We are pleased to provide this Application Package for the 2021 PSAC B.C. Activist Summit, which will be held December 2-4, 2021 virtually via Zoom under the theme Building Activism by Building Our Membership.
- Application Deadline: Friday November 5, 2021
- Application Form: Online application here
- Summit Dates: Thursday, December 2, Friday, December 3 and Saturday, December 4, 2021
- Summit Format: Virtual Summit via Zoom
We encourage you to share this information with your networks and to inform PSAC members in our Region to ensure they are aware of the Summit. Bulletin boards may not always be accessible and additional outreach is very important and appreciated.
This application package is available upon request in alternative formats through the PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President’s Office by contacting us at 604-430-0191 or toll-free in B.C. 1-866-811-7700 or by emailing SchnidK@psac-afpc.com.
SUMMIT OBJECTIVES
The objectives of the 2021 PSAC B.C. Activist Summit are:
- To gather PSAC B.C. members virtually to learn more about our union, explore how membership engagement is critical to creating connections, overcoming obstacles and unifying as a collective body to address issues, from past to present;
- To provide an opportunity to hear from, share experiences and talk about challenges faced by those pursuing activism in the union and in their communities who have mobilized around these issues;
- To recommit to the important work of anti-racism and related concrete actions to eliminate racism in all forms within the union, our workplaces, and our communities, and to recognize the important role Labour has in dismantling the systems that promote white supremacy and the oppression of Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities.
- To gain skills and tools on how to effect lasting and systemic change in our political landscape inside and outside of the union; and
- To challenge participants to develop their own activism skills and empower them to bring these skills to their respective Locals/Branches as well as PSAC B.C. Area Councils and Regional Committees.
SUMMIT FORMAT
The format of the Summit will include 4.5 hours of virtual session on each of the three days, including plenary discussions, keynote speakers and breakout workshops on the following topics:
- Just Transition – Navigating the New Normal as Union Activists
- Workplace Health and Safety: Strategies for Advocacy and Involvement
- Anti-Oppression/Anti-Racism Action and the Labour Movement
PARTICIPANTS
The PSAC B.C. Activist Summit will be open to a maximum of 60 participants. Members in good standing will be selected based on their application content. Consideration will also be given to gender, equity, Component/DCL and geographic balance within the Summit cohort.
Funding for Participants
All participants will be reimbursed loss of salary and/or leave with pay authorization will be provided for the days that participants are normally scheduled to work during the Summit. There will be no overtime compensation.
Participants attending the virtual 2021 PSAC B.C. Activist Summit are eligible to claim a $50 per diem for each full day (as defined in the Summit agenda) that they attend. This flat-rate per diem is provided to assist Participants with out-of-pocket expenses relating to their participation, including ordering lunch from a local restaurant. This per diem will not be pro-rated, and will not establish a precedent for other virtual union events.
Members with Treasury Board, CFIA and Parks – Leave With Pay
Effective January 1, 2018, Treasury Board members (PA, SV, TC and EB Groups), and CFIA members, FB members (effective July 3, 2018), and Parks members (effective August 1, 2018) attending PSAC events covered by any of the following clauses must no longer submit loss of salary via the Member Expense Portal. Only non-salary expenses are to be claimed for reimbursement.
- 14.02 (13.02 for CFIA and Parks): representing PSAC on a certification or intervention
- 14.09 (13.09 for CFIA and Parks): contract negotiation meetings
- 14.10 (13.10 for CFIA and Parks): preparatory contract negotiation meetings
- 14.12 (13.12 for CFIA and Parks): Board of Directors and Executive Board meetings and conventions
- 14.13 (13.13 for CFIA and Parks): representatives’ training courses
Members affected will receive a Union Authorization Letter from the Regional Executive Vice-President’s Office for the 2021 Activist Summit authorizing their participation in the union activity for which a leave with pay is to be requested. The member will enter the leave request for the union activity in their respective Leave Management System and submit an electronic copy of the letter to their delegated manager.
PLEASE NOTE: Illness or other unforeseen circumstances may prevent a member from attending a union event. Members who are unable to participate in part or all of the event are personally responsible for modifying their related leave request in their Leave Management System. The Leave Management System must reflect the actual union leave used by the member in order to ensure the accuracy of the loss of salary invoiced to Public Service Alliance of Canada. The leave recorded in the Leave Management System should only reflect the actual amount of leave required to attend the union event.
ACCOMMODATION FOR DISABILITIES
The PSAC Accommodation Policy strives to ensure that PSAC events are barrier-free for members with disabilities. Once selected as a participant, members will be asked to specify their accommodation needs in order to facilitate their participation at the PSAC B.C. Activist Summit. Accommodation will be provided based on the requirements and functional limitations identified.
FAMILY CARE
The objective of the PSAC Family Care Policy is to remove one of the barriers which may prevent participantsfrom participating fully in union activities and which provides for the reimbursement of family care expenses. A copy of the policy is available on the PSAC website at www.psacunion.ca/family-care-policy.
Requests must be received no later than November 5, 2021.
PSAC ANTI-HARASSMENT POLICY
During the Summit, and at all events or activities associated with the Summit, the PSAC Anti-Harassment Policy will be in effect.
SELECTION OF PARTICIPANTS
If you are selected as a participant for the Summit, you will be advised by email and/or telephone.
Deadline to apply is Friday, November 5, 2021
For further information or assistance please call the PSAC Regional Executive Vice-President’s Office at 604-430-0191 or toll-free in B.C. 1-866-811-7700 or email to SchnidK@psac-afpc.com.
We look forward to the upcoming PSAC B.C. Activist Summit. This Summit will be an opportunity for PSAC members to improve their level of activism of the Union and build membership engagement in the workplace, union, and in our communities.
Please consult the PSAC B.C. Region website at www.psacbc.com periodically for additional information on the Summit. As information is available, it will be posted.
Thank you for your cooperation and support.
In Solidarity,
Jamey Mills
Regional Executive Vice-President, B.C. Region