YUKON EMPLOYEES' UNION NEWSLETTER JUNE 2021

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Yukon Employees’ Union 201-2285 2nd Avenue Whitehorse Yukon Y1A 1C9

Yukon Employees’ Union June 2021

NEWS

Introducing Richard Wagner YEU Labour Relations Advisor I got involved in Union activities at a young age. My father owned a company and I worked for him in summers and on school breaks. I was reading about Unions and the benefits of belonging to one. Since my father's company wasn't unionized, I called the Union and asked them to come out on the job site. They did, and a Union company was born - much to the dismay of my disgruntled father. Years later he thanked me because he became the largest contractor East of the Port Mann Bridge in British Columbia.

I served 20 years on Local 728 Surrey School Board Executive and committees. We started up the WCB Appeal and Advocacy committee to help our members and it was here that I gained the knowledge and tenacity to become an experienced Rep. I have worked for YG for 14 years, have held every position on the executive of Local Y010 and have been proud Director on the YEU Executive for 7 years. In those years I have come to a solid understanding of our role as a Union at YEU which has formed the basis of a strong desire to help our members.

I live with my sweetheart Kyrn and my stepson Gavin in PC. We were involved with fund raising with Mae Bachur and helped our NDP party until COVID hit us. We enjoy fishing, mountain biking,camping and road tripping in our beautiful Yukon. When we are in Kusawa campground I always fly our YEU flag proudly and it serves as a beacon after a long day on the water.

I'm extremely proud to be part of the team at YEU, and it's an honour for me to serve our members. I bring dedication and passion with over 34 years of Union experience in 2 provinces and here in the Yukon. I look forward to learning the nuances of the duties but above all, I am ready to represent our members to the highest standard.

New Challenges Ahead for Susan Koser usan Koser has retired from YEU to take on a new challenge with the Yukon Hospital Corporation.

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Susan has supported YEU members as a Labour Relations Advisor since she started work with us in 2015. Her background in Human Resources with YG gave her a unique perspective, and a powerful tool kit to help members address workplace challenges.

Susan is particularly passionate about competition appeals and supporting workers in need of workplace accommodation.

With plenty of experience on both the employee and employer side, Susan will continue to support workers in need of accommodation in her new role as an Ability Management and Wellness Consultant with WGH. YEU Staff, shop stewards, members, and employer representatives will miss Susan.

We are grateful for the contributions she has made and the many lives she has impacted through her work as an LRA at the Union Hall.

We wish Susan all the best in this exciting new chapter and thank her for her service to the members of Yukon Employees’ Union.

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YEU NEWS June 2021

NEWS

From the President’s Desk Steve Geick The Territorial election is over, the dust has settled, and new MLAs have been sworn in. Congratulations to everyone who put themselves out there, offering to serve the Yukon in a very challenging role. Of course, now the real work begins. We’re sure everyone elected to office is committed to fulfilling their election promises, listening to, and consulting with Yukoners - the people responsible for putting these MLAs in office.

The brutal fact is that it really doesn’t matter how wellintentioned and committed any elected representative or political party might be. In fact, not much progress will be made until Sandy Silver and company clear house in the ranks of upper management. Elected leaders must find the courage to rein in the deeply entrenched, uncontrolled bureaucracy that has been allowed to flourish.

Besides stifling progress and actively blocking change, this obstructive and implacable level of government has had far too much impact on the lives of our Public Servants. A leadership vacuum at the top has created the perfect environment for a culture of obstructive performance by too many of YG’s senior managers.

An irradicable group of highly paid employees has chosen to block progress and resist change to maintain their authority. So long as leaders allow bureaucratic inertia to stand in the way of the change voters demand, good intentions and MLA commitment will only get us so far.

Without the political will to exert authority and clear out the dead wood, the status quo is all we can expect.

When workers are respected, they are engaged, largely satisfied with their jobs, and committed to the organization. The most recent YG Employee Engagement Survey results released in 2019 showed that employees were generally happy in the areas of job satisfaction, pay and benefits, job suitability and the teams they worked with.

Not really much change from previous surveys and most of these key satisfaction markers are in place because they’ve been negotiated by the union.

