MINUTES
North Central Vancouver Island Branch Annual General Meeting
May 17, 2018 Vancouver Island University, Nanaimo, Building No. 300, Arbutus Room
Branch members present including the executive: 27
Executive members present: Nick Leone, Tamas Lipcsey, Jennifer Mollins, Jean Van Der Mark, Charles Fort, and, by video conference, Bill Woolverton
Guests:
- Debi Daviau, PIPSC national president
- Robert MacDonald, PIPSC BC/Yukon Regional Director
- Dr Kristi Miller-Saunders, head of salmon genetics, DFO and RE member on scientific integrity and public confidence in the public service
- Johanna Jenkins, Public Service Alliance of Canada
- Stan Buday, PIPSC CS group president
1) Call to order:
The meeting was called to order at 5:51pm by Vice-President Nick Leone
2) Acceptance of the Agenda:
Motion: To accept agenda as presented.
Jennifer Mollins/Nick Leone
Carried
3) Adoption of Minutes of 2017 AGM:
Motion: To approve the Minutes of the 2017 AGM.
Lisa Christensen / Linnea Flostrand
Carried
4) Business arising from the Minutes:
None
5) 1st Call for Nominations for Vice-President, Secretary and 7 Members At Large:
Jennifer Mollins nominated Nick Leone as Vice-President, and he accepted.
Tamas Lipcsey nominated Jennifer Mollins as Secretary, and she accepted.
Linnea Flostrand nominated James Shepherd, Jean Van Der Mark, Charles Fort and Bill Woolverton as member at large, and all who were present accepted.
6) President’s Report:
Nick Leone read out the President’s Report. See attachment
7) Financial Report for 2017 & Proposed Budget for 2018 and 2019:
Tamas Lipcsey presented the statement of revenue and expenses for 2017 and the Branch budget for 2018 and 2019.
Motion: To accept the 2017 Financial Report as presented.
Lisa Christensen / Linnea Flotstrand
Carried
Motion: To accept the 2018 and 2019 Branch budget as presented.
Lisa Christensen / Kalie Gossen
Carried
8) 2nd Call for Nominations for Vice-President, Secretary and 7 Members At Large:
Jennifer Mollins nominated Kalie Gossen for member at large, and she accepted.
Kristi Miller-Saunders nominated Diana McHugh for member at large, and she accepted.
9) Dinner:
Meeting temporarily adjourned at 6:30pm; Reconvened at 6:45pm.
10) Guest Speaker – Robert MacDonald – BC & Yukon Regional Director:
Rob encouraged members to become more active in the union, to fulfil the opening line of every collective agreement, “to maintain harmonious and mutually beneficial relationships between the Employer, the employees and the Institute.” He emphasized that goal of the union is to have content members in a well-functioning professional workplace.
Rob can be contacted at robertmacdonald@pipsc.ca
11) Guest Speaker – Debi Daviau – PIPSC President:
Debi gave a detailed update on several initiatives.
Phoenix is currently supported by 40 CS members, and union is getting more accurate information on its functioning. PIPSC has identified an in-house system that could provide pay services for 100,000 people, and it is used at CRA, CBSA, RCMP and DND.
Negotiations on public service health and dental benefits is progressing. Will include e-filing, non-oral birth control and bio-drugs. May reduce brand-name coverage except for special circumstances. Will not include IVF.
Debi continues to use social media to engage with members, and held a Fix Phoenix facebook event.
A member suggested that PIPSC could ask employer to improve succession planning at work, as senior experienced management are difficult to replace. Some overlapping time with their successor is recommended.
A member raised concern about hiring processes, and the difficulty with large processes in hiring specialists, especially in the science community.
Debi can be contacted at ddaviau@pipsc.ca
12) 3nd Call for Nominations for Vice-President, Secretary and 7 Members At Large and Election:
Nick Leone was acclaimed as Vice-President for a two-year term ending at the 2020 AGM.
Jennifer Mollins was acclaimed as Secretary for a two-year term ending at the 2020 AGM.
Kalie Gossen, Diana McHugh, Charles Fort, James Shepherd, Jean VanDerMark, and Bill Woolverton were acclaimed as Members-at-Large for a one year term ending at the 2019 AGM.
13) Guest Speaker – Kristi Miller-Saunders – Head of Salmon Genetics, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, RE Group Member:
Dr. Miller-Saunders spoke about the importance of scientific integrity, scientific evidence for decision making, the importance of media access to public sector scientists, and public trust.
