Wednesday, February 3, 2021

“It Sounds like I’m Going to Have to Go and Have a Little Chat With . . . ”

The ability to come alongside people in the workplace—union members and managers alike—and quietly resolve workplace concerns without lingering bitterness is a key part of CLAC’s approach to labour relations. No one exemplified that approach quite like Local 303 member Garth McDowell

By Brendan Kooy, Representative

Problems. Issues. Stress. Conflict.

Not things that we want to experience at work. But all of us do, at one time or another.

It could be a coworker that always seems to be looking over your shoulder, who doesn’t seem to get the message that you find their behaviour irritating and wish for it to stop.

It could be a supervisor who, no matter what you do, always seems to be able to find something wrong.

It could be that you’re dealing with genuine mental health issues and are struggling to go to work every day, but your employer is riding you for your attendance with no understanding of what’s going on below the surface.

It could be that you just feel like a number to your employer at work with no recognition or appreciation.

When situations and feelings like these happen, people look for help. In unionized workplaces, a natural place for people to turn is to their union. And the first line of support is often their steward.

Recently, we lost a dear friend in the CLAC family—Garth McDowell. Garth was employed for decades as a refrigeration mechanic at the Chatham-Kent Health Alliance (CKHA), a network of three hospitals in southwestern Ontario.

In 2003, Garth helped lead his coworkers to leave their previous union and become members of CLAC Local 303, of which over 450 skilled healthcare CKHA workers still are today. Garth was a steward, a bargaining committee member, a Local 303 executive board member, and then finally a CLAC National Board member. He served in all these positions with humility, a strong sense of duty, and the respect of those around him.

I got to know Garth best when I worked with him as a representative in Chatham from 2008 to 2011, during which time I was partially responsible for representing the membership at CKHA. I was a young, bright-eyed union rep eager to learn and make a difference. Garth was a seasoned vet of the hospital, willing to help and work together.

Upon learning of Garth’s sudden passing, several colleagues and I reflected on our memories of working with him via a Zoom call. What stood out to me most was his gentlemanly ability to come alongside people in the workplace—union members and managers alike—and quietly resolve issues.

Garth had a famous line that anyone who he worked with heard him use numerous times: “It sounds like I’m going to have to go and have a little chat with . . . ”—insert name of member or manager here.

It was his way of approaching conflict or issues in a nonthreatening way, to have a discussion, to listen, and, in most cases that I can remember, to make things better.

In our CLAC Steward Toolbox courses, we talk about resolving conflict in the workplace at the lowest possible level to avoid unnecessary grievances or protracted disputes that leave behind bitterness in the workplace. I can think of no greater example of how to do this—or someone who did it best—than Garth.

Workplaces are not, and never will be, perfect. There will always be problems, issues, stress, and conflict. But if CLAC—and our representatives and stewards—can follow the example set by Garth, it will go a long way toward making the workplaces that we serve better and more positive places.

Rest in peace, Garth, and thank you for the memories and inspiration that you left behind.

“It Sounds like I’m Going to Have to Go and Have a Little Chat With . . . ”

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