Wednesday, March 11, 2020
With more than 3,000 AMAPCEO members having recently moved to new work locations, on Tuesday, the union’s Board of Directors announced changes to how those members are districted.
Effective April 2, 2020, those members’ districts will be based on their current work location, necessitating the creation of a new district—called Front—and the amalgamation of two others into the new Frost/Whitney district.
AMAPCEO’s governance model allocates members to a geographic district based on their work location. Since the beginning of the Queen’s Park Reconstruction Project nearly 18 months ago, displaced members have retained their “home” district for democratic purposes, such as voting rights and delegate counts.
The work location moves have predominately affected three of AMAPCEO’s geographic districts: Mowat/Hearst, Ferguson/Whitney, and Frost/Hepburn.
Notably:
- most Mowat/Hearst members have been moved to 315 Front Street West in Toronto, and no members remain in that original geographic district;
- half of Ferguson/Whitney members have been moved out of that district, and the Ferguson Block closed; and
- half of Frost/Hepburn members have been moved out of that district, and the Hepburn Block closed.
“Construction is not forecast for completion until 2026, and the OPS Employer does not have a solid plan on how renovated space will be allocated or who will work where,” President Dave Bulmer said. “Some AMAPCEO members may return to a renovated workplace, some may stay in their current location longer-term, and some may move to an entirely new space. The Employer isn’t sure yet.”
The AMAPCEO Board of Directors considered the length of this disruption, the uncertainty of the OPS Employer’s plans, and members’ current work locations. On Tuesday, they voted to enact changes that, when implemented on April 2, will better balance AMAPCEO’s geographic districts.
Members working at 315 Front Street West in Toronto will become part of the new Front District. Angela Freeman, District Director for Mowat/Hearst, will become the interim District Director for Front until December 31, 2020. The Mowat/Hearst District will be disbanded.
Members remaining in the Frost and Whitney Blocks will be amalgamated into the new Frost/Whitney District. Maryanna Lewyckyj and Cesar Furtado, District Directors for Ferguson/Whitney and Frost/Hepburn, respectively, will become the interim Co-District Directors for Frost/Whitney until December 31, 2020.
Other displaced members will join the district in which they currently work.
Current delegates with terms running until May 2021 will continue as delegates for their new district. Elections for delegate vacancies will be held in May 2020.
Starting April 2, members will be able to sign into their Member Dashboard on the AMAPCEO website to confirm their new district.
“This will better reflect our current reality,” Bulmer said of the district reorganization. “It will help create better connections between members and further grow a sense of community in our workplaces.”