Public Employee Winter 2017

EDUCATION CONFERENCE | P3 PRESSURES | MOVE-UP THANKS | HONOUR RANCH

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE

WINTER 2017

ONE ON ONE: JOHN HORGAN Why the BC NDP leader wants to be your next premier

LEADINGUS PAUL FAORO, PRESIDENT “If the BC Liberals win the next election they are planning to bring in provincial wage controls for local governments."

Communities minister raises stakes for May 9 MUNICIPAL WAGE CONTROL THREAT SETS OFF ALARM BELLS When this issue of Public Employee hits doorsteps, we’ll be only five months away from the next provincial election, and the stakes could not be higher — especially for CUPE members and our families.

We’ve all seen the damage the BC Liberals have done during their 15 years in office. I would need much more space than I have here to outline the harm Christy Clark and her MLAs have done — piling onto the grim legacy of Gordon Campbell — but here’s a very short list: cutting funding to important public services like health care and education, ripping up contracts with workers, ignoring serious issues like rising housing prices until it’s too late, firing elected school boards for refusing to close schools, and choosing massive tax cuts for the richest 2 per cent of British Columbians instead of giving the rest of us a break.

Right-wing threats Now we learn that if the BC Liberals win the next election they are planning to bring in provincial wage controls for local governments. Right-wing groups like the Fraser Institute and the Canadian Federation of Independent Businesses have long urged the BC Liberals to scrap collective bargaining between local governments and their employees, but even Christy Clark has resisted the pressure — so far.

At the 2016 Union of BC Municipalities convention in Victoria, I listened as communities minister Peter Fassbender raised the possibility of the province taking control away from local governments. Given this news, the possibility of another BC Liberal term, and the impacts it could have on a very large number of our members across the province, is extremely worrisome.

This possibility should cause grave concern for all workers, not just those who deliver public services for local governments.

CUPE members who work in the K-12 sector know full well how provincial interference in local bargaining has led to additional downloaded costs to school boards, without the resources to pay for them. The recent firing of the locally elected Vancouver School Board shows how little respect the BC Liberals have for democracy.

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DREAM TEAM With great MLAs like Selina Robinson (Coquitlam-Maillardville) and Melanie Mark (VancouverMount Pleasant), a BC NDP government led by John Horgan can change our province for the better.

Time to step up This possible provincial move to seize power from locally elected governments is just one more reason CUPE BC is working so hard to defeat the BC Liberals on May 9. Recognizing the damage that 15 years of Christy Clark and Gordon Campbell have done to our province, delegates to our last Convention voted to make electing a BC NDP government under Premier John Horgan our top priority.

And we’re acting on that decision. On page 3 of this issue, read about the election campaign plan we’re putting together. And check out the interview with John Horgan on pages 8 and 9.

We have 85,000 members in British Columbia, and we live and work in every community. If we all work together, pull out all the stops and get involved in the If we all work together, campaign, we can change our pull out all the stops province for the better. I know and get involved in the that John Horgan and his BC NDP team are with us. They’ve campaign, we can change got the vision, the energy, and our province for the better. the plan to turn things around and form a government for all of us — not just the wealthy and well-connected.

FOLLOW PAUL ON TWITTER @PaulFaoro

At the BC Federation of Labour’s biennial convention in Vancouver in November, where President Irene Lanzinger and Secretary-Treasurer Aaron Eckman were re-elected by acclamation, nearly 1,000 labour activists from across the province approved a political action campaign — Better Can Happen Here — designed to defeat the BC Liberals on May 9. For more information on how you can get involved, check out www.TogetherForBC.ca.

CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FR­ONT LINE

Ramping up CUPE’s B.C. Election Plan

A BETTER WAY From left, fired Vancouver School Board member Mike Lombardi, BC NDP education critic Rob Fleming, and BC NDP advanced education critic Kathy Corrigan led a spirited panel discussion, Current Challenges and Future Solutions, on how to fix a broken system.

Education Sectors Conference makes the grade VANCOUVER | The only way to fix B.C.’s crippled education system is to get rid of the government responsible for the damage, delegates to CUPE BC’s Education Sectors Conference (November 7-9) were told.

CUPE BC President Paul Faoro, reminding delegates of the BC Liberal government’s 15-year reign of error, noted that every key public service during that time has been eliminated or starved.

“The bottom line is that you get a lot more done when you’re in government,” said Faoro. “We need to campaign for the BC New Democrats and bring about change on May 9.”

Alberta’s Minister of Education, David Eggen, outlined some of the accomplishments of the Rachel Notley NDP

government. In K-12, 32 new schools have opened in Alberta since last September alone, with more than 200 school projects on the go and none of them public-private partnerships. New teachers, and nearly 300 more support staff, have been hired.

CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer Trevor Davies, wrapping up the three-day conference, asked delegates not to focus on the U.S. election win of Donald Trump the night before but to direct their energies toward bringing positive change to B.C. this May. “We can end the reign of this regressive BC Liberal government and replace it with a social democratic government that cares about people,” said Davies.

More at www.cupe.bc.ca/education_sector_ conference_wraps_up

It’s not just here in B.C. that the next provincial election is a priority. CUPE National is stepping up, along with the B.C. Division, to make sure that the Christy Clark Liberals are defeated on May 9 and replaced with a progressive BC NDP government led by John Horgan. Funding from CUPE National has made it possible to have a provincial election coordinator in place earlier than ever before.

That’s meant that member engagement and training began several months ago, and is ramping up even more as the New Year begins. If you’re interested in joining your fellow members in working on a local campaign, just contact Nathan Allen at nallen@cupe.ca and he’ll help you get started.

“The BC Liberals won the last election with a margin of just over 5,000 votes across the province, and we just saw what happened in the United States when progressives assume that victory is in the wings,” says Allen.

“In many ridings across the province, the number of CUPE members is greater than the BC Liberals’ margin of victory. So if all of us get out and vote for the BC NDP candidate in our community, we have the ability to elect a government that actually stands with working people.”

PUBLIC EMPLOYEE: SURVEY SAYS… With this issue of Public Employee, we’re pleased to welcome our new production and layout team, Nadene Rehnby and Pete Tuepah of Hands on Publications. Nadene and Pete have a long history of producing excellent design work for progressive organizations and the labour movement.

As part of the transition from Working Design to Hands on, CUPE BC asked readers for their thoughts on how we can make the magazine better. The results are in: while Public Employee is well-read, many of our readers are looking for longer, more in-depth

stories featuring CUPE members and the work they do — on the job and as activists outside work — as well as more reporting on the work Locals are doing in their communities.

Over the coming months, we hope to make many of the changes you called for in the survey. We’re going to keep the survey open at www.cupe.bc.ca/public_employee_magazine_public_employee_survey until the end of January to give members more time to get us their thoughts — and be entered into a draw for a great prize from CUPE BC.

RALLYING CRY CUPE BC Election Coordinator Nathan Allen, addressing the union’s executive board on December 8, provides an update on local preparation and workshop planning for the May 9 provincial election.

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VOICES CUPE MEMBERS IN THE MEDIA “We’ve just seen over the years services deteriorate. Last year they had to cut a bunch of money from the deaf and hard of hearing program, amongst other things. You just to start to feel like we just have to live with less... and it doesn’t feel right.” — CUPE 523 President Sylvia Lindgren, saying she’s “never been the kind of person to sit and wait for someone to fix things,” explains why she’s running for the NDP nomination in the Shuswap provincial electoral district. Salmon Arm Observer, November 2, 2016.

“If the BC Liberal government spent the same amount of the GDP for public education as fifteen years ago, there would be another $2 billion in the budget for education.” — CUPE 1285 President Roger Smith, in a letter to the editor, puts in perspective the provincial government’s 15 years of cutbacks to education services. Trail Daily Times, Wednesday, October 5, 2016.

