Equity Committee Operating Policy

Section: 3 - Governance Matters

Subsection: 3B - Operating Policies
Created: January 2025

Purpose

To provide a clear and consistent policy framework to guide the Equity Committee, Equity Caucus¹Chair and Vice-Chairs, AMAPCEO staff in the governance and operation of the Equity Committee and Caucuses.

This policy is to be read in conjunction with the AMAPCEO Constitution, By-laws, and other relevant policies (some of which are cited for reference below).

Policy statement

The current Equity Committee structure was established by the Board of Directors in May 2018, and came into effect in September 2018, The Board of Directors formalized an Equity Committee Operating Policy in 2024.

Policy

1. Committee Purpose

The purpose of the Committee, according to Board Equity Committee – Terms of Reference, is three-fold: to act as a forum to provide non-binding advice to the Board of Directors through identification of equity related issues, barriers and perspectives; to recommend effective and measurable equity related goals and objectives for inclusion of all members, and any other mandates assigned by the Board of Directors; and to regularly report to the Board of Directors, through the Board Liaison, stating goals, objectives, work plans and budget expenditures, and committee progress attained.

2. Caucus Purpose

The purpose of Caucuses, according to Board Equity Committee – Terms of Reference, is multifaceted:

- Increase awareness and understanding of equity and inclusion in AMAPCEO by:

Identifying barriers and perspectives that could undermine equity and inclusion and that might be addressed by the union through policy and/or other actions.
Recommending the development of educational materials, resources, and campaigns in effort to deepen awareness of equity and inclusion.
To bring together a broad group of grassroots members to increase the spaces available for equity-deserving groups’ participation in the union.
Encourage networking and partnering with other equity-deserving groups.
Encourage and support safe spaces for all AMAPCEO members.
Encourage and promote the participation of members from equity-deserving groups within activist roles in AMAPCEO.
Provide a forum for AMAPCEO to seek input and reactions on equity and inclusion initiatives.

3. Caucus Composition and Meetings

A Caucus may be formed where there are 25 or more members interested and the Board of Directors approves the proposed focus of the Caucus (who from the membership it will engage with and represent), and a draft vision and mission statement. A new Caucus must represent members of systemically underrepresented group or equity deserving group and shall not have a political or religious basis.

Each Caucus will have two Board appointed leaders. The eligibility criteria and appointment process are outlined in the Board Equity Committee - Terms of Reference. These leaders have autonomy to structure a working committee to support the efforts of the Caucus.

Each Caucus shall be comprised of:

i. a Caucus Chair, who has a dual role as a member of the Equity Committee and as Chair of the Caucus; and

ii. a Caucus Vice-Chair, who has a dual role as Vice-Chair of the Caucus and attending the Equity Committee if the Caucus Chair is unavailable; and

iii. all AMAPCEO members in good standing who self-identify with the Caucus and have elected to join the Caucus.

Each Caucus is required to host a Caucus meeting a minimum of four times each year and should limit its activities to one event per month.

A designated AMAPCEO staff advisor is assigned to support each Caucus and will help organize—and participate in—Caucus membership meetings and events.

4. Authorities

The Board of Directors may specify additional purposes, powers, and duties of the Equity Committee and Caucuses. The Board has authority to resolve any conflicts, inconsistencies, ambiguity, or lack of clarity between Board policies and the Constitution or By-laws.

AMAPCEO’s parliamentary authority is Robert’s Rules of Order, which also applies to meetings of Board Committees in all procedural matters, unless the Constitution and By-laws specify otherwise. It is acknowledged that most Equity Committee and Caucus meetings will not require this degree of formality.

