1. How should the Society become more involved in the broader labour movement?
   
   The Society is involved in the broader labour movement at every level.

• Michelle in leadership positions within the IFPTE, the CLC, and the OFL.

• Our equity committees sit on the corresponding committees for the CLC and OFL.

• Our members sit on district labour councils.

• When TVOntario was on strike across the street, I offered our basement to store their signs and supplies.

The extra piece is that when a request for bodies at a demonstration or picket line comes in, we need to be able to use our database quickly to alert interested, local members. That gets noticed and reciprocated.

 

1. What changes would you propose to provide more effective services to our members?
   
   We have heard at Delegates Council what our delegates need to help serve members: more frequent and open communications; targeted messages that they can pass along; short video clips to explain our positions and actions. At Council this year, I’ll be presenting the new 3-year strategic plan that includes delivering those items.  And as our financial position continues to improve, we are looking at staffing levels to provide more support and take some of the weight off the local elected people.
    

2. How would you assist newly organized Society locals in their transition to the Society and its governance structures?
   
   The Society suffers from ‘everybody knows’ without anything being written down. Early in my term, I developed the Guide for newly elected LVPs and UDs, trying to strike a balance between helping them hit the ground running and overwhelming them. I’ve developed training for new Executive Board members on the corporate and financial structure of the Society, so they have the information they need to make decisions. And I am the PO contact for the Functional Local Task Force that will deliver a blueprint for new and composite locals.

 

1. How would you help to coordinate collective agreement negotiations across Society bargaining units to achieve the best results for the individual bargaining units and for the Society as a whole? 
   
   The Coordinated Collective Bargaining Committee of LVPs has been working on this. One of the aims is to do pattern bargaining – identifying an opportunity to bargain new language that can be carried forward to the others. In some of the areas where I have primary carriage, Pension Committee or Standing Finance Committee, I’ve been able to identify issues that should be taken to the CCBC to be put into bargaining agendas.
    

2. How would you, in the context of your specific role, work to advance the Society’s strategic plan?
   
   At Council, I will be presenting the new 3-year strategic plan. I coordinated development of the plan with the Executive Board and Society staff, considering the current state of the economy and industry and the broader labour movement.  In December, there is a meeting scheduled with LVPs to prioritize the actions to implement the first year of the plan and to make sure that they are properly resourced in the budget for the coming fiscal year. That is the budget that I would be presenting to the Executive Board for approval in February of 2025.  
    

For Secretary-Treasurer

As Secretary-Treasurer you must monitor adherence to Society financial policies and procedures. If you were to encounter or become aware of a policy violation, what would you do?

It’s better to prevent violations. Council Delegates are going to get an email to help them adhere to the Expenses and Travel Procedure. When someone exceeds the amounts allowed, I call them and remind them of the limit and that they can exceed it at their own cost any time they want. I usually let one or two mistakes slide. If they continue, they are reimbursed at the limit.

When I became aware that we were not following the Strategic Plan Policy, I took on the project to bring us into compliance as soon as possible.
 

As Secretary-Treasurer you must safeguard the assets of the Society, including its investments. What does this mean to you and how would you deliver on this responsibility?

For every expenditure, we should imagine explaining to members how we’ve spent their money and if they would find it worthwhile.

• I’ve overseen much needed and overdue maintenance and improvements to the building in Toronto to make it suit our needs.

• I re-established the trust to hold the BPLP ownership units to comply with the 21-year rule on trusts.

• With the Standing Finance Committee, I looked into what else we could do with our Hydro One dividends besides pay down the loan.

• And how to maximize our return on investments by considering appropriate risk and minimizing fees.
   

As Secretary-Treasurer you will oversee the annual budget and policy development. Please outline your experience in developing a budget and preparing policy.

I’ve delivered 3 budgets and am in the middle of the fourth. LVPs have asked for, and I have made, changes so it’s as thorough but painless as possible. Last year, I added a section in the Budget Binder to explain the difference between budget and commitment of funds. This year, I will send the LVPs the year-to-date status after Q2 so they can compare what they’ve spent this year with what they want to do next year.

Every year at Council, the Policy changes that I’ve brought forward have been approved.