AN ADC MOTION TO REMOVE GARY GANNAGE AS PRESIDENT OF AMAPCEO

AMAPCEO  lost an excellent Bargaining Team chair when Joseph Dubonnet resigned.  Joseph was elected first as a chapter chair representative on the Bargaining Team and then became the Bargaining Team Chair.  

His appointment to the Team was a hopeful sign that things in AMAPCEO were changing.  His resignation is proof positive that nothing can change while Gary is on the Team.   

Because many of us no longer have confidence that Gary Gannage can lead our Association, I submitted this motion last night for consideration at the ADC.

NOTICE OF MOTION

TO THE 2013 AMAPCEO ANNUAL DELEGATES CONFERENCE FILED ON NOVEMBER 14, 2013 WITH THE SECRETARY OF AMAPCEO AND COPIED TO MICHAEL MOURITSEN, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS OF AMAPCEO

Whereas we believe that the AMAPCEO membership has lost confidence in the President, Gary Gannage; and

Whereas Section 58 of the AMAPCEO Constitution requires two weeks’ notice to the Annual Delegates Conference of a motion under Section 58, we are submitting this resolution on November 14, 2013 to the Secretary of the Association for distribution to the delegates of the 2013 AMAPCEO Annual Delegates Conference; and

Whereas section 58 of the AMAPCEO Constitution provides the authority to the Delegates to remove the President from office with a two thirds vote; 

We move the following:

That the Delegates remove Gary Gannage as President of the Association effective upon the adoption of this motion.

Respectfully submitted by:

Margaret Kipp, Chapter Chair, Municipal Affairs and Housing Chapter

Victor Khait, Chapter Chair, Community Safety and Correctional Services Chapter

November 14, 2013

FAIRNESS WORKS!

#4 FOOD FOR THOUGHT - MY VP SPEECH FROM 2011 (I LOST!)

Within the past few days, an AMAPCEO member  asked me how long I had been  concerned about the way AMAPCEO was being run.  I replied, without hesitation, "about sixteen years!". In fact, it was this concern that prompted me to run and be elected to the Board of Directors.  After  ten years of frustration and watching as the Association became less and less accessible to its members, I left the board. I have been chapter chair at Municipal Affairs and Housing for the past few years.

As a member of the Board of Directors, I was constricted by the need to make it appear that the board was unanimous on everything (board solidarity) and to vote as block at Provincial Council.  As a chapter chair at Provincial Council and ADC, I can and do represent the views of AMAPCEO members at MMAH, often expressing opposition to AMAPCEO proposals such as Job Evaluation.  For years, I have advocated the "de-linking" of JE from collective bargaining.  This has not made me popular but it is important to stand up and vote for your convictions.  Others talk about openness and transparency but when they have the opportunity to make a difference they vote with the flock.

A major concern of mine has been the lack of "arm's length" oversight of the bargaining team by the Board of Directors.  I strongly believe that the bargaining team should be separate and apart from the governance of the Association.   In other words, the head of  the bargaining team should not sit on the Board of Directors.  It is important that the governance structures of AMAPCEO should manage bargaining by setting priorities.   Questions intended to elicit information can be viewed as a personal attack. In such a circumstance, it is hard to hold the bargaining team to account. I also believe that the bargaining team members should be elected by members and not selected/

In an effort to de-link the largely undefined position of vice president from the head of the bargaining team, I ran against Bob for the position of  Vice President in 2011.  I lost.   The other day, though, I  came across a copy of my speech which I will share with you.  While I lost the election, I realize that the issues of 2011 have not been resolved.

For those of you who are new, I share this paper.  If nothing else, you will see that the problems of last year persit . 

Good afternoon, ADC Delegates:

Thank you for volunteering your time, effort and talent to represent your AMAPCEO colleagues across the Province at this critical time in the OPS.  I truly believe that volunteers like you are the heart of our organization.  You are our most valuable resource and should be treated accordingly.  

