Dear Members,
I hope you are all enjoying the Summer.
It has been some time since my last message, due to a very busy Spring and Summer for myself and the RCEA office.
First and foremost, Collective Bargaining has been ongoing for the AD, AS, PG and TO groups.
More negotiation dates are set for September. In the Fall, dates for OP and CS groups will commence. Updates can be found on the website under Latest News and under the Information by Category section.
I am involved with two National Joint Council (NJC) committees. I am chair of the Union Management Relations Committee (UMR). This committee reviews the organization of the NJC, recommends NJC training activities, and provides planning and organization for union-management seminars. In March 2017, representing the bargaining agents, I became a member of the Service Wide Occupational Health and Safety committee (SWOHS). The role of the Service-Wide Committee on Occupational Health and Safety is to participate in the development and review of all Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat policies, programs and issues relating to occupational health and safety. The SWOHS Committee provides advice and leadership to the departmental or agency policy committees.
Representing the union perspective, I am one of the bargaining agent members on the Steering Committee for the Wellness Program. This will be the Committee focusing on the “new” sick leave program/plan for Public Servants.
On the RCEA website under Member Information you will now be able to read RCEA/PIPSC/NRC joint committee minutes, including the National Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) and Joint Consultation Committee (JCC).
The Annual General Meeting is Tuesday, October 24, 2017, 5 p.m. at the Ottawa/M-50 Auditorium. NRC President Iain Stewart will be our guest speaker. We will have the AGM available through the NRC video-conferencing system. Details will be sent to members and posted on the RCEA website.
The RCEA office is moving on August 29, 2017. After ample analysis by the RCEA office, RCEA auditors, and National Executive Committee, it was decided to relocate the office. The main reason was financial. The new office is less expensive in rent (down to 54% of what we pay now) and utilities, including internet and phone. The majority of RCEA members are outside of the National Capital Region (NCR), therefore most of the RCEA correspondence is already through email and phone.
The RCEA office has been at the Stone House on Montreal Road since 1990. I have also been travelling to Montreal Road since 1992, when I worked across the street at M-12. I know that I and Joan, Laurette, and Shelagh (RCEA staff) will miss the Stone House, but for the financial stability of the Association, this is the right decision.
The new office at 5300 Canotek Rd, Suite 100, is 3.4km from our current location.
Telephone, mailing address, and emails will all remain the same.
NRC inter-office mail will continue to be used where available. Please label it “RCEA Office.”
This mailing address can also be used:
5300 Canotek Road
Suite 100
Ottawa, ON K1J 1A4
I wish you all a happy and safe summer.
Sincerely,
