NEWS

First District (IBEW International Canada) makes five $1,000-scholarships available to those Canadian IBEW members and their family members currently enrolled in full-or part-time studies, or who are currently in pursuit of a post- secondary diploma or degree. Scholarship applicants are required to submit a brief essay (the applicant must write the essay themselves), outlining the benefits of belonging to the IBEW. The scholarship winners are then selected by a random draw. Applications to the First District scholarships must be received by Friday, February 17th, 2017 and the random draw will be held on February 24th, 2017. Download the First District Scholarship Application.

* Note that applications for the IBEW Local 1928 scholarship will be available in March 2017, and the scholarships will be awarded in June of 2017. Stay tuned for more news as March approaches. 

The Conservative-dominated Senate has discovered inadvertent drafting errors in a bill targeting labour unions -- but is poised to pass it anyway. Conservatives used their majority on the Senate's legal and constitutional affairs committee Friday to reject Liberal amendments that would have corrected the mistakes in C-525. Amending the bill would be tantamount to killing it, they argued. A bill that is amended by the Senate must be sent back to the House of Commons for reconsideration. Because C-525 is a private member's bill, sponsored by Conservative backbencher Blaine Calkins, it would go to the bottom of the list of bills to be dealt with by the Commons. Given that "cumbersome" process, Tory Sen. Scott Tannas warned that amending the bill to correct the errors "will likely guarantee that this bill will never see the light of day." The bill is expected to be put to a final vote in the Senate this week.

C-525 would require a majority secret ballot vote by employees before bargaining units in federally regulated public service unions can be certified or decertified. Union leaders maintain it would make it harder for bargaining units to get certified but easier to disband them. The bill involves changes to a number of existing laws, including the Public Service Labour Relations Act, which is where the drafting mistakes crept in. The bill moves one section of the act into a new section, without simultaneously amending other provisions of the act that make reference to the moved section. Catherine Ebbs, chair of the Public Service Labour Relations and Employment Board, told the committee the technical error means her board would lose its power to regulate the evidence that must be filed when an employee organization applies for certification of a bargaining unit. "The impact of this change is not trivial because our current specific regulations will be effectively removed from our tool kit to deal with applications for certification," she said.

(Excerpted from CTV website. Read more)

Talking points and contact information for lobbying Conservative Senators

The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) is organizing a series of conferences across the country to prepare labour activists for the 2015 federal election (expected next fall). One will take place in HRM on January 30 to 31 at the Holiday Inn Harbourview in Dartmouth. A second (bilingual) conference in the region will take place in Moncton on February 20 to 21. If you are interested in acting as a Local 1928 delegate and getting the skills to run a local campaign, build face-to-face skills to talk to people about election issues, boost political support and capacity in your community, and to use social media for effective campaigning, contact the Local 1928 office <This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.> and let us know. 

Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil was in Alberta yesterday to sign a deal with new Alberta Premier Jim Prentice that will allow apprentices to move more freely between the two provinces. Nova Scotia and Alberta have agreed to recognize training and trade-hours reciprocally. The benefit to the apprentice is that he or she will not be cut off from work and training opportunities in either jurisdiction because they are indentured in the one province. "Once you were enrolled in Alberta," Premier McNeil said, "what we effectively did is we locked our sons and daughters into Alberta's apprenticeship program for six or seven years." It remains to be seen whether this development will encourage the many Nova Scotia apprentices who have headed West for work during the oil sands boom to return. Over the three years ending on June 30, 2014, the net migration to Alberta from Nova Scotia was almost 9,000 people.

Each year IBEW First District (Canada) reports on recent IBEW activities, initiatives, and on news relevant to IBEW members. This fall's newsletter includes an update on federal Bill 377 (now in the Senate), news on public criticism of Alberta's deregulated electricity system, and recognition of women in trades initiatives and women's leadership within the IBEW. Read the whole newsletter below.

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IBEW LOCAL 1928

Suite 204
14 McQuade Lake Crescent
Bayers Lake Industrial Park
Beechville NS B3S 1B6

P: 1 800 450 5366
F: 902 450 5080