At this meeting, we will conduct biennial table officer elections.

Following this meeting, we will host our annual year-end social. Refreshments and snacks will be provided.

Please note that only duly appointed and sworn-in delegates have vote at VDLC meeting. Further, only delegates, and invited guest speakers, have voice unless otherwise granted by a unanimous vote of delegates present. In order to ensure the respectful and timely conduct of labour council business, these rules will be strictly applied.

The VDLC’s Constitution & By-laws, as well as a Labour Council Handbook, are available on the resources page of our website: https://vdlc.ca/resources/

The meeting agenda, including recommendations and any other documents will be distributed closer to the meeting date.

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Prior to this meeting, at 6:00pm, a “smaller unions” caucus will be held to elect four members-at-large and up to two alternates to the VDLC Executive Board. All delegates are entitled to attend except those from the ten largest unions, who appoint their representatives through a separate process. The ten largest affiliated unions are: BCGEU, BCTF, COPE, CUPE, CUPW, HEU, IAFF, IATSE, ILWU, USW. The caucus will be chaired by President Stephen von Sychowski, and the election will be conducted by CLC Representative Amandeep Nijjar.

Please note that only duly appointed and sworn-in delegates have vote at VDLC meeting. Further, only delegates, and invited guest speakers, have voice unless otherwise granted by a unanimous vote of delegates present. In order to ensure the respectful and timely conduct of labour council business, these rules will be strictly applied.

The VDLC’s Constitution & By-laws, as well as a Labour Council Handbook, are available on the resources page of our website: https://vdlc.ca/resources/

The meeting agenda, including recommendations and any other documents will be distributed closer to the meeting date.

The post VDLC October Regular Meeting appeared first on Vancouver and District Labour Council..

In-person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitator: Jennifer Arnold

This course is designed for new union activists and stewards, or as a refresher for those with more experience. Learn the difference between a complaint and a grievance, when to start a grievance, how to support and advocate for your members during a grievance, and best practices for a grievance. Participants will learn the fundamentals for successful grievance outcomes.

Jennifer Arnold has worked for the BC General Employees Union since 2012 where she assists workers in a variety of professions from across the province. She has a range of experiences from representing workers at arbitration, mediation, and at the labour board assisting workers at their labour management tables and leading negotiations for collective bargaining. She is committed to the labour movement and advancing the interests of all workers. After finishing her Bachelor of Arts in Sociology at the University of Victoria and her Bachelor of Laws at the University of Ottawa, Jennifer articled with a union side labour law firm in Ottawa before moving back to BC to join the staff at the BCGEU.

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The link for Zoom will be sent 1-2 days prior to the workshop
Facilitator: Diane Irvine

This workshop covers a union’s rights and obligations under PIPA, equipping participants with the knowledge to handle personal information responsibly and legally.

Learning objectives include:

* What constitutes personal information under PIPA;

* What types of personal information unions can collect and the conditions under which it can be gathered;

* How personal information can be used, once collected;

* Best practices for data retention, including when and how personal information should be deleted;

* How to respond to requests for information disclosure in compliance with PIPA.

The post Understanding the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) appeared first on Vancouver and District Labour Council..

In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitators: Britt Skinner and Sarah Georgetti, BCGEU

This course will lay the foundation for your understanding of employer policies and their relationship to labour law. We will look at when employer policies are permitted and when they are not, when policies should be challenged, and what legal tests a policy will need to pass in order to hold up in arbitration. We will learn the “KVP Test”, utilized by arbitrators and look at more recent developments in case law.

Britt Skinner is Director of Advocacy at the BC General Employees’ Union (BCGEU), where she leads a team of advocates handling labour, human rights, privacy, and administrative law matters. She provides the strategic guidance, mentorship, and training the helps her team navigate complex workplace issues and sharpen their advocacy skills.

Sarah Georgetti, TBA

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In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitators: Jonathan Hanvelt and Jeremy Bryant

This course is designed for union staff reps, officers and senior stewards who need to understand the BC Labour Code and its application. It will provide an overview of important sections of the code and regulations, interpretations, and rulings that you need to know to be strategic and effective. While the course will focus on unfair labour practices and the duty of representation, there will be some opportunity to discuss other provisions as well.

PLEASE NOTE: Most workplaces in BC are provincially regulated for the purpose of labour relations and subject to the BC Labour Relations Code. Provincially regulated sectors/industries include health, education, construction, retail, film, etc. This class would apply to workers and union representatives in those sectors/industries. Check with your workplace to ensure if this class would apply to you.

