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2021 General Election Nominations

To all Local 4304 members,

Another reminder goes out to all members that nominations are OPEN for all Executive Board, Steward and Committee positions for both bargaining units for the coming General Elections.  Members may also now view the nominations for all positions online at: http://tiny.cc/2021Local4304Nominations.  This spreadsheet is continually updated as nominations are received and accepted or rejected.

Nominations for all Executive Board positions close at the end of the April General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, April 21, 2021.

Nominations for all Steward and Committee positions close at the end of the May General Membership Meeting on Wednesday, May 19, 2021.

All nominations should be sent to the Recording Secretary at recordingsecretary@unifor4304.org before the close of nominations or may be given orally at the respective General Membership Meeting.  Nominations from members for a member other than themselves must also be accepted by the nominated member to be included on the appropriate ballot.

I would also like to request that all members make every effort to share this information among the rest of the membership.  If you are inclined also feel free to post this message in the workplace locations where you are working from or forward this to members who may not yet have registered on the Local 4304 website.  Management-imposed pandemic restrictions on entering the workplace have made it difficult to post the required information as widely as possible since we are not permitted to enter the workplace except for our required work shifts; having the assistance of other members to post this in locations they are already working out of would be greatly appreciated!!

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Recording Secretary
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Elections

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Website Navigation Menu Display Issues

To all Local 4304 members,

As we approach the Local 4304 General Elections we’re working to ensure all the web-base systems (union website, online voting service, etc.) are working correctly, especially since we are still not certain if GRT management will allow any in-person voting in our workplaces due to the pandemic.  The Simply Voting system and it’s integration with the Unifor Local 4304 Website is working but we have recently discovered a minor issue that is not allowing the main website navigation menu to display correctly on mobile devices, but ONLY if you’re viewing the website in ‘portrait’ mode (if you’re holding your phone vertically).

While I work to try and correct this issue (success is not guaranteed), and get the menu to display correctly on mobile devices, a VERY easy workaround is available to everyone by simply turning your mobile device 90 degrees/sideways to ‘landscape’ mode, this should automatically switch the website display on your device to the same as you see on any desktop computer with the full navigation menu visible.

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Webmaster
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Uncategorised

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Union Website Login Issues

To all Local 4304 members,

It has come to my attention that there have been some login issues this week affecting most (or all) registered members.  While investigating this I discovered that the issue also affected the Webmaster account access (although I have an alternative login method available to access the website).  The issue affecting logins has now been resolved and all members should be able to access the members area once again.  If you have any further issues logging in please let me know at webmaster@unifor4304.org.

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Webmaster
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Uncategorised

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GRT 2020 Collective Agreement Changes Now Online

To all Local 4304 members at Grand River Transit,

By popular request the changes to the GRT Collective Agreement since the 2020 strike and ratification vote have been posted in the GRT members are of the Unifor Local 4304 website.  This is the same document that was distributed during the final contract ratification meeting/vote at the end of the strike last year.

You can find the contract changes by logging in to your account on the Unifor Local 4304 website and navigating to the ‘Grand River Transit’ > ‘Collective Agreement’ page.

Unfortunately we still do not yet have a final version of the complete collective agreement either in digital or hard copy format from the Region.  So, to make sense of the agreement take the contract changes document and compare them to the most recent available complete collective agreement that expired at the end of 2019.

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Recording Secretary
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Uncategorised

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Unifor’s Ontario Area Meetings

Dear members,

I’m excited to share this with you registration is now open for Unifor’s Ontario Area Meetings and we want you there.

The meetings will run from March 22 to April 1. In order to join, you must register in advance.

Find the link to your meeting below.

AREA – DATE – TIME:
Eastern Area – March 22, 2021 – 6:30 p.m.
Kitchener – March 23, 2021 – 6:00 p.m.
GTA – March 24, 2021 – 6:00 p.m.
Northern Ontario – March 30, 2021 – 6:30 p.m.
Windsor – March 31, 2021 – 5:00 p.m.
London – April 1, 2021 – 6:00 p.m.

We had more than 500 members join these meetings when we first went virtual in the fall. I hope to see that number grow in this round. So, please share this invitation with your membership.

Unifor’s Area Directors have organized these meetings and set individual agendas that they know will resonate with workers in your region. I’m looking forward to learning from the experts they have tapped for these exciting events, and to hear some local updates from all of you.

While these meetings are open to all members, you should RSVP today to secure your spot!

If you have any questions regarding registration, please email Jamie.Ayres@unifor.org

In solidarity,

Naureen Rizvi
Ontario Regional Director

Posted in: Uncategorised

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March General Membership Meeting – Wednesday, March 17, 2021

All Local 4304 members,

The next General Membership Meeting is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 11:00AM and 7:30PM to be held online via Zoom.  A reminder that all members wishing to attend should RSVP to recordingsecretary@unifor4304.org prior to the meeting.  Even if you’re not 100% certain you will be able to attend, but may be able to, you should still consider RSVPing to ensure access to the meeting is provided if you can participate.

The Zoom link to join the meeting is https://zoom.us/j/5680262113.  This link does not change from month to month so save it for future reference and feel free to share it with other Local 4304 members.  All members attending the meeting should join with their first and last names to ensure the Sergeant-At-Arms knows who is being properly admitted.

