Winter School 2012 Course Descriptions
You can register for these programs online and view more information on the winter school here.
Core Programs
Collective Bargaining Level 1
This course develops a solid understanding of the bargaining process and the factors that affect collective bargaining. The course provides opportunities to practice preparing for and negotiating parts of a collective agreement. The course covers a working knowledge of the laws and rules that structure the bargaining process. This course will be of interest to new bargaining committee members and local union officers. You may want to bring a calculator for this course.
Collective Bargaining Level 2
Bring a copy of your collective agreement and a calculator as we work with different strategies and tactics for effectively facing today’s challenges at the bargaining table. How do we deal with workplace change – restructuring , automation, or new technology? What language best protects workers against unfairness in drug & alcohol testing or electronic monitoring? How do we prepare our membership and the union to deal with concession demands in pension and health benefits? This is a course for students who have taken Basic Collective Bargaining and have some experience on a bargaining committee.
Facing Management
This course offers an opportunity to learn new skills, tactics, and strategies for unions to use in joint labour-management committees. This is a perfect course for newer activists that want to learn more about union-management relations, traditional and modern management theories and systems, and the history of work organization. Communication skills, group dynamics training, and conflict resolution skills will be emphasized. The course offers hands-on practice sessions in skill-building techniques so that you will be as comfortable in the boardroom as you are at a union meeting.
Parliamentary Procedure and Public Speaking
This is a two-part course. Parliamentary Procedure covers how to run a meeting effectively, the duties of a chairperson and secretary, and how rules of order can provide a democratic and fair process to get the business of the union accomplished. Public Speaking covers how to speak persuasively to various groups and how different formats are used to speak at convention, debates, and impromptu gatherings.
Steward Training Level 1
The steward is often the main point of contact between the union, its members, management, and the larger labour movement. This course builds the skills, confidence, and knowledge a steward needs to represent their members. Participants will learn the roles and responsibilities of their position as stewards, the handling of grievances and complaints, problem-solving skills, protecting contractual provisions in the collective agreement, and current issues for stewards.
Steward Training Level 2
This course is for chief stewards, business and assistant business managers, local officers, and stewards with considerable experience handling grievances. You will practice more advanced grievance handling skills using real life case studies and role plays. Participants will discuss discipline grievances, harassment, drug and alcohol issues, and different styles of management. The course will deal with procedures before the process of arbitration. Knowledge of the first stages of the grievance process will be assumed.
Prerequisite: Steward Training 1 or equivalent union course
Occupational Health & Safety
Health & Safety Level 1
This introductory Occupational Health & Safety (OH&S) course will introduce new Committee members and Worker Represnetatives to the basic principles of workplace health and safety. This also serves as a great "Back to Basics" course for those OH&S Committee members who desire refresher training. In this course participants will learn the responsibilities and duties of the Joint OH&S Committee, the OH&S Regulation (Provincial & Federal), workers' OH&S rights and the procedure for refusing unsafe work. How to conduct effective incident investigations and safety inspections, identify and assess ergonomic problems in the workplace and ways of finding solutions.
This course meets the criteria for the 8-hr annual educational leave that OH&S Committee members and worker representatives are entitled to under the Workers Compensation Act.
Health & Safety Level 2
The OH&S Level 2 has been designed to allow participants to develop the tools, resources and strategies to build on their successes and to tackle the tough OH&S issues at their workplaces. In this course participants will discuss barriers facing Joint OH&S Committees and develop creative strategies and solutions to deal with them. Learn what the requirements of the Violence in the Workplace Regulations are for implementing a prevention program. Identify and learn about organizational stress hazards in the workplace and develop prevention strategies to minimize workplace stress. Learn how to effectively use the OH&S Regulations (Provincial & Federal) as resources. Prerequisite: Health & Safety Level 1
This course meets the criteria for the 8-hr annual educational leave that OH&S Committee members and worker representatives are entitled to under the Workers Compensation Act.
Healthy & Safety Level 3
This course will examine emerging health, safety and environmental issues such as implications of nanotechnologies, electromagnetic fields, multiple chemical sensitizations, indoor air quality and the pending asbestos exposure registry of the WCB. The forth coming WHIMIS changes witht the Global Harmonized System; what it will mean for your workplace and your committee. New and young workers; legislative requirements, training and supervision. Unions and the environment; green jobs, just transitions, community right to know, bargaining health and safety language into contract. Historical development of occupational health and safety legislation in Canada and British Columbia. Prerequisite: Health & Safety Level 1 or 2.
This course meets the criteria for the 8-hr annual educational leave that OH&S Committee members and worker representatives are entitled to under the Workers Compensation Act.
Women's Health and Safety
All workers face health and safety issues at work - injuries, workplace hazards, disease, and stress. Many of these issues also have a gender dimension - they affect women's bodies in particular ways. In this course, participants will discuss and learn about how women's health (including reproductive health) is affected by toxic workplace substances, the way work is often designed to fit men's bodies, and workplaces stresses such as violence and harassment. The program gives participants skills for assessing workplace hazards, and provides participants with key health and safety principles, (hazard control, precautionary principles, right to refuse, right to know, and the right to participate). This program is geared to women who are health and safety committee members, and to all women who want to know more about how to make our workplaces and lives safer and healthier.
