IAM Spectrum

By all accounts it was the best symposium ever. The symposium which was held at the the Winpisinger Education and Technology Center in Hollywood, Maryland was graced by the IAM International President Brian Bryant in a surprise visit. He thanked the Canadian IAM activists who were present and congratulated them for the amazing work they were doing for Canadian Politics.

CANADIAN IAM ACTIVISTS AT THE WINPISINGER EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY CENTER, THAT PARTICIPATED IN THE 10TH CANADIAN POLITICAL ACTION SYMPOSIUM.

IAMAW International President Brian Bryant addressing participants

“Engaging our members is crucial because it affects our working lives. This means it affects our families and our home lives.” these are the words of the Canadian General Vice President David Chartrand who was also present at the symposium. He stressed on the importance of political activism, in light of the upcoming federal elections in 2025.

IAMAW Canadian General Vice President David Chartrand talking to the Canadian Activists.

Derek Ferguson, IAM Canadian GLR for Political Action, said, “80 IAM political activists from all over Canada gathered at the W3 where we developed and improved our communication strategies and member mobilization plans in the lead up to the 2025 federal election. Together we will make a difference!” Ferguson has held the Canadian Political Action portfolio for five years and has attend every single Symposium.

There were interactive break-out sessions, where participants learned how to create Political plans and implementation strategies, gaining valuable knowledge and insights which they will take back to their local lodges. Our Local Lodge 1231 Vice President Kirendeep Grewal, Trustee Dorine Agendia and Peel Chief Steward Marene Robinson, made presentations to the larger groups after these sessions.

LOCAL LODGE 1231 VICE PRESIDENT KIRENDEEP GREWAL MAKING HER PRESENTATION

LOCAL LODGE 1231 TRUSTEE, DORINE AGENDIA IN ACTION

LOCAL LODGE 1231 CHIEF STEWARD OF PEEL, MARENE ROBINSON ADDRESSING PARTICIPANTS

“It was a fantastic symposium that taught us how to break down a campaign and get started.” said IAM DL 78 communicator Heather Johnston. ” We were energized to engage our Local Lodge members into getting involved in politics in our area, because without using your voice, you are just an echo.” She also made a special mention about Facilitators, Laurie Antonin and Brent Farrington from the CLC(Canadian Labour Congress), who were amazing and made the learning fun and easy to understand.

At the last Union meeting held on Thursday March 21st, 2024, the New Officers of the LL1231 Executive Board were sworn in by Kim Valliere, IAM’s Special Representative for Canada

The executive board members sworn in were :

Vice President – Kirendeep Grewal

Secretary Treasurer – Lystra Mohammed

Educator – Melissa McRonney-Apaw

Trustees – Valencia Whint, Dorine Agendia

Secretary Treasurer Lystra Mohammed and Vice President Kirendeep Grewal taking the oath of office

In the picture, Trustees Valencia Whint, Educator Melissa McRonney-Apaw and Dorine Agendia, Recording Secretary Lystra Mohammed and Vice President Kirendeep Grewal taking the oath of office with IAM’s Special Representative for Canada Kim Valliere

In a show of solidarity and unity, 38 sisters from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton areas, representing their Local Lodges and the IAMAW, attended the fundraiser organized by the Peel Region Labour Council.

IAMAW is becoming a force to reckon with, as it’s numbers are increasing and it’s influence extending to all areas of labour and government.

The first time attendees were inspired and deeply impacted by their peers, many of whom have broken the glass ceiling. They were ‘fired and wired’ and as Ivana Soula, Research Director and Women and Human Rights Representative. eloquently articulated ““It was great to see members quickly jump into action and lend their support. They will take back what they’ve learned here and will share with members of their locals. That is how we all learn and we all grow.”

The fundraiser raised funds for Hope 24/7, Embrace, Courage Peel and United Way, all providing essential services for women.

The event takes place yearly and is organized by the Peel Region Labour Council, OFL and the CLC.

Canada is seeing an increase in measles activity compared to 2023. Measles is a highly contagious respiratory virus which can cause serious health risks and challenges.

Symptoms can appear 7 to 21 days after being infected with the measles virus. People infected with measles can spread it to others before they have symptoms.

Initial symptoms include:

fever
cough
runny nose
red, watery eyes
Small, white spots may appear inside the mouth and throat 2 to 3 days after symptoms begin.

About 3 to 7 days after symptoms begin, a rash that looks like small red spots:

develops on the face
spreads down the body, arms and legs
The rash can last 4 to 7 days.

Most people recover from measles within 2 or 3 weeks.

Common complications from measles include:

ear infection
pneumonia
diarrhea

Severe complications, while rare, can result from a measles infection, such as:

respiratory failure
inflammation and swelling of the brain (encephalitis)
death

Long-term complications of encephalitis can include:

blindness
deafness
intellectual disability

Measles can easily be spread to individuals who have not been previously infected or immunized against measles.

The virus is spread through the air and by contact with respiratory secretions from the nose and mouth. It can be prevented with vaccination.

It’s very important to diagnose measles early to help prevent it from spreading to other people.

Health care providers may suspect measles based on your symptoms and your possible exposure to the virus. For example, they may ask you if:

you’re aware of an outbreak in your community
you’ve had exposure to someone with measles
you’ve recently travelled to a place where measles is present

A health care provider will likely collect a sample to confirm the diagnosis with a lab test, which may include:

a blood test
a urine test
swabs from the back of your nose or throat

Your employer Spectrum Healthcare has asked you to follow the guidelines mentioned below :

If you suspect a patient may be infected, please follow these steps:

Wear PPE – mask, gloves, gown, and eye protection
Perform hand hygiene
Notify the Spectrum office
Notify Public Health

Also they have asked you to complete the Point of Care Risk assessment with the patient prior to beginning care.

Thank you for your attention and your continued dedication and following of “best practises” related to your work.

BE SAFE!!!

Credits : Government of Canada Website

Please note that there will be no supplies/PPE pick up available at the Toronto office on Monday March 25th, 2024, for Toronto Branch Staff. However the Scarborough Remote site will be open as per its regular hours.

YOU ARE ALL OUR SUPERSTARS! WE TRULY APPRECIATE YOU.

On International Women’s day March 8th, 2024, District 78 held a Women’s Committee training, conducted by the IAM Canada’s Director of Research and Human Rights Representative Ivana Saula.

The attendees that were sisters from district 78 Locals: 1231, 2113, 1295, 907 and 901 were introduced to a wide range of topics from Women’s History in the labour movement and the important role that women in particular played, and how women’s issues have presented themselves over the years, continuing into the present day. There is not enough clarity when it comes to understanding what women’s issues are for some, but knowing what this comprises, can create a clear picture as to the ways in which women shaped unions into organizations we know today. As Ivana Saula eloquently articulates, “Understanding our past allows us to appreciate our progress and understand that some of the issues women fought for have been a battle for as long as women have been part of the workforce.”

Women have always been active members of the workforce and proved that they could be strong allies of the union.

The attendees were provided training on policies pertaining to women’s committees, roles and responsibilities, objectives, how to create an action plan, how to garner interest to get women more involved in committees e.g. talking about what they would like to see on the agendas, issues that can mobilize like employment equity, pay equity, child care, birth control, sexual harassment etc.

Additionally a blue print on how to set up a Calendar for hosting different activities monthly was discussed.

The training was comprehensive and thorough, giving attendees ideas on how to run their women’s committees successfully in the future.

The vision is for Women’s Committees to have more to offer the membership rather than just bake sales and fundraisers, but going forward play an integral role in the union. Keeping this in mind the end goal was to provide training to the sisters to take the knowledge that they received and engage the membership in developing and supporting the women’s committees with their locals. This in turn would broaden the reach of these committees and expand their scope.

Committees are essential to the growth, and development of the Union and have an important role to play in the success of the Union and the wellbeing of it’s membership.

Congratulations Vivianne Simon! You have shattered the glass ceiling!