5. Codes of Conduct Apply

The Activist Code of Conduct, outlined in By-law #9, applies to all members of the Equity Committee and each Caucus, and includes:

i. Each member’s responsibility to AMAPCEO and, as such, an expectation to act (in all their activist roles) honestly, in good faith, with due care and diligence, and in the best interests of the organization as a whole and its members; and

ii. Each member’s duty to attend required meetings of bodies to which they are elected or appointed; to prepare adequately for those meetings by reading the agenda and other material; and to give advance notice and explanation in cases where they are unable to attend.

The Board Members' Code of Conduct Policy is in place to govern the conduct of its members and activists appointed by the Board of Directors to any body of the Board of Directors, in this case, Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Equity Caucuses.

6. Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair

The Board of Directors shall appoint a Chair from among each Caucus’ members, after a call is made for Caucus Chair self-nominations.

The Board of Directors shall appoint a Vice-Chair from among each Caucus’ members, after a call is made for Caucus Vice-Chair self-nominations, which will be at the same time a call is made for Caucus Chair self-nominations.

The Chair shall attend all Equity Committee meetings. If the Chair is unable to attend an Equity Committee meeting, the Vice-Chair shall be permitted to participate in their absence.

The Chair shall preside at Caucus meetings. The Vice-Chair shall preside at Caucus meetings in the absence of the Chair.

Each of the Caucuses shall have their Chair or Vice-Chair as Caucus representative to the Activists and Leaders (ALF) Forum.

Each of the Caucuses shall be represented at the Delegates Conference by their Chair. Should the Chair not be an elected Delegate, the Chair shall be appointed as a Delegate-at-Large under the Delegates-at-Large Policy.

If a vacancy occurs in the position of Chair in the last six months of their term of office, the Vice-Chair will temporarily fill the vacancy, including the Chair’s role on the Equity Committee, until the end of the original term of office. Vacancies that occur earlier in a Caucus Chair’s term are to be filled through a call for self-nominations from the Caucus members as described earlier in this section. If the Vice-Chair assumes the Chair role temporarily, an acting Vice-Chair shall be solicited from the Caucus membership.

Given the size of Caucuses, and the time commitment required of Caucus Chairs in their roles as members of the Equity Committee, the Vice-Chair is intended to be a key resource for the Caucus, sharing the responsibility of providing leadership with the Chair to both the Equity Committee and the Caucus membership.

7. Other Caucus Officers

The Caucus has the authority to appoint additional members to leadership roles within the Caucus to ensure broad representation from all parts of the Caucus, and/or to distribute the work of the Caucus while also building future Caucus leaders.

Caucuses may elect a Secretary and/or a Treasurer and create subcommittees as required to conduct its work. In the case that these volunteers resign or are planning to resign, they have an obligation to advise their Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair, and AMAPCEO staff resource as soon as possible.

8. Length of Term

Caucus Chairs and Vice-Chairs serve a two-year term, which are renewed in even years (e.g. 2024, 2026, etc).

9. Activists and Leaders Forum

The Board has established an activist networking body called the Activists and Leaders Forum, representing a broad cross-section of internal stakeholders who typically meet two times a year (Spring and Fall) to exchange information and participate in training.

Members of the Board of Directors, District Vice-Chairs and Community Leads are members of the Forum (or ALF). Representatives from Healthcare, Agencies, Regulatory, and Legislative Offices (HARLO)bargaining units, the Board’s Equity Committee and the retiree caucus also participate. The current terms of reference and composition of the Forum is attached to this policy as Appendix A.

10. Caucus Policies

Caucuses do not have authority to adopt policies to regulate its activities and their activities are subject to approval by the Board of Directors.

11. Annual Caucus Workplan and Budget

Each Caucus Leadership team is required to prepare an annual workplan and annual budget. In the fall, a planning session will be held to enable Caucus leaders (Chair and Vice-Chair) to develop a Caucus Workplan and Budget for the following calendar year for Executive Committee approval. AMAPCEO’s fiscal cycle is January 1^st to December 31^st.

