Political Officer
Roberto Bomba

Union Consultant
Suzanne Prévost

Coordinator
Alain Leclerc

Before presenting the report on the use of the Solidarity Reserve funds for 2014-2016, we would like to briefly review the main decisions behind its creation and operation.

Twenty-six years ago, at the 2nd convention in 1991, the FIQ created a reserve fund specifically to support issues of solidarity. The delegates agreed to allot $1 per dues-paying member per year to the fund. This amount was transferred directly from the Federation’s union fee revenue. The Executive Committee was given two years to develop the FIQ’s policy on provincial and international solidarity. Although the FIQ was a relatively young organization, it had already begun fostering ties with regional and provincial organizations, as well as with organizations dedicated to education on international solidarity.

And so, the FIQ Policy on Provincial and International Solidarity was adopted in 1993. The policy sets out the objective of the solidarity interventions, which is to “support projects or struggles that are intended to protect or advance rights and freedoms.”

The policy also outlines the intervention priorities and the main groups targeted by the solidarity interventions. The main priorities are workers’ rights, women’s rights and the right to health and social services. The FIQ also intends to continue fostering ties with labour organizations, women’s groups, community groups with similar goals and organizations that work in provincial and international solidarity.

Once the policy was adopted, guidelines were established for the distribution of the reserve’s funds. It was decided that two thirds of the funds would be reserved for provincial solidarity interventions while the remaining third would be earmarked for international solidarity.

In 2001, ten years after the Solidarity Reserve was created, its allocation was doubled. Delegates at the Convention decided to increase the amount allocated to the reserve from $1 to $2 per dues-paying member per year.

Then, nearly ten years ago at the 8th Convention in June 2008, a significant change was made to the Solidarity Reserve Fund after the Federation adopted the New Practices in Solidarity Programme. Since January 1, 2009, in order to develop the new practices, $1 per dues-paying member per year has been transferred from the organization’s regular budget to the Solidarity Reserve Fund, increasing the allocation per dues-paying member per year to $3.

The New Practices in Solidarity Programme focuses on the following five areas:

• Information and education activities on international solidarity;
• International solidarity internships;
• Funding for projects that strengthen solidarity;
• Political actions;
• Special projects.

Please note that the FIQ’s interventions related to the New Practices in Solidarity Programme fall under the Sociopolitical Sector’s responsibility. As such, this report is strictly financial. For more information on the solidarity interventions carried out, please refer to the Activity Report on the sectors and services.

Lastly, we would like to point out that while the Solidarity Reserve Fund is small, it makes a real difference in supporting projects and actions aimed at improving the lives of some of the most impoverished citizens and workers who are deprived of the basics.

Whether it is through supporting an organization like Entraide missionnaire internationale (EMI), which offers ongoing training on international solidarity issues, or by supporting the launch of a microcredit program for underprivileged women in India, it is clear that the Solidarity Reserve Fund significantly helps to improve many people’s lives. It is something we can be proud of.

SOLIDARITY – DONATIONS 2014-2015-2016 (dollars)