By now, you will have received a number of communications from me.

I initially sent you email:

·      To outline of my experience in the OPS and AMAPCEO,

·      To tell you about my personal style, and

·      To outline what I want to accomplish as Vice President and

 Executive Officer of the Association. 

Thank you so much for your many words of encouragement and support during the past weeks.

In addition to the electronic communication I also mailed this letter to your home.  It tells you about my OPS and AMAPCEO experience.  More importantly it expands on those issues that I believe should the key priorities for the Association over the next two years.

I have worked to earn your vote. In these two days at the ADC, I finally get the chance to speak with you in person. By working hard to earn your vote I mean to demonstrate to you just how I will conduct myself as your Vice President.

As Vice President, I have set for myself four broad goals that I believe can and must be accomplished within the next two years. These goals relate less to what we do as an Association but, rather, to how we do it. 

How will we conduct ourselves as we deal with the work at hand, whether it be organizing, negotiating, or defending our members?

The four broad goals relate to the protection of members, improved decision and policy making, greater transparency, and valuing our volunteers.

First, as Vice President, I will work diligently to ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to the protection of our members.

Second, as Vice President, I will support measures that encourage a return to the decentralized and shared decision making and policy making that served the Association well in its early years. As an OPS colleague once said, we need to share the power.

Third, as Vice President, I will support, champion and encourage measures that provide greater transparency into the activities of the Association for our members.

And fourth, and perhaps most importantly, as Vice President I will strive to ensure that our local volunteers and activists are valued and respected.

I would like to talk to you now about these changes which I believe are critical to the continued well-being of AMAPCEO.  Let me tell you how I see us making these changes that I believe are necessary to ensure the Association is on track and ready for the future.

 1.  MEMBER PROTECTION

One, as a priority, I firmly believe we must ensure that sufficient resources are allocated to the protection of our members. What do I mean by this?

First of all, the resources I am talking about include the salaried staff that we hire to resolve disputes for our members.  However, these resources also include the unpaid volunteer workplace and AMERC representatives who are on the frontlines.  In my view, when we exclude these volunteers by failing to provide them with information, excluding them from meetings or failing to seek their input, we are wasting a valuable resource. 

My vision for member protection in AMAPCEO is this – in two years I would expect to achieve a system of workplace representation where volunteer workplace representatives and AMERC co-chairs work together seamlessly with paid office staff to ensure excellent service to the members.

HR ONTARIO is broken

But no matter how prepared we are to defend our members and how organized we are, we have to recognize that never before have we witnessed such incompetence and wanton disregard for the Collective Agreeement!  As one of our members so eloquently put it, HR Ontario is broken.  I found it very difficult to deal with HR Ontario two years ago when the Corporate Division at MAH underwent the reorg from hell. Things have not improved.  Our members, particularly those who have been surplussed without a match, are very upset. And where is AMAPCEO?  Why are we not sending letters, marching etc. Why are we missing in action? Conversations that start with a member disclosing the latest hiring shocker usually finish with the words, “And what is AMAPCEO going to do about it?”

By protection of our members I refer to the assistance our members have a right to expect from us, when they have complaints or grievances under either the Collective Agreement or the Employer’s own policies.

Judging by the large number of complaints that I hear about the customer service we provide to workplace representatives, it is clear that the service levels have diminished in the past two years. This decline in service has to be reversed. 

We are in tough economic times and it will get worse before it gets better.  As more members lose their jobs, the number of disputes will undoubtedly increase.  And, for us, representation of our members is Job One.

The short term, quick and dirty response to a crisis such as the one we are facing is to throw money at it.  And I do not doubt that, over the short term, we will have to hire more staff to handle the ever increasing number of grievances associated with job loss.  However, over the longer term, we need to do our homework to make sure we are using our resources wisely.   

How will we know when we are there? How will we measure success? How will we know when sufficient resources have been allocated to the protection of our members?

