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Ask a life coach Uncategorized

Ask a Life Coach: Difficult Boss

Question:

How do I deal with a difficult boss?

Answer:

Do you have a difficult boss? Do you find it hard to work with your boss or feel that you cannot do anything right? Having a difficult boss can make life hard. At the end of the day, you want to have a good relationship with your boss as they can influence your career and affect your work experience.

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Ask a life coach

Ask a Life Coach: Positive Boundary

Q:  Sara has a friend that has always been there for her, but her friend is always negative, can’t seem to go a day without saying something nasty about someone, be it a co-worker, a stranger or a celebrity …it’s making Sara uncomfortable but she knows that if she says anything to her friend, she will get upset ….

A:  Sara’s friend is obviously unhappy with herself and nothing Sara can say will change that. sara has to maintain a positive boundary, walk away when it gets to be too much. Try to help her feel more positive about herself switch the topic to something else with a positive spin.

And finally question what you’re getting out of this negative relationship?

 

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Ask a life coach

Ask a Life Coach: Eating Habits

Q: First question comes from Lisa …… I am having trouble changing my eating habits. I want to get away from the foods that are bad for me, but I’m finding it really hard to have any will power. Any suggestions how I can tackle this and get on the healthy track?

A: Lisa; First you have to decide if u are doing this because u want it or because you feel u have too. 2nd Purge your cupboards remove all unhealthy foods from your house. Set realistic goals and rewards. If u feel yourself giving in ask Is there a choice to be made? If so what choice am I making? Will this choice bring me happiness and closer to my long term goals. Remember if you slip up you can start over.

 

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Ask a life coach Uncategorized

Ask a Life Coach: Building Rapport

Question:

I have a new Director and I have been trying to build a rapport with them (I am their admin support). It’s proving to be much more difficult than I ever expected. Sometimes my Director won’t talk to me at all – all day. They rarely even say good morning. With this silence comes ahuge lack of communication. It’s making it very hard, sometimes next to impossible, for me to domy job or answer questions because I am completely unaware of many things. Like when theyplan to take vacation.

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Member Resources Union Victories Union Victories

Why You Should Give Thanks to the Labor Movement

The information below has been borrowed (and altered in some places) from an article by Donna Ballman , “Give Thanks To The Labor Movement”, Posted Oct 7th 2011 @ 8:35AM


A lot of things have changed for workers in the past century and that is thanks to the Labor Movement. Not so long ago, things were much different for workers in North America.  One story that sticks out was Triangle Shirtwaist Factory tragedy.  The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory was a sweatshop. Women and children, mostly immigrants, worked for terrible wages in terrible conditions. When a fire broke out, they couldn’t escape because the employer had locked them in. The employer said it was to stop theft, but many others say it was to keep the workers from leaving and taking breaks. The fire escapes had collapsed and the elevators stopped working in the 10-story building. One hundred forty six workers died that day in 1911, many as young as 14.

Before the labor movement, it wasn’t uncommon for sweatshops to engage in human trafficking. Workers in coal mines, factories, farms and many other workplaces were sometimes forced to work while getting further and further in debt. Many workers were paid in company “scrip” that they could use only at the company store. They could never save for their families and never hope for a better life. Children had to work starting very young, to help support their families, with no opportunity to go to school.

The labor movement created much needed change for workers.  It is important to remember that, without unions, workers would not have these benefits we take for granted:

  • Minimum wage
  • Overtime pay
  • Paid vacation
  • Sick days
  • Safety standards/OSHA
  • Child labor laws
  • Weekends
  • 40-hour work week
  • Health benefits
  • Unemployment compensation

You might be thinking to yourself, “Wow, my job doesn’t look so bad after all”. Well, you can thank union leaders for the rights that many of us take for granted. These rights were hard won, and they can be taken away.  It is important for unions to remain strong and defend those rights, or risk losing them and the benefits that we all enjoy and deserve.

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News

Ever Wonder Why You Have a 5 Day Work Week? You Can Thank the Fights of the Unions for the Benefits You Enjoy Today as a Worker.