This course meets the criteria for the 8-hr annual educational leave that OH&S Committee members and worker representatives are entitled to under the Workers Compensation Act.
Specialized Programs
Building a Diverse and Representative Labour Leadership - New
The world of work is changing rapidly. But is the labour movement keeping pace? Workers of colour and aboriginal workers are growing in numbers. Aboriginal youth are joining the workforce earlier than others; and workers of colour make up the majority of new Canadians entering the workforce. For the labour movement to grow, labour leadership needs to understand and better reflect our changing workforce. This course is designed for aboriginal and/or workers of colour to advance their leadership skills in the following areas: governance & leadership; advancing equity at the bargaining table; campaign organizing; lobbying and communications; improve presentation skills; campaign organizing; health & safety issues; an overview of grievances and arbitration; and emerging issues affecting the labour movement.
Conflict Resolution - New
This course will provide participants with a tool kit of strategies, tactics and skills to resolve specific disputes as well as conflict in the workplace. The course focuses on mastering coaching and communication skills, investigative techniques, documenting facts, utilizing frameworks for analyzing disputes, problem solving strategies, evaluating options and identifying techniques to deal with systemic conflict.
Media Training & Presentation Skills
Labour’s message is delivered in many ways and to many different audiences. We use the media as one of our primary conduits to speak to our members and the general public. This course will discuss what makes the news, how news stories are framed, and what news values are. We will explore traditional media such as print, radio, and television. In addition, we will work with new media like Facebook, Twitter, and blogs.
This will be a hands-on course that enables participants to negotiate and practice media interviews, deal with reporters, and get your message out. Each participant will have an opportunity to develop news releases, advisories, and press conferences, skills that can be taken back to your workplace and your union.
Union Communications
This course focus is on the tools used with different methods of union communications. It covers writing articles for newsletters, how to layout union publications, what you need to know to get a website designed and hosted, basic photo editing, and how to format a media release and the basics of getting your message out.
Participants are requested to bring a laptop to the course. Basic computer knowledge would be a great asset for the course.
Women in Leadership Level 1
This course offers union women an opportunity to develop and enhance their leadership skills and knowledge in a variety of current and emerging labour issues. A major component of the course will cover communication and motivational skills that are important for women activists.
Young Workers in Action
This course is designed to give young union activists the skills they need to be effective in their workplace. The course will cover public speaking, how meetings are run, how to read your contract, grievance handling, and basic collective bargaining process. Participants are requested to bring a copy of their collective agreement.
Community Courses
Critical Incident Stress
Our experience is that people in a variety of jobs can, at one time or another, be
exposed to critical incident stress (CIS), not just emergency responders. The course will cover a detailed explanation of stress and stressors, policies and guidelines, communication skills, the recovery process from CIS and practical sessions. The end result is to provide awareness of what CIS is, how to recognize it, and how to best deal with those exposed to it. Union Counselling Level 1 is recommended.
Unions in the Community
Unions are known for mobilizing around workplace issues such as basic working conditions, wages, and benefit levels, but not always for their work on community and social justice issues. An active union movement coordinates its efforts to strengthen the community and promotes member involvement in that process. The course is designed to help labour councils and unions understand, organize around, and participate in community social service issues. Tools provided will help strengthen Labour’s community presence and develop new activists.
Union Counsellors are encouraged to attend as this information is key in helping them to develop community outreach strategies for their union’s Union Counselling Committee.
Prerequisite: Union Counselling 1 or equivalent and/or be a labour council/local union community activist.
Union Counselling Level 1
This course is for trade union members interested in becoming union counsellors.
Participants will be equipped to refer union members to services and agencies in the community, develop communication skills, discuss stress as it relates to the workplace, and deal with myths and realities relating to chemical dependency with a focus on alcoholism. In this course we also discuss what involvement, if any, unions should have with Employee Assistance Programs and Work & Wellness Programs.
Union Counselling Level 2
This is the next course for graduates of Union Counselling 1. Participants will be focusing on ways to implement the Union Counselling Program in their union and their workplace. The course will focus on Implementing Union Counselling Committees by helping new union counsellors to form a committee and giving unions with committees, the tools to help them to strengthen these committees.
Prerequisite: Union Counselling 1
Legal Courses
Arbitration: To Go or Not To Go? - Updated in 2011
One of the most difficult issues facing unions is whether to advance grievances to arbitration. It can be a legal mine field. Taught by both counsel and arbitrators, this course will provide the legal knowledge required for unions to determine what the critical issues are in individual grievances and to make informed decisions regarding the progress of grievances.
Participants will learn the law with respect to duty of fair representation obligations, as well as the standard arbitral legal tests in relation to discipline, contract interpretation, and evidence. There will also be a legal research component, which will focus on locating the law and conducting efficient legal research. Participants will present an overview of a grievance with recommendations on whether to proceed to arbitration.