PROVINCIAL COMPONENT	2014	2015	2016
Action travail des Femmes	1,000		1,000
Association des juristes progressistes			1,000
Association québécoise de lutte contre la pollution atmosphérique		2,500
Au bas de l'échelle	1,000	2,000	2,220
Children now	1,000	1,000	1,000
Campagne d'entraide	5,000	5,000	5,000
Centre de santé des femmes de Montréal		1,000	1,000
Centre St-Pierre	3,500	2,500	2,000
Coalition opposée à tarification et à la privatisation des services publics	3,000
Coalition pas de démocratie sans voix		500
Comité chômage de Montréal	1,300	300	2200
Concertation des luttes contre l'exploitation sexuelle	1,000
Conseil national des chômeurs et chômeuses		2,000	2,300
Eau Secours		1,500	1,000
Fédération des femmes du Québec	8,500	7,500
Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec			475
Fédération du Québec pour le planning des naissances	1,250
Fédération médicale étudiante du Québec			1,500
Montréal Pride	1,725	1,725	1,725
Fondation Dr Benoît Deshaies	1,000	1,000	1,000
Fondation des Auberges du cœur		1,500
Fondation des médecins Canado-Haïtiens			160
Fondation Émergence			2,000
Emergo Foundation	2,000	2,000	2,000
Fondation l'Actuel
Herstreet	2,500	2,500	2,000
Lea Roback Foundation	1,000		1,000
Fondation Léo Cormier	1,000	1,000	1,000
Fondation Monique Fitz-Back	1,000	1,000	1,000
Fondation pour l'aide aux travailleurs(ses) accidentés	2,500
Fondation Saint-Martial	500		1,000
Front d'action populaire en réaménagement urbain	2,000	2,000	2,500
Imprime-Emploi		300
L' entraide missionnaire		2,000	2,000
La ligue des Noirs du Québec		500	600
La Maison d'Haïti	5,000	1,000
L'Aut'Journal	5,000	5,000	4,000
Les Éditions du remue-ménage			750
Lettres en main	5,000	5,000	5,000
Ligues des droits et libertés	7,850	6,000	5,300
L'R des centres de femmes du Québec	2,000
Médecins du Monde	240
Mouvement d'éducation populaire et d'action communautaire du Québec	1,000	2,000	2,000
Mercédez Roberge		500
Mouvement Autonome et Solidaire des Sans-Emploi	1,000	1,000	1,500
Mouvement Action Chômage de Montréal		1,500	1,000
Regroupement des groupes de Femmes de la Région de la Capitale-Nationale	1,000	2,000	2,000
Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale	1,000		1,500
Regroupement des médecins omnipatriciens pour une médecine engagée		1,000
Réseau d'action pour l'égalité des femmes immigrées et racisées du Québec	2,000	2,000	2,000
Réseau Québécois de l'action communautaire autonome		1,500
Réseau Québécois sur l'intégration continentale	3,000	3,500	3,400
Réseau solidarité itinérance du Québec		3,000	2,000
Société Elizabeth Fry du Québec		1,500	1,500
Suicide Action Montréal	500		1,000
Table des regroupements provinciaux d'organismes communautaires et bénévoles	2,500	2,500
Union des travailleurs et travailleuses accidentés de Montréal	1,500		1,500
PROVINCIAL SUB-TOTAL	80,365	80,325	73,130

 

INTERNATIONAL COMPONENT	2014	2015	2016
Medical Aid for Palestine	200
Children’s Care International		2,000	2,000
Carrefour Tiers Monde	1,000	2,000	3,500
Centre international de solidarité ouvrière	10,000	10,000	10,000
Collaboration Santé Internationale			1,000
World Social Forum 2016			5,000
Canadian Red Cross		7,000	3,800
Aide sans frontières		2,000
Fondation du Carrefour de solidarité internationale	3,500	3,500
Fondation Saint-Martial	500	2,000	1,000
Peoples’ Social Forum 2014	10,000
Help Inc.	455
Infirmières de l'humanité	1,500	2,000	2,000
The Council of Canadians		1,500
L'Entraide missionnaire	3,000	1,500	1,500
Médecins du Monde	3,000	3,000
Doctors Without Borders	1,000	2,000	1,500
National Nurses United	575	6,670
Parrainage ONU		706
Regroupement des maisons pour femmes victimes de violence conjugale			500
Secrétariat international des infirmiers et infirmières de l'espace francophone	5,000
Table de concertation des organismes au service des personnes réfugiées et immigrantes		200
Turtle Island Humanitarian AID		500	500
INTERNATIONAL SUB-TOTAL	39,730	46,575	32,300

 

