PSAC Sixteenth Triennial Convention
New at the 2012 PSAC Convention: A Members’ Plan
Every three years, the PSAC holds its Triennial National Convention, where delegates from across the union come together, debate issues and set direction for the Union for the next three years.
We will be doing something new at the PSAC 2012 Convention: for the first time, delegates will have the opportunity to debate and adopt a “Members’ Plan”.
The plan is designed to set the direction for the Union for the next three years.
This plan will outline what we have heard from the membership in terms of some of the challenges we will face over the next three years, and it will put forward some broad priorities for our Union to focus on.
Delegates will leave Convention floor with a clear idea of what their Union’s priorities are and what the leadership will focus on in the next three years.
Why are we presenting a Members’ Plan to Convention?
Crafting a Members’ Plan gives us the opportunity to consult with the broader PSAC membership and get input into priorities. It’s a chance to engage the broader membership in the Convention process with a bottom-up approach, and take direction from what the members are telling us a) what they want from their Union and b) what they are willing to do for their Union;
The Members’ Plan will also be a concrete tool to measure our progress. It will provide a framework for the National Board of Directors to measure their progress and report back to the broader membership on priorities.
What the plan will look like
The plan will be inspired by and based on the Convention theme: Our Union, Our Power.
To date, three main priorities are emerging from this theme:
- Our Bargaining Power: our power to advance the working conditions of our members at the bargaining table and beyond;
- Our Union Power: our power in the workplace and within our Union;
- Our Political Power: using our power beyond our Union to effect change for all workers.
But that may very well change as we hear from members as to what they want to see in their plan for the next three years.
The plan: what it won’t be
So far, we don’t know precisely what will be in the plan, because the membership consultation isn’t over. What we know is the plan won't be:
- a long document;
- a shopping list or task list of individual actions :
- a reiteration of what the Union is already doing:
- developed in a top-down way: we are engaging the members in the development of this plan;
- rigid and inflexible: the plan will need to allow for flexibility and emerging issues and events over the course of three years,
- set up an “us-versus-them” dynamic between PSAC and its Regions, Components, DCLs and other parts of the Union: this plan will define what action we want to take together as a Union in areas where we are able and willing to act collectively;
- replace the debate on resolutions at convention: resolutions will be debated on convention floor;
- won’t replace the debate on the PSAC budget;
- set in stone until the final day of convention, when delegates will vote on it and hopefully adopt it.
Gathering input for the Members’ Plan
This plan is being built with input from the members.
We’ll be looking at past and ongoing surveys and reviews, including the 2011 Membership Survey, the Stewards Survey, and the Education Review.
We’ll be taking a close look at the resolutions coming in to the PSAC Convention, for trends and patterns in what our members are asking us to debate.
We’ve developed the Our Union, Our Power Survey. The survey was administered at most Regional Conventions and at other meetings, and will be “live” online on the PSAC website throughout the month of October. We will also be making printed copies available for distribution. The survey asks members what’s important to them and what they think the Union should focus on. It’s the main direct tool we have to reach out to as many members as possible.
We’ll also be talking to members at planned gatherings and meetings, and asking them what they want to see in a Members’ Plan. These might include, but aren’t limited to, Regional Councils, other Regional opportunities, Component Conventions, meetings with Local Presidents, other Component events, meetings with Directly Chartered Locals, and Steward Assemblies.
We’ll be taking a close look at the the resolutions coming in to the PSAC Convention, for trends and patterns in what our members are asking us to debate.
We’ll be reviewing the findings from the comprehensive PSAC Membership Survey we did in 2010.
There are also other membership surveys and consultations we have done or that are under way that will provide us with some direction for the plan: they include the Education Survey, the Steward Survey, the consultations on Bargaining Regulation 15A, and others.
Who will present the Members’ Plan to Convention? Where will it come from?
The Members’ Plan will be presented to the Convention floor by the National Board of Directors. The first draft of the plan will be presented to the Special Meeting of the Board scheduled for February 2012.
To make the consultation and drafting exercise as efficient as possible, a small sub-committee of the National Board of Directors has been appointed to oversee the input-gathering from the membership and drafting of the plan.
The members of this sub-committee are
- Sister Robyn Benson, PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President for the Prairies (Chair),
- Brother Larry Rousseau, Regional Executive Vice-President for the National Capital Region,
- Brother Bob Campbell, National President of the Union of Taxation Employees Component, and
- Brother Yvan Thauvette, National President of the Union of Veterans’ Affairs Employees Component.
A fifth member will be appointed at the end of October after all the Component Conventions are over and we know who is on the National Board of Directors.
How will the plan hit the Convention floor?
The plan will come to the floor from the National Board of Directors as a draft for consideration by the delegates.
The proposed Convention Agenda includes four time slots for the plan – an hour and half each on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday of Convention. To date, the thinking is that the plan will have three main parts; we’ll debate part 1 on Tuesday; part 2 on Wednesday; and part 3 on Thursday.
Throughout the debate on the plan, the Sub-Committee of the NBoD will listen carefully and make changes to the draft plan that will incorporate the comments we are hearing.
On Friday, the final day of Convention, a revised plan that incorporates the delegates’ comments will be debated, and hopefully adopted as a whole.
It’s the first time we do this at Convention and the process may change a bit, but delegates will have the final say on the plan.
How much time will the Members’ plan take up on the Convention Agenda?
We have slated 90 minutes on the Draft Agenda during the mornings starting on Tuesday for delegates to debate the plan and adopt it on the last day of Convention. That’s 6 hours dedicated to the Members’ Plan.
Convention is the time to debate resolutions, yet so few of them actually hit the floor for debate. Why would we take time away on the Convention agenda for resolutions?
That time for resolutions is critical, and the Members’ Plan will not replace the debate on resolutions. The proposed Convention agenda approved by the National Board of Directors provides for 17.5 hours of debate on resolutions and the budget, with a bit more time on Thursday morning during and after the election of officers. There’s 6 hours on the Convention Agenda for the Members’ Plan. Also keep in mind that the Members’ Plan might cover or include some of the Convention resolutions, which would enable us to maximize the number of resolutions that are actually dealt with on the Convention floor.
How much time is being allocated to speakers and forums?
The proposed Convention Agenda allows for 1.5 hours for a Human Rights and Social Justice Forum. We have a resolution of record that mandates us to hold this forum during official Convention business. We’ve allocated 30 minutes to hear keynote speaker Stephen Lewis on using our union power, defending quality public services and fighting back against the political choices of the Harper majority to cut back on public services and jobs.
What’s the point of presenting the Plan to the Convention Committees?
The draft plan will be presented to the pre-Convention Committees – that review Convention resolutions and make recommendations on them to expedite debate.
Knowing what’s in the Draft Members’ Plan may assist the Convention Committees in making recommendations on resolutions. Some resolutions may be covered in the plan, and they may want to use this information in drafting their rationales. Knowing what’s in the plan may also help Committees determine their priority resolutions.
Supporting documents
- Developing the Members’ Plan PSAC Convention 2012 Questions and Answers
- The Members’ Plan - Talking to members about the plan speakers’ notes
Date Modified : 2012/02/03
