Union training centers
I noticed Local 1000a has a new office and its own training center. I'm curious as to why different locals in the same area have their own training centers? Are the training needs of members among locals like 1000a, 175, 1977 that different? Wouldn't it make sense to run these centrally. There could be some cost savings.
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Wouldn't it make sense to run these centrally. There could be some cost savings.
Yeah that would make perfect sense. What the hay they thinking? Does the UFCW have money to burn?
Couldn't Local 175 members use a strike pay increase? Couldn't Local 1400 Westfair strikers use a strike pay increase? Wouldn't it be handy to have more in the strike kitty?
You know solidarity, each Local helping the other Local where they can.
Just like when 175 members flew to B.C. to help 1518 with their campaign.
Oops! bad example! That cost the members! 
In effect the companies pay for the union office and training centre. There's a cents per hour paid by employers to the Education and Training fund. It adds up to possibly hundreds of thousands of dollars per year for each local.
Look at Local 777, it bought a million-dollar building for almost cash. Was or is it used for training? Nope, it's mainly a union office, bought an paid for by Westfair Foods' contribution to the Ed & Training fund.
I see 1000a promises quality training. Learning word processing isn't high on my list of quality training that I need. And don't forget the HRDC connection.
Gotta run....
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There's a cents per hour paid by employers to the Education and Training fund.
Then maybe the extra cash could be ear marked for special courses while on strike. Half day on the pickets and a half day of unbiased labour education!
The travesty is that Local Unions drag in millions in funds to supposedly train workers, use the money to buy real estate and then tell workers that there is no money for decent strike pay. UFCW Local 1518 brags about spending, if my memory serves me correctlly, about $1 million on Education and Training. Has anyone actually seen the type of training done? Whey the hell is a local holding raffles for training spaces. Has anyone seen the cheque register to see exactly what training funds are spent on and what exactly is considered as training?
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Has anyone seen the cheque register to see exactly what training funds are spent on and what exactly is considered as training?
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We were told at a GMM that the cheque registry was none of the members business and we couldn't see it. I looked through what they provided during discovery in our supreme court case and I just couldn't believe the money they spend. It was worse than even I thought. For days I just couldn't get over the money spent on food. I eat a lot of food, I get kidded about it all the time but there is no way in hell I could ever charge the kind of bills I seen in that binder. So it's no bloody wonder they won't let members see the darn thing. If striking workers ever seen it there would be hell to pay.
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there would be hell to pay
Isn't there already?
Training centres and Training funds are serious business to those who would steal and plunder. Members have no right of access to find out how those funds are spent. In some instances the activities are criminal.
I sued the UFCW Local 777 Education and Training Fund Trust for an explanation of how money wound up in a Toronto lawyer's office and how some wound up in UFCW Local 175's fund account and how a $1 million building was purchased, and how cheques went out under the signature of the President's wife and.....
How much education happened between 1989 and 1985 when I left the UFCW? About zip! Is the building that was bought an education centre? Not really. As I saw them, the education funds were more about real estate acquisition than true education.
How many dollars went from Canadian education and training funds to help old Bill Wynn out of his house fiasco? That's a question that has yet to be answered.
If UFCW would spend half the money and effort in training our members on union and labour related issues, as well as activism, instead of concentrating on "training" people on such labour-related subjects as playing the stock market,we might not be the "laughing stock" of "progressives" in the labour movement. 
Johnny, do you know anything about the Clifford Evans training centre? I have the feeling that this is like the UFCW University as it is named after their grand old patriarch himself. This is their web site. I can't help but notice that a lot of the course offerings look like rah-rah union-management partnership stuff. The sloppy grammar doesn't give me a warm feeling either (considering that it's supposed to be an education centre).
You got it Remote! The "Official Hype" is "A Trained Member is a Working Member" I would add "and a dues paying member" ( I pay $28.80 per month, $14.40 per pay period, union dues as they just went up 25 cents per week).
Most of the "courses" deal with pro-management/pro business concepts and as far as the "training" in job-related courses is concerned, if UFCW spent more time in demanding FULL-TIME JOBS for its membership we would need to spend all this time, money and energy in a "race to the bottom!"
