As the Local voting is coming to a close this Wednesday night I wish to thank the members who attended our emergency meeting on Tuesday evening. Everyone expressed their views respectfully and with passion and I hope every Local gets to do the same by Friday.
The bargaining team position was reiterated and discussed at length. It was great to hear opposing views and the usual intelligent discussion by all. It affirms my faith in our Local and our ability to deal with anything that will come our way. I stated my beliefs openly and hope everyone left with their questions answered, because the members deserve it. Time will tell in the results, which will hopefully be revealed Saturday evening.
The time period since Sunday to now has been a wild ride for all of us and I am delighted to see all the Local blogs expressing the views of Presidents, members and a person named anonymous in the comments who has lots of time to write. We are always joking about which comments are from managers since we know they are reading.
When I started this blog process, and let others know what I was doing, I was hopeful it would be the way for Locals to be in contact over long distances. It ensures our division is faster to react and could potentially set the course for our division and for OPSEU leaders to be transparent and share information right away. Not every leader is doing it yet, but it should come.
As always, be careful of hype and think for yourself!
Some argue it may be detrimental to strategy and labour relations for the employer to read our views, but at least they are getting a better handle on how we have a brain of our own and aren't automatons. Many times we have solutions that they don't.
Perhaps the employer will also see what information isn't making its way to policy makers, such as how many casuals are looking for full time jobs at our Local and have worked forty hour weeks for more than three years.
In closing, I would like to reiterate to the Local, and the division at large, that we keep up the momentum no matter what the results. Above all else, if the contract is ratified, we have a lot of work ahead of us to protect our members.
In solidarity, Emidio.
1 comment:
Very well said Emidio.
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