NEW PRACTICES COMPONENT	2014	2015	2016
Humanitarian aid for unions (PSI) Ecuador			6,454
Nursing staff union (SPI Haïti)	3,000
Fondation du Cégep du Vieux-Montréal - Sénégal project	3,200
CÉGEP de Trois-Rivières internship	2,500
Groupe d'entraide internationale Spirale	5,000	19,271	17,763
Institut culturel Karl-Lévesque		7,876	10,000
Centre International de solidarité ouvrière (CISO) - Haïti project			5,530
Paraguay/Dublin solidarity donation (Maria Concepcion Chavez De Peralta)			2,052
Solidarity project in Madagascar			9,000
Development and Peace project (conference by Richard Simard)		500
Sciences infirmières autour du monde (SIAM 2016)		5,600
Internship in Palestine		6,408	128
Humanitarian internship in Peru	2,500
Internship in Nicaragua	453	20,553	22,515
NEW PRACTICES SUB-TOTAL	16,653	60,207	73,442

 

Political Officer
Roberto Bomba

Committee members
Sonia Mancier
Éric Martin

The members of the Union Defence Fund Committee (FDS) were elected at the convention in June 2014 and met nine times. The committee has the mandate to:

• Assess requests for financial assistance;
• Authorize disbursements;
• Ensure all amounts owed to the FDS are collected.

ORGANIZATION COMPONENT

The FIQ’s new models campaign

At the 2014 Convention, new care models were developed to strengthen the public health network and stop the commodification of services. The new care models are supplemental to the network and compete with the for-profit private sector in services that the government continues to back out of.

One of the projects the FDS committee financed was the SABSA clinic. Following a recommendation from the FIQ’s Executive Committee, the FDS granted the clinic $300,000 between 2014 and 2016. The funds covered, in particular, the specialty nurse practitioner’s salary and the research project with Université Laval and Université de Montréal.

In 2016, a second not-for-profit clinic was opened in Petite-Nation, in the Outaouais region. The CISSS supported the clinic by providing the services of a part-time specialty nurse practitioner. To help alleviate their need for computer equipment and to facilitate clinic management, the FDS contributed $5,000 toward buying equipment, renewed in 2017.

2014 Raiding

During the raiding period, we brought in 500 new members, including the Agence de la santé et des services sociaux de Lanaudière, the CSSS des Sommets, the Canadian-Polish Welfare Institute (now the CHSLD Polonais Marie-Curie-Sklodowska) and the CHSLD Sainte-Monique.

The FIQ provided human resources assistance by way of ten union reps, three consultants, two secretaries and one coordinator. The FDS also contributed material resources by renting an office or room, lending computer equipment, providing a cell phone, renting a leisure vehicle, purchasing promotional materials and conducting an ad campaign, for a total of $2,109,504.21.

Vote related to Bill 10

The overall communication plan for the 2017 voting period, related to Bill 10, was presented to the FDS committee. Following a request from the Executive Committee, the FDS funded the action plan. As of December 31, most of the amounts allocated to the plan had been defrayed for this period.
The FIQ also made contributions by providing access to a team of union reps, consultants and a coordinator. In addition, the FIQ contributed material resources which included renting a room or office, renting trucks, purchasing promotional items, conducting an ad campaign and launching the new website, for a total of $3,397,458.00, as at December 31, 2016.

DISBURSEMENT COMPONENT

The FDS processed and approved the following requests for mobilization support:

• Request for funding from the Syndicat régional des professionnelles en soins du Québec for mobilization at the CHSLD Age 3, on October 23, 2013. The goal of the demonstration was to protest poor management and deterioration of the work atmosphere. 53 members received compensation.
• Request from the Alliance Interprofessionnelle de Montréal union for the mobilization on March 11, 2014, at the CSSS Champlain-Charles-Lemoyne to protest poor management and work conditions. 1,495 members received compensation.
• Request from the Syndicat des professionnelles de la santé Haut-Richelieu-Rouville for the mobilization on September 8, 2014. They were protesting the elimination of 80 class-1 positions. 1,298 members received compensation.
• Request for funding from the Syndicat régional des professionnelles en soins du Québec for mobilization at the CSSS de la Valée-de-l’Or on September 24, 2014. The purpose was to protest the poor management and reduction of care offered to the public, to point out how illogical the budget cuts are and to raise public awareness about the major impact the cuts have on health care services. 394 members received compensation.

