Regular Courses:

Action up & Problem Solving

If you are looking for better skills to deal with stressful situations and conflict at work, whether you are a member or a Steward, this course is for you. Make sure you don't trade in your rights just to get along. Learn how to find solutions to common workplace conflicts.

Introduction to Collective Bargaining

A course for trade unionists new to the bargaining process, it will acquaint students with their responsibilities and the functioning of bargaining committees. The legislative framework, bargaining preparation, techniques and communication needs will all be discussed. The primary context will be negotiations pursuant to BC legislation.

Labour History

Today almost one-third of Canadian workers are unionized and enjoy better wages, benefits, pensions, union rights, and working conditions. This course studies some important events of the working men and women who won union rights and the implications these struggles have for current and future struggles. 

Parliamentary Procedure

This course deals with the rules and procedures governing the preparation and conduct of local union meetings. You will discuss the rules of order, how to make a motion, the duties and responsibilities of the chairperson, and practice your skills by writing motions and participating in a mock meeting. This is an excellent course for new activists who want to learn basic parliamentary procedure and begin to practice their speaking skills on motions.

Step Up!

Fine tune those leadership skills you may not even know you have! This course covers leadership styles and myths and a whole lot of basic skills such as how to chair meetings and deliver short speeches.

Steward Training 1 (Basic)

This is an introductory course dealing with the day-to-day responsibilities of a steward as an organizer, educator, leader and communicator, as well as the basic preparation and handling of a grievance.

Steward Training 2 (Grievance Handling)

This course is designed for stewards with limited experience, or for those wishing to upgrade their skills at processing grievances. Course content deals with identifying, investigating and processing grievances, up to but not including the arbitration stage.

Steward Training 2 (Problem Solving)

This 9-hour second level course builds on the framework of steward skills established in our Level 1 course. The course will focus on representation issues: knowing your membership; working with your union executive, grievance preparation; problem solving; conflict resolution and representation skills.

Talk Back

Gain insight and experience in talking about and even debating principle union positions of everyday issues - from seniority versus merit, to public-private partnerships, or equality rights. Do you have the skills to represent and defend your perspective? This is a hands-on discussion and debating course you should take to improve your public speaking skills.

Worker's Compensation 1(WCB)

This is a level 1 introductory course designed to provide information about the WCB. Participants will learn about WCB structure, entitlement, benefits, appeals and resources available. The new changes to the WCB (Bills 49/63 & 37), and the new appeals systems will be discussed. A representative from the Workers’ Advisers office will facilitate this course. This course or its previous equivalent is a prerequisite to attending the Level II WCB course.

Specialized Courses:

Approaches to Conflict

In the past few years, we have been facing new problem areas that may cause many conflicts in our workplace and within the union:  psychological harassment, changes in work organization, budget cuts, and downsizing.  This course will provide participants with an approach that promotes identification of conflicts and strategies for action.

Campaign Organizing

Running and working on an election campaign to get your candidate elected takes structure and organization, guts, motivation and leadership. Here is a crash course on the essentials just for you.

Climate Change

This course will introduce union members to the science of climate change and it's impact on the environment.  We will also discuss ways to address climate change and how the union movement can ensure that there is a just transition to a more sustainable economy. 

Facing Management

This course develops a better understanding of how managers think and why they do what they do. This course covers traditional and newer management styles and programs, political and economic power, with the aim of developing effective trade union responses and strategies. This course stresses developing union leadership skills, problem solving, building the union and keeping the membership involved.

Election Campaigns – Is it for you?

An introductory course for people thinking about running for election in politics. What you need to do to run for election, key factors that affect an important decision like running for elected office, and what it takes to represent a constituency. And remember, we need good people like you in politics.

Global Solidarity

This course starts to make the links between the experience in our own working lives and communities and workers in other countries. In an increasingly shrinking world our struggles are often the same even though they may be half way around the globe. Participants will discuss the economic circumstances they find themselves in and the ongoing globalization of the world’s economy. This course and the toolbox that goes with it, are designed to provide activists with an opportunity to make links with workers in other countries and to demonstrate our solidarity with them.

Retire in Style: A workshop on how to get started on financial planning

Thinking about retiring but need to know more abouth the pension system? Plan your retirement in style with this course.

Stress in the Workplace

Stress is the invisible enemy, and has been linked to many health related problems.This course examines the causes of stress in the workplace, and considers ways, as a union, of countering those causes. Also covered are ways of coping with stress when it can't be dealt with at its source.