usw presentation to twu
TRANSCRIPT
TWU-STT & USW:TWU-STT & USW:A partnership for the A partnership for the futurefuture
December 12, 2012December 12, 2012
USW teamUSW team
SummarySummary1. Our structure
2. Our membership
3. Our resources and services
4. TWU-STT / USW merger considerations
5. Q&A
800,000 members across North America
Canadian autonomy within an international union
225,000 members in Canada
Most diverse union in Canada
USWUSW overview overview
USW diversity & strengthUSW diversity & strength 2,700 collective
agreements across Canada in every sector
50 agreements with 11,800 members under the Canada Labour Code
10 communications sector units, 5 in the U.S.: 1,800 members
USW democracy & structureUSW democracy & structure Most other unions choose
top leaders by delegates at conventions
USW democracy: leaders directly elected by one-member, one-vote
President, National Director for Canada, all International Officers and District Directors
USW democracy & structureUSW democracy & structure Same process for
USW Local Union executive elections: one-member, one-vote
Next Local Union elections: April 2015
USW Locals set USW Locals set USW policy USW policy
LOCAL UNION MEMBERSHIP elects delegates to
LOCAL UNION MEMBERSHIP elects delegates to
USW International
ConstitutionalConvention
USW International
ConstitutionalConvention
USW Canadian
PolicyConference
USW Canadian
PolicyConference
Other Conferences,
CLC, etc.
Other Conferences,
CLC, etc.
USWDistrict
Conferences
USWDistrict
Conferences
USW Overview: District 3USW Overview: District 3 B.C., Alberta, Saskatchewan,
Manitoba and three northern territories
Members in about 900 different workplaces
Servicing offices in Burnaby, Trail, Langley, Prince George, Calgary, Edmonton, plus offices in Saskatchewan and Manitoba
USW overview: District 6USW overview: District 6 Ontario and Atlantic provinces
Members in about 930 different workplaces
Servicing offices in Cambridge, Hamilton, Hawkesbury, Kingston, London, Mississauga, Orillia, Oshawa, Ottawa, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay, Toronto, plus four Atlantic offices
USW overview: District 5USW overview: District 5 Quebec Members in about 650
different workplaces Servicing offices in
Montreal, Jonquiere, Quebec, Rouyn- Noranda, Brossard, Sept-Isles , Ste-Therese
USW DuesUSW Dues1.45% of pay, plus 2 cents per hour worked 44% to Local Union (education, lost time, membership
approved expenditures) 44% to USW (spent in Canada on services and staff
support) 7% to USW Strike and Defence Fund ($214 million) 3% to Organizing, 1% to Canadian Education Fund, 1% to
political action
USW Local UnionsUSW Local UnionsDiversity: a broad mix of diverse local union structures, designed to be flexible and meet members’ needsAll sizes of ‘stand-alone’ locals: single workplace / employer)All sizes of ‘amalgamated’ (geographic) locals covering multiple workplaces/contractsSectoral locals National and provincial locals
USW Services & SupportUSW Services & SupportStructure: mix of single-workplace locals,multi-workplace amalgamated locals
Services: delivered by USW Staff Representatives Trained, experienced USW employees responsible to elected DirectorsStaff Reps access USW resources, experts (Legal Department, Research Department, Communications, etc.)
USW ServicesUSW Servicesand Supportand Support
Research Department Legal Department Strategic Campaigns Health, Safety and
Environment Education,
Human Rights, Retirees Communications and
Political Action Organizing
• 7 full-time lawyers in the Canadian National Office
• Plus retained lawyers• Provide legal advice
and support to USW Staff Representatives and Local Union leadership
United United Steelworkers Steelworkers Legal DepartmentLegal Department
USW Legal DepartmentUSW Legal Department Collective agreement
language Training for staff and Local
Union officials on legal issues Collective bargaining strategy Grievances and arbitration Human rights issues
USW Research USW Research DepartmentDepartment• 9 Research staff in
Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal
• Trained experts in financial costing, benefit analysis, corporate research
• Experience with very wide variety of industries
USW Research Department USW Research Department When a union:
bargains a collective agreement
develops a strategic plan lobbies governments engages in public campaigns
It needs to understand the relevant facts
USW Membership EducationUSW Membership EducationThousands of USW members trained every year. Some course examples:
USW Membership EducationUSW Membership Education
Leadership development with global component
Scholarships for members and Locals
Next Generation program
Other member education highlights:
Global Global PartnershipsPartnerships
USW global union with Unite (U.K.) – Workers Uniting, 3 million members
USW founding member of IndustriALL – 50 million members in 140 countries
Partnership with Los Mineros in Mexico
USW Humanity USW Humanity FundFund First union-based
international development organization of its kind
Registered Canadian charity funded by USW member contributions
International development projects, emergency humanitarian aid and an education program for Steelworker members
USW USW Political ActionPolitical Action Activist union, founding
partner in the New Democratic Party
Fighting for: better labour laws, protection for wages and pensions, job security, health and social programs, better trade laws and more
Legislative offices in Ottawa and Washington
Women of Steel programWomen of Steel program supporting women activists,
recognizing women's issues as workers' issues
Women of Steel Leadership Development Course
USW National Women's Conference
USW – An Organizing UnionUSW – An Organizing Union Canadian National Organizing Department Strong legal and communications backup 13 full-time organizing staff at National and
District levels Depth of experience in running large
organizing campaigns Average 4,000 new members annually
USW – Strength through mergersUSW – Strength through mergers 1995 - United Rubber Workers (Canada / U.S.,
95,000 members) 1996 - Aluminum, Brick & Glass Workers
(Canada / U.S., 40,000 members) 2000 - Transportation Communications Union
(Canada / U.S., 5,000 members)
USW – Strength through mergersUSW – Strength through mergers
2001 – University of Guelph Staff Association (Canada, 900 members)
2004 - Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers Canada (Canada, 50,000 members)
Respects TWU-STT history as an independent union
All USW services and democratic rights Balance of autonomy and support Mutually agreed transition toward the
USW dues structure
Democratic involvement of TWU-STT membership
TWU-STT and USW – TWU-STT and USW – merger principlesmerger principles
Alignment of USW resources to assist in transition and collective bargaining
Democratic governance transition
TWU-STT and USW – TWU-STT and USW – merger principlesmerger principles
Compliance with TWU-STT and USW constitutions
Recognized by CIRB Collective agreement continuity Compliance by all employers
TWU-STT and USW – TWU-STT and USW – merger principlesmerger principles
Mutually agreed plan Careful legal strategy Moving confidently from merger into
servicing and then into collective bargaining
TWU-STT and USW – TWU-STT and USW – merger principlesmerger principles
Strong collective agreements
Top-notch service A strong voice for all
members
A partnership for a better future
TWU-STT and USW – TWU-STT and USW – merger principlesmerger principles
Questions & Questions & AnswersAnswers
TWU-STT Presentation, TWU-STT Presentation, December 12, 2012December 12, 2012