b'LABOUR RELATIONS COUNCIL OF ELDERSAt All Nations United (ANU), part of being an Indigenous-led union means staying closely connected with members and their communities. To do this, ANU established a Council of Elders that works in partnership with its exec-utive team to provide wisdom and guidance, and to serve as ambassadors for the union.I hope that when Im not working with the union, and Im old and enjoying my grandchildren, that the Council of Elders will always be a guiding body that connects the union to Indigenous people, says ANU president Mary French. I hope that, as those council members get replaced or [new ones are chosen], they will always be the governing body, and that we never lose that sense of who we are as people or forget the history of Indigenous people in Canada.national president and founding memberplans, and one that would help drive of Unifor, Canadas largest private sectorthe economy to provide funding for trade union, to ANUs table.future projects.Together, ANUs leadership team has spentIn addition to creating a powerful pension, its first year finding partners to deliverFrench reports that the team has aligned member benefits. These include tradi- with First Nations Bank to generate a flow tional medical, dental and mental well- of money for Indigenous projects: We ness benefits that most unions provide, ashope to have our members start banking well as traditional Indigenous healing andwith First Nations Bank and create a flow of other culturally relevant services.money for Indigenous projects in Canada so that we are now the first holders and Our benefits were created for Indigenouswere not begging non-Indigenous people lifestyles, explains French. The reasonto fund a major project. I give for this is that my mom took in her niece and nephew for periods of time,ANU has attracted a lot of attention since but there was never a legal documentits launch earlier this year, and it is already involved because for Indigenous people,working on a collective agreement with there was always this fear that if you gavea construction company that employs 92 up your children legally, or through thepeople. This is exactly where I wanted to government, you wouldnt get them back.be in our first year, and once that collec-So youd have grandparents or aunts andtive agreement is filed and completed, we uncles sometimes take in children, butwill start looking at adding new members, they couldnt add them to their benefitssays French.because that legal document didnt exist.There is no shortage of interested parties. That example, French explains, is theFrench and her team have already fielded reason why its important for ANUs medicalinquiries from thousands of people at and dental programs to allow Indigenousnumerous companies. Their next focus families to add other family members inis to ensure that the members it signs on their care with some flexibility surroundingare a good fit for the organizations goals legal documents. Finding a provider thatand values. Unions are very powerful, and meets our needs and unique challengeswe dont want companies attaching them-has been very important, French says.selves to ANU just to win a bid, French says. We want to grow, but we want to Providing a strong pension is also amonggrow with the right people. Thats why I ANUs goals. At time of print, French andkeep saying to people to be patient and her team were in negotiations to find alet us walk before we run.The ANU executive team: (from top) Marypension partner that would enable the French, President; Vawn Jeddry, First VP; andorganization to build a pension on parIf you want to join ANU, you have to come Dave Coles, Second VP with some of Canadas biggest pensionto the table with a good heart, she adds. 112A CCAB PUBLICATION2022'