UFCW Canada National Council Committees recently met in Halifax to evaluate ongoing projects, discuss upcoming initiatives, and, for one group, make front page news.


Women’s Advisory Committee

While taking part in the demonstration in support of the long gun registry, members of the National Women’s Advisory Committee caught the attention of the local media and later found themselves leading the news in one of the city’s most popular daily papers.

Pictured in the September 16 issue of Metro, is UFCW Canada Local 832 staff representative and Women’s Advisory Committee member Mary Johnson lighting a candle to commemorate the women who have suffered the effects of violence. With Sister Johnson are fellow committee members Nancy Quiring and Anouk Collet from the National Office, and UFCW Canada Local 1400 activist Judy Hrycuik.

“The media attention was welcomed by the committee because it drew attention to a very important issue affecting women,” says Sister Quiring, who chairs the Women’s Advisory Committee, in addition to serving UFCW Canada as director of the Western Region. “But the focus of the Halifax session was on reviewing a number of new resources the committee has been developing over the last several months.”

Over the next few weeks, the Women’s Advisory Committee will be finalizing and releasing the new Money Skills program, designed to help UFCW Canada members meet the ever growing challenge task of trying to balance the family budget. The committee is also set to launch a new Sexual Harassment Guide, and they’ve started developing a new Politics for Women course that will be dedicated to helping members become fully engaged in the political process.


Workplace Rights Committee

 

The National Workplace Rights Committee also met in Halifax to build on its commitment to sharing information and experiences.

“The primary objective of the Workplace Rights Committee is to ensure the highest level of understanding with respect to the federal laws, policies and benefits that have a huge impact on our members’ lives,” says committee chairperson Jim Wright. “So every time the committee meets we dedicate ourselves to enhancing our knowledge about a universal issue. For the Halifax session we focused on the intricacies of the Canadian Pension Plan, and how to apply that knowledge to better represent the membership.”

The Workplace Rights Committee also reviewed the details of the upcoming Health & Safety Survival Guide, which will be made available to all local unions in the next several weeks, and “will go a long way to helping to prevent injuries and save lives,” says Brother Wright.


Education & Political Action Committee (EPAC)