What stands out to me is the steady decline in satisfaction with senior management. This area continues to decline with each survey, and it’s a cause of real concern for the union. The role of senior management in the work life of members can’t be overstated.

Survey response themes include a lack of clear direction for the future, the lack of timely communications, changing priorities, inadequate flow of critical information from

Yukon Employees’ Union Newsletter

senior management and an even lower satisfaction with the exchange of information from staff to senior management, clearly indicating that key information that could help workers implement positive change is being withheld by bureaucrats. Employees surveyed felt there was little genuine interest in their wellbeing from senior management. Another indicator of a lack of engagement, survey participation rates keep falling, now hovering around 50% .

So how does YG, self-identified as a “Top 100” Canadian employer have such poor employee satisfaction with senior management? It’s a lack of oversight, a lack of consistency and a failure of senior management to make sure that departments and branches respect the Collective Agreement as well as their own policies and internal directives. I constantly hear from departments that they do not have to follow the Public Service Commission’s General Application Guideline series, which is the government’s interpretation of the Collective Agreement as they are “only guidelines.”

The buck must stop with our elected representatives. By allowing everyone from Deputy Ministers to Directors and senior Managers to run their own show as they see fit without following the rules, Sandy and company are not fulfilling their mandate. Silver has now appointed the new Public Service Commissioner without following proper procedure. Previous governments have stifled the authority of the Public Service Commissioner, never allowing them to exercise the full suite of powers available to them under the Legislation. Continuing the practice of hobbling the Public Service Commissioner guarantees the bureaucratic old guard will maintain the status quo, and the Public Service and the electorate will pay the price.

Sandy Silver, this problem has been allowed to flourish for well over a decade, and you did nothing to address it in your first term. It’s past time to the right thing and demand that all departments and branches play by the rules.

From where I sit, it’s clear that you have no control over the inflated bureaucracy that exists within Government.

It’s past time you put an end to the individual fiefdoms that the YG bureaucrats have created; you have an obligation not only to Public Servants but all Yukoners who rely on the Government.

June 2021 Page 3

YEU Challenges Yukon Government’s Concerning New Accommodations Practices A few months ago, the Yukon Government’s Disability Management Unit transitioned to its new name - Health Safety and Wellbeing, ostensibly serving to support the well-being of the public service.

Since that transition, Yukon Employees’ Union’s Labour Relations staff have seen the employer take a new and troubling approach to accommodating our members with disabilities.

YG has frequently begun placing our members in inappropriate roles that do not give proper consideration of their restrictions and limitations. Doing work that doesn’t match physical limitations or medical restrictions has led to an increased need to take leave for some accommodated workers. This has also resulted in pay interruptions as members await more appropriate placements. We have also seen many of our members experience significant delays as they wait for accommodation placements.

YEU’s Public Relations Committee

Needs YOU! Our Public Relations Committee does all the fun stuff - plans the YEU Labour Day BBQ, provides financial and logistical support to local community groups and takes rapid action when needed to offer help in times of crisis or need.

The PR Committee is also responsible for the Community Laundry Project, a terrific initiative that helps to make trips to the laundromat a little less expensive for community members in need. It’s a much needed and meaningful project, and fun!

This Committee meets monthly, and is usually engaged in helping out at some of the events and initiatives they plan. If you are community minded and want to show up and help bring the strength of the union where it can do some good, we need you!

Email contact@yeu.ca and we’ll put you in touch with the chair of the committee. Hope to see you at a meeting!

In the past, YG has been more agreeable to fairly compensating workers for accommodation delays that are the fault of the employer. Recently however, the employer has insisted that members use their hard-earned vacation accruals and sick leave, bearing a heavy personal burden for these employer-caused delays.

YEU has reacted by filing a number of grievances against the employer for discrimination on the basis of disability, as our members are being treated unfavorably in relation to their disabilities.

Employees with disabilities deserve every opportunity to make meaningful, productive, contributions to the workforce and the public service. Employees with disabilities deserve to be treated with dignity and respect in the workplace and throughout the accommodation process.

We believe that YEU can influence the employer’s process, and change the way our members are being treated.

The grievance process is one method we can use to address the employer’s lack of concern for their workers and their legal duty to accommodate.