As Vice President I will call for an organizational review of the dispute resolution function within AMAPCEO with participation and input from members who have used these services as well as input from AMERCs and workplace representatives.    By 2013, this process should result in the establishment of measurable service standards so we know how we are doing.  Future staffing decisions will be better informed.

2.   GOVERNANCE: SHARED AND DECENTRALIZED POLICY AND DECISION MAKING

Second, we must encourage a return to the decentralized and shared decision making and policy making that served the Association well in its early years.

Those of us who have been around since the beginning (of AMAPCEO that is) are alarmed by the concentration and centralization of decision making within AMAPCEO.  The authority of the Board and Executive Committee has increased, while the role of Provincial Council has decreased.  Where the Provincial Council was once a lively forum for the discussion of policy, it has become a sort of focus group.

My vision for shared decision and policy making in AMAPCEO is this – in two years I believe we can revitalize policy making within AMAPCEO so that each component of our governance structure (ADC, Provincial Council, the Board, the Executive Committee) has a real opportunity to play a meaningful role in the establishment of policy.  As Vice President I will support initiatives that will rebalance the policy process and decision making in AMAPCEO.

3. GREATER TRANSPARENCY INTO THE ACTIVITIES OF THE ASSOCIATION

Third, we must provide greater transparency into the activities of the Association for our members. 

4. RESPECT FOR OUR VOLUNTEERS / ACTIVISTS

Finally, we must ensure that our local volunteers and activists are valued and respected. We are very good at producing studies on how to develop members and chapters, but poor at implementing them.  Our activists are volunteers who are willing to work for nothing, but who are not willing to waste their time.

Our workplace representatives are getting burned out, as they struggle with AMAPCEO almost as much as they struggle with the Employer, while trying to get justice and fair treatment for our members.   We must remember that our members are why we are here.

I would like to say a few words about our AMERC members who quietly go about the business of enforcing the Collective Agreement.  They play a critical role in defending the CA but are the most poorly resourced group of all.

As Vice President of AMAPCEO, I would advocate for support for AMERCs by arranging regular teleconferences and issue based training opportunities for all AMERC reps (on Employer time);  and by ensuring the timely sharing of information.

As Chapter Chair at Municipal Affairs and Housing, my focus has been on the governance of the Association and I participate fully in Provincial Council and have taken part in a number of important committees.  As AMERC co-chair (on and off over the past 16 years or so) my focus has been on the Collective Agreement,  ensuring that our members are able to take advantage of the protection offered by our Collective Agreement, and by the Employer’s policies. We have established a positive working relationship with the Employer within MAH.  We also work cooperatively with other bargaining agents as the need arises. Together with my colleagues who are workplace representatives, and health and safety representatives, and delegates to the ADC, our team provides members with the information they need, when they need it.  Signed off AMERC minutes for most of the 133 AMERC meetings held in MAH are available on the Ministry website.

As Vice President, I will be a member of the Executive Committee along with the President, Secretary and Treasurer.   If you elect me as Vice President, I will not waste this opportunity to get the Association back on track, moving forward!

So, tomorrow when you are marking your ballot please vote Margaret Kipp for Vice President.

Thanks for your time and your attention.

TAKE BACK AMAPCEO: WILL #AMAPCEO REALLY NEED THIS $100K POSITION WH...

TAKE BACK AMAPCEO: WILL #AMAPCEO REALLY NEED THIS $100K POSITION WH...: Executive Assistant to the President & CEO (Reporting directly to the President& CEO) Full-Time, 1 Year Contract – October 2013...

WILL #AMAPCEO REALLY NEED THIS $100K POSITION WHEN #AMAPCEO SEPARATES CAO FROM CEO?? REALLY?

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO
(Reporting directly to the President& CEO)

Full-Time, 1 Year Contract – October 2013
Classification Salary Level IV ($73,591 - $100,191)

  

This position will provide Executive-level support services to the AMAPCEO President & CEO and the corporate office.

