Dates:- Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024, 9 am – 4:30 pm
- Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 , 9 am – 1 pm
Registration Deadline:
Location:- Hilton Meadowvale Mississauga, 6750 Mississauga Road, Mississauga, Ontario L5N 2L3, 905-821-1981
- Hotel Registration Deadline: Oct. 18, 2024
- Hotel Registration Link
- Note: Hotel Registration- Consider yourself in a course you selected. If you are staying at the hotel Friday (if you live over 60 km) and/or Saturday (within 60 Km) you should book your hotel room when you send in your application for the education. –
- It is always best to book ASAP, then cancel if need be.
Wages Will Be Paid For Weekend Education
Lost wages
will be paid for this education session for members who qualify, proof that time off was required to attend the education session will be required. Time off letters will be issued according to OPSEU/SEFPO policies and procedures.
Offered Courses (In Person Only)
- Basic Grievance
- Duty to Accommodate 2: Making Accommodation Work
- Health & Safety: Level 3
- Human Rights, Union Rights & Global Rights
- Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace
- Stewards 3: Dealing with Discipline
Course descriptions
Basic Grievance Handling for Union Building
This course is designed to examine the grievance process from a workplace organizing
perspective. Grievances are opportunities to build the union. This hands-on course helps members analyze situations to decide whether a grievance is the best approach.Participants will learn about different types of grievances and the remedies available through the grievance/arbitration process. They will develop technical skills in writing, processing grievances and practice communication to assess whether a member’s rights have been violated. Participants should bring their Collective Agreements to the course.
Duty to Accommodate 2: Making Accommodation Work
Does your employer balk at providing proper accommodations? Has your employer challenged the medical information the member has provided? Is the employer asking members for independent medical exams? Do you hear grumblings from co-workers about the number of accommodations in the workplace?Building on the skills and information in Duty to Accommodate: A Tool for Inclusive Workplaces, this course examines the challenges of supporting a worker in need of an accommodation. Participants will investigate strategies and skills for gathering information, challenging employer tactics used to prevent accommodations, developing a fair accommodation plan, and communicating with co-workers to build workplace solidarity.While the course focuses mainly on the practical aspects of accommodation due to disability, many of the issues such as collective agreement language, attendance management programs, co-worker resentment apply to accommodation based on sex and family status as well.
Note: Due to the volume of information about Duty to Accommodate, it is strongly advised that participants take “Duty to Accommodate: A Tool for Inclusive Workplaces” before Duty to Accommodate 2.Health and Safety: Level Three
This course builds on concepts covered in Health and Safety Level 1 and 2. Health and Safety Level 3 is designed to help union activists, worker joint health and safety committee members, health and safety representatives, and workers to address complex hazards using their local health and safety systems and external resources.Drawing from their own experiences, participants will strategize effective approaches to complex hazards, such as investigating concerns about potential occupational cancers and ergonomic hazards. Participants will also learn basic approaches to investigating indoor air quality complaints.They will discuss the precautionary principle and the ALARA principle and understand the centrality of these two concepts in health and safety activism. Participants will develop strategies to address ergonomic hazards, develop recommendations and practice facing the employer to propose their recommendations, enhancing their organization skills and confidence to represent members in their efforts to achieve safer and healthier workplaces.
Human Rights, Union Rights and Global Solidarity
Faced with governments pushing austerity around the world, global solidarity is more important than ever. Why do we find ourselves fighting the same fights fought more than 30, 50 or even 100 years ago? This course explores what our roles are as individuals, union members, and community citizens, in the ongoing fight for fairness, equality and justness.Participants will draw critical links between human rights, union rights and global solidarity, and will be asked to commit to collective action to build solidarity locally and globally. By the end of the course, participants will be able to recognize and challenge privilege and oppression, know the differences between charity and solidarity, and will be better able to challenge the current austerity agenda.
Stewards 1: Making a Difference in the Workplace
This course will build and strengthen the skills of a steward. Participants will explore the role of the steward throughout the bargaining cycle, including organizing their local, having effective one-on-one conversations, developing a communications strategy to enlist diverse member involvement, and learning strategies for everyday workplace problems.Throughout the course, participants are supported as they develop a profile of their members, find resources and information in OPSEU/SEFPO, and understand their role in the grievance process.
Stewards 1 is a prerequisite to Stewards 2. Participants should bring their collective agreements.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 skills and knowledge focused workshop that will assist union activists in their duties representing members 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.