While the change of government has resulted in her being encouraged to speak to media, she continues to endure other restrictions including lower funding and requiring an unusually high level of senior management approval (ADM to DM level) for most activities.
Debi recognized Dr. Miller and others including Steve Campana, who retired from DFO when muzzled from speaking about great white sharks, and Tony Turner, who was present tonight and who was placed on administrative leave for performing his Harperman folk song, as a few courageous members who have spoken out. Debi offered to work with Dr. Miller to improve her work situation.
14) Door Prize Draw:
The draw for the door prizes was held. Two gift baskets were prepared by Jean Van Der Mark and Nick Leone. PIPSC-branded items were donated by the Nanaimo SP Subgroup, Dan Leus, Robert MacDonald and Carl Cahoon.
15) Adjournment:
Motion: To adjourn the meeting.
Jennifer Mollins / Kalie Gossen
Adjourned at 9:05pm
President’s Report to the North Central Vancouver Island Branch (NCVI)
2018 AGM
The NCVI Branch serves 221 regular members and 15 retired members from Duncan to Port Hardy. Our seven-member executive met five times since our last AGM, discussing Phoenix, collective agreements, rallies, events, partnerships and engagement.
This year, with many new Collective Agreements coming on-line, Phoenix continues to be THE major issue as so many of our members have inaccurate or missing pay. It’s a standing item on our branch agenda. In February, we partnered in a Nix Phoenix rally with our friends at the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC). Despite the cold and rain, our members and theirs showed up to express the pain, frustration and bewilderment that our employer could implement a program that was so clearly not capable. Members at DFO and the Canadian Coast Guard are particularly affected, and we are working hard for them, and for all of you. Two of our greatest advocates are here today - thank you to Debi Daviau and Robert MacDonald for intervening on behalf of members to correct their pay, and working with senior officials and politicians to find solutions that use the professional capacity of our public service.
We celebrate the SP and RE groups collective agreements including a new clause to protect scientific integrity. We recognize the importance of science as a public service, including communicating science and as evidence on which to build policy. Dr. Kristi Miller-Saunders is here today to share her experience in working in science for DFO, and her perspective on the importance of scientific integrity in the public service.
Our branch’s motion that retired members’ dues should be allocated to their branch was adopted at the national PIPSC AGM in November, and congratulations to all who worked on this. We all have the power to make change, as grassroots as this initiative shows.
Our branch supports workplace events, and this year we funded the Pacific Biological Station
Children’s Christmas party and the PBS Seafood Barbeque. We also screened Star Wars to support the broader membership. Robert MacDonald travelled in, and gave a great address about getting engaged in the union. It was a good message for members, and also for their families and friends.
As we enter the next round of bargaining for many of our collective agreements, the Better Together campaign takes on a renewed importance. Our visibility as PIPSC in the workplace is noticed by management, and other union colleagues. We have a new PIPSC rally tent and a rally kit with a bullhorn, signs, umbrellas, whistles and more, which can make our PIPSC presence even more visible at events. It is available for anyone in our area to use, and we would like it to get used a lot.
Our branch recognizes the importance of working across the branches and groups structure of PIPSC, and we have added updates from the AV, SP, RE and CS subgroups to our meetings. With small numbers and limited resources, we make a bigger impact and reach more members when we work better together.
I would like to thank Richard May and George Pattern from the PSAC for the special partnership we have in our area. It is a living example of how we really are Better Together. Kudos to PSAC member Johanna Jenkins, here tonight, for sharing her Phoenix pay story, for making this story real for the Vancouver Island community.
Unfortunately, Carl is not able to be here tonight. Thanks to Nick Leone and Jennifer Mollins for the last minute scramble to make this meeting a reality, to Dan Leus and Robert MacDonald for supplying our meeting with PIPSC materials, and to the rest of our executive for their contributions: Tamas Lipcsey (Treasurer), Charles Fort (elections chair), Jean Van Der Mark (door prizes), Bill Woolverton (video conferencing) and James Shepherd.
In closing, I want to thank everyone here for attending our AGM. I encourage you find out more about our union – there are publications on the table, and many here to talk to. Also, think seriously about joining our branch executive. We have a crackerjack executive, who is pushing the envelope and trying new things. Our connection by teleconference for this meeting tonight is an example, responding to members who’ve asked to be included even if they live far away. Up for election tonight is the vice-president, secretary and 7 member at large positions, so throw your name in and get involved. We need you. We will support you. It’s a great way to work for an even better professional public service.
In Solidarity,
Jennifer Mollins for Carl Cahoon
NCVI Branch President