies and skills to address current and future challenges. This course replaces Labour History Parts One and Two.
Course dates and times:
Thursday July 14, 2022 – 8:30 am–9:00 am (Plenary) then 9:00 am–5:00 pm (Lunch provided).
Friday July 15, 2022 – 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Registration package:
Human Rights Accommodation Request
Completed applications must reach the Dryden Regional Office by: Tuesday May 31, 2022.
OPSEU Regional Office, 102 Queen Street, Dryden, Ontario P8N 1A7
Telephone: 1-844-765-1423 ext 5701
Fax: 807-697-0862
Email: larobinson@opseu.org