 

Major responsibilities include:     

• Providing Executive-level staff support and organizational assistance to the President including assisting in the management of correspondence, employer disclosure material and general paper-flow; drafting correspondence
  
• Assisting in the scheduling and logistics of meetings; Attending meetings with senior officials from Employer groups, other bargaining units, and/or umbrella organizations; attending internal AMAPCEO committee/working group meetings; attending confidential meetings related to bargaining agent disclosures, taking meeting notes, organizing material and, as required, copying material to other AMAPCEO staff; monitoring required follow-up action from meetings, deadline reminders, employer compliance with commitments made, need for AMAPCEO comments on employer proposals
  
• Liaising as required with other AMAPCEO staff, rank-and-file members, Association elected officials, AMAPCEO activists, government officials/employer representatives, legal counsel, consultants and other bargaining agents
  
• Participating in policy and strategic analysis, research and special projects, negotiations, the preparation of briefing materials, providing Executive-level staff support to Association and joint AMAPCEO-Employer committees; participating in Management Team meetings
  
• Performs special projects and other related duties as requested.

 

Candidates should possess:   

• Prior experience providing administrative/executive assistance in a public sector environment/labour relations environment preferred
  
• Excellent judgement and discretion is essential; ability to work with highly confidential information and maintain confidentiality at all times
  
• Good knowledge of, or demonstrated capacity to learn, labour relations, collective bargaining and public service; strong demonstrated negotiating skills
  
• Highly developed organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize well, to manage a varied workload efficiently, to work independently and flexibly in a busy, small team environment; qualitative and quantitative analytical and research skills
  
• Excellent verbal and written presentation skills as well as excellent interpersonal and problem-solving skills including ability to work cooperatively with volunteer officers, committees, members and other staff as well as prepare accurate, timely and comprehensive reports, correspondence, briefing notes and other written materials
  
• High proficiency with computer programs including Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, Outlook and Internet searches
  
• Ability to work well under pressure, with minimal general day-to-day supervision, and work independently as well as in a team environment.

 

Work Location: AMAPCEO Office, 1 Dundas Street West, Suite 2310, Toronto, ON M5G 1Z3.  

Travel: Occasional travel required.

 

All interested applicants should submit a résumé in an envelope marked private / confidential by Friday, September 6th, 2013, before 4:00 p.m., to the attention of Farrah Charania, Senior Administrative Officer or send to charania@amapceo.on.ca.  A copy of the job description is available upon request.

Nominees for Governance Committee:2 Board members, 2 chapter chairs and 4 members

The election for this Committee will be by e-ballot by AMAPCEO Delegates.  The election will occur following the Chapter elections, as we get closer to that date – we will provide you with additional information regarding the timeline.

Board	Theresa Anderson-Butcher
Board	Gazira Chan
Board	Murray Gaudreau
Board	Sally Pardaens
Chapter Chair	Leslie Barber
Chapter Chair	Ken Botari
Chapter Chair	Dianne Colville
Chapter Chair	Harold Haynes		pending election results
Chapter Chair	Margaret Kipp
Members	Pat Bradley	BPS Member
Members	Mike Brown	BPS Member
Members	John Carberry
Members	James Dawson
Members	Previn Francis
Members	Michael Green
Members	Sarah Jeffrey-Hampton
Members	Hugh Montgomerie
Members	Vikas Sachdeva
Members	Val Szarota
Members	Rob Terhune

AMAPCEO Positions available for Election SPRING 2013 - GET YOUR NOMINATIONS IN!!!

Call for Nominations – Spring Elections

2013-05-10

Nominations (typically self-nominations) are invited from members-in-good-standing to fill the following AMAPCEO positions in Chapters and on a number of important committees.  The nomination deadline is 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 29^th, 2013.  AMAPCEO relies on its members to participate in the governance of the organization and we encourage all members to consider getting involved.   

Please click here to download or print the Nomination Form.                                