ARTICLE 57: DUTY TO ACCOMMODATE 57.01 The Employer recognizes that workplace accommodation enables employees with injuries or illnesses or disabilities to be productive members of the public service, benefiting both the Yukon Government and the employee, and is committed to upholding the duty to accommodate the needs of employees with disabilities pursuant to the Yukon Human Rights Act. It is the responsibility of the Employer, the employee needing accommodation, and the Union when requested by the employee, to work together towards the goal of reaching a reasonable accommodation..

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS! The Community Laundry project is a terrific initiative, serving community members by helping make laundry less of a financial burden. We need you! Each month we need 2 helpers to make the events run smoothly. Interested? It’s fun and easy.

Call Deborah at 667-2331 ext. 1007

You’re a Union Member - What Does That mean?

As a YEU member, you have all the benefits of a good union contract and you get to have a say in making improvements to the collective agreement.

As a union member, you also have a voice in how the union does its work by participating in union meetings and structures.

All Yukon Government employees have the contractual right to information about the union and the benefits of union membership.

The YEU/PSAC negotiated a 45 minute orientation to the union on paid time (see Article 13.03 (3) (b) in the Collective Agreement) because new employees need to know about their rights, how to exercise them and how to connect with their Shop Steward.

YEU Local Y017 started offering Orientation to the Union sessions every Wednesday at 3pm (Zoom) and at 4pm (at the YEU Hall). Now these sessions are accessible to all YG employees who would like to join in.

Not a YG employee? All YEU members can participate in a Welcome to the YEU Zoom session held on a regular basis in the evening. Check out the Events calendar, yeu.ca/events We hope to see you at an Orientation to the Union session soon! If you don’t see one that fits your schedule or you’d like to see other training made available, get in touch with YEU Training Officer Lynne Pajot or your Local Executive..

YEU’s Triennial Convention Goes Virtual The year 2021 will forever be remembered in union circles as the year of the Virtual Convention. Our three year cycle was interrupted in 2020 thanks to COVID­19 closures and restrictions, so this year has seen a rush of postponed events taking place online ­ a new experience for everyone involved.

YEU Delegates to the PSAC North Regional Convention now have one fully virtual event under their belts; four days of Convention proceedings following a day of platform training having replaced the usual cama­ raderie and energy of a packed meeting hall. Caucuses have moved from breakout spaces to virtual breakout rooms, and resolution debate shifted from mic muffins and lineups on the floor to a virtual green room and waiting to be unmuted by the tech folks.

This fall’s YG Bargaining Input Conference will also be a virtual event, more accurately a hybrid event. Public Health permission pending, we hope to gather most delegates together, with some participants joining thanks to the internet. More learning ­ navigating the hybrid event will provide us with new challenges too.

With so much to learn, we’re grateful for the opportunity to participate in these events ahead of our own postponed triennial convention in late October. For the first time, YEU delegates will gather without gather­ ing, meet on a virtual convention floor and debate remotely. If the PSAC Convention is any indication of how things will go, we can expect some glitches, a few laughs, and a fair bit of waiting for speakers to make it to the “mic”. Although we expect some technical issues, we know that we can still have a solid convention.

Delegate selection is underway at Local meetings ­ if you’d like to be a delegate to Convention, make sure you visit yeu.ca/locals, visit your Local’s page and attend a Local meeting or reach out to your Local President. Resolutions to Convention are being prepared now by Locals, and will be provided to the YEU Resolutions Committee by the June 30th deadline.

We’re looking forward to a very unconventional Virtual Convention, October 27­29, 2021.

Get Informed about Workplace Violence & Harassment Prevention Submitted by the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health and Safety Board iolence and harassment can affect each and every one of us—workers, supervisors and employers.

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The Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Board is offering educational sessions to help workplaces meet the requirements of the Government of Yukon’s recently approved Violence and Harassment Prevention Regulation, which comes into force on September 4, 2021. The Regulation requires employers to demonstrate their commitment to creating healthy and safe workplaces that are free of violence and harassment.

About the sessions These sessions are open to everyone in the workplace.

Participants will learn about the Regulation, including the definition of workplace violence and harassment, and the responsibilities of each workplace. As well, we will introduce a set of templates that will assist employers in meeting their responsibilities. Anyone interested in participating can visit our violence and harassment prevention web page at wcb.yk.ca/wvhp. You can find upcoming session dates and register for a session.

