Highlighted AGM 2009 Announcements and 1% Benefit Accord Vote Result Revealed

We would like to draw your attention to the important developments at the October 28, 2009 AGM, and announce the final results of the 1% Benefits Accord Vote.

Board Election Results:
First, thank you to all those who took the time to cast an electronic vote.  All future elections will be run in this manner.    Next, thank you to all those who attended and those who watched via the webcam broadcast.  We will continue to work to maximize opportunities for member participation.  Please note that 392 members cast ballots in the election.

We wish to extend a very special thanks to the nine participating candidates for the Member-at-Large positions. 

Please join us in welcoming your new Board:

President:	Isabella Losinger
1st Vice President:	Daryl Stowe
2nd Vice President:	Justin Bonzo
Secretary:	Robert Tudhope
Treasurer:	Edward Hung
Members-At-Large:	Rick Byers
	Anne-Marie Fenger
	Preeti Gill
	Stuart Mah
	Colette Roche
	Jacqueline Smit

1% Benefit Accord Vote Results Revealed:
The options considered were either:

• Option 1: Reinstate the UBC payment of ¼ of the MSP premium for those enrolled in the University MSP, beginning January 1. 2010 or,
• Option 2: Create a Health Spending Account (HSA) of $175 per member per year beginning January 1, 2010. 

Of the 607 members who voted, 351 voted for Option 1 and 256 voted for Option 2. Therefore on January 1, 2010,  Option 1 will be implemented.

One Month Dues Holiday (January 2010)

Treasurer Edward Hung offered a detailed report of the AAPS finances. In his report Edward noted that revenue has been increasing at a faster pace than expenses which resulted in sizable surpluses in recent years. In light of the current fiscal position of AAPS, a motion was introduced to offer a one month dues holiday in 2010 for the month of January. The motion passed unanimously. Edward indicated that the board will study various options for an ongoing reduction in dues to be presented at the Spring AGM.

Sincerely,
Isabella Losinger,
President

Reminder: AAPS AGM Notice of Meeting (Board Vote and 1% Benefits Accord Vote Links included)

Dear AAPS Member,

This is your friendly reminder that the AAPS AGM is next Wednesday October 28th from 12:00pm to 2:00pm in the Ponderosa Centre – Arbutus Room (Please note that our guest speaker is Pierre Ouillet, VP – Finance, Resources and Operations)

If you haven’t received a confirmation of registration email and wish to attend, please email us at: aaps@interchange.ubc.ca so that we know you will be attending. (Only receipt of confirmation email has you registered, new registrants will receive their confirmation within an hour of replying to this email. Please follow up if you haven’t received it.)

Also this is your reminder that if you haven’t already done so, please Vote Now! as the voting for the AAPS Board Member-at-Large Positions and the important 1% Benefits Accord options will close on Monday October 26, 2009 at 11:59pm.

Collective Bargaining Focus Groups

Dear Members,

As you know, the current collective agreement between AAPS and UBC expires on June 30, 2010. Bargaining for a new contract is expected to begin sometime in the spring of 2010. To that end we are beginning an extensive set of consultations with the AAPS membership in order to develop our bargaining mandate. There will be a number of fora through which you can share your views with the bargaining team, including an online survey, a comment section attached to our website, and in-person focus groups.

Focus groups will be held at the following locations:

• Children’s and Women’s Hospitals -- November 19 from 9 am to 11 am in the Child and Family Research Institute, Room 2108.
  
  
• Vancouver General Hospital -- November 23, 12 pm to 2 pm in the Gordon and Leslie Diamond Health Care Centre, Room 7254.
  
  
• UBC Point Grey Campus -- November 25 and November 27 from 12pm to 2pm, in the Student Union Building, AMS Council Chambers. (second floor)
  
  
• UBC – Okanagan - November 30 from 12pm to 2pm in the University Centre, Room 334.

Each focus group will be limited to 30 in order to facilitate discussion. If necessary we will expand the dates to accommodate demand. The format will include a brief overview and introduction of the current collective agreement as well as an assessment of the context for the upcoming round of bargaining. However the vast majority of the time will be set aside to hear your suggestions and priorities for this round of bargaining. Key points of consensus will be summarized and passed on to the bargaining team.

Please make time for this opportunity to help shape our next collective agreement. For those sessions taking place over the lunch hour, a sandwich lunch and beverage will be served. Coffee and refreshments will be served at the other sessions.

The deadline for registration to each event is as follows:

Children’s and Women’s Hospitals: November 12
Vancouver General Hospital: November 16
UBC Point Grey Campus: November 20
UBC – Okanagan: November 23

In order to register for the event simply send an email with the location and date you wish to attend in the subject heading to aaps@interchange.ubc.ca. If you have any further questions about bargaining please contact Michael Conlon, michael.conlon@ubc.ca.

Yours Sincerely,

Michael Conlon
Executive Director


Michael Conlon | Executive Director
The Association of Administrative and Professional Staff at UBC
312 - 2386 East Mall, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z3
Phone: 604-822-8230 Fax: 604-822-4699

AAPS AGM Notice of Meeting (Board Vote and 1% Benefits Accord Vote Links included)

Dear AAPS Members:

Notice of Meeting
This is your notice of the AAPS Annual General Meeting which will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2009 from 1200 to 1400. The meeting is being held in the Ponderosa Centre - Arbutus Room on the Point Grey Campus. (2071 West Mall)

Meeting Agenda
The Agenda is provided below and is also posted on the AAPS website at: http://www.aaps.ubc.ca/events_gm_10-28-09.html#Agenda.

