Once again this year, the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) will host students from across BC at their CLC Pacific Region Winter School at Harrison Hot Springs from January 14 to 19, 2024. USW Local 1944 calls for members to submit applications to attend, from which only a few will be selected.
If you are interested in joining the CLC Winter School, you have until December 7, 2023, 4:00 PM PST to fill out the form above with your personal information, a description of why you would like to attend, and a choice of courses. For more information about the CLC Winter School, click here.
***See below the list of the available courses to choose from***
Available courses
1. Building Conflict Capacity in Union Work
This course is designed to help you see conflict through a transformative lens. While many view disputes as challenges, this course teaches you to recognize them as opportunities. Delve into the nuanced world of conflict, understanding that its nature isn’t inherently negative – it’s the outcomes we craft that define the experience. Explore your personal conflict style, the nuances of power and privilege, and the intricate dynamics that arise in group confrontations. Through immersive exercises, learn the art of deep listening, the strategy behind pinpointing root causes, and the finesse of coaching individuals to unearth shared interests. Move beyond mere conflict resolution and empower yourself to transform disagreements into proactive union activism, using shared passions as a catalyst.
2. Health and Safety Level 1
This introductory Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S) course will introduce committee members and worker representatives 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, OH&S legislation (provincial and federal), key elements of having an effective committee, workers’ OH&S rights and the procedure for refusing unsafe work, how to conduct effective incident investigations and safety inspections, identify OH&S hazards in the workplace, and ways of finding solutions.
3. 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 the 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.
4. Unions in the Community
The labour movement has always played a strong role in the social change movement. As part of the United Way and CLC Labour Community Advocate Program, the course provides training on community involvement and working with community partners as a board, committee, or coalition partner. Participants learn how to organize around and participate in community social service issues, while exploring the ways in which unions and other labour bodies can help build resilient and respectful communities. The tools provided help strengthen labour’s community presence and develop new activists and support for issues-based campaigns. Participants are also trained to identify community issues where unions can play a role through collective bargaining or social action.
In Solidarity,
USW Local 1944
