The AUPE Education Sector held a Bargaining Conference on Wednesday Feb 20 and Thursday Feb 21, 2013. Approximately 70 AUPE members from Educational Institutes from around the province met in Calgary for the Conference.

Local 039 was represented by Bargaining Committee members Kevin Olenick (Committee Chair), Kathleen Woodward (Local Vice Chair and Chief Steward) and Tanya Mullings (Steward Level 1) as well as alternates Danielle Nadeau McMillian (Provincial Executive Representative(PE Rep) and Occupational Health & Safety Rep), Melody Waddington (Social Committee Vice Chair) and Rose Read (Local Chair).

The conference was a great learning opportunity for the different Education Locals to both share and prepare information on the different phases of bargaining. Whether you were a member from an institution like the U of C that already has a negotiated contract or if you were a member from an institution presently in negotiations like Norquest College, or preparing for negotiations like SAIT or NAIT there was something to think about going forward.

Guest speakers included SAFA President Doug Spurgeon, AUPE President Guy Smith, Terry Sway of ACIFA (Alberta College of Institutes Faculties Association) and David Harrigan of the United Nurses of Alberta.

Topics discussed included;

• both AUPE Local 39 and SAFA's arbitration settlements,
• SAFA's recently renewed 4 year agreement with SAIT,
• the state of the Alberta economy preparing for the March 7, 2013 budget and its potential impact, as well as
• communication strategies, mobilization, and the importance of unity.

Local 039 member Tanya Mullings took several takeaways that can be echoed by the entire bargaining committee. She said:

"My take away from this convention was the advice on mobilizing the members and ways of getting them involved and interested. How important it is to never give up and always strive to find ways to communicate. We are stronger together and will win when we have our members behind us. It was reconfirmed how important it is for the Bargaining Committee to communicate with the members so we can have their support. We also need to educate the members on the process of bargaining. Most importantly to effectively communicate with and mobilize our members we need to remember that person to person contact is the most effective way".

Just as it is important for the Local Council to communicate with you the member, it is just as important for you, our members to become involved and interested in the activities of our Local. We have updated our Website (www.aupelocal39.com) over the past few weeks and now have a section for Bargaining Updates. We have also set up a separate email address for members to send in their ideas, feedback or questions regarding any part of the bargaining process. Please email us at bargaining@aupelocal39.com. Your email will be received directly by the Bargaining Committee Chair.

The next step for the Bargaining Committee will be to meet as a group on March 12, 2013 with our AUPE Negotiator. One of the agenda items discussed will be conducting a membership Bargaining Committee Survey. If you have ideas or suggestions on this or any Bargaining related topics, please email us at bargaining@aupelocal39.com Before the next meeting.

In solidarity,

Kevin Olenick
Bargaining Committee Chair, Local 039
bargaining@aupelocal39.com