Are You Ready to Vote?
This is it. The culmination of over a years’ worth of work on our “Are You In” campaign. On October 18th, 2021 the polls will open for the Calgary municipal election.
Here is an overview of what we have been doing and what we hope to achieve, with your continued help.
In October 2020 our Local 583 President, Political Action Committee Chairs and ATU organizer first met to discuss what is now the “Are You In?” campaign. We partnered with Calgary’s Future – a group formed to advocate for public services in Calgary. This was integral at a time when Calgary City Councillors were vocal about wanting to use Covid 19 to contract out “everything” they could.
In January 2021 we held a rally to support our Servicelane Members who were being contracted out. This decision by Calgary Transit and City Council was a huge slap in the face for many reasons, not the least of which was the incredible dedication our Servicelane Members showed during those initial months when Covid was announced.
In February 2021 we officially launched “Are You In?” with a pledge for our Members to sign. This included information on City Council strongly influencing job security for our Members. Something not everyone was aware of.
By mid-March we had over 900 Members’ signatures and we released a video compilation of those involved with the campaign vocalizing why these efforts were so important to them.
The next step was to have our fantastic Stewards out there in garages talking to Members about “Are You In?”. This was also a signature collection effort that we would put to use later in the campaign. Our Stewards were out at all times of the day and night to be able to speak to as many people as possible. This was a very successful endeavour, garnering over 1800 signatures against contracting out of public services.
We debuted these signatures on a banner at our June 29, 2021 Rally for Respect at Work which we held at City Hall.
From there it has been months of working with Calgary’s Future to research, interview and endorse candidates who not only care about public services but who are committed to KEEPING those services public. We have discussed in the past couple Monthly Insights how this works but the CliffsNotes version is that research is done, Calgary’s Future makes their decisions and we bring those to the Members of this Local for final approval. All in all, you have approved the endorsement of 14 candidates.
On September 29th and October 1st, we had Executive Board Members, Stewards and of course our Political Action Committee (the driving force behind this campaign) in the garages for a final Drive the Vote effort. They spent both days handing out information on endorsed candidates, talking with Members and punctuating the importance of voting in this election.
There are not many jobs out there where you have the opportunity to pick your boss. We have this opportunity and we must not let it pass us by.
On October 18, 2021 each and every one of you has the ability to vote for job security. To vote for a better Calgary.
We are proud of the work we have done this last year. Our Political Action Committee has been especially integral in getting us where we are today. We are equally proud of our Members for being so engaged and ready to vote.
If you missed it last month, here are all the candidates endorsed by Calgary’s Future and ATU Local 583:
Ward 1 – Sonya Sharp
Ward 2 – Jennifer Wyness
Ward 3 – Jasmin Mian
Ward 4 – DJ Kelly
Ward 5 – Raj Dhaliwal
Ward 6 – Lana Bentley
Ward 7 – Erin Waite
Ward 8 – Courney Walcott
Ward 9 – Gian-Carlo Carra
Ward 10 – Abed Harb
Ward 11 – Kourtney Branigan
Ward 12 – Evan Spencer
Ward 13 – Jay Unsworth
Mayor – Jyoti Gondek
This is the final leg of the campaign so get out there and vote!
Is Your Beneficiary up to Date?
Something we periodically remind Members about is to be sure their beneficiary information is up to date.
We don’t want to think about a time when we might not be here, but planning ahead is definitely something we advise. Unfortunately, we have had instances where a Member has passed and a previous spouse was left on as a beneficiary. This makes for a regrettable situation that we are unable to correct.
If you have had a change in family status (a newborn, a marriage, etc.) and you are insured through ATU Local 583, you may want to inquire and update as needed. To do this you can call 403-258-1258 Ext 7 and speak to our administrative assistant, or email her at lori@atu583.com.
Issues in the Workplace
From time to time we all experience an issue at work. We’d like to remind Members that when reporting an issue to us at the Office several things will make investigating and addressing the issue a much smoother process.
1. Try and note the date and time the incident occurred. This is paramount for our information when we are investigating. Even a rough idea can be very helpful.
2. The names of those you interacted with if the scenario involves other people. For example, if you have a disagreement with a Supervisor, it is helpful for us to know which one.
3. Any other pertinent information that will help us address the situation. Was something unsafe taking place, for instance.
The more details we have the better set up we are to help you. Remember, if you have a call in, please let the office know
Children’s Information
We are currently unsure if the Children’s Christmas Party will go ahead as usual, regardless, we will be giving away gifts! Many of you will recall that we did a “curbside pick up” scenario last year and it worked so well that we are going to be doing it again for those that will be picking up at the office.
That brings us to your children’s information. If you have recently had a child, or you have never attended the Christmas party before – please take the time to send in the information we require so your child can receive their gift.
If you have attended, or have picked up a gift before there is no need to register again.
To register please your full name, payroll number, your child’s full name, birth date, gender and Alberta Health Care number to jacinda@atu583.com
Children 12 and under are eligible.
As always, if you have any questions, please give us a call at the office.
COPE 397 /jw
