Presented to the 102nd Annual General Meeting
B-1 BL 17 – Term of the National Election Committee – Sponsor: BOD (English)
Moved and seconded that,
Whereas the majority of Board Committee members serve a one year term; and
Whereas this one year term has made it difficult for the Elections Committee to properly prepare for the national elections;
Be it resolved that the following bylaw be amended to give the Elections Committee a three year term.
17.3.1 Composition - There shall be a Committee of the Board to be known as the Elections Committee consisting of five (5) to seven (7) members. Officers and Directors of the Institute shall not be members of the Elections Committee. The Board shall appoint members for a one (1) year term which shall take effect January of each year. two (2) year term beginning in January of 2021 and subsequent terms shall be three (3) years beginning in January of 2023.
This will align with the committee being formed the year before the election; the year of the election; and the year after the election. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
B-2 BL Amendments from Policy Review Exercise – Sponsor: BOD (English)
Moved and seconded that,
Whereas the Board approved the new policy suite in 2019; and
Whereas this new policy suite resulted in the consolidation and re-naming of some policies;
Be it resolved that the following bylaws be amended to reflect the new policy name;
12.6.5 Allegations of misconduct, as set out in By-Law 24, made against a steward shall be dealt with in accordance with the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct.
17.2.3.2 Mandate All proposed resolutions for the Annual General Meeting shall be submitted by the proposer(s) to the Resolutions Sub- Committee for examination. The Sub-Committee may make recommendations as to the validity, legality and clarity of the proposed resolutions to the proposer(s), to the Board and to the Annual General Meeting. The Resolutions Sub-Committee may rewrite, combine, or substitute resolutions, prepare a composite resolution, or prepare a policy paper to cover the question at issue, so long as such modifications do not contradict the intent of the proposer with the consent of the author of the resolution. Such recommendations are not binding on the proposer(s). However, if the Sub-Committee believes a resolution contravenes the Institute Policy on Harassment Policy on Conduct or the Canadian Human Rights Act, the proposer(s) shall be given an opportunity to revise the resolution before recommending to the President that the resolution be rejected and the proposer(s) so informed.
19.6.1 Allegations of misconduct, as set out in By Law 24, made against the President shall be dealt with in accordance with the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct.
20.6.1 Allegations of misconduct, as set out in By Law 24, made against a Vice-President shall be dealt with in accordance with the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct.
21.6 Allegations of misconduct, as set out in By Law 24, made against a Director shall be dealt with in accordance with the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct.
24.1 Any member may be suspended or expelled from membership in the Institute, removed from office where applicable or otherwise disciplined in accordance with the Institute’s Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct for misconduct which has been so found.
24.1.1 Any member who engages in the following misconduct may be subject to discipline in accordance with the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct.
24.2 Appeals A member may appeal any disciplinary decision in which discipline is meted out in accordance with the Institutes Dispute Resolution and Discipline policy Policy on Conduct.
24.3 Procedural Fairness Members subject to potential discipline pursuant to the Dispute Resolution and Discipline Policy Policy on Conduct will be accorded procedural fairness in the processing of the allegations against them. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
B-4 Re-Appointment of Stewardship – Sponsor: Ontario Regional Executive (English)
Moved and seconded that,
Whereas Stewards are official representatives of the Institute and as such, they are the vital link between the union and the membership in the workplace;
Whereas the term of a Steward is normally three (3) years;
Whereas the non-renewal of a Steward should not be a surprise to a Steward;
Whereas a Steward should be made aware of any negative issues related to his/her Stewardship as soon as such an issue is known so as to afford the Steward an opportunity to discuss and rectify the issue if possible; and
Whereas a Steward should be able to know the case against a non-renewal and be afforded an opportunity to respond to it,
Be it resolved that BL 12.5 (Re-Appointment of Stewardship) be amended as follows:
12.5.3 (New) A Steward shall be informed of any issue that may negatively affect their Steward renewal. Such notification shall be made in writing on a timely basis.