On March 9, 2023, History was made when Vivianne Simon, the first woman of colour to hold such a position, and the second woman to become a service representative, was acclaimed to the position of Business Representative at IAM District 78.

Vivianne’s career started in the healthcare sector at the Ukrainian Canada Care Centre, wherein she helped organize her workplace, eventually becoming the Chief Steward.

She later went on to get involved in a mentoring program at her workplace, under the guidance of her mentor Kim Valliere. She appreciates and acknowledges the IAM’s mentoring program role in her professional development.

As a lover of truth, fairness, knowledge and equity, the IAM provided the platform she needed to actively promote these values, through the various committees like the Women’s Committee, Human Rights Committee and the Workers of Colour Committee.

Vivianne Simon has shown us through her shining example, that Women of Colour, can break barriers and overcome challenges. The Union’s strength in Knowledge and Solidarity is the perfect medium and breeding ground to give members an opportunity to grow, create opportunities for advancement for the individual and group, advocate for their rights without fear of reprisal and have the perfect work/life balance necessary for every individual.

Vivianne hopes to see many more women, and women of colour, join her on this incredible journey of representing the members of the IAM.

Kudos to you Vivianne Simon!

I end with a quote from the quintessential, powerful black woman, the First Lady Michelle Obama ” I am coming down from the mountaintop, to tell every young person that is poor and working class, and has been told regardless of the colour of your skin that you don’t belong, don’t listen to them. They don’t even know how they got at those seats.”

February is Black History Month and a great time to remember the immense contributions and accomplishments of the Black People in Canada. It is the time to honour their legacy and their communities, by paying homage to their Stalwarts past and present.

“Black Excellence: A Heritage to Celebrate; A Future to Build” is the 2024 theme for Black History Month in Canada. This theme as the title indicates, felicitates with vigour and gratitude the past struggles, victories and valuable Black heritage, keeping an eye on the future, with aspirations to embrace new opportunities and avenues for growth. The theme has been chosen to align with the 10th year of the ‘ International Decade for People of African Descent’ which recognizes that this group is particularly vulnerable and has to have their human rights protected, advanced and acknowledged.

The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery in the United States. February 1 is known as National Freedom day in it’s honour.

Two important facts about Black History Month : It was first celebrated in the second week of February in 1926 to coincide with the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln on February 12th and Abolitionist/editor Fredrick Douglass on February 14th. Carter G.Woodson initiated the first celebration which led to Black History Month and then officially in 1976 as part of the U.S.A’s bicentennial the week was expanded to a month.

Reverend Jesse Jackson’s march for jobs – around the White House

A couple of biographies down below of great and famous Black people in Canada, who have helped shaped our Canadian heritage and identity and have left an indelible mark on Canadian History and society, thereby promoting the wellbeing and prosperity of our great country.

Harriet Tubman : A former enslaved woman from Maryland, she went on to become ” The Moses” of her people and “conductor” who led hundreds of enslaved Blacks to freedom along the Underground Railroad. Despite great personal risk when the United States Fugitive law was passed, and having angry slave owners posting bounties for her capture, she continued her work guiding runaway enslaved people further north into Canada. She became a leader in the Abolitionist Movement and during the Civil war worked as a nurse and spy for the Union forces in South Carolina.

Ihlan Abdullahi : She is an educator in public health , a professor at Simon Fraser University, a dedicated community organizer, story teller and advocate residing on the unceded territories of the Musquea, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her relentless work addresses health and social inequities, helping to contribute to the collective liberation of the communities she belongs to . Her focus is particularly on Black youth and newcomers. As an immigrant to Canada she draws her inspiration from her family’s journey and struggles. In 2020 she was nominated for the Top 100 Black Women to watch in Canada and in 2021 was shortlisted for the Woman of the Year Award, hosted by Muslims Achieving Excellence. She made her Directorial debut in 2021 with her Documentary “Dreamers”, which follows the journey of two Somali youth with dreams of becoming Professional Soccer players. She has centred Black refugees in her work in research, hoping that she can can explore the role of community organizing and social innovation in public health systems. Her other aspiration is to explore how grassroots community organizing and the process of decolonization through systems change lens can contribute to the upliftment and liberation of these communities.