We offer scheduled sessions both by video conference and in person, following COVID-19 guidelines from the office of the Yukon Chief Medical Officer of Health.

Sessions are facilitated by our employees and are available free of charge.

What is workplace violence and harassment?

Workplace violence is generally understood as the threatened, attempted or actual application of physical force toward a worker that is likely to cause harm or lead a worker to believe that they are likely to be harmed.

Workplace harassment is generally understood as any objectionable comments or behaviours that we know, or should know, are likely unwelcome.

It’s not harassment when managers and supervisors are exercising managerial authority. For example, giving instructions, changing workers’ job duties, determining schedules and workloads, evaluating performance or taking disciplinary actions. As well, not every incident of unpleasant interactions, disrespectful behaviours or conflict is necessarily harassment, although it may develop into harassment or violence.

About the new Regulation Since violence and harassment are hazards in all Yukon workplaces, all employers will require a written policy and procedures that detail what everyone in the workplace must do to prevent these hazards from causing harm. Employers also have to offer employee training on their policies and procedures.

According to President/CEO of YWCHSB Kurt Dieckmann, “Every employer, supervisor and worker should have a common understanding about what is acceptable and unacceptable behaviour at work. As a result, anyone who is experiencing, or who sees others experiencing, violence or harassment will know what to do to address the violent situation or make a report of harassment.”

What are the benefits of the Regulation?

The Regulation aims to help prevent psychological injury and improve safety culture in the workplace. It provides the minimum requirements employers must take to prevent violence and harassment in their workplaces.

Preventing workplace violence and harassment can lead to improved productivity and efficiency, cost savings and reduced absenteeism.

Register for a session today Visit wcb.yk.ca/wvhp to register for an educational session and find other resources to help workplaces meet the requirements of the Regulation. We all have a role to play in keeping healthy and safe at work.

Lorraine Rousseau, PSAC Regional Executive Vice President, North YEU congratulates Lorraine Rousseau, elected this weekend to the role of PSAC Regional Executive Vice President, North. A Whitehorse resident, Lorraine will represent Public Service Alliance of Canada and component members across the north from Yukon to Nunavut. As REVP, Lorraine will sit on the Alliance Executive Council with the other six Regional Executive Directors.

A proud and active USJE member, Lorraine’s speech to PSAC North Convention Delegates outlined her volunteer service and record of activism.

“Within my organization I have devoted my efforts to creating positive space as the National Representative for Diversity and Inclusion, Employment Equity, Mental Wellness, and Peer to Peer, ASIST (suicide prevention). I helped coordinate and facilitate the annual Diversity Week, and supported our LGBTQ2S members by helping make a Transgender policy and guidelines available. I supported my colleagues with grievance handling, labour issues and as a Labour Management Consultation Committee member.

“I am committed to the path we are on; we are all individuals in our collective yet we are stronger together.”

Bargaining Update from Local Y023 City of Whitehorse City of Whitehorse employees represented by YEU/PSAC are heading into bargaining this year. Local Y023 received 70 bargaining input submissions from its members with some clear themes across work groups.

The input has been gathered, is being reviewed by YEU and PSAC, and will soon be prioritized by our Bargaining Committee with the PSAC negotiator.

The Y023 Bargaining Committee is diverse in its mem‐ ber representation, and we are grateful for these mem‐ bers who have agreed to negotiate on behalf of all of us.

Shauna Murphy Rodriguez Adam Fredericks Marsha Cooke Gary McKone Jeremy Raymond Dale Cebuliak Teresa Acheson

Engineering Bylaw Water & Waste Transpiration Parks Engineering Local President

Our local has faced challenges thanks to the ongoing lack of stability and consistency at the senior management level. The City has not been able to retain staff in the HR department, and the last HR Manager hired didn't even stay in the job long enough to meet face to face with the union. Soaring turnover in HR have led to a real lack of consistency in the application and interpretation of our bargained collective rights. This has created problems for union members and supervisors who are also union members, as they try to support their teams.