A draft plan will be submitted to the Equity Committee Chair for the Executive Committee’s October meeting. The plan will include the following:

Estimated timeframes for Membership and Caucus leadership meetings.
Estimated timeframes and expenses for Member Engagement events.
The plan will be completed using the Caucus Workplan template.

Only those expenses noted in the planning process will be considered for approval.

As often as possible, Caucus leaders should endeavor to set up central invoicing or direct payment of all meeting and engagement expenses. Caucus leaders should consult with dedicated staff resources accordingly.

All out of pocket expenses should be submitted to the Finance & Administrative Services unit, via approved expense forms, for reimbursement.

While meeting and engagement expenses are primarily related to food and beverage, all anticipated expenses for meetings or engagement activities should be noted in the draft plan for each meeting/event. Budgets should include all food, space, and/or performer/speaker costs.

Caucus may request in-year reallocation of budgetary fund or new events or in-year budget increases at any time. If an in-year request to reallocate funds is made, expense details should be clearly denoted. The process for this is outlined below in the section on Events and Meetings - Planning for Budget and Timelines.

Caucus leaders are entitled to request an up-to-date reconciliation of their budget allocation. Requests should be made through the dedicated staff resource with responses occurring within two weeks.

The template for the preparation of a Caucus Workplan and Budget can be found in Appendix B.

12. Information Sharing

Chairs are encouraged to amplify information from the AMAPCEO newsletter, the AMAPCEO website, or from the Equity Committee Chair and other Caucus Chairs with their Caucus members.

13. Caucus Communication Resources

It is a central goal that all communications are consistent with the approved AMAPCEO Style Guide. Any content being shared with AMAPCEO Membership is subject to editing by AMAPCEO Staff.

Specific Equity Committee Resources can be found on the Equity Committee Landing page on the website.

All Caucus leaders (and any other Caucus members involved in member engagement) shall sign the undertaking of confidentiality to respect privacy of member information that is shared with them.

The dedicated Caucus staff advisor can assist with any requests regarding the resources outlined below.

i. Email Addresses – Distribution Lists and Inboxes

Each Caucus has a dedicated email distribution list to enable direct communicate with Caucus members. Caucus Inbox login credentials and email distribution list details are shared with Caucus Chair upon appointment to their role. This includes access to the full Microsoft Suite of programs.

ii. Teleconferencing Options

Teleconferencing

Each Caucus has a dedicated teleconference number to host calls with the Caucus members. Caucus teleconference number, including guest and moderator codes is shared with Caucus leaders upon appointment to their role.

MS Teams

Each Caucus may choose to use their Caucus dedicated MS Teams account for Caucus meetings as it can be set up by the Caucus Chair. Caucus participants should NOT be using employer resources, such as their employer’s MS Teams software.

Zoom

Each Caucus may choose to use AMAPCEO’s Zoom account for meetings and/or events, subject to AMAPCEO Zoom account availability. This should be arranged through the AMAPCEO Membership Engagement Staff at least four weeks in advance of the event date.

iii. Caucus Membership Lists

Caucus membership lists will be provided by the AMAPCEO Membership Engagement Staff on a quarterly basis. Membership lists shared are point in time and considered confidential and shall not be shared beyond the Caucus inbox. Should any Chair wish for an updated list between quarterly updates, they are to contact their dedicated staff advisor.

iv. Business Cards

Business cards are available for Caucus Chairs. The cards will name the Caucus, list the Caucus email address and Facebook page, if the Caucus has a Facebook page.

v. Social media

Facebook Pages

AMAPCEO’s communications team will provide support in setting up a Facebook page for each Caucus, upon request.

Chairs/Vice-Chairs are expected to be administrators with AMAPCEO communication staff also monitoring the site, in addition to assisting with branding, and should add a reference to the site to the Caucus email signature.

Any Facebook page that is inactive for six months will be taken down.

vi. Events – Advertising Support

Events advertising support is available through a few communication channels such as flyers/posters, weekly members e-newsletter, social media, and the AMAPCEO website.