“The direct cause of overcrowding in Surrey schools is the 15 years of chronic underfunding of public education by the BC Liberal government. Support workers in our schools have been cut to the bone. When custodians, education assistants and other support workers who are vital to public education are cut, students suffer.” — CUPE 728 President Ryan Groundwater, in a letter to the editor, dismisses the City of Surrey’s suggestion to build P3 schools.

Surrey North Delta Leader, October 26, 2016.

“Most of the time when you have multiple prisoners in, they need the second guard. No savings. And that’s the part I found misleading about what was told to council and what council said afterwards about what they’d like to do with the money — because there is no extra money.” — CUPE 401 President Blaine Gurrie says a potential $360,000 in annual savings for a core review recommendation to axe four guard positions doesn’t add up, as two guards will still be needed most of the time. Nanaimo News Bulletin, November 3, 2016.

“They’re outraged. They’re being worked non-stop on their shifts, they don’t get breaks, and they show up late for calls and people are upset.” — CUPE 873 President Bronwyn Barter is asked how Lower Mainland ambulance paramedics feel about a six-week delay in the government’s provision of more ambulance service for Maple Ridge.

Maple Ridge News, October 25, 2016.

“This is affecting people hugely, for their families….We’re a rural community college, and people come here because it’s close to home, it’s their first step often in branching out. And now we’ve taken one of our campuses — our largest campus — and we’ve implemented paid parking. There’s quite a disparity at so many levels.” — CUPE 3479 President Michelle Waite, noting that Kwantlen College employees in the Lower Mainland pay $120 a year for parking, laments that North Island College support staff are being asked to cough up $450 for an annual parking pass. Comox Valley Record, September 22, 2016.

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FIX THE SYSTEM Paul Faoro, seen here at the BC Federation of Labour convention in late November, told the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services earlier in the fall that funding cuts to education are “political choices” whose dreadful results will become the BC Liberal government’s legacy.

Education should be top budget priority: Faoro QUESNEL | CUPE BC President Paul Faoro made K-12 and postsecondary education issues the focus when he travelled to the North in September to make a presentation to the B.C. Legislature’s Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services.

Faoro said there were many areas of the provincial budget that require additional investment from the government, but he chose to focus on education because of how many CUPE members work in K-12, colleges, and universities.

“For the more than 15 years the BC Liberal government has been in power, every key function of provincially-funded public services has been underfunded and starved of resources,” Faoro told the Committee, which comprises both BC Liberal and NDP MLAs. “And that underfunding has occurred at the same time as the wealthy and well-connected in our province enjoyed millions of dollars of tax cuts.

Tax cuts for the 1 per cent, service cuts and fee hikes for the rest of us.

“Those are political choices, and the results of those choices become a government’s record.”

In his Quesnel presentation, Faoro outlined the BC Liberals’ record of cutting education resources and closing more than 250 schools during their term in office, and offered five specific recommendations to make B.C.’s education system more equitable and sustainable.

He also presented three recommendations to make colleges and universities more accessible to students from middle-class and lower income families.

“CUPE believes that a strong public education system is the best way to ensure that education is inclusive, equitable, and accessible,” said Faoro. “Public education is the great leveller in our society, giving everyone an equal shot at working for success.”

ELECTION YEAR CONVENTION CUPE BC’s annual convention (April 26–29) will once again take place in Victoria this year. Whether you’re a delegate or not, you’ll be able to keep up with all the speakers and debates thanks to the second edition of the CUPE BC convention app. Since the Convention will take place less than two weeks from Election Day, you can count on plenty of political content this year.

CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FR­ONT LINE

Christy Clark Liberals pass the buck on opioid crisis VANCOUVER | News of Vancouver City Council’s plan for a 0.5 per cent property tax increase to address the ongoing opioid overdose crisis shows again how provincial downloading of costs and responsibilities is hurting people, CUPE BC President Paul Faoro said on December 13.