Participants should have some experience in the arbitral process and a basic arbitration course is recommended.
Employment Insurance Advocacy
The changes to the Employment Insurance system in the 1990's have made it increasingly difficult for workers to collect EI benefits. This course will give activists an overview of the Employment Insurance system, explain how the appeal systerm operates, cover important EI case law, and will enable them to represent workers at EI Board of Referees appeal hearings. Participants will have a chance to present a case to a mock Board of Referees panel.
Federal Labour Law
This course presents an overview of the federal labour legislation and its impact on the strategies and actions of unions. Among the topics to be explored are: certification and dispute settlement procedures; unfair labour practices; the duty to bargain in good faith; strikes, lockouts, and picketing; the duty of fair representation; management and union rights; and grievance arbitration law. Students who take this course will attain a good understanding of the basic principles underlying Canadian labour law and the specifics of labour legislation in the federal jurisdiction. Anyone taking this course may receive credit toward a Labour College of Canada certificate. Please contact the Winter School Director for details.
Labour Arbitration Level 1
This course is designed to introduce participants to the practical skills required to prepare and present a case at an arbitration hearing. Special emphasis is placed on evidence, examination and cross-examination, the opening statement and final argument, and you will discuss current trends and cases dealing with the arbitration process. This course would be useful for grievance committee members or chairpersons, or union staff or officers who have not yet had extensive experience with the arbitration process.
Labour Arbitration Level 2
As a follow-up course to the Labour Arbitration Level 1 course, this course has an emphasis on necessary verbal and procdural skills. It deals primarily with the conduct of the hearing for example, with the rules of evidence, examination-in-chief, and cross-examination. This course is recommended only for staff or officers with considerable arbitration experience.
Pensions – a Union Perspective
Pensions are an important part of worker wages and benefit packages. Their future importance may increase as government commitments to social programs continue to decline. This course will assist you in evaluating your own pension arrangement, give you ideas to improve an existing plan, or give you enough information to know what needs to be done to establish a plan. The course will address pension issues from a private and public pension perspective. The course will enable workers to make more valuable contributions to their union’s pension policy or pension committees. Participants should bring any information pertaining to their current pension plan to the course.
Pension Investment & Governance Level 1
The basic-level course is geared for newly appointed or soon-to-be appointed trustees, pension advisory committee members, union executives, and staff with responsibility for union matters. This course will explore the basics of pension investment and governance, giving participants an understanding of key concepts, the overall structure of the Canadian retirement system, the fundamentals of pension investment strategies, and how to understand actuarial valuations. SHARE’s courses are interactive and hands-on, providing you with the practical knowledge and skills you need to serve plan members’ best interests.
There is a $500 surcharge to attend this course.
Pension Investment & Governance Level 2
Pension trustees, plan administrators, and pension advisory committee members will develop their skills further in order to actively oversee pension investment and plan governance.By the end of this 4-day course, participants will have more confidence and be more capable and effective in fulfilling their duties. Key areas covered in the intermediate course include: responsible investing, plan governance and communication, and service provider accountability.
Prerequisites: Participants should have previous trustee training courses or at least 3 years experience as a pension trustee to benefit fully from this in-depth course.
There is a $500 surcharge to attend this course.
Provincial Labour Law
This course presents an overview of provincial labour legislation and its impact on the strategies and actions of unions. Among topics to be explored are: certification and dispute settlement procedures; unfair labour practices; the duty to bargain in good faith; strikes, lockouts, and picketing; the duty of fair representation; management and union rights; and grievance arbitration law. Students who take this course will attain a good understanding of the basic principles underlying Canadian labour law and the specifics of labour legislation in BC. Anyone taking this course may receive credit toward a Labour College of Canada certificate. Please contact the Winter School Director for details.
Return to Work
This course is designed to equip participants witht he tools necessary to develop strategies that ensure successful work reintegration outcomes. Through the exploration of leading research, participants learn the principles of good work reintegration practices and the duty to accommodate. The course has a strong focus on the analysis and interpretation of human rights obligations and particularly the duty to accommodate. Barriers to successful work reintegration are addressed with a focus on attitudinal barriers and their elimination using the social model of disability and therapeutic return to work principles. An in depth comparison, between older methods of disability management and the newer, progressive disability prevention model, is presented and participants learn about the paradigm shift from management to prevention. Roles of the parties involved (employer, injured worker, representative, H&S representatives) are discussed.
Workers Compensation Level 1
This course provides a review of the Workers Compensation Act, how the Board functions, procedures for filing claims, WCB policies for adjudicating claims, and the appeals process. This is a basic course and will interest those union members just starting to handle WCB claims and appeals. This class will observe a hearing presentation to a panel of the Review Division.
Workers Compensation Level 2
This course is for WCB advocates wanting to improve their technical skills for the appeal process. This course includes a review of evidence gathering and preparing submissions. Participants will prepare a case study appeal and mock present to a panel of the Review Division.
Prerequisite; Workers Compensation Leve 1