Education

CANADIAN OFFICE & PROFESSIONAL EMPLOYEES’ UNION
COPE ONTARIO
Winter and Spring 2023 Educational Workshops

The following winter and spring educational workshops are being offered to all COPE members for the period of January to June 2023.

Attached is an outline of the workshops being offered, from January to June of 2023. Workshops can be scheduled in the evening upon request, in order to accommodate members who may not be able to attend workshops during the week or on weekends. Individual workshops may also be scheduled for your bargaining unit. Ten (10) registrants are required for all workshops. All registrations must be received five (5) days prior to the workshop.

The Art of Negotiations – January 17, 2023 (Toronto office)

This course will provide members with knowledge about the negotiation process and procedures, the role of the negotiating committee and the union spokesperson. Bargaining power, concession bargaining, effectiveness of strikes and ratification votes are other topics that are covered in is course.

Grievance & Arbitration (Basic Steward’s Training) – Part 1 – February 14, 2023 (Toronto office) April 27, 2023 (Kapuskasing location)

This course covers the basics of researching, filing a grievance, the difference between a complaint and a grievance. Members will learn when and how to advance a grievance to arbitration, how to prepare and present a grievance to management and understand how an arbitration hearing is conducted. This course is recommended for all new Union Stewards.

Grievance & Arbitration (Basic Steward’s Training) – Part 2 – February 23, 2023 (Toronto office) April 28 (Kapuskasing location)

This course is a continuation of Part I and further explores the grievance process. Issues discussed in Part II of the Grievance & Arbitration workshop include : how and when to file grievances, as well as, how to present them and practical strategies for developing arguments and dealing with management at the various steps of the grievance procedure. By the end of this workshop you will know the difference between a grievance and a complaint, the legal responsibilities of union officials regarding grievances and how to deal with management representatives.

Political Action – 

This workshop will discuss what politics means to you as a member of a union, and how politics and politicians impact union members at work, at home in the community and the Union. The workshop will also discuss how political action affects bargaining and the rights of union members and why political action is important to COPE. This workshop will teach members to build and maintain relationships with candidates once they are elected and why it is important for Locals and members to maintain these relationships. The workshop will teach members the knowledge and skills required to stay informed on current topics, and how to advocate on critical issues facing union members.

Contract Interpretation – 

This course assists members in developing an understanding of how collective agreement language is interpreted by a Board of Arbitration. This course teaches members how arbitrators interpret commonly used words, phrases and ambiguous language in collective agreements.

Anti-Racism and Anti-Oppression Training – 

This workshop will discuss the following – Stereotypes Prejudice and Discrimination, Elements of Power, Power of Relationships, What is Racism, The Meaning of Systemic Racism, Strategies for Dealing with Racism in the Workplace.

Workplace Violence, Harassment & Bullying – 

This course will discuss the impetus for Bill 168. This course will also teach participants the general duties of the workplace parties, how to assess the risks of workplace violence and the roles and responsibilities of Health & Safety Representatives. Other related topics include understanding the terms and concepts of workplace violence, domestic violence and workplace harassment.

Human Rights & the Duty to Accommodate – May 10, 2023 (Toronto office)

This workshop will teach you what constitutes a “disability”; what the standard of “undue hardship” means, and how to identify the essential elements of a job. This course will also discuss the employer’s duty to accommodate and the worker’s responsibility in being accommodated as well as a review of the legal jurisprudence on the duty to accommodate.

Please circulate to all members and register on-line on the COPE Ontario website: https://members.copeontario.ca/events

If you have any questions or issues registering for the above workshops, please feel free to contact Endera Singh at esingh@copeontario.ca