Caucus Chairs are encouraged to work with their Caucus and provide any content and advice on advertising support being requested to their dedicated staff advisor. This information is required at least two weeks before wishing to begin to promote an event. Late requests may result in the cancelation of the event.

vii. Equity and Social Justice Calendar – Events and Input to dates of significance

Caucus leaders have a responsibility to plan events or collaborate on events with affinity groups (including OPS network groups or groups of any HARLO employers), other AMAPCEO Caucuses and AMAPCEO District Executives, on Caucus-related dates of significance. These dates of significance can be found on AMAPCEO’s website: https://amapceo.on.ca/equity#equitysocialjusticecalendar

Caucus leaders are encouraged to work with their Caucus and provide any content and advice on focus, profiles, bulletin board materials etc. to their dedicated staff advisor, who will ensure communication staff receive provided input.

All event planning should be initiated at least six weeks in advance of the event date. Reminder support for Caucus leaders can be provided by their dedicated staff advisor, upon request.

14. Caucus Membership Meetings and Events

Each Caucus Leadership team is required to convene at least four general membership meetings annually.

The Caucus Chair shall be responsible for chairing caucus membership meetings.

Caucuses may also host or participate in events that are for their membership, the broader members, and in members’ workplaces. Communication and events requirements and resources are outlined in the section above on Caucus Communication Resources.

15. Events and Meetings - Planning for Budget and Timelines

When planning an event, Caucus leaders should engage AMAPCEO Staff Advisors at least six weeks before the event date. Earlier engagement of staff in planning an event will help address any timeline impacts relating to the key elements of a successful event, including: budget, logistics, swag, and scheduling. An Event Workplan Template has been developed to assist Caucus leaders in planning an event and is included as Appendix C.

AMAPCEO Staff will provide guidance on timelines for delivery of the event/initiative based on considerations, including, and not limited to: status of approved budget; availability of space/equipment/staff to support the event; conflicting events; registration; contracts for speakers, etc.

i. Budget

Caucus leaders are responsible for ensuring that they have both budget and event approval in advance of planning for any event or meeting. If additional funds are needed for an event or meeting, a request for re-allocation within the approved Caucus budget or for additional Caucus funding must be submitted to Chair of the Equity Committee for approval via the Executive. Depending on the time of the year, this may add at least an extra four weeks to the planning for the event.

ii. Meeting Mode

AMAPCEO’s ability to host a Caucus event on any given date may be dependent on staff and meeting room/zoom availability. If the date requested is unavailable, staff will make every effort to offer alternative dates.

Use of AMAPCEO’s Zoom account needs to be requested in advance of registration opening.

iii. Swag

For initiatives that involve ordering products (e.g., special swag for parades, or buttons to mark dates of significance), at least three months notice must be given, as production timelines can be lengthy.

iv. Scheduling

Caucus leaders should avoid scheduling in-person events on Mondays and Fridays. Member turnout is far lower on these days.

16. Events and Meetings – Registration and Registrant Communication

Central support is available for registration to AMAPCEO events that are open to only AMAPCEO members.

For collaborative events with external partners, Caucus leaders are to establish event registration as a responsibility of the external partner.

Event organizers (Caucus leaders and/or external partners) are responsible for building and managing any post-event survey.

If AMAPCEO is managing an event registration, the names of those registered for said event may be shared with the Caucus activists and/or external event organizers upon request. Note, no further information about registrants can be shared.

Final content, including an external event link for registration, is required two weeks in advance of the first day of promoting the event.

17. Events and Meetings – Raffle Guidelines

Caucus leaders may offer raffle prizes during in-person or virtual events. AMAPCEO can provide raffle prizes to non-members when one or more Caucuses are a sponsor of a non-AMAPCEO event, that also invites AMAPCEO members.