Whitehorse City Council recently approved "market value" adjustments to management pay, with some man‐ agers seeing pay increases as high as 17%. The explana‐ tion that these pay increases were necessary "to remain competitive with YG" just proves that the city's Job Evaluation System is woefully out of date. Their decision to offer these huge pay raises proves although the city is aware they no longer offer competitive or fair compen‐ sation, that logic has not been applied to the compensa‐ tion offered to the city’s unionized workforce.

On review of the City O&M budget approved for 2021, one member noted "The O&M budget was just put for‐ ward and Finance said they were doing quite well finan‐ cially. CPI in the Yukon is one highest in all of the coun‐ try. Yukon is doing very well in general compared to other areas."

As we approach the bargaining table this year, we are interested to hear the employer’s approach to compen‐ sation for its workers. Last round, the City Council had just given themselves a raise of 45% in 2018, while city workers got 4.25% over 4 years. So in 2021, if the city is "doing quite well financially" and can afford 17% market increases for managers, its high time that the city starts focusing on doing more to retain their workers.

Submitted by Teresa Acheson, President Local Y023

Occupational Health & Safety Failure at Yukon Government recent review of documents obtained through ATIPP and provided anonymously to YEU makes it clear that the Public Service Commission of the Yukon Government has consistently failed to provide meaningful leadership in the arena of health and safety.

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How many Health & Safety audits has the Government of Yukon performed in their workplaces over the last decade? From the documents we have reviewed, the answer is ZERO. Not a single government-wide health & safety audit has been performed by the Public Service Commission, despite their legislated obligation to ensure, so far as is reasonably practicable, that (a) the workplace, machinery, equipment, and processes under the employer’s control are safe and without risks to health. (b) work techniques and procedures are adopted and used that will prevent or reduce the risk of occupational injury; and (c) workers are given necessary instruction and training and are adequately supervised, taking into account the nature of the work and the abilities of the workers.

The Government of Yukon’s General Administration Manual (GAM) outlines the employer’s duty to protect health and safety in the workplace. Although many guiding documents and policies apportion responsibility widely, it is the irrefutable obligation of the Public Service Commission to “monitor and audit the government’s performance in health and safety, reporting on that performance to the Health & Safety Leadership Committee” (HSLC).

And while acknowledging the strategic role of the HSLC, the GAM is clear that ultimate accountability lies with the Public Service Commission.

According to both the ATIPP records provided to YEU and the response letter penned by the Public Service Commission’s Director of Health, Safety and Wellbeing Jeananne Nicloux, the PSC has performed no governmentwide health and safety audits. In fact, they have not adopted a standard process to perform audits. Some small-scale audits have been conducted in some workplaces as part of the COR Certification process or in response to orders from the YWCHSB. In the GAM, much of the procedural OH&S accountability rests with the Deputy Ministers. A comprehensive list of responsibilities in the GAM requires DMs to provide leadership, to engage the workforce, to set health and safety performance measures for their departments, and to ensure

those measures align with corporate direction. Deputy Ministers are also required to report on their department’s performance to the HSLC, providing information as requested by the PSC to monitor and audit government OH&S performance.

In a review of HSLC meeting minutes for the last year and more, we can find no reference whatsoever to the submission of reports from Deputy Ministers on the outcomes of their efforts. No reports, no analyses, no performance metrics, no plans. The overseeing body acting as liaison between the workplace and the Minister responsible for the Public Service Commission seems to have overlooked their obligation to collect critical safety data from its deputies.

Without the baseline data produced by a full audit, OH&S policies and plans are based on assumptions rather than facts.

Reports from the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Board show quite static workplace injury numbers from 2016 to 2020, suggesting little to no improvement in any department with high injury rates. Average claims government-wide from 2016 to 2020 ranged from 224 to 249 per year, averaging 239 Yukon Government workers hurt on the job every year. The department showing the highest rate of workplace injury was Health & Social Services, averaging 87 accepted claims annually with a peak of 102 in 2020.

The Department of Highways & Public Works was close behind, averaging 49 accepted claims per year, peaking at 59 in 2019. These numbers are too high.

Yukon Employees' Union believes the number of workplace injuries within Yukon Government departments would drop if proper baseline health & safety audits were performed, recommendations made, and progress monitored. It is incomprehensible that these numbers can remain consistent year over year if appropriate measures are truly being taken to protect workers from injury.

