June 20, 2024. Regional Vice President Carol Osborne visited USJE members at the Bathurst Parole Office in New Brunswick for Local 60074’s Annual General Meeting.
At the AGM, Local President Annie Thériault was re-elected alongside a new Vice President, Heather Oldroyd. Newly appointed Shop Stewards include Hélène St-Onge and Spencer Farrell, accompanied by re-appointed Shop Steward Sophie Doucet. RVP Osborne congratulated the new Executive and thanked them for stepping forward to represent the membership in addition to their regular duties—a difficult yet rewarding role.
Members were updated on Local finances, top-ups for members who picketed, and the dues increase for the USJE National Strike fund. Local President Thériault expressed gratitude to members for their support and solidarity during the strike.
A priority for the Local is work/life balance and the mental and physical health of members. Local President Thériault acknowledged the adverse effects of high workloads and staffing shortages on members and committed to advocacy on these issues. RVP Osborne and Local President Thériault spoke on the Presumptive Injury campaign launched by USJE and the resulting Bill C-357. Members were informed of a new PTSI lapel pin to promote the campaign, recently unveiled at the June National Local Presidents meeting. RVP Osborne encouraged members to meet with their MPs to discuss Bill C-357 and the positive impact the bill would have for USJE members.
Local President Thériault discussed the need for more parole officers and better resourcing. She pointed members to the Mental Health and Well-being of Canadian Federal Parole Officers Report conducted by public safety expert Dr. Rosemary Ricciardelli and released by USJE in March 2022. RVP Osborne noted USJE is not in support of the Community Parole Officer Resource Formula (CPORF) and has engaged a subject matter expert to assess the current use and challenges of the tool.
Other updates by RVP Osborne and Local President Thériault included urging members to contact Treasury Board Minister Anita Anand and express their concerns with the TBS Directive on Telework/Hybrid work. Members were also encouraged to access union resources, such as the USJE Union Safety Net podcast, and union training. Training opportunities for fall 2024 will be released by PSAC soon and all members are encouraged to attend.
RVP Osborne applauded the high level of engagement by USJE members of Local 60074 and the Executive’s commitment to keeping the membership well-informed.