Meal Expenses
- Breakfast:$22
- Lunch: $30
- Dinner $39
Travel Expenses
Round-trip mileage at the rate of:
- 60 cents per km. if driving alone;
- 65 cents/km. if driving with one OPSEU / SEFPO members as a passenger;
- 70 cents/km. if driving with 2 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers;
- 75cents/km. if driving with 3 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers;
- 80 cents/km. if driving with 4 OPSEU / SEFPO members as passengers.
Hotel Accommodation
Members who live beyond 60 km are entitled to room accommodation for Friday and Saturday night(s). Members who live within 60 km are entitled to room accommodation for Saturday night only.Members are reimbursed for hotel accommodation and are responsible for making their own reservations and for paying the full cost of the room at checkout. Members are also responsible to cancel their room if need be.If you book your hotel room past the deadline, any increases to the hotel cost will be the responsibility of the member.Parking costs are reimbursed – overnight parking can be added to your hotel bill. Provide the registration desk with your license plate number.
Link for booking your hotel accommodation – deadline– Oct. 18, 2024:
Human Rights Accommodation
“The Accommodation Fund was created to encourage and facilitate greater participation of those covered under the Ontario Human Rights Code. The fund will cover extra costs related to a member’s disability, illness or other grounds under the Code. For example, the Fund would cover the extra cost of a fridge in a hotel room for a member required to store medications at a particular temperature.Requests for accommodation can be identified on your application of the Human Rights Accommodation Request Form, included in the application form. This form can be sent directly to the Equity Unit by fax 416-448-7419 or email:
[email protected]Cancellation Policy
Not Attending Event
In accordance with OPSEU/SEFPO Policy, notification by a member to cancel course attendance should be received by both the Local President and the Regional Office no later than 48 hours before commencement of the regional school (i.e. no later than 4:30 P.M. on the Wednesday prior to the weekend school).When a member does not attend and the Regional office has not been notified 48 hours prior to the school’s commencement, the member will be assessed a $50 penalty.Extenuating circumstances will be taken into consideration.
Hotel Cancellation
Members who have booked a hotel room are responsible for cancelling their reservations at the hotel within the time limits as stated by the hotel when the booking is made.
Advance Cheques
Applicants may apply to receive an advance cheque (upon your Local’s approval) to cover accommodation, and mileage by filling out the request for an advance portion of the application form.
Family Attendant Care
Complete the attached forms for child care at the hotel, please return to
[email protected].
Scent, Peanuts and Nut-Free Policy
Workers are becoming sensitized to chemicals, scented products and certain foods such as peanuts, peanut butter, pecans, walnuts, many chocolate bars and energy/nutrition bars.For many individuals, attending conferences, meetings etc. and being exposed to perfumes, other strong scents and certain foods can pose serious health risks such as asthma attacks, respiratory problems and/or migraine headaches.In the interest of the health and safety of the sisters and brothers whose health may suffer from any of these exposures, we ask that you refrain from wearing or using scented products, peanut and nut products at all OPSEU/SEFPO events and OPSEU/SEFPO locations.
Child/Elder/Dependant Care
Parents must be on-site at all times when utilizing child care provided by OPSEU/SEPFO.Children who are not registered for child care may not be accommodated if brought to the eventChild care registrations must be received by October 18, 2024Cancellation must be done within 24 hours of the event.Members must register for child care twenty one (21) days in advance of the event by completing the form and returning it to the coordinating OPSEU/SEFPO Regional Office.
When you bring children with you
- Members are entitled to claim the full cost of their hotel room and meal expenses for children under the age of 16 years at 50% of OPSEU / SEFPO’s standard meal allowance rates.
- Children ages 13–16 are entitled to the standard rates.
- Note: Children must be registered and signed in by member, in OPSEU/SEFPO’s day care for reimbursement of meal claims.
When care is provided in your home
- Members will be reimbursed for Family Care at the rate of $15 per hour to a maximum of $220 within a 24 hour period, while doing union business. It is recognized that to guarantee meaningful access to union activities, child care both day and night may be necessary. Please specify hours claimed for each day.
- Members are entitled to reimbursement of reasonable costs of family/attendant care (child/elder/dependent) provided by someone other than their partners/spouses as a result of absences from home arising from the conduct of union business. Such allowances are not intended to reimburse members for family care expenses that they would have normally incurred as a result of employment, except where the absence exceeds the normal work day or week.
- Claims must be signed by the service provider and may be verified by Head Office before payment is made.
Forms and links
