2023 AGM Resolutions - Regions and Groups

Presented to the PIPSC 104^th Annual General Meeting

F-6 – Policy on Family Care (E)

WHEREAS the partner/spouse of a member may not always be physically or mentally capable of acting as a sole caregiver; and

WHEREAS introduction of the Parental Sharing Benefit will increase the likelihood that a member will be on parental leave at the same time as their spouse; and

WHEREAS the PIPSC Family Care Policy currently does not acknowledge that even if the other caregiver is home, the member may be providing essential elements of care,

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Eligibility section of the PIPSC Family Care Policy have the following clause added: “Where the spouse/partner of the member is unable to provide care, and the member is on authorized leave from work and providing care to the spouse/partner and one or more children, resulting expenses not ordinarily incurred for a caregiver may be submitted.”

Finance Comment:  Per the Policy on Family Care para 4

1. $80 for each 24 hour period for the first family member;

2. $55 for each 24 hour period for each additional family member.

F-7 - Policy on Group AGM Funding (E)

WHEREAS the purpose of a constituent body Annual General Meeting is to govern that constituent body; and

WHEREAS regular members of group should be able to meaningfully influence and modify the direction of the Group Executive; and

WHEREAS there are significant fixed costs to holding a Group AGM, regardless of delegate cost; and

WHEREAS Group Executive size is based on the need to represent regional and departmental diversity, which also applies to Group AGM delegates,

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the PIPSC Policy on Groups Parameters for PIPSC Funding of Meetings outside of Constituent Body Allocations be revised to read “for meetings made up of delegates, the number of accredited delegates will be the members of the Group Executive plus either: one delegate per two hundred (200) members of the Group, or, one greater than the size of the Group Executive as calculated in By Law 10.1.5, whichever is greater.”

RSC - Recommends the Chair rules out of order as there is no Policy on Group AGM Funding. 

F-8 - Institute Dues Formula (E)

Whereas PIPSC is a labour union comprised of members earning a wide range of salaries as well as ones who are retired,

Whereas fixed nominal dues for Regular and Rand members represent a varying fraction of members’ income and their buying power erodes, sometimes rapidly, with inflation,

Whereas fixed nominal dues also result in long periods of frozen dues followed by significant increases,

Whereas the current system requires the Institute AGM to engage in periodic debates to merely keep up with rising costs associated with inflation,

Whereas many of our fellow unionists have successfully implemented dues as a function of income in a variety of pay systems including those of the Government of Canada,

Be it resolved that PIPSC change its dues for regular and Rand members as of April 1, 2024, to a fixed percentage of the maximum salary at the member’s group and level, pro-rated for part-time workers.

Be it further resolved that the single percentage rate for Regular and Rand members be set such that the amount of dues collected would have been the same on January 1, 2017 under that percentage and under the monthly dues of $72.56 at the time.

Be it further resolved that the dues rate for retired members be indexed at the same times and in the same manner as Canada Pension Plan, applying all adjustments from 2018 on to the Retired member rate of January 1, 2017. The new rate calculated from this indexation will apply on April 1, 2024, with no retroactive change in amounts due.

Finance comment - Due to the complexity of this resolution, Finance is unable to provide a financial estimate of the impact of this resolution on the budget or of the cost of its implementation and maintenance. 

RSC  - Application of this policy would be difficult as PIPSC staff  is responsible for providing the amount to the employer.  The resolution is difficult to interpret.  The vote requires a simple majority of all delegates.

F-9 - Training Schools Travel & Hospitality (E)

Whereas the PIPSC Policy on Balancing Union Activity and Family Life excludes Regional Training Schools from Travel and Hospitality for Family Members; and

Whereas these Schools have the same impact on balancing union activity and family life as other meetings included in Travel and Hospitality for Family Members,

Be it resolved that the PIPSC Policy on Balancing Union Activity and Family Life be amended to include Regional Training Schools in Travel and Hospitality for Family Members, as follows: A member who,

• requires accommodation the Friday of a Regional Council, Regional Steward Council, Regional Labour Schools, Advisory Council, Group Annual General Meeting or the Institute Annual General Meeting taking place outside their local area, 
• who is accompanied by his / her spouse or significant other and/or immediate family, and 
• would not otherwise be eligible for Saturday night accommodation under the travel policy,

Finance comment - Each member who is entitled would have a budget impact of $425 per person.  

RSC comment - Regions use different terminology relating to “training” in their region.  As referenced, “Regional Labour Schools” may be interpreted to include many different training. 