1.  CHAPTER CHAIRS (9 positions):      

• Attorney-General/Aboriginal Affairs  
• Correctional Services and Community Services  
• Energy, Environment and Infrastructure  
• Finance
• Guelph/Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs  
• Health and Long-Term Care/HQO/PHO/Waypoint
• Ottawa
• Sudbury/Norther Development & Mines
• Windsor.  

2.  DELEGATES (42 positions):  

• Citizenship and Immigration, Culture, Tourism and Sport -- (1 position)  
• Environment, Energy and Infrastructure -- (6 positions)  
• Government Services -- (10 positions)  
• Guelph/OMAFRA -- (3 positions)  
• Health and Long Term Care/HQO/PHO/Waypoint (15 positions)  
• Northwest Ontario --  (2 positions)  
• Ottawa – (3 positions)  
• Sudbury/Northern Development & Mines – (3 positions).  

3.   MEMBER, ADC AD HOC COMMITTEE ON GOVERNANCE REVIEW (8 positions from three distinct constituencies):

• Board of Directors – 2 positions (restricted to current Board members);
• Chapter Chairs – 2 positions (restricted to current Chapter Chairs);
• Members – 4 positions (from general membership other than current/former Chapter Chairs or Board members).

4.   MEMBER, BOARD COMMITTEES (at least 3 positions):

• Diversity Committee  
• Health, Safety and Wellness Committee  
• Workplace Relations Committee.

Nomination Deadline

The deadline for all nominations is 12:00 noon on Wednesday, May 29^th, 2013, by which time nomination forms must be received by the Chief Returning Officer at the AMAPCEO office. Candidates are strongly encouraged not to wait until the last minute to send in their nominations and are also encouraged not to rely on someone else to submit their forms for them. Nomination forms received after the deadline will not be accepted; failure of technology will not be accepted as an excuse.  

Please click here to download or print the Nomination Form. 

Who Can Participate?

To participate in the nomination and election process (as a candidate, nominator or voter), you must be a signed-up member-in-good-standing with a home position in the AMAPCEO bargaining unit.  (Those seconded into acting AMAPCEO positions, but who have home positions outside the bargaining unit, are not eligible to be nominated, even if they have signed up as Associate Members.)  In addition, to be nominated or to nominate someone else for any Chapter-level position, you also must have a home position in that particular Chapter.    

• If you are not sure you have signed a membership form or are uncertain about your home position or your Chapter affiliation, please contact the AMAPCEO office (416-595-9000 or from outside Toronto 1-888-AMAPCEO or by e-mail at amapceo@amapceo.on.ca) and ask to confirm your status.  Deduction of membership dues does not, in and of itself, indicate that you are a member; you must also have signed a membership form.     
• If you would like to fill out and sign a membership form, please click here. The sign-up process is very easy, can be done quickly and requires no additional payment.  (As an additional benefit, membership also entitles you to participate in our member discount services program – ServicePlus and gives you access to the Members’ Only password-protected section of the AMAPCEO website.)  

Nomination Process

If there are exactly the same number of nominations (or fewer) than open positions, the candidates are declared elected by acclamation.  If there are more candidates than available positions, an election will be held by on-line ballot as soon as possible after the close of nominations.  In the event that an election is required, candidates are entitled to have a one-page candidate statement circulated with the ballot; candidate statements should be submitted with the nomination form.

The nomination and election process is centrally supervised by the Elections and Credentials Committee, a committee elected by the Annual Delegates’ Conference (ADC).  The chair of the committee is the Chief Returning Officer. This year’s members are: Earl Alexander (Chair and Chief Returning Officer), Peter Dewar, Ron Grisbrook, Renee LeClair and Debra McCracken. The nomination and election rules are contained in the Elections By-law (By-law 1).