The Honourable Lincoln M.Alexander : Born in 1922, he served with The Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World war between 1942 and 1945. A graduate of Hamiltons’s McMaster University, he later passed the bar examination as a alumni of Toronto’s Osgoode Hall School of Law. He was appointed as Queen’s Counsel and was the first Black person to become a member of Parliament in 1968 serving in the House of Commons until 1980. He was also the Federal Minister of Labour in 1979-80. He was appointed as Ontario’s 24th Lieutenant Governor in 1985 and was the first member of the racialized community to serve as the Queen’s representative in Canada. Education and Youth were the hallmarks of his Mandate. His illustrious career also included being the Chancellor of the University of Guelph, the Chair of the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and also the Honorary Commissioner for the International Year of Older Persons Ontario Celebrations. He was appointed a Companion of the Order of Canada and to the Order of Ontario in 1992 and was Named the “Greatest Hamiltonian of All Time.” On December 2013 the Province of Ontario proclaimed January 21st(Lincoln Alexander’s birthday) as “Lincoln Alexander Day”

Carrie Best : She was born on March 4, 1903 in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, married in 1925 and died in 2001. In the 1940’s, she and her son Cal were arrested for sitting downstairs in the Whites-Only seats at the Roseland Theatre in New Glasgow. They were then charged with disturbing the peace, convicted and fined. She founded the first Black-owned and published Nova Scotia newspaper called ‘ The Clarion ‘ and in 1952 aired her radio show ‘The Quiet corner’ Some of her landmark achievements are:

• Member of the Order of Canada in 1974
• Awarded the Queen Elizabeth medal in 1977
• Officer of the Order of Canada in 1979
• Awarded an honorary doctorate of civil laws (DC.L)
• Founded the Kay Livingstone Visible Minority Women’s Society of Nova Scotia in 1975
• Inducted into the Nova Scotia Black Wall of Fame in 1980
• Received the Harry Jerome Award in 1986
• Received the Harambee Membership Plaque in 1987
• Received the Black Professional Women’s Group Award Certificate in 1989
• Received the Minister’s Award of Excellence in Race Relations- Minister of State for MultiCulturalism in 1990
• Received the Nova Scotia Human Rights commission Award in 1991
• Received the Town of New Glasgow Award for work in race relations in 1992
• Received the Congress of Black Women Certificate in !993

I conclude with a noteworthy quote by Marty Meehan ” BLACK HISTORY MONTH MUST BE MORE THAN JUST A MONTH OF REMEMBRANCE; IT SHOULD BE A TRIBUTE TO OUR HISTORY AND REMINDER OF THE WORK THAT LIES IN THE MONTHS AND YEARS AHEAD.“

Thank you to all our members who attended the Christmas social and a special thank you to our Social Committee headed by the Chair Nesha Ramdeen, Jennifer Vuurman, Joshua Tunde-Ajay, Linda Stewart, Edith Daniel and Angelee Richards for making it a night to remember.

The air was festive, food fingerlicking good, and everyone left home with a gift and had a great time.

Ralph Martin (IAM Canadian Chief of Staff) addressed the members and recognized their selfless contributions and dedicated service, especially during Christmas and the Holiday season.

Kim Valliere Canadian Special Representative and District 78 Business Representative, regaled the crowd with trivia questions and generous prizes.

The Central Chair Ben Osakue thanked all the members for participating and gracing the occasion.

Kudos to the Social Committee for a job well done!

Some pictures of the event.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year and it’s all thanks to you!!

On behalf of the executive board of LL1231, we would like to wish all our members a season full of cheer, light, happiness and prosperity for you and your families.

In light of all that is going on in the world let us spread the message of peace and compassion.

We would like to acknowledge all the hard work of our members and thank you all for being valued and integral members of the union. Your contributions and dedication on the job is unparalleled. You have made this year worth celebrating and we can’t wait to see you in the New Year!!!