F-10 – Funding for Young Professional Committees (E)

Whereas Young Professionals Committees (YPC) are a necessity if PIPSC is to better involve the newer members of the Institute; and

Whereas the current support offered by the Board of Directors is provided for Regional Committees; and

Whereas Groups are establishing YPC to identify and address issues pertaining to the Young Professionals within the Group; and

Whereas neither Regional nor Group YPC are enshrined in PIPSC policy;

Therefore be it resolved that PIPSC enact a new policy to establish the budgets for YPC as follows:

Policy on Funding of Young Professional Committees

Effective Date: November 29, 2023

 

RSC - There are no controls or clarity such as how many meetings and how many youth committees. The intent appears to be to get multiple youth committees.

Finance comment - Current cost is $102,523 for a Committee.   There are six (6) Regions and fifty (50) Groups which would have a maximum budget impact of $5.74M plus translation costs.

B-7 - ITSP Composition (E)

WHEREAS the mandate of the Information Technology Services and Projects Committee reads; The Information Technology Services and Projects Committee shall advise and make recommendations to the Board on Information Technology Services and Projects issues.

WHEREAS best practices of system design and development include participation of all stakeholders and,

WHEREAS stakeholders within PIPSC include all Members and,

WHEREAS Members belong to all occupational groups with different requirements for services provided by PIPSC,

THEREFORE be it resolved that By-Law 17.11.1 be amended to the following;
17.11.1 Composition There shall be a Committee of the Board to be known as the Information Technology Services and Projects Committee consisting of five (5) to seven (7) members. Composition of the Committee should normally be representative of PIPSC IM/IT Professionals.

B-8 - Group representation on the BoD (E)

Be it resolved that By-Laws 15 and 21 be amended as following, to better support Group specific interests at the Board of Director level; The proposed changes are to be enacted for the 2024 PIPSC AGM.

BY-LAW 15 BOARD OF DIRECTORS

15.1 Composition: The Board of Directors shall consist of the five (5) Officers of the Institute and thirteen (13) Directors of the corporation the President, the four (4) Vice-Presidents and ten (10) Directors.

BY-LAW 21 DIRECTORS OF THE CORPORATION

21.2 Distribution Four (4) Elected Directors shall be from the National Capital Region; one (1) elected Director from each of the Regions outside the National Capital Region, and one (1) Elected Director shall be elected by the Advisory Council.

21.1 Composition: One (1) Regional Director for each region; Three (3) additional Regional directors for the National Capital Region; Three (3) Group presidents acting as directors of the Corporation chosen from among the three (3) groups with the largest number of members; and one (1) Group president acting as Director of the Corporation, elected from among the smallest groups and the Separate Employers Group.

21.2.1 A Regional Director shall not be a member of a Group, Sub-Group, Branch, Guild or Chapter Executive.

21.1.1 Directors of the Corporation may be executive members of constituent or advisory bodies, but should strongly consider limiting their involvement in multiple structures to avoid conflict and role monopolisation.

21.12 Term of Office Elected Directors shall be elected for a term of three (3) years.

21.2.1 Regional directors shall be elected at the PIPSC annual general meeting as per the bylaws.

21.2.2 Representatives of the largest groups are their Presidents and shall be elected as per the bylaws of their group.

      21.2.3 The representative of the smallest groups and the Separate Employers Group shall be elected by all the Group Presidents around the same date as the Institute’s AGM. At the end of their term of office, a new election is held to identify a new representative.

P-2 - Policy on Constituent Body Allocations (E)

Whereas the amounts identified under #7 for constituent bodies to spend accordingly on hospitality, networking, recognition, social, training or visibility events has not been adjusted for inflation since April 26, 2012. These set limit amounts have restricted constituent bodies in being able to provide appropriate event planning as the costs have risen considerably over the last few years. This simply allows constituent bodies to continue to organize similar positive events as held in the past.

Be it resolved that the Policy on Constituent Body Allocations be amended as follows:

 

COMMENT: Cost increase to PIPSC – Not applicable - The Policy on Constituent Body Allocations would result in no changes to costs to PIPSC based on the limitations outlined in the same policy as #4 – Funding Formula.

The Board of directors at their September meeting increased the limits to $50.  

RSC - Recommends withdrawal

P-3 - Chairs of Equity Caucuses (E)

Whereas PIPSC has a diverse membership and

Whereas the Human Rights and Diversity Committee (HRDC) has stated in the bylaws that the composition of the committee should be representative of the diversity of its membership, and

Whereas the HRDC committee has caucuses set up to represent the various equity groups, and

Whereas these caucuses should be led by a legitimate member of each of the equity Groups

Be it Resolved that PIPSC ensures, when possible, that every equity caucus be led by a member of that equity group.

