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UFCW Local 401 offers, either directly or indirectly through its affiliates, the following courses to qualifying applicants:
Shop Steward Training: Learn the principles of trade Unionism and Union thinking; learn how to represent yourself and your co-workers with management.
Advanced Shop Steward Training: Study the grievance and arbitration procedure. Expand on basic Shop Steward training in a broad variety of areas.
Workplace Health and Safety: Learn how to identify health and safety problems at work; become familiar with health and safety law including the right to refuse unsafe work.
Advanced Health and Safety: Got the health and safety bug and want to learn more? This course is designed to provide practical tools to activists with some basic knowledge of health and safety activism. The course demystifies the details of health and safety. Students will learn on-the-shop-floor skills in a variety of health and safety areas including: reading legislation, chemical hazards, epidemiology, ergonomics, toxicology, workplace inspections and internet research.
Arbitration: This course is designed to give participants who have previously been through programs on basic labour law, the practical skills required to prepare and present a case at an arbitration hearing. Special emphasis is placed on evidence, examination and cross-examination, the opening statement and final argument as well as current trends in the arbitration process. This process helps to train rank and file members in the preparation and presentation of arbitration cases, collection of grievance facts and research of past awards. Participants will prepare arguments and summations for a mock arbitration and study actual cases and decisions. This course would be useful for grievance committee members or chairpersons.
Become a Better Leader: The theme of this course is to discuss ways in which we can build local Unions and a labour movement that is fair and inclusive to all workers. We will also examine what commitments and strategies are necessary to make sure that our movement represents and reaches out to all marginalized members. Legislative responsibilities such as human rights and duty of fair representation will also be highlighted. This course is open to anyone interested in becoming the kind of leader that gains the respect of the entire membership.
Collective Bargaining: This course is designed for new members of bargaining committees, local officers and local Union activists who are involved or anticipate becoming involved in actual bargaining. The program is in four parts. The first deals with preparing for bargaining, including factors affecting negotiations and types of bargaining relationships. The second part concerns bargaining aims and priorities, bargaining information and an introduction to costing. The third part deals with the structure of negotiations, effective negotiations and bargaining skills. The final part consists of exercises on writing contract language and simulated bargaining. Audio-visual aids are used extensively in the program and there is a strong emphasis on group work and discussion.
Workers' Compensation: All workers should know their rights related to workers' compensation and how the Board functions to provide financial, medical and rehabilitative help for workers with work related injuries or diseases. This course provides a review of the Workers' Compensation Act, procedures for filing claims, WCB policies for adjudicating claims and the appeals process.
Labour History: Working men and women in Canada have a proud and colourful history of struggle and progress. Learn how Unions like the Knights of Labour and the One Big Union reshaped the labour movement and changed the direction of our society. Compare the strategies and tactics used by working people in the past with our present practices. Learn from the past to prepare for the future. See how the "Great Depression" and the On-to-Ottawa Trek shaped the modern Union movement.
Labour and the Arts: Working men and women of Canada have a proud history of successes that shaped the labour movement and changed society. You will compare strategies and tactics used by working people in the past and present to bring about positive change. Through the extensive use of music, film, stories and discussion, this course will explore the rich "cultural" identity of labour. Union activists with a keen interest in "labour history with a difference", should register for this course. You will leave the session with a better understanding of the labour movement and an increased sense of pride in being a Union member.
Young Workers in Action: This course is about inviting youth to bring their energy and their knowledge forward to help drive change in the labour movement. Participants will have an opportunity to learn about what sacrifices have been made in the past without having to live in the past. One of the key components of the course will be to teach youth about the corporate agenda and how the average worker is suffering. We will seek thoughts on how to fight social and economic injustice, look for new ideas on how to accomplish our goals and have open discussion on how to keep the labour movement fresh. The course will offer skill development and strategies on dealing with community and workplace issues. Through open forums, we will seek your input on how you want us to educate youth in the future and through participation and role-play, we'll talk about how to get youth to take ownership of labour issues.
Organizing for Social Change: With the stroke of a pen, politicians and big business can erase many years of hard work by labour's representatives. Organizing for Social Change is designed to analyze the political and economic factors which affect labour's ability to achieve its social, economic and collective bargaining objectives and begin the task of determining strategies that will help organized labour to achieve our goals.
Clear Language and Design: The labour movement relies on written material to inform our members and to help them participate more effectively in the workplace, the Union and in the community. Clear language and design are important tools to help make Union communications reader-friendly. As Union activists, we want the written word to work with us in organizing and educating workers to understand and defend their rights. Clear language and design make the Union's message more accessible to our members. Participants in this hands-on course will increase their understanding of the principles and benefits of clear language and design. They will become familiar with the tools and techniques of writing clear language and become more aware of clear design. Participants will develop their skills so that they can effectively use clear language and design in Union communications and in the workplace.
Human Rights Issues and Advocacy: The overall aim of this course is to provide trade Unionists with the information and practical skills to become human rights activists. The specific objectives are:
- to build awareness of the status of disadvantaged groups and the underlying, systematic causes of inequality
- familiarity with human rights legislation and the concepts behind the law
- to promote and build trade Union remedies for change through the Collective Agreement
- to examine internal policies and education
- to understand the role of lobbying and social action
Labour Law: This course presents an overview of provincial and federal labour legislation and its impact on the strategies and actions of Unions. Among the topics to be explored are: certification and dispute settlement procedures, unfair labour practices, the duty to bargain in good faith, strikes, lockouts and picketing, the duty of fair representation, management and Union rights and grievance arbitration law. Students who take this course will attain a good understanding of the basic principles underlying Canadian labour law and the specifics of labour legislation in Alberta.
Popular Education: "Popular Education" encourages critical thinking and collective action for change. It stresses the importance of democratic, participatory process in education. It promotes starting with workers' experience, linking new knowledge to what people already know and leading to expression of that knowledge through some form of action.
Pensions: A Trade Union Perspective: Pensions are an important part of worker wage and benefit packages. Their future importance may increase as government commitments to social programs continue to decline. This course will review some basic areas such as pension objectives, the legal environment and funding concepts. It will also cover topics that will assist you in evaluating your own pension arrangement, improve an existing plan or position you to know what needs to be done to establish one. The course will address pension issues from both a private and a public pension perspective. It is designed for people with little or no experience with pensions. No mathematical skills are required. Topics covered will include: Canada's retirement income system, pension terminology, laws governing pension plans, documents associated with pension plans and issues for bargaining. This course is a must for members of Union pension committees and any Union member who has or wishes to have a pension plan in their workplace.
Union Counselling: This course is for members interested in becoming Union counselors. Union counselors offer guidance, referrals and information to their co-workers about personal and family problems on and off the job. You will develop the skills to support and advise your co-workers with referrals to community services in times of need, identify inadequacies in our social service system and take collective action to make improvements. Topics include: social and health care services, communication and counselling skills, alcohol and drug dependency/mandatory drug testing, employment insurance and/or workers' compensation and employee/family assistance programs. The Union Counsellor will be equipped to assist members and their families in a confidential and appropriate manner and it is hoped that participants will maintain an ongoing interest in this area. The course will also cover the role of the Union Counsellor and the Union with an employer assistance program.
Conflict Resolution: This course provides Union representatives with a toolkit of strategies, tactics and skills to manage specific disputes as well as conflict in the workplace. Managing workplace disputes and conflict focuses on mastering coaching and communication skills, investigative techniques, documenting facts utilizing frameworks for analyzing disputes, strategies for generating alternatives and evaluation options as well as dispute system design techniques. After this course, representatives will be able to:
- describe a continuum of dispute resolutions options
- evaluate appropriate frameworks for analyzing disputes
- practice techniques for effective coaching of others within their Union
- examine procedures for conducting investigations
- contrast methods of generating alternatives and evaluating options or solutions
- demonstrate various communication skills, and
- identify techniques to deal with systemic conflict.
It's a Small World: A Toolbox for Global Solidarity: Free trade, jobs on the move, transnationals, multinationals, off-shore production. Are you losing ground in a sea of global change? In this course you will:
- learn new ways of looking at the world and gain practical instruction in how to make links with workers in other countries
- practice writing letters to world leaders, negotiating against outsourcing and reaching out to young workers
- participate in a series of exciting workshops featuring videos, group discussion and print resources contributed by trade Unionists and journalists from around the world.
In five days of empowerment through learning, we can make the world a smaller, better place for trade Unionists.
Labour and the Arts: Working men and women of Canada have a proud history of successes that shaped the labour movement and changed society. You will compare strategies and tactics used by working people in the past and present to bring about positive change. Through the extensive use of music, film, stories and discussion, this course will explore the rich "cultural" identity of labour. Union activists with a keen interest in "labour history with a difference", should register for this course. You will leave the session with a better understanding of the labour movement and an increased sense of pride in being a Union member.
Taking the Workplace to Politics: In the context of political renewal, we need to make issue education and communication a priority among Union members. This new course is designed for local leaders and activists to build the Union and take the workplace to politics. Through practical workshops and discussion, participants will gain skills on:
- how to increase effective communications on workplace issues and organizational capacity for campaigns
- the nuts and bolts of campaign organizing
- How to increase the number, quality and diversity of labour candidates at all political levels, in particular at the municipal level.
This course is a must for Union leaders and labour council activists who want to link workplace issue activism to political involvement and build a stronger labour presence in the local electoral process, and in the community.
Duty to Accommodate/Return to Work Programs: Mention "duty to accommodate" to a Union activist and their eyes light up! Recent human rights decisions and aggressive case management by WCB and other insurers have left many injured workers afraid and many Union activists confused (and even busier). How can we advocate for our members' rights and protect our Collective Agreements? Is the return to work program in your workplace fair? How can we support our injured members when they come to us for help? This course begins with a look at various implications of being disabled in our society. Participants will develop an understanding of the fundamental legal concepts related to the implementation of the duty to accommodate. As well, participants will critically explore the principles and components of return to work programs.
Public Speaking and Parliamentary Procedure: Public speaking is designed to provide training and practical experience in all facets of verbal communication, including speech preparation and delivery, impromptu talks, introduction techniques, controlling nervousness and effective participation in meetings. The Parliamentary Procedure component of the course deals with how to run a Union meeting, the duties of the chairperson, table officers and the members at large. It covers rules of order and the order of precedent for motions. It offers participants an opportunity to practice effective public speaking skills. As tomorrow's leaders, it is important that we develop our ability to listen, think and speak clearly. This is an excellent course for anyone active in the Union, in the community or in a leadership position.
Union Environmental Action (Workers and the Environment): What is environmentalism? Why should workers be environmentalists? What impact does "sustainable development" have on jobs? This new course will equip you with the background necessary to set up Union environmental organizations in your workplace. Using case studies and shared experience, participants will examine how workers are effected by pollution, waste and toxic substances in the workplace. You'll learn how to do workplace environmental audits and review current legislation regarding the right to refuse to pollute, whistle blower protection and banned substances. You'll also discuss how to carry environmental issues to the bargaining table and how to work with environmental activists outside the labour movement.
Women and Men Talking: Are the following questions within your local: Why are some Union courses only available to women? Why aren't the women in our local more interested in becoming more active? Isn't affirmative action just discrimination in reverse? The course explores responses to these and other questions. It is designed to accommodate women and men in equal numbers to talk about women's equality issues. The objectives of the course include the following:
- to gain an appreciation of the many ways in which women face discrimination
- to identify and discuss the causes of discrimination which women as a group face
- to develop an awareness of the meaning of affirmative action/employment equity measures and how these measures can be used to eliminate discrimination
- to promote a commitment among both men and women to work together within the Union to advance women's rights.
Union Judo: Strategies for the Changing Workplace: This course is full of practical advice for local activists and leaders in workplaces where management is reorganizing through process re-engineering, high velocity culture change, downsizing, team concept, TQM etc. The course shows you how to represent your members in direct confrontation (karate tactics) and how to use management's momentum to bring them to your level (judo tactics). Participants will exchange experiences in the workplace, grievances and joint committees and in the bigger picture of social bargaining and political action. You will learn how to increase Union involvement in decisions, maintain the Union's identity among the members and build an independent capacity to address new issues and management issues as they arise.
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