If departmental Deputy Ministers are responsible for the overall health and safety in their workplaces then clearly the Ministers of those departments hold final accountability. And if the Public Service Commission holds ultimate responsibility within the bureaucracy, then the full and final obligation to keep workers safe belongs to the Minister Responsible for the Public Service Commission.

For the last several years, that title was held by Richard Mostyn. Of note, Mr. Mostyn was employed by the Yukon Workers’ Compensation Health & Safety Board prior to his election in 2016. Following the territorial election this spring, narrowly re-elected Richard Mostyn is the MLA responsible for the Yukon Workers’ Health & Safety Board.

We hope he takes that role seriously and ensures the Yukon’s largest employer lives up to its OH&S obligations.

ur deepest condolences to YEU Labour Relations Advisor Jessica Kish and Clancy McInnis as they grieve the loss of their beautiful baby girl.

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Jessica delivered Scarlett Evelyn Rose Murphy on September 26, 2020 on the Southshore of Nova Scotia. After a remarkably uncomplicated pregnancy and birth baby Scarlett seemed to be thriving, but died at one week old due to undiagnosed neonatal sepsis.

The loss of Scarlett will mark the beginning of a life long and difficult journey for Jessica, but the same strength and resolve that has served her so well in her work has helped her in her return to the Yukon and the office after this tremendous loss.

Jessica hopes you will speak Scarlett’s name, honouring her life and loss. It’s not easy to return from maternity leave to congratulations and inquiries, just as it’s not easy to tell the story over and over. This is our tribute to Scarlett, and to Jessica’s journey as she and Clancy celebrate baby Scarlett’s life. A Celebration of Life was held on May 30th.

Thank you!

We want to say a huge thank you to two long time Shop Stewards and Local Executive Members, both retiring from many years of union service. All the best to you both as you pursue new adventures.

Local Y010’s Paul Davis has retired from YG. Over the years he fulfilled the role of Shop Steward and Local Director, and was active as a Health & Safety Rep in his workplace. Paul played an important role at YG Bargaining Input Conferences and as a volunteer at our Labour Day BBQ and other events.

Local Y017 activist Deb Wren has stepped back from her many roles with YEU, after a volunteer career spanning over a decade. Deb has been a member of the YG Main Table Bargaining Team, helping negotiate the collective agreement. As well, she has been both Director and President of her Local, played an important role as a Shop Steward and mentor, and sat on the YEU’s Executive.

YG Bargaining Update YEU members employed by the Yukon Government were mailed a special bargaining newsletter earlier this month, outlining the steps leading to a new collective agreement.

Our Public Service Alliance of Canada negotiator worked with YEU leadership to outline a slightly altered process this round, opening up the input call to the full membership through the deployment of an online submission form. A similar form encouraged a high rate of input submissions from members of the City’s bargaining units as they enter their negotiations.

Once the bargaining input period closed on May 24th, the bargaining proposals received were sorted, and sent to Local Presidents for review by Local executive. Each Local will choose and identify their priority proposals based on varying critieria, generally including number of members impacted, likelihood of success, and health and safety importance. All proposals submitted will then be provided to the PSAC negotiations staff who will prepare a comprehensive package for the August Bargaining Input Conference.

Delegates to the Bargaining Input Conference are selected at Local meetings; the deadline for each YG Local to submit their delegate selections is June 17th.

Delegates to the Bargaining Input Conference have the important job of determining which of the nearly 100 proposals received will be brought forward to the bargaining table.

Local delegates will speak to their priority proposals, answer questions and help establish the rationale behind each submission.

Delegates will also vote to select the two bargaining teams, and a suite of alternates who are willing to step in should someone need to step away for any reason. The teams elected include the non-monetary team who are first to the table. This team will negotiate proposals without a significant cost attached. Once their work is concluded, the main table team follows up to negotiate those items with a price tag attached and any items outstanding from the first set of meetings.

Once the teams have achieved a tentative deal, the membership is called upon to attend ratification meetings.

Usually the bargaining teams and negotiator tour every Yukon community to ensure each member has the opportunity to learn about the proposed changes and ask questions.

If the membership votes in favour, the new contract is ratified. If they don’t agree with the proposed changes, the options include returning to the bargaining table or holding a strike vote.