The resolution was amended as follows:
12.5.3.1 (New) If a Branch, Sub-Group, Group, Consultation Team Presidents or Regional Executive is considering the non-renewal of a Steward, prior to the decision being made, the rationale shall be sent to the Steward and the Steward shall be afforded the opportunity to make representations.
Motion to split the motion into the four distinct articles.
12.5.3 (New) A Steward shall be informed of any issue that may negatively affect their Steward renewal. Such notification shall be made in writing on a timely basis.
12.5.3 (New and Amended) A Steward shall should be informed of any issue that may negatively affect their Steward renewal. Such notification shall should be made in writing on a timely basis.
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
B-6 Renaming of Training & Education Committee (TEC) - Sponsor: Atlantic Regional Executive - English
Moved and seconded that,
Whereas the Training and Education Committee (TEC) is now focused on mentoring in addition to training and education;
And whereas the current acronym, TEC, is phonetically the same as the commonly accepted acronym for a technical committee, Tech;
And whereas the fact that many members refer to the Information Technology Services and Projects Committee as the Tech committee create confusion;
Be it resolved that the TEC committee be renamed to the Training, Education and Mentoring Committee (TEAM committee)
17.8 Training and Education Training, Education & Mentoring Committee
17.8.1 Composition There shall be a Committee of the Board to be known as the Training and Education Training, Education & Mentoring Committee consisting of five (5) to seven (7) members. The Chair of each Region’s Training Committee shall be the designated member to this committee. Each Region shall designate an alternate, should the Chair of the Training Committee be unable to attend.
17.8.2 Mandate The Training and Education Training, Education & Mentoring Committee shall be responsible for advising and making recommendations and/or providing advice to the Board on any issue relating to the recruitment, training, mentoring and education of Stewards/members and the Institute training program. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
B-7 Selection Process for CLC Committees – Sponsor: Ontario Regional Executive (English) (AMENDED)
Moved and seconded that,
Whereas, PIPSC sits on a number of Canada Labour of Congress (CLC) Committees
Aboriginal Worker Caucus, Political Action, Disability Rights Solidarity & Pride, Education Training & Technology, Electoral Reform Working Group, tripartite Roundtable on International Labour Issues, EI Ad Hoc Committee, Women’s Advisory Committee, Environment Committee Workers of Colour, Health & Safety Committee, Young Workers Advisory Committee (YWAC), Human Rights,
Legal Challenges Coordinating Committee, Pension Advisory
Whereas, PIPSC has a call letter and a selection process for its own Committees of the Board
Whereas, there is no call letter or defined selection process for the individuals from PIPSC who sit on the CLC Committees
Whereas, a call letter would allow the membership to express their interest and a selection process would create a more robust process
Be it resolved that the new By-Law be implemented as follows:
17.12 – Canada Labour of Congress Committees
17.12.1 – Selection – A call letter shall be sent to the membership to solicit applications to represent PIPSC on CLC Committees.
17.12.2 – Equity Committees - Members who have applied to and identify with a particular equity group, shall be given preference over other members in the selection process.
