For those of you that were able to take advantage of the extra long weekend, we hope it was restful and you are keeping safe and cool!
We know we may be repeating ourselves, but it is important to remind everyone that with the heat and humidity we are seeing, it is important to work safely. Information on Heat Stress can be found on our Heath and Safety Committee page.
We also want to remind our members that even with working remotely, it is important to take your vacation time, and hope that our members are ensuring they take some time to disconnect. With the current status of no large gatherings we will not be doing any big events in July or August, but are looking at getting some on-line education webinars up and running.
The first webinar will be on our Benefits which we will run on two dates, August 11th and August 13th at noon. In both we will cover what our entitlements are, how to navigate through them, and answer any questions you may have. The first one on the 11th will be for members in general, and the second session on the 13th will focus on the differences between ‘active’ and retiree benefit entitlements. If you are retired, or are thinking about it in the near future, this would likely be the best session for you. If there are any other topics members would like to see some education on, please email info@unifor5555.ca . More information on these sessions will be sent when dates are confirmed.
We are also looking to set up virtual meetings for some of our standing committees to touch base. The Pride Committee will be hosting their inaugural virtual meeting on August 4th at noon, and they are actively looking for members. If anyone is interested in the Pride committee, please email pride@unifor5555.ca. The Women’s Committee will also be looking to host a meeting as well. Anyone interested in the Women’s Committee should email the Women’s Committee Chairperson, Ashley Shinde at women@unifor5555.ca. As we get confirmed dates for the virtual committee meetings they will be shared with the membership.
We have been updated by the University that they are looking at updating Campus Policy on non-medical mask requirements on campus and that information has been posted on the McMaster COVID-19 website. Just like any other safety question, if you have a concern or you are unclear as to what the requirements are please email safety@unifor5555.ca.
This was an ironically well-timed conversation, as this week we were on campus handing out Unifor 5555 face masks and pocket hand sanitizers. Given that not all members are working on campus and we recognize that we were only able to provide these items to a small number we will be doing a drive-through pick up day at our office at 86 Hester Street, Hamilton on July 18th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Swing by and pick up your mask and hand sanitizer without having to even get out of your car. We will also have Unifor 5555 t-shirts available (pictures below) for a donation of $5.00. All proceeds raised will be donated to Neighbour to Neighbour which has helped Hamiltonians in need for over 30 years with their educational and family support and Community Food Centre.