From start to finish, the bargaining process belongs to the membership. Everything from the bargaining proposals to the teams who face the employer comes from, is for, and answers to the workers.

It’s YOUR contract - help to keep it strong.

To Jack Bourassa Upon your Retirement A Wee Toast (Roast) to a Good Friend.

I really hope Jack gets a bigger boat before he sails off into the Sunset. Jack, I have a full crew signed up and ready to go! If you’ve met Jack you’ll know that standing up for people and fighting inequities precedes his involvement with Unions. He has stood up for people his entire life.

Jack’s involvement with YEU was no accident. As a Yukon Government Employee in the department of Education, Jack’s role as the Apple IT tech saw him engage members throughout the territory. He volunteered as a Shop Steward in 2002, then served as Chief Shop Steward for Local Y010. Jack sat on the YEU Executive from 2011-2014 before he was first elected to the role of PSAC Regional Executive Vice President, North in 2014.

I still remember encouraging Jack to run for REVP. I also remember a phone call about a month after he was elected where he said something to the effect of “ I thought you were my friend, what have you done to me?” Once he stopped sobbing and I stopped laughing, I assured him that everything was going to be okay. I didn’t know how else to keep him from returning to the YEU executive!

There were other ways but I couldn’t afford to buy him a boat. Just kidding, Jack!

Well Jack, just as I predicted, everything was okay. I personally have to thank you for your years of dedication to YEU and PSAC. I’ve enjoyed our time together at NBOD, North Region and most of all your personal friendship.I’m not that far behind you Brother I’ll see you on a golf course soon enough!.

“Think where man’s glory most begins and ends, And say my glory was I had such friends.”

William Butler Yeats Stay in touch, Brother.

Steve Geick

YEU Shop Steward & Member Training Spring 2021 Register at yeu.ca/training Contact: lpajot@yeu.ca What’s on the Calendar? *YEU INTAKE & YOU! June 16, 9 - 10:30 am ZOOM Your Health & Safety Rights at Work August 26, 5:30 - 6:30 pm ZOOM * REFRESHER ON GRIEVANCES September 15, 2021 9 -10:30 am ZOOM

SCAN THIS CODE with your Phone’s Camera to view our full schedule of events.

*Shop Steward Training

YEU Component Leadership

If you have a meeting at the YEU Hall, please use the door at the back of the building.

If you’ve set up an appointment with a Labour Relations Advisor, come on upstairs and we’ll let you in the office doors. Attending a Local Meeting or Committee Meeting on the main floor? Just head to the appropriate meeting room, and please wear a mask.

If the door is locked between 8:30 and 5pm,, please ring the bell and we will let you in.

Steve Geick, President

Tony Thomas, Vice President Communities

Need Help?

Find A Shop Steward

YEU Shop Stewards are trained vol­ unteers, ready to act as workplace advocates. They are your first point of contact in case of trouble on the job, a great resource if you have a question about your Collective Agreement, and an educated sound­ ing board if you have ideas on how to make your workplaces run more smoothly. Not sure who to call?

Visit yeu.ca/find_your_steward OR point your phone’s camera at the QR Code and open the link.

YEU STAFF CONTACTS

Paul Johnston, Vice President

Jim Crowell, Labour Relations Advisor; jcrowell@yeu.ca Roseanne Elias, Membership Services Officer; relias@yeu.ca Beckie Huston, Intake Advisor; bhuston@yeu.ca Jessica Kish Labour Relations Advisor; jkish@yeu.ca Tammy Olsen, Financial Officer; tolsen@yeu.ca Lynne Pajot, Education Officer; lpajot@yeu.ca Haley Philipsen, Executive Assistant; hphilipsen@yeu.ca Dan Robinson, Labour Relations Advisor; drobinson@yeu.ca Deborah Turner-Davis, Communications; dturner-davis@yeu.ca Richard Wagner Labour Relations Advisor; rwagner@yeu.ca Michelle Parsons, Executive Director; mparsons@yeu.ca

Yukon Employees’ Union, 2285 2nd Ave. Whitehorse YT Y1A 1C9 PH: 867-667-2331 Fax: 867-667-6521 1-888-YEU-2331 contact@yeu.ca www.yeu.ca Hours: Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm Page 12

YEU NEWS June 2021