Canadian Locals Upgrade Their Skills to Better Serve Members

Education has been one of the most effective ways to enhance the participation and experience of IFPTE Locals. Spring has presented western Canadian IFPTE Locals with opportunities to upgrade their skills to better serve their members. The pandemic has pushed person-to-person contact online and given Locals a chance to train from the comfort of their homes. Between March 4th to March 25th, Local activists and staff from Manitoba and Saskatchewan participated in a joint offering of the CLC’s “Member Engagement/Member Organizing” course. Conducted via Zoom, IFPTE Organizer Dave Sauer and CLC Manitoba Representative Bernie Wood facilitated important discussions and learning sessions on Wednesday evenings.

“Coming fresh off of bargaining in 2020, we know the next contract is right around the corner. The break from the table presents WAPSO/IFPTE Local 162 with an opportunity to reach out to our members. The training was important because we had a chance to hear what other Locals were doing and where we could improve. We also know our own experiences were important for others to hear.” – Keith Bellamy, WAPSO/IFPTE Local 162 Executive Director.

Education sessions are continuing this week with the introduction of NPEU/IFPTE Local 70’s “Bargaining Academy” in western Canada. A dozen leaders and activists have signed up for the four week, Wednesday evening course facilitated by IFPTE Organizers Bill Fitzpatrick and Dave Sauer. Many thanks to NPEU/IFPTE Local 70 and IFPTE Staffer Chris Langford for the materials.