Caucus leaders may partner with bodies outside of AMAPCEO, such as an employer affinity group. Should it be required that AMAPCEO will manage the registration for a virtual event, Caucus leaders need to identify this in the early stages of planning as it impacts managing a raffle.

Limitations are as follows:

Virtual Events: Only electronic virtual gift cards are available, and this is only when an event is held on AMAPCEO’s Zoom account.

If arranged in advance, AMAPCEO Staff can manage the purchasing and emailing of electronic gift cards. This will require provision of the personal email address of the raffle winner(s).

In-Person Events: For an in-person event, AMAPCEO special swag items or Gift Cards are available.

AMAPCEO Staff are not responsible for purchasing or delivering (via mail or via coordination of pickup) physical gift cards or other physical raffle prizes.

It is the responsibility of the Caucus leadership to purchase and provide the physical gift cards at the event and file an expense claim.

AMAPCEO Staff can provide AMAPCEO swag items for distribution at an in-person event. Post-event delivery of any swag items is not available as the basic rule is that you need to be present to receive the raffle gift.

Gift cards may be used as raffle or door prizes at Member events or meetings (1 or 2 per meeting). Gift cards must not exceed $25 per card (lesser increments are permitted) and should be limited to bookstores, restaurants, or coffee and tea shops, procured from union friendly vendors preferably located in the community (where possible).

18. Vendor Requirements.

Suggested speakers or vendors need to be vetted by staff before they are confirmed (e.g., are they labour-friendly, what is their expertise or lived experience, have they been involved in any controversies, etc.).

AMAPCEO dedicated staff advisor should be connected to the speaker at least six weeks before the event date to coordinate details.

Vendors are required to provide and sign a contract, with AMAPCEO listed as the client, and return the signed contract to the AMAPCEO Staff Advisor for signing. AMAPCEO’s template can be found in Appendix D.

Note: A speaker’s event cannot be promoted before a signed contract is received.

An Invoice and completed AMAPCEO Banking Info Form (Appendix E) will be needed from the speaker for payment to be made.

19. Refreshments at Caucus Events

As per AMAPCEO’s Expense Reimbursement Policy, food and drink expenditures are to be no more than $12 per person registered for an event and within the approved Caucus Budget for the specific event/line item in the budget.

Pizza may be ordered by AMAPCEO Administrative Staff only if the attendance numbers and dietary restrictions are confirmed no later than one week before the event date.

Other food options may be arranged by the Caucus leadership directly. Payment can be handled by Staff where remote payment is possible and no later than one week before the event date or can be covered by the Caucus leadership and reimbursed through AMAPCEO’s Expense Reimbursement process.

20. Caucus Leadership Leaves

AMAPCEO-paid leave is provided to the Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair to attend the annual Equity committee Equity Forum; to the Caucus Chair or Vice-Chair to attend ALF meetings; Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair to attend the annual Equity Committee Planning Sessions; Caucus Chair or Vice-Chair to attend full-day Equity Committee meetings; and to the Caucus Chair or Vice-Chair to attend Delegates’ Conferences.

Members granted this leave continue to receive their normal salary from the Employer with the only difference being that the member’s time is required to be re-paid to the Employer by AMAPCEO.

The Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair may also access additional discretionary union leave to conduct Caucus business. Union-paid leave is available to the Caucus Chair and Vice-Chair as described below.

A total of a half-day for either the Chair and Vice-Chair of union-paid leave per calendar month is available, for a total of six leave days per calendar year to facilitate work within the Caucus, such as planning and member engagement.

An additional half-day of leave is available for both the Chair and Vice-Chair to meet with the Caucus designated AMAPCEO Staff, for the purpose of undertaking planning for the year.

Unused leave in a given month can be accumulated to be used at another time, within a calendar year.

Paid leave is typically not provided for members to attend Caucus meetings or meetings of the Executive of the Caucus, should the Caucus have an Executive.

¹Caucuses may be referred to by other names such as a Circle