To support members following local work stoppage actions protesting the unacceptable situations healthcare professionals face and poor management by employers, the following unions turned to the FDS for help on 12 occasions:

• Syndicat des Professionnelles et Professionnels en soins de santé du Centre Hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (FIQ)
• Alliance Interprofessionnelle de Montréal (AIM) (FIQ)
• Syndicat interprofessionnel de santé de Lanaudière Sud (FIQ)
• Syndicat des professionnelles en soins de Saint Jérôme (FIQ)

These unions turned to the FDS to request compensation for a healthcare professional work stoppage. As such, the Federation supported 94 members from various activity centres (emergency, intensive care, hemodialysis, mother-baby unit, neurosurgery, medicine), under article 9.02 of the FDS bylaws.

The FDS granted funding to the Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA) in January 2015 to support a strike of 3,000 healthcare professionals, working in Community Care Access Centres and home care. Upon the Executive Committee’s request, the FDS donated $10,000 to the ONA, which had given the FIIQ financial support during the strike in 1999.

Following the 2014 raiding period, a union requested a loan from the FDS in order to start a new union. In August 2015 the FDS granted a $2,000 loan and then another $5,000 in October. These loans were both repaid in 2015.

UNION DEFENCE FUND

YEAR	INSTITUTION	REASONS	FUNDS	AMOUNT ($)
2014	FIQ	Salaries and travel expenses Period for changing union allegiance	Organization	823,821
2014	All unions	Leaves and travel expenses - team for union reps for recruitment and consolidation	Organization	674,495
2014	All unions	Leaves and travel expenses - other union reps	Organization	47,921
2014	All unions	Expense policy for witnesses	Organization	2,230
2014	All unions	Consolidation action plan	Organization	1,564
2014	All unions	Change of allegiance - disputes	Organization	2,100
2014	All unions	External services - lawyers, bailiffs, graphic design	Organization	14,722
2014	All unions	Resource material - rooms, vehicles, telecommunication, copies, electricity	Organization	18,598
2014	All unions	Promotional material	Organization	250,817
2014	All unions	Advertising	Organization	197,091
2014	All unions	Campaigns related to a change of allegiance	Organization	56,982
2014	2 motions to quash	Professional fees	Disbursement	1,056
2014	All unions	SABSA protocol	Organization	50,000
2014	FIQ	Accounting audit	Disbursement	8,048
2014	All unions	Liability insurance	Disbursement	17,979
2014	4 unions	Financial assistance-work stoppage	Disbursement	834
2014	4 unions	Financial assistance for mobilization	Disbursement	16,200
2015	FIQ	Salaries and travel expenses-period for changing union allegiance	Organization	90,287
2015	All unions	Union rep team	Organization	3,465
2015	All unions	Voting campaign	Organization	25,004
2015	All unions	Promotional material	Organization	4,503
2015	All unions	SABSA protocol	Organization	150,000
2015	FIQ	Accounting audit	Disbursement	8,050
2015	All unions	Liability insurance	Disbursement	17,466
2015	2 unions	Financial assistance-work stoppage	Disbursement	176
2015	FIQ	Strike financial assistance/Ontario Nurses Association	Disbursement	10,000
2016	FIQ	Salaries and travel expenses - period for changing union allegiance	Organization	566,180
2016	All unions	Union rep team	Organization	54,700
2016	All unions	Training	Organization	170,882
2016	All unions	Positioning campaign	Organization	1,368,681
2016	All unions	Voting campaign	Organization	256,562
2016	All unions	Toujours là pour vous	Organization	456,682
2016	All unions	Here, we understand health care	Organization	10,014
2016	All unions	New website	Organization	107,309
2016	All unions	Raiding consultation - Repère	Organization	89,157
2016	FIQ	Omnibus survey	Organization	2,788
2016	All unions	Promotional material/Vote	Organization	205,607
2016	All unions	SABSA protocol	Organization	100,000
2016	FIQ	Bill 10 legal research	Organization	8,897
2016	FIQ	Accounting audit	Disbursement	8,998
2016	All unions	Liability insurance	Disbursement	17,479
2016	1 union	Financial assistance-work stoppage	Disbursement	180