There was a time during your grandparents’ lifetime that life was much harder. What we take for granted now was not so back then. A work day was long. Fourteen hours was quite common then and there were no breaks. If you had to use the restroom your pay was docked a nickel (an hours’ wages). Weeks were six work days with Sunday off.

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News Union Victories

History of Unions in Canada

  • Labour unions have existed in Canada since the early 1800s. There is a record of skilled tradesmen in the Maritimes having a union organization during the War of 1812.
  • Canadian unionism had early ties with Britain. Tradesmen who came from Britain brought traditions of the British trade union movement, and many British unions had branches in Canada. Canadian unionism ties with the United States eventually replaced those with Britain.
  • A key development in the growth of unionism came in 1872 when printers in Toronto went on strike for a nine-hour-day. Union activity was illegal at the time, and many prominent labour leaders were arrested. Mass protests ensued, resulting in the dropping of charges and the legalization of union activity.
  • The first national labour organization was formed in 1873 at a national convention in Toronto. The organization later became the Trades and Labour Congress of Canada in 1883, a forerunner of the present Canadian Labour Congress.
  • The early 1900s saw massive escalations in labour activity as workers demanded universal eight-hour days, union recognition and better wages. Between 1919 and 1920 there were over 1500 strikes involving an estimated 375,000 workers. The largest of these was the Winnipeg General Strike of 1919, which involved over 25,000 Winnipeg workers. The government used strike breakers, police and army to violently end the strike.
  • The early 1900s also saw the development of labour politics. In 1921 the Communist Party of Canada was founded, and in 1932 the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation was created. Both parties supported worker rights and were critical of capitalism. The Co-operative Commonwealth Federation eventually became the New Democratic Party.
  • Collective bargaining was first recognized in 1937, following a strike by the United Auto Workers at the General Motors’ plant in Oshawa, Ontario.
  • Justice Ivan Rand issued a landmark legal decision following a strike in Windsor, Ontario, involving 17,000 Ford workers. He granted the union the compulsory check-off of union dues. Rand ruled that all workers in a bargaining unit benefit from a union-negotiated contract. Therefore, he reasoned they must pay union dues, although they do not have to join the union.
  • The post-World War II era also saw an increased pattern of unionization in the public service. Teachers, nurses, social workers, professors, and cultural workers (those employed in museums, orchestras, and art galleries) all sought private-sector collective bargaining rights.
  • In the 1970s the federal government came under intense pressures to curtail labour cost and inflation. In 1975, the Liberal government under Prime Minister Trudeau introduced mandatory price and wage controls. Under the new law, wages increases were monitored and those ruled to be unacceptably high were rolled back by the government.
  • Pressures on unions continued into the 1980s and 90s. Private sector unions faced plant closures in many manufacturing industries and demands to reduce wages and increase productivity. Public sector unions came under attack by federal and provincial governments as they attempted to reduce spending, reduce taxes and balance budgets. Legislation was introduced in many jurisdictions reversing union collective bargaining rights, and many jobs were lost to contractors.
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Member Resources

Life Coaching at 70713

Life coaching services are an essential element of Local 70713’s pilot project focused on a holistic approach.

Although we offer union counseling, there are times when our members require a different kind of support and to meet those needs a life coach is brought in to help those members in need.

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News

Anger Management is Essential for Career Success

Without doubt, one of the greatest impediments to career success is anger.  The source of the anger can be anything from lack of restraint or self-control to being overly sensitive/suspicious to lack of self-esteem.   Other factors may contribute as well but, regardless, anger must be controlled and managed or there will be consequences.  The following information is intended to be helpful but people who are inclined to reacting emotionally either in writing or verbally (especially at the workplace) should definitely consider anger contacting EAP or VICR in order to get professional advice and training.

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News

Grief

“Grief”, written by Barrie Davenport on January 3, 2012 in health, life coaching, self improvement
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The big losses, like death and divorce, serve up enough platefuls of grief to keep you reeling for months or years. But even less dramatic life events and changes can feel like profound loss and cause us plenty of pain and heartache.  These are some of them: