Submit your resolutions
D3 Conference HomeAll resolutions must be submitted online using the form below.
Resolution guidelines
The USW District 3 Conference is your opportunity to present, discuss and debate priorities for District 3. We are accepting resolutions on the following topics: collective bargaining, organizing, health, safety and the environment, union education, political and legislative action, and diversity, equity and inclusion in our union.
Resolutions are to be submitted online only no later than Fri., Sept. 13, 2024. Note that late resolutions are considered at the discretion of the Resolutions Committee, and may not appear in the resolutions book.
A resolution should deal with one topic only and be limited to 150 words. For help on submitting your resolution(s), review the sample resolution below.
Note: Each resolution must be adopted by your local union membership.
For more information, contact: Mike Duhra, mduhra@usw.ca.
Sample resolutions:
WHEREAS Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba still allow companies to use replacement workers, also known as scabs, during strikes or lockouts; and
WHEREAS the right to strike is fundamental to Canadians’ Constitutional right to collective bargaining; and
WHEREAS strikes are only effective when they prevent the employer from carrying out its normal responsibilities or business.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT USW District 3 will lobby these provincial governments to immediately pass legislation to prevent companies from using replacement workers when unions take legal strike action or when employers lock workers out; and
THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT these anti-scab laws contain strong financial penalties for companies, organizations and individual managers who bring in scabs to replace striking or locked-out workers.
WHEREAS Existing legislation on unionizing the private sector is skewed against people in the most precarious industries; and
WHEREAS today, more and more workers are making a living outside of the traditional workplace model that enterprise bargaining is based on; and
WHEREAS existing labour codes make it difficult for small workplaces, franchises, single locations withing multinational corporations, and sub-contracted industries.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT USW D3 will lobby all governments in our district to enshrine sectoral bargaining rights in their labour codes.
WHEREAS workplace transmission of illness, including COVID-19, has harmed many thousands of workers, resulting in needlessharm and the loss of life to themselves and their loved ones; and
WHEREAS Steelworkers, labour movement allies, community partners and health care professionals have been advocating for provincially and federally mandated paid sick days for years, predating the pandemic; and
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT USW D3 will continue to push provincial and territorial governments to mandate at least five paid sick days and 14 in the case of a public health outbreak; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT USW D3 will continue to negotiate for paid sick leave at the collective bargaining table where it does not exist in contracts and work to improve it where necessary.
WHEREAS our members experience oppression caused by class privilege, economic insecurity, and unjust and unfair labour practices in our workplaces; and
WHEREAS the elimination of class privilege, economic insecurity and unjust labour relations is at the core of our members’ interests and the main purpose of the USW and the labour movement;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the USW D3 Director survey servicing staff and local unions to examine the current educational course offerings to ensure that (1) the appropriate emphasis is being put on bargaining and negotiations, grievance handling, organizing, political action, strategic campaigns and labour relations; and, (2) to ensure that these courses are current and providing the necessary skills that members need to defend their core interests; and
WHEREAS Canadian mining operates under the worlds best environmental, labour, and health and safety standards and hindering those operations will not decrease demand for mined products.
WHEREAS aluminum, copper, iron and steel, cobalt, and nickel are all vital components in large quantities of a renewable energy, de-carbonized transportation, and a high-tech future.
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT that all levels of governments will implement regulatory and legislative policies that prioritize re-shoring supply chains in mining and manufacturing to supply sustainable development.
THEREFORE BE IT FURHTER RESOLVED THAT government policies will also support the reprocessing of mine waste to extract useful bi-products.
WHEREAS a growing number of employers are using the practice of contract flipping by regularly changing short-term contracts with service providers; and
WHEREAS workers affected by contract flipping are forced to live with less job security and often have to reapply for their positions at lower wages, with fewer benefits and the inability to maintain the other benefits of belonging to a union; and
WHEREAS the government made a commitment in the 2024 budget to take action to stop contract flipping in provincially regulated work places; and
WHEREAS some workers in some parts of the country have protections from contract flipping, but all workers deserve to have the same protection, regardless of where they work and live;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT our union lobby all levels of government to introduce legislation to end contract flipping for all workers in every sector and part of the country.