On October 4, USJE National President David Neufeld, RVP Bella Skalin and Local 00060 President Tracy Coates met with RCMP members at O Division Headquarters in London, ON. The lunch and learn session had an excellent turnout, with more than 25 engaged members in attendance.
Despite the session only lasting an hour, President Neufeld and RVP Skalin were able to speak about USJE’s current and upcoming work, answer direct questions, and speak one-on-one with members.
Members learned and asked questions about:
- USJE’s ongoing and upcoming RCMP campaigns across the country, and the union’s relationships with RCMP officials;
- Strike pay, clawbacks, and USJE’s new National Strike Fund;
- How difficult it is to qualify for long-term disability benefits, and why Bill C-357’s changes to workers’ compensation legislation are so important for members experiencing mental health injuries;
- Occupational Group Structure Reviews to bring up lower-level classifications to match the actual skills required for those positions;
- USJE’s equity work, including USJE’s first, and now triennial Equity Conference.
USJE is extremely grateful to all the members who took the time to join the session. Additional thanks to member Vicky Mazza for acting as escort for the day, and to RCMP Labour Relations Advisor Sarah Calder for helping to organize the lunch and learn.