Description of Positions:

Chapter Chair:  Seven of 23 Chapter Chair positions are open for nomination this Spring (some positions are filled in the Fall and others are only mid-way through their two-year terms and thus are not open for nomination at this time).  The Chapter Chair, directly elected by each Chapter’s membership, is a member of both the Provincial Council, which meets six times a year and the Annual Delegates’ Conference.  This year’s Delegates’ Conference is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, November 29^th and 30^th, 2013.  The Chair presides over meetings of the Chapter Executive Committee and Chapter membership meetings and is generally responsible for providing leadership in the Chapter on membership development issues and in the recruitment of new members and volunteers. Chapter Chairs hold their positions for a term of two years and are eligible for re-nomination and re-election. 

Delegate:  A total of 42 Delegate positions are open for nomination this Spring (some Delegate terms expire in the Fall and other Delegates are only mid-way through their two-year terms and thus are not up for nomination at this time).  Each Chapter elects Delegates to attend the ADC on the basis of one Delegate for every fifty signed-up members.  (The nine members of the Board of Directors and the 23 Chapter Chairs are ex officio Delegates.)  The main responsibility of a Delegate is to attend the Conference and participate in decision-making at that time.  Among the decisions made at the ADC are:  election of the Board of Directors and executive officers; election of a number of important committees (Elections, Resolutions and Audit); adoption of the annual operating budget; approval of any increase in membership dues; approval of any constitutional amendments; adoption of bargaining priorities.  The ADC meets annually for two days at the end of November or in early December; this year, the conference is scheduled for Friday and Saturday, November 29^th and 30^th.  Paid leave is provided to attend the Friday session and Delegates are expected to volunteer one day of their time for the Saturday session. During the rest of the year, Delegates have an important role as members of their local Chapter Executive Committees.  The Chapter Executive Committee meets either in person or by teleconference approximately four times per year, and each Delegate holds one vote at these chapter-level meetings.  Delegates are also eligible to stand for election as Vice-Chair or Secretary-Treasurer of their Chapter Executive Committee. 

ADC Ad Hoc Committee on Governance Review: At the special April 19^th Delegates’ Conference, the Delegates established an ad hoc committee to conduct a comprehensive review of AMAPCEO’s governance structure, including Chapter structure and size; roles and responsibilities of Provincial Council, Board of Directors and the Board’s Executive Committee; and voting procedures.  The committee will consist of eight members:  two current members of the Board of Directors, two current Chapter Chairs and four other members from the general membership who are neither current nor former Board members nor current nor former Chapter Chairs.  In addition, at least two of the eight members must be from regional Chapters outside Toronto and one member must be from a Broader Public Sector bargaining unit (and the Elections and Credentials Committee was assigned the responsibility to finalize the election process required to implement this).  All members are to be elected in a special on-line election to be conducted among Delegates following the Spring nomination cycle.  This is a special committee that will submit a final report to the 2013 ADC.

Board Committees:  The Board of Directors has four standing committees on which it appoints members from among the general membership.  There are vacancies on three of these:  the Diversity Committee, the Workplace Relations Committee and the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee.  In order to be appointed to the Health, Safety and Wellness Committee, it is necessary to be a health and safety representative.  In order to be appointed to the Workplace Relations Committee, it is necessary to be a trained Workplace Representative.  Terms of reference of these committees are accessible by clicking on the link at each committee’s name.  Appointment is for a two-year term and is made by the Board (likely at its June meeting).  Board committees typically meet at least once a year in person and two or three times by teleconference.  

Meetings of Provincial Council and the Delegates, as well as committees of the ADC or Board, are held in Toronto.  Committee meetings may be held by teleconference or in person. 
Questions?

For further information about the nomination and election process and the responsibilities and time commitments required, please feel free to review the Constitution and Governance section of this website.  If you still have questions, however, do not hesitate to contact Jennifer Sherwood, Labour Relations Specialist (at sherwood@amapceo.on.ca) or by phone at ext 2132 (The AMAPCEO phone number is 1-888-AMAPCEO or 416-595-9000.)