Audited Financial Statements
Members will be asked to approve our year-end statements at the AGM. The 2008/2009 audited financial statements can be found on the AAPS website at: http://www.aaps.ubc.ca/meetings/agm2009/Financial_Statements_year_ended_June_30_2009.pdf

Board Elections - Electronic Voting Procedure
Thank you to all who have responded to the previous calls for nominations. The AAPS Board will be elected through an on-line voting process. Everyone will have the opportunity to vote for their Board. Previously only those in attendance at the Annual General meeting could vote. The successful candidates will be announced at the meeting. Click here for the list of Candidates and their statements and to access the online voting system.

1% Benefits Accord Vote
Voting on Options for the 1% Benefits Accord surplus will take place in conjunction with the board elections. Click here to vote.
For further information on the available options, click here.

Webcast
Again, we are broadcasting the meeting online. The webcast will enable any AAPS member to observe the event on their computer anywhere in the world.

If you plan to attend, please email aaps@interchange.ubc.ca as soon as possible to help with catering arrangements and to make the sign in process quicker. Attendance confirmation emails will be sent.

AAPS Annual General Meeting
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
1200 to 1400
Ponderosa Centre – Arbutus Room and via Webcast

Agenda

1. Call to Order
2. Welcome
3. Acceptance of the Agenda
4. Guest Speaker: Pierre Ouillet, VP – Finance, Resources and Operations
5. Approval of the Minutes of October 22, 2008 (PDF)
6. President’s Report
7. Executive Director Message
8. Financial Issues
   
   1. Approval of Financial Statements as of June 30, 2009 year end.
   2. Motion to transfer surplus into Reserve Funds.
   3. Appointment of the Auditor
9. Committee Reports
   
   1. Advocacy
   2. Member Professional Development
   3. Communications
10. Announcement of Results from the on-line Vote. Presenting the Elected Officers for the Coming Year
11. Adjournment

Note: Additions to the agenda may be made in writing by any ten members in good standing

Bernice Urbaniak,
President

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Association of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS)
University of British Columbia
Gerald McGavin Building
Rm 312, 2386 East Mall
Campus Mail Zone 3
Ph 822-9025 Fx 822-4699
www.aaps.ubc.ca
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1% Benefits Accord Vote Update - Vote will go ahead

Dear AAPS Member:

Further to our last correspondence, the Board has reviewed the implications of the expected MSP increases and decided that it is in the best interests of the membership to proceed with the vote as outlined in previous memos. For reference, the memos are available via these links (Memo 1, Memo 2) and the FAQ list generated from Member’s questions is available here (FAQ’s).

Points worthy of attention:

• In the Memo 1, how each option affects certain members is noted below each description.
• There will be slight changes to the dollar values originally stated under Option 1 due to the 6% increase in premiums.
• The MSP reduction in premiums is a taxable benefit; whereas, the $175 in a Health Spending Account is a non-taxable benefit.

The fund balance is monitored on an ongoing basis and, depending on how it fluctuates, membership may be asked to decide future action by voting again in other years.

This vote will run simultaneously with the Board elections which will run from Oct 14 – Oct 26/09. The vote link will be sent with tomorrow’s AGM Notice.


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Associaton of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS)
University of British Columbia
Gerald McGavin Building
Rm 312, 2386 East Mall
Campus Mail Zone 3
Ph 822-9025 Fx 822-4699
www.aaps.ubc.ca
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AAPS Board Elections: Final Call for Nominations to the Board

Dear AAPS Members:

This is the final call for nominations to the AAPS Board. Elections to the AAPS Board are held each year. Last year we made a change to our Bylaws to enable on-line elections in the last few weeks leading up to our Annual General Meeting in October (the 2009 AGM will be at 1200 in the Ponderosa Centre - Arbutus Room on Wednesday Oct 28th).

This year, the nominations will close at noon on October 7th/09. Nominees for the Board will be encouraged to submit a “candidate’s statement” for posting on the AAPS website.

The Board is elected to a one-year term by the members of the Association to set the policy and oversee the operation of the Association. In recent years with the hiring of professional staff in the AAPS office, Board members have been relieved of most of the administrative functions that previously required much of their time. This has enabled the Board to address policy and oversight issues without requiring an enormous time investment. The elected positions on the Board are as follows:

• President
• 1st Vice-President
• 2nd Vice-President
• Treasurer
• Secretary
• Members-at-Large (up to 6 positions)

All members are encouraged to consider running for the Board if they have the time and interest in doing so. The time commitment is generally two business meetings of approximately 2 hours every month. We usually hold a 1-day retreat in November and a half-day retreat in the spring. From time to time Board members may also undertake sub-committee work on particular issues as time and interest are available. We encourage members to review the issues AAPS is working on and our committees by visiting the website at: http://www.aaps.ubc.ca/.

If you would like information about the role of Board members generally, we invite you to connect with any of the current Board members all of whom are listed on our website: http://www.aaps.ubc.ca/about_executive_board.html.

Each candidate must be nominated and seconded by an AAPS member in good standing.

If you wish to submit a nomination and or have any questions, please contact myself (604.822-6290, michael.shepard@ubc.ca ) or George McLaughlin (604 822-8832, george.mclaughlin@ubc.ca) or the AAPS office (604 822-9025 or aaps@interchange.ubc.ca)


Sincerely,
Michael Shepard
Nominating Committee


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Associaton of Administrative and Professional Staff (AAPS)
University of British Columbia
Gerald McGavin Building
Rm 312, 2386 East Mall
Campus Mail Zone 3
Ph 822-9025 Fx 822-4699
www.aaps.ubc.ca

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