17.12.23 – Confirmation – The Board of Directors shall make the selections, subject to 17.12.2. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
B-8 The British Columbia Single Transferable Vote (BC-STV) – (Ontario Regional Executive) - English (AMENDED BY SUBSTITUTION)
Whereas, the 2014 PIPSC AGM adopted The British Columbia Single Transferable (BC-STV) process and it was first implemented for the 2015 National election;
22.3.2 Officer and Regional Director positions will use the British Columbia Single Transferable Vote (BC STV), as described in the BC Citizens Council Technical Report of December 2004;
Whereas, The BC STV system can be complex. “The following explanation is provided as an overview. It is what you need to get a basic understanding of how one is deemed elected to office using the BC-STV process. It is important to know that you can refer to the following links if you are interested in much more detail:
· Making Every Vote Count’–The BC-STV Technical Report
· PIPSC National Elections Procedures
· BC-STV Presentation to the 2014 PIPSC AGM (English)
· BC-STV Presentation to the 2014 PIPSC AGM (Bilingual)
· BC-STV –Questions and Answers, plus an example”
Whereas, in cases where there is only one position to be elected, the BC-STV system operates as a ranked ballot voting system, whereby the candidate with the lowest vote total drops off, until a candidate receives majority of the vote;
Whereas, in cases where more than one position is to be elected, the BC-STV system is not well understood and works differently than many people may believe;
Whereas, most members believe that they are voting for two full time and part time VP’s or in the case of the National Capital Region, four Directors;
Whereas, In fact, under the BC-STV process, members are only voting for one full time and part time VP’s or in the case of the National Capital Region, one Director;
Whereas, the BC-STV is not a good model for PIPSC, as the focus of the BC-STV was to ensure that party representation equated with votes for a party, and people do not run as in parties at PIPSC.
“The object (of the BC-STV) is to…(ensure) that each party’s share of seats in the legislature reflects its share of voter support.” Making Every Vote Count–The BC-STV Technical Report
Whereas, in a referendum on May 12 2009 the BC-STV system was rejected by the voters of British Columbia – 60.91% against and 39.09% in favour
Be it resolved that the following bylaw…..
22.3.2 Officer and Regional Director positions will use the British Columbia Single Transferable Vote (BC STV), as described in the BC Citizens Council Technical Report of December 2004.
Be replaced with the following By-Laws:
22.3.2 Officer and Regional Director positions will use the ranked choice ballot system and a candidate needs a majority of the vote to be elected.
22.3.3 In cases where there is more than one Officer or Regional Director position, the successful candidate is elected and removed from the process. The ranked choice ballot system is applied again until all the positions are filled.
22.3.4 Definition – Ranked Choice Ballot System - Voters rank the candidates in order of preference. Ballots are initially counted for each voter's top choice. If a candidate has more than half of the vote based on first-choices, that candidate wins. If not, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated. The voters who selected the defeated candidate as a first choice then have their votes added to the totals of their next choice. This process continues until a candidate has more than half of the votes.
22.3.2 Officer and Regional Director positions will use the ranked choice ballot system and a candidate needs a majority of the vote to be elected, with run-off of unsuccessful candidates when needed to get a majority.
22.3.3 In cases where there is more than one Officer or Regional Director position in election, each successful candidate is removed from the process when elected, then the ranked choice ballot with run-off system is applied again to all the initial ballots with the elected candidate(s) removed until all the positions are filled.
22.3.4 Definition – Ranked Choice Ballot with Run-off System - Voters rank one or more candidates in order of preference. Ballots are initially counted for each voter's top choice. If a candidate has more than half of the vote based on first top choices, that candidate is elected. If not, then the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated by run-off. The voters who selected the run-off candidate as their top choice, then have their votes added to the totals of their next choice candidate. When all the choices on a ballot have been run-off, then this ballot is exhausted. This process continues until a candidate has more than half of the remaining votes. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
F-1 Audited Financial Statements - Sponsor: Board of Directors (English)
Be it resolved that the 2020 AGM receive the audited financial statements for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2020. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
F-2 Appointment of Auditors - Sponsor: Board of Directors (English)
Be it resolved that BDO Canada be appointed as auditors of PIPSC and its related entities, for the 2021-2022 fiscal year. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
F-3 Budget - Sponsor: Board of Directors (English)
Be it resolved that the 2020 AGM approve the budget for the period of July 1, 2021 to June 30, 2022. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
P-1 Resolution on the Location of the PIPSC AGM – Sponsor: Atlantic Regional Executive (English)
Whereas the PIPSC AGM has become 50% larger and requires a venue that accommodates that meeting size and have hotel rooms that can accommodate over 600 delegates and;
Whereas the Ottawa venues PIPSC has held the AGM in last decade only has about half the hotel rooms within walking distance to accommodates all delegates and;
Whereas in previous years PIPSC has incurred considerable cost in shuttling delegates to and from the AGM venue and;
Therefore be it resolved that PIPSC hold future AGMs, starting in 2021, in a venue that would accommodate the meeting and have enough hotel rooms within a 2 km radius, and;
Be it further resolved that PIPSC find a cost effective location within the Toronto – Ottawa – Montreal triangle.
