You would think that Sean Staddon is too busy to be involved in the union. He and his wife both work full-time and have two kids, aged seven and nine, both with autism.
Yet Sean is Co-chair of the USW District 6 Political Action Committee (PAC), Chair of the Local 6500 PAC, a Guard on the Local 6500 Executive and is a full-time WSIB officer with the local.
Staddon asks his babysitter, Miika, to look after the kids when his wife is busy working so he can go to meetings or union events. Bonus: the family gets reimbursed for the care costs.
That’s what the Family Care Reimbursement Program through the USW Family and Community Education Fund (FCEF) is for.
“We check in advance to see if our caregiver is available, and if she is, we book her and submit our receipts,” said Staddon. “It means participating in our union is not a financial burden.”
If your local union is contributing to the FCEF, you are eligible for the Family Care Reimbursement Program and can get paid back for additional costs like child care while you are attending authorized union events.
“My wife is a nurse and works evenings. I look after the kids in the mornings. When we’re both busy, we can book Miika for extra time and get involved in union-related volunteering,” said Staddon.
Getting reimbursed is fast and simple. Simply pay the care worker, get a receipt and submit the forms. The FCEF sends a cheque.
Bobby-jo Elliot is also a Local 6500 member and active with the Women of Steel Committee. She’s a development miner at Vale and works underground.
“I heard about the program through NextGen. I’m a single mom of two girls (ages eight and 10) and I needed help to attend a NextGen conference in Pittsburgh. My sister was willing to be with my kids and I was reimbursed for what I paid,” said Bobby-jo.
“We need more members active. This program makes it less of a hassle for people to get involved in union activities,” said Bobby-jo.
More info: usw.ca/fcef
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