Jonathan Hanvelt is a vice chair with the Labour Relations Board of BC. Previously, he spent 14 years working for a union-side labour firm in Vancouver, during which time he appeared before the Labour Relations Board on    numerous occasions and regularly facilitated legal education courses for the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC), Lancaster House and the VDLC.

Jeremy Bryant is a union-side labour lawyer and has been practicing with Bannister & Company since 2017. He has represented a diverse range of union clients and individuals at labour arbitrations, the BC Labour Relations Board, Canada Industrial Relations Board, Human Rights Tribunal, Employment Standards Branch, WorkSafe BC Review Division and the Workers Compensation Appeal Tribunal. Jeremy enjoys teaching  Labour Law, and in   addition to facilitating for the VDLC, has taught courses for the Canadian Labour Congress’s Winter School and Lancaster House.

The post BC Labour Code appeared first on Vancouver and District Labour Council..

In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitator: Adrienne Smith

Participants will learn:

* Differences between federal and provincial human rights protection;

* Collective Agreement solutions to human rights problems;

* Prohibited grounds;

* Protected areas;

* Gaps in existing legal protection;

* Exceptions and special programs;

* The different roles of the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner, the CLAS Human Rights Legal Clinic, and the Ombudsperson’s Office;

* Anatomy of a human rights claim;

* Available Remedies;

* Practice writing and filing a claim;

* How (and why) to grieve human rights issues.

Adrienne Smith is a transgender human rights activist and social justice lawyer.  They argued a BC Human rights case which clarified employers’ obligations to recognize correct pronouns for transgender and non-binary workers. Adrienne appeared at the BC Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court of Canada where they argued about the harmful effects of mandatory minimum sentences for women, Indigenous people, and drug users, and made submissions in defence of transgender children under section 15 of the Charter. As a trade union activist, they advocate for transgender inclusion in our unions and workplaces. Adrienne is the litigation director at the Catherin White Holman Wellness Clinic where they give free legal advice, take on human rights cases, and notarize name and gender change documents for trans people.
 

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In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitator: Gretchen Brown

This course provides an overview of the different types of collective agreement language governing filling vacancies in the bargaining unit, and how to build a winning case depending on that language. Participants will analyze fact patterns, applying the collective agreement, and arguing grievances.

Gretchen Brown is General Counsel for the British Columbia Teachers’ Federation. Gretchen provides advice to the BCTF on bargaining, collective agreement implementation, disability benefits, and health and wellness programs. Gretchen has been in-house counsel at the BCTF for more than 20 years. Prior to working for the BCTF, Gretchen worked for a small firm where she represented employees, unions, non-profit organizations, and First Nation governments.

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In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitator: Sara Hanson

Through the use of case study and role play, participants in this course will put into practice the principles taught in Investigations & Interrogations Level I. Participants will think critically about their role as union representatives in investigation meetings and practice the skills that are required to ensure their members are provided with effective representation in even the most difficult investigation meetings.

Sara Hanson is a Senior Associate at Moore Edgar Lyster LLP where she practices in all areas of labour   employment, human rights, and professional regulatory law. Sara has represented unions in a wide variety of matters before labour arbitrators in both provincial and federal grievance arbitrations. She has also appeared as counsel for individuals and unions before the BC Human Rights Tribunal, the BC Supreme Court, and the BC Court of Appeal.

*Investigations & Interrogations Level I takes place on Thursday September 17

The post Investigations & Interrogations Level II appeared first on Vancouver and District Labour Council..

In person at the Maritime Labour Centre | Lunch provided
Facilitator: Lily Hassall

This course will introduce participants to the basics of legal research. The course will include practical instructions for using public legal databases to look up statutes and cases relevant to unions. It will also provide a general framework for understanding how precedent develops. Ultimately, participants will emerge with the tools to answer questions about current arbitral and labour board case law.

PLEASE NOTE: Participants are asked to bring a laptop computer to class. You will also need to bring your extension cord as there are limited outlets in the class room. If any participants do not have access to a laptop, please contact the VDLC office for us to put you in touch with the facilitator.

Lily Hassall has been practicing labour law at Koskie Glavin Gordon since she was called to the bar in 2020. She represents trade unions across industries and jurisdictions in the areas of labour, employment, human rights and administrative law. She is currently licensed to practice in both British Columbia and the Yukon.

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