75th Ontario Regional Council - Hamilton/Burlington Branch Activity Report
Number of members: 436 Regular 29 Rands 20 Retired
Current Executive Members:
Mehran Alaee (ECCC) Branch President
Enzo Barresi (ECCC) Branch Vice President
Karon Miles (ECCC) Treasurer
Carrie Gerdes (JCC) Secretary (on maternity leave)
Sarah DePalma (ECCC) Member-at-large
Aaron Thompson (ECCC) Member-at-large
Jeff Walker (DFO) Member-at-large
Padala Chittibabu (ECCC) Member-at-large
Michael Forbes (Retired) Member-at-large
Beau Atkinson (ECCC) Member-at-large (acting secretary)
Satya Chaube (JCC) Member-at-large
AGM
Previous AGM date: February 22, 2018
Next AGM date: April 9, 2019
Executive Meetings
Last Meeting Date: March 1, 2019
Next Meeting Date: TBD
Meetings (#) held since last Regional Council: 5
2018 Activities
The branch has a total of 465 members; which has increased by 9% from 421. Our branch is comprised of members from 16 different employers and 12 bargaining groups. The largest employers in our branch are Environment and Climate Change Canada, Juravinski Cancer Centre, Department of Fisheries and Oceans, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. The bargaining groups with the most members in our branch are the Applied Science and Patent Examiners, the Juravinski Cancer Centre, Research Scientists, Computer Science, Engineering, Architecture and Land Survey. Members work at a number of different sites in Hamilton, Burlington, Brantford and surrounding areas. The majority of membership increase was attributed to new hiring at DFO (19), ECC (13) and Health (5). The highest number of new hires, based on their bargaining groups, were SP (21), RE (7), CS (6) and NR (5). Two figures have been included at the end of this report illustrating the breakdown of the Branch membership by employer and bargaining group in comparison to last year.
The Branch Executive held a total of four dinner meetings this past year. Meetings were held to plan Branch activities, select delegates for Regional and National meetings, and to discuss bargaining, labor management consultation, occupational health and safety and to look after the general business of the Branch.
In January 2019 Carrie Gerdes, Branch Secretary, went on maternity leave. Beau Atkinson stepped in as interim secretary until the AGM in April 2019.
The Branch organized a Branch-wide social at a local pub in Stoney Creek to allow members from our different worksites to meet, network and discuss common issues. The Executive evaluated guidelines to fund PIPSC worksite events in a fair and equitable manner, which was distributed to our membership in the spring of 2017. Two Lunch and Learn activities on “PIPSC and You” and ESWP were held at Canada Centre for Inland Waters. Three events were funded through this mechanism this past year: to provide refreshment during Mental Health Day, a morning coffee break for medical radiation technologists at the Juravinski Cancer Centre, and a holiday social at Canada Centre for Inland Waters.
The Branch will hold the Annual General Meeting on April 9th, 2019 at the Michael Angelo Banquet Hall in Hamilton. Based on attendance from previous years, we expect 50-60 members to attend the dinner meeting. The keynote speaker for the meeting will be Stephane Aubrey, PIPSC National Vice-president who will provide an update on issues to members and how PIPSC is working on their behalf.
Employers
CFIA - Canadian Food Inspection Agency
CRA - Canada Revenue Agency
CSC - Correctional Services Canada
CSD - Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
DFO - Department of Fisheries and Oceans Canada
DND - Department of National Defense
DVA - Department of Veterans Affairs
ECC - Environment and Climate Change Canada
HEALTH - Health Canada
INAC - Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada
ISEDC - Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
JCC - Juravinski Cancer Clinic
NRC - National Research
RCCEA - Regional Cancer Centres Employers Association
SSC - Shared Services Canada
Bargaining Groups
AV - Audit, Commerce, Purchasing
CFIA-S&A - Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Scientific and Analytic
CFIA-VM - Canadian Food Inspection Agency - Veterinary Medicine
CS - Computer Systems
JCC - Juravinski Cancer Centre
MP - Ontario Medical Physicists
NR - Engineering, Architecture, and Land Survey
NRC-RO-RCO - National Research Council - Research Officers - Research Council Officers
RE - Research Science
SH - Health Services
SP - Science and Patent Advisors
Submitted by: Mehran Alaee
Branch President