P-4 - Policy on Liberation (F)

Whereas the renewal, recruitment, and rejuvenation of PIPSC’s steward workforce is a crucial issue that requires serious attention,

Whereas the workload varies from one steward to another depending on the mandates held (e.g. group/regional executives, consultation/negotiation teams, committees, etc.),

Whereas some members have professional obligations that require a replacement for each period of absence from work,

Whereas the employer sometimes uses professional obligations to prevent leave for union activities,

Whereas the Institute has no policy on granting leave for union activities, and

Whereas the uniformity and equitability application of leave for union activities will benefit all our stewards,

It is proposed that a national ad hoc committee on leave for union activities be set up, with a mandate that respects the following guidelines:

• The duration of the ad hoc committee’s mandate will be 1 year.

• The ad hoc committee will be made up of 9 people:

  • One (1) steward per region,

  • The Chief National Steward,

  • One PIPSC staff member to act as support to committee members,

  • And a Board of Directors liaison.

•  The Board of Directors will determine the committee’s composition after establishing clear criteria in a call to all PIPSC stewards, ensuring equitable representation of the most affected steward, i.e. youth and women.

• The ad hoc committee will have to assess the needs of stewards in terms of leave for union activities by consulting them through a survey.

• The ad hoc committee will have to develop this survey, circulate it, then collect and analyze the responses.

• The ad hoc committee will have to provide possible solutions to the pitfalls identified by stewards concerning their leave for union activities.

• To keep costs down, the ad hoc committee will meet up to 6 times in person, and as many times as necessary virtually.

• The ad hoc committee undertakes to produce the following results:

  • a report on its activities and actions at the national IT Group AGM, and

  • a policy on leave for union activities.

Finance comments: The maximum budgeted costs for member participation on the committee is budgeted at $86,376.  Additionally costs for interpretation have a potential impact for six (6) meetings could be a additional $72,000 for a total costing of $158,376

P-5 - Equity Group Self-Identification (E)

WHEREAS we do not currently have a quantitative mechanism in place to assess equity group participation within our volunteer positions; and

WHEREAS collecting data through self-identification could enable the Institute to better understand both its current state of equity group participation, and trends in that participation over time,

BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Institute put in place a voluntary self-identification process for Stewards and Executives to identify as belonging to the equity groups defined by the Employment Equity Act, as well as the addition of a non-binary gender option, age group, dependents and LGBTQ2+ identity; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the techniques to protect the confidentiality of small populations of persons be appropriately applied.”

P-6 - Action on Climate Change Report (E)

WHEREAS the release of Canada’s Changing Climate Report presents overwhelming evidence for the need to reduce carbon, which implies a shift away from a continued focus on the primacy of single occupancy vehicles – except in exceptional cases; and 

WHEREAS a decade of advocacy and work by PIPSC has built a strong case around the errors of muzzling scientists and their work,

WHEREAS not all members have access to or use of personal transportation and require sufficient public transportation access to the workplace, 

WHEREAS members showed during the pandemic that much of our work can be done effectively without necessarily commuting into work, and the current hybrid work model has made carpooling at best more complicated to arrange, 

BE IT RESOLVED THAT that the Institute encourage its members to spread the word in their workplace about the conclusions of this report and to advocate for related changes, notably for employers to provide better options to encourage a shift away from commuting in single occupancy vehicles, to include working from home where the member prefers and there is no clear purpose to be at a government worksite. 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT the Institute, through its consultation teams and other discussions with the employer, advocate for related changes, notably for employers to provide better options to encourage a shift away from commuting in single occupancy vehicles (including, but not limited to, ensuring adequate public transport, including childcare spaces within the workplace, supporting work from home arrangements where desirable, and choosing centrally located buildings for occupation).

P-7 – RANDS (E)

Whereas too many Rands are detrimental to a union; and 

Whereas PIPSC has the email contact information for all rands; and 

Whereas PIPSC has paid staff to support members;

Therefore be it resolved that starting on January 1st, 2024, PIPSC email every Rand the information regarding the benefits of membership as well as the link to the membership form.

P-8 - Sporting & Cultural Events (E)

Whereas PIPSC has a National Policy on constituent body expenditures; and 

Whereas this policy does not allow for regional differences; and 

Whereas branches and subgroups are in the best position to know how to engage their members;

Therefore be it resolved that the policy on constituent body allocations be amended to allow for the purchase of tickets for sporting and cultural events that cost $50 or less.

Comment: RSC recommends withdrawal since BoD has updated the policy at the September Board meeting.

P-9 – Define New Initiatives (E)

Whereas the following motion passed at the 2020 PIPSC AGM

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 before incurring significant expenditures

Be it resolved that expenditures of more than $500K on new initiatives shall be approved by the PIPSC Annual General Meeting

Whereas the term new initiatives was not defined

Whereas it is good practice to define and give examples of new initiatives

Be it resolved that The Board of Directors shall define new initiatives of more than $500,000 that need to be approved by the PIPSC AGM in a policy and bring it back to the 2024 AGM for approval.

P-10 - Meetings of Committees of the Board (E)

Whereas the Policy on Committees of the BOD encourages committees to use electronic means to conduct their meetings, yet there is nothing in the policy about virtual meetings.