CARRIED
DISPOSITION – The Institute will be entering into negotiations with Destination Montreal and the Centre Sheraton to secure a location for the 2022 and 2023 AGMs.
P-2 In-Person Meetings – Restart in January September 2021 – Sponsor: ON Regional Executive (English) (AMENDED)
Whereas, the Board of Directors has suspended all in person meetings until December 31 2020; and
Whereas, COVID-19 has had a varied impact on the country, with some areas being hard hit and other areas not at all; and
Whereas, local health authorities are the experts in the field and are making decisions as to the allowable size of meetings; and
Whereas, members are much better informed about COVID-19 than they were when it hit in early 2020 and about the risks of public gatherings,
Be it resolved that subject to local health regulations, that in-person meetings be allowed effective January September 1, 2021; and
Be it further resolved that the participants of the meetings will be responsible to ensure local health protocols are followed. CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
P-5 FAMILY CARE POLICY – Sponsor: NCR Region (English)
Whereas the objective of the policy on Family Care is to remove barriers which prevent members from participating in union activities; and
Whereas family members who are not in a custodial right position but reside with the sole caregiver will not have the cost of their taking care of children of a member covered which could limit participation of a member in authorized PIPSC activities;
Be it resolved that the following change be made to the Family Care Policy:
Eligibility
Where the member is the sole caregiver at the time of the authorized union activity, the Institute will cover costs for care during the day outside normal work/school/daycare hours. Family care costs that would have ordinarily been incurred during work hours had the member been at his/her place of work are not covered.
This policy shall not cover cost for care provided by a spouse/partner, or former spouse/partner with custody rights or a relative residing in the household.
CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
P-6 Financial Statements – Fund Accounting – Sponsor: Ontario Region (English)
Whereas, PIPSC currently has an Operating Fund, Strike Fund and Bargaining Fund combined in one Financial Statement; and
Whereas, it is difficult for the ordinary member to gain an understanding of the position of the individuals Funds and the activity in the year; and
Whereas, it is important that members be able to easily gain an understanding of the true financial picture of PIPSC;
Be it resolved that the Institute Financial Statements show the Operating Fund, Strike Fund and Bargaining Fund separately and show a Combined Total.
CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
P-7 Significant PIPSC Expenditures on New Initiatives – Sponsor: Ontario Regional Executive (English)
Whereas, from time to time, PIPSC makes significant expenditures on new initiatives
Whereas, in the past, the practice has been to come to the AGM for approval of the expenditure and initiative
Whereas, examples of this would be, the purchase of the building, joining the CLC and authorizing the start of Professionals Canada
Whereas, it is a good practice to codify this practice of coming to the AGM for approval
Be it resolved that expenditures of more than $500K on new initiatives shall be approved by the PIPSC Annual General Meeting.
CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE
L-2 Changes to the Compensation of the Part-Time Vice-Presidents (E) (AMENDMENT BY SUBSTITUTION)
Whereas changes to the compensation of Part-Time Vice-Presidents were approved by decision of the PIPSC Board of Directors at its September 2020 meeting; and
Whereas it has been a long-standing practice that Part-Time Vice-Presidents be compensated based on a Vice-President’s job description;
Be it resolved that the AGM directs the Board of Directors’ to review the decision of September 2020 that changes the compensation of Part-Time Vice-Presidents taking into account the consideration of the AGM.
Be it resolved that the AGM directs the Board of Directors to review the decision of September 2020 that changes the compensation of Part-Time Vice- Presidents taking into account the consideration of the AGM and ensure that there is equal compensation for equal work.
CARRIED
DISPOSITION – COMPLETE