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Recording Secretary
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Meeting Notices

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Your NEW Election Committee

To all Local 4304 members,

At the February General Membership Meeting on Wednesday your new Election Committee for the coming term of office was chosen.  Before the close of the General Membership Meeting 10 members had accepted nominations to serve on the Election Committee and it was decided to acclaim all 10 members to the Election Committee for the coming term.

The decision to acclaim all 10 members was for several reasons and only increases the size of the Election Committee by an additional 2 members.  The 10 member committee will have the needed flexibility to run our coming elections in terms of booking off committee members for their election duties and to ensure the committee members are not overworked.  These considerations include the hours the election polling stations can be run, the ability to count ballots late in the evening on election days, assisting members with advanced website registration so they may vote online, given members breaks as needed so they are no overwhelmed, etc.

Your NEW Election Committee is comprised of the following members (in order of which nominations were originally received):

Karen Horst
Crystal Switzer
Jason Herman
Tim Jewell
Darci Jewell
Jim Brubacher
Kristopher Lederman
Nicki Lederman
Joe Visser
Cheryl Rooymans

Congratulations go out to your new Election Committee members!

The new Election Committee will now need to determine amongst themselves who their new committee chairperson will be and will need to be trained by the existing committee prior to the coming Executive Board, Steward and Committee Elections.  The new Election Committee should inform the Recording Secretary of their chairperson selection as soon as it is made, as well as provide the contact information (cell/phone number and e-mail address) of each member.

A reminder also to all members that Executive Board nominations are currently being accepted with the closing of nominations at the end of the April General Membership Meeting (Wednesday, April 21th, 2021) and Steward/Committee nominations are being accepted with the closing of nominations at the end of the May General Membership Meeting (Wednesday, May 19th, 2021).

Posted in: Elections

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Black History Month 2021 – The History of Our Breath

The History of Our Breath

During Black History Month, we celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today.

This Black History Month we want to speak to the importance of our breath.

Breathing is an exchange of the experience, knowledge and contributions of Black people. At the 2017 Ontario Regional Council, Bermuda Public Service Union Vice President Linda Bogle Mienzer delivered a powerful speech about allowing people to breathe in their full identity in order to live. We see globally that is contested for Black people. The epidemic of extreme police violence, most recently epitomized by George Floyd’s murder at the hands of Minneapolis police, proves that “I can’t breathe” is still an urgent rallying call for systemic change. Breath is vital and it is essential for life.

Black History Month should not only be about struggle, is about the resilience of people, but it is also about the determination, the success and accomplishments of Black people.

Just like the millions of people who marched, declaring boldly, that Black Lives Matter, our goal is for Black members to feel comfortable in their diverse identities to breathe in all of our spaces, including at their workplaces, union events and activities.

We will celebrate Black history, Black present and Black future, not only during the month of February, but every day.

This year, Unifor reaffirms our commitment to listen, acknowledge, support, and make space for Black people in our locals, workplaces, communities. We have many Black leaders in our union and we are committed to supporting their success.

Unifor will be featuring Black Unifor members from across the country in short videos speaking to the “History of our breath” on our social media channels.

Please share those and this powerful message, the attached shareable and please support virtual Black history events and organizations in your community.

Happy Black History Month.

Posted in: Special Events

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GRT Payroll Notice from Management

January 29, 2021

Posting Date: January 29, 2021
Removal Date: February 5, 2021

You may have experienced a delay in your pay being deposited to your bank account today. We expect that everyone will be paid by the end of the day. Financial Institutions have until 11:59 p.m.
to deposit pays into the designated account. If you do not receive your pay by 11:59 p.m. today, please contact Bonny Muthuveren in Payroll (BoMuthuveren@regionofwaterloo.ca). Payroll will
endeavour to make the payment by direct deposit within one (1) payroll working day (Article 52.4).

Peter Zinck
Director, Transit Services

Posted in: Uncategorised

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February General Membership Meeting – Wednesday, February 17, 2021

All Local 4304 members,

The next General Membership Meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, February 17, 2021 at 11:00AM and 7:30PM to be held online via Zoom.  A reminder that all members wishing to attend should RSVP to recordingsecretary@unifor4304.org prior to the meeting.  Even if you’re not 100% certain you will be able to attend, but may be able to, you should still consider RSVPing to ensure access to the meeting is provided if you can participate.

The Zoom link to join the meeting is https://zoom.us/j/5680262113.  This link does not change from month to month so save it for future reference and feel free to share it with other Local 4304 members.  All members attending the meeting should join with their first and last names to ensure the Sergeant-At-Arms knows who is being properly admitted.

In addition, the new Election Committee for the coming round of union elections will be selected at the General Membership Meeting; several members have already been nominated to the committee.  If you wish to nominate yourself, or another member, to be on the new Election Committee be sure to submit the nominations in writing to recordingsecertary@unifor4304.org or orally at the General Membership Meeting.

Yours in solidarity,

Warren Schnurr
Recording Secretary
Unifor Local 4304

Posted in: Elections, Meeting Agenda/Notice, Meeting Notices

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