Whereas other policies refer to the duration of the meetings, the Policy on Committees of the BOD does not state the duration.

Be it resolved that the Policy on Committees of the BOD be amended as follows:

6. Meetings of Committees of the Board

The number, timing, and location of Committee meetings will be as per the budget approved by the AGM. Committee budgets will be calculated on the basis of six (6) in person meetings. A meeting will only be held if there is sufficient business to conduct. Committees can meet 4 times in person and have as many virtual meetings as their yearly budget allows. will meet a maximum of six (6) times during the year. Whenever feasible, Committee meetings should be held in Institute facilities.

In person Mmeetings will normally be 1 day and held on any of Fridays, Saturdays or Mondays and are normally held in the most cost-effective location. Virtual meetings can be held on any day of the week. To facilitate a balance between union activities and family life, the availability of the members of the Committee will be taken into consideration in addition to the Board’s schedule when scheduling Committee meetings. When and where feasible, Committees are encouraged to use electronic means (such as e-mail, teleconferences, and video-conferences) to conduct the business of the committee in order to reduce the burden of travel on Committee members, and to minimize cost.

RSC - No comment

Finance comments: Costs for committee members’ attendance on a full day in person meeting are budgeted at $17,087 per meeting.  Committee member costs for a virtual full day meeting are budgeted at $8,844.  Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for in person or virtual are approximately $6,200 for either in person or virtual.  These amounts are not included in member attendance costs.  
Costs for committee member attendance at a half-day (4 hour) virtual meeting are budgeted at $6,467.  Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for a half day virtual meeting are budgeted at $4,300.  
Based on the projections, the maximum amount of half day virtual meetings for the budget to be cost neutral by deferring two (2) in person meetings per the budget would be four (4). NOTE – Committees are costed at six (6) in person meetings, but the aggregate PIPSC budget reflect an average of all committees of four (4) in person meetings.  The resolution may result in a potential increase to committees’ budget of $184,545 if each committee utilized their additional virtual budget allocation.

P-11 - Policy on Accessing PIPSC General Funds (E)

Whereas the Policy on Accessing PIPSC General funds encourages constituent bodies to use electronic means to conduct their meetings, yet there is nothing in parameters of the policy about virtual meetings.

Whereas most small groups and Separate employers do not travel for their AGM’s as they are not geographically dispersed, therefore there shouldn’t be the requirement to have an executive meeting to coincide with the Group AGM.

Whereas the requirement for Groups to hold an executive meeting in association with the PIPSC AGM should be removed as this creates an administrative burden on staff, creates more travel days from home if an AGM is longer than 2 days and does not apply for small groups and separate employers as the majority are not located in the NCR region or triangle and all of their executive members do not receive a delegate seat to the PIPSC AGM. 

Whereas some members of Regional Executives are not stewards, therefore there shouldn’t be the requirement that a Regional Executive meeting has to coincide with the Steward Council.

Be it resolved that the Policy on Accessing PIPSC General funds be amended as follows:

Appendix A to the Policy on Accessing PIPSC General Funds:

Parameters for PIPSC Funding
of Meetings outside of Constituent Body Allocations

 

 

Finance comment - 

Groups: Costs for Group Executive members’ attendance on a full day in person meeting are budgeted at $16,259 per meeting. Group Executive member costs for a virtual full day meeting are budgeted at $6,161. Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for in person or virtual are approximately $6,200 for either in person or virtual. Amounts are not included in member attendance cost.

Costs for Group Executive member attendance at a half-day (4 hour) virtual meeting are budgeted at $3,236. Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for a half day virtual meeting are budgeted at $4,300. Based on the projections, the maximum amount of half day virtual meetings for the budget to be cost neutral by deferring two (2) in person meetings per the budget would be four (4). NOTE – Group Executives are costed at six (6) in person meetings and most groups are entitled to thirteen (13) members on their Executive. Some smaller Groups are only allowed three (3) Executive members. This resolution would only allow for one (1) virtual meeting in lieu of the two (2) in person meetings to be cost neutral effectively eliminating one meeting for smaller constituent bodies.

Regional: Costs for Regional Executive members’ attendance on a full day in person meeting are budgeted at $17,266 per meeting. Regional Executive member costs for a virtual full-day meeting are budgeted at $5,213. Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for in person or

virtual are approximately $6,200 for either in person or virtual. Amounts are not included in member attendance cost.

Costs for Regional Executive member attendance at a half-day (4 hour) virtual meeting are budgeted at $2,738. Costs associated with interpretation, recording and AV support for a half day virtual meeting are budgeted at $4,300.

Based on the projections, the maximum amount of half day virtual meetings for the budget to be

cost neutral by deferring two (2) in person meetings per the budget would be four (4).