Case Study: Democracy and Finances in an OPSEU Local This case is about a typical local of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union. Unions are nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) run by their members. All union officers are elected by the members in their workplace. The OPSEU president, executive board, and council members stand for election every two years. Job stewards are also elected from their work areas. At the heart of every union is the local union. The following information taken from the OPSEU website describes the purpose and functions of union locals. OPSEU Where You WorkYour Local The purpose of establishing Locals of the Union is to encourage participation of all Members in their Union. The OPSEU Constitution Your OPSEU Local is your primary link to the union. It represents you where you work, and you elect its leadersyour stewards, your Local president and other officers, your delegates to Convention and so on. Its your first step to getting involved. Locals have the autonomy and resources to do what they think is important for their members. You have a vote on those decisions. What Can Locals Do? Participate in negotiating collective agreements Process grievances to enforce the collective agreement Establish joint labourmanagement committees to resolve Local or unit issues Control their own money Join the local Labour Council or other organizations Organize social or community activities Publish newsletters or websites Elect delegates to the OPSEU Convention Send members for union education and training Monitor workplace health and safety Adopt bylaws Help craft union policy Promote human rights and equity OPSEU Has Three Kinds of Locals: 1. Single unit Locals, where all members work for the same employer in the same location. 2. Multi-unit Locals, where all members work for the same employer but at different locations. 3. Composite Locals, where members work for more than one employer at one or more locations. How Do Locals Work? For Starters, Democratically. Local elections normally take place at membership meetings, but in special cases, there may be polling stations. The front-line voice of the union in the workplace is the shop steward. Your Local (or your unit in a multi-unit or composite Local) decides how many shop stewards it needs, and how they should be distributed. You elect the steward for your work area. It takes a clear majority to win. From among your shop stewards, you elect your Local Executive Committee (LEC in OPSEU jargon). So every member of the LEC has already been elected as a steward. Your LEC must have a president and at least two other officers (vicepresident, secretary, treasurer, secretary-treasurer, chief steward etc.) In single unit Locals, all shop stewards are automatically on the LEC. Each unit in a multi-unit or composite Local elects one or more unit stewards from among their shop stewards to sit on the LEC, and the officers are elected from these unit stewards. Locals can define their structure in Local bylaws, which must conform to the unions Constitution. Article 29 of the Constitution governs Locals without their own bylaws. How Are Locals Funded? Local funds come from your union dues. A portion of your dues comes back to your Local. OPSEU Locals get quarterly rebates from the union, depending on how many members have signed union cards. In January, April, July and October, each local gets a cheque. Composite Locals get a supplement to reflect their more complex structure. Rebate levels are revised annually. A typical OPSEU Local with 250 members would receive nearly $15,000 annually in operating funds. What Do Locals Spend Their Money On? In OPSEU, most member expenses are covered by the central union. This includes travel, accommodation, meals and lost wages for members attending Convention, education courses, bargaining sessions, grievance hearings, and the many other meetings and events that the union organizes or participates in. That leaves Local funds for things like sending extra members as observers to Convention, child care or refreshments at meetings, publishing newsletters or other things the Local decides. Locals can also support the local food bank or a kids soccer team or make other contributions to their community. Some Locals set up their own strike fund to augment strike pay from the central union. Others send fruit baskets to members in hospital. Its up to the Local to decide. Source: OPSEU. The Members Owners Manual. Used with permission. http://www.opseu.org /information/members-owners-manual. Case Questions Answer the following questions. You can limit your answer to 300-350 words. Based on your reading, write a case review. (30 points) After reading the information provided above and visiting the OPSEU website, describe how democracy works at the local level in OPSEU. (30 points) Visit the OPSEU website and briefly discuss about any two recent activities or movements involving OPSEU. (20 points)