 

The amendments to the rules of the Equalization Policy adopted at the Special Convention in March 2017 came into effect in April. As such, the Federation underscored the importance of ensuring all of its affiliated unions develop an active, engaging and mobilizing union life, even if their members work at sites that are several kilometres apart.

Equalization allows unions with certifications that include several sites to benefit from a redistribution of funds. It’s a collective act of solidarity enabling activists from Montreal, Quebec City, Sherbrooke or the Far North to have equal opportunities to get involved in the organization, attend meetings and training sessions and thus help to foster a strong, dynamic union life.

The FIQ uses two types of equalization: indirect and direct.

INDIRECT EQUALIZATION

Indirect equalization covers delegates’ expenses for attending FIQ Federal Councils and Conventions and for attending Networks and FIQ training sessions, as stipulated in the expense policies in effect.

DIRECT EQUALIZATION

Direct equalization is a rebate on dues paid to unions which meet the following conditions:

A union that represents a small number of members

A union is entitled to equalization if the average of dues-paying members per site is:

• 1 to 25 members: $124/member/year, minimum $1,000/year;
• 26 to 50 members: $100/member/year;
• 51 to 100 members: $75/member/year.

These amounts are paid to regional unions for small certifications and local unions that have a small number of members. The average is calculated based on the number of members per site.

A site is a place with healthcare professionals and which has a CH, CHSLD, CLSC or CR mission. And for reference purposes, a point of service, an intermediate resource (IR) and a non-institutional resource (NIR) are not sites.

A union with members scattered in remote areas

A union receives a $7,000 rebate for every site where members are more than 150 km from the employer’s head office, for a local union, or from the head office of a regional union.

A local union in a northern region with members scattered in remote areas

A local union receives a rebate of $124/member/year when its members are scattered over a vast territory, making it impossible to hold local assemblies with members from each clinic.

A union that must pay for additional days of union leave for union reps attending Federal Councils or Conventions and training sessions

When participants take additional days of union leave because they must travel 275 km or more, or because of the type of transportation available for attending Federal Councils, Conventions and FIQ training sessions and Networks, the union is reimbursed for these days after each meeting, training session or Network upon receipt of supporting documentation.

Additional days of union leave taken due to the participant’s work shift are not included.

INDIRECT EQUALIZATION

Cost of delegates’ expenses for FIQ Federal Councils and Conventions:

	2014	2015	2016
Meeting costs	$3,173,101	$3,499,664	$1,624,528
Applicable %	75%	75%	75%
TOTAL	$2,379,826	$2,624,748	$1,218,396

Cost of training expenses:

	$116,999	$120,432	$155,439
TOTAL COST OF INDIRECT EQUALIZATION	$2,496,825	$2,745,180	$1,373,835

 

DIRECT EQUALIZATION

Cost of additional leaves:

	2014	2015	2016
Reimbursed union leaves	$11,021	$10,893	$17,555
Paid union leaves	-	-	-
Fringe benefits	-	-	-
TOTAL	$11,021	$10,893	$17,555

Cost of equalization rebate:

	$788,925	$794,304	$792,087
TOTAL COST OF DIRECT EQUALIZATION	$799,946	$805,197	$809,641

 

COST OF DIRECT AND INDIRECT EQUALIZATION

2014	2015	2016
$3,296,771	$3,550,377	$2,183,476