“Cities and towns shouldn’t have to raise their own funds to provide provincially mandated services like emergency health care,” said Faoro. “The BC Ambulance Service and highly trained ambulance paramedics are the most cost-effective and efficient way of treating drug users who overdose on

fentanyl-tainted drugs.”

Faoro questioned the Christy Clark government’s priorities.

“Nearly 700 British Columbians have died from fentanyl-related overdoses in 2016.

How many deaths will it take for the Premier to take meaningful action to save lives?”

CELEBRATING LIBRARY MONTH CUPE’s 4,500 library workers provide vital public services at academic, public and school libraries throughout B.C. To celebrate library month in October, we featured the profiles of CUPE library workers on the CUPE BC website and learned firsthand about the passion they have for the services they provide.

Karri Whitehead, CUPE 411 (Chilliwack School District), Secondary School Library Assistant Q: How do public library workers make a difference?

A: We serve our students and staff but are also part of the larger education community. We partner with community services, distance education and our public libraries to help with common goals.

Q: What’s the best thing about being a CUPE member? A: Being a member of CUPE gives opportunities to collaborate and grow with like-minded individuals who are on your team.

Karri Whitehead

Kelly Davison

Kelly Davison, CUPE 2254 (Grand Forks & District Public Library), Circulation Services Library Assistant Q: What do you enjoy most about being a public library worker? A: I enjoy working in an inclusive library that is finefree for late items, which helps reduce barriers for low income patrons in our community.

Q: What does being a CUPE member mean to you? A: Being an active member of CUPE has allowed me to learn about worker rights, meet many other people interested in improving work environments and realize the concerns we share.

CUPE CARING IN OUR COMMUNITY

HIGH VISIBILITY Municipal and library locals in Greater Victoria launched a transit advertising campaign last fall to promote the vital services they provide for communities every day.

COMMON GROUND Delegates at CUPE’s national sector conference in Winnipeg covered a range of issues affecting every sector, including this session on violence in the workplace.

NATIONAL SECTORS: CONFERENCE BUILDS LINKS FOR SUCCESS WINNIPEG | At the National Sector Council Conference (October 17-20), about 1,000 CUPE activists from across the country met to share the experiences of their locals with other leaders of their respective sectors.

The theme of the conference was Organizing for Success. There were presentations on building coalitions, organizing, and pensions as well as discussions on ways to best use our collective agreements to end workplace violence and harassment. Members were also invited to highlight the advantages that CUPE offers potential members.

“We have one particularly powerful tool that we can use to better the lives of Canadian workers,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “The best tool to fight for equality, to stop the spread of precarious work, to improve wages and make sure workers have a safe workplace is organizing the unorganized to get them a collective agreement and the best union.”

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CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FR­ONT LINE

Supreme Court decision a slap to BC Liberals In November, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled on an appeal by the BC Teachers’ Federation of an earlier decision that ruled against the teachers’ efforts to restore their collective agreement, torn up in 2002 by then-Education Minister Christy Clark. In a move almost without precedent, the majority of justices ruled from the bench that the original decision by the lower court should stand, wiping out the BC Liberals’ arguments and effectively restoring class size and composition to the levels established in collective bargaining.

Premier Clark’s response to the decision, noting that she was “excited” to now be able to put more money into classrooms, drew sharp criticism.

“After deliberately underfunding our education system for 12 long years, for the premier to have the gall to say she’s ‘excited’ that the Supreme Court of Canada is ‘allowing’ her government to put more dollars into the classroom is mindbogglingly, head-scratchingly awful spin,” said CUPE BC President Paul Faoro.

“The BC Liberals have done so much damage to our province, it’s hard to know where to start. But the deliberate and systematic underfunding of education has resulted in 12 years of B.C. kids getting a substandard education.

For that reason alone, on May 9 it’s time for a change.”

BUILDING CAPACITY­ The Vancouver Island District Council hosted its second stewards conference last November in Nanaimo. More than 100 new and more seasoned stewards from all over the Island got the chance to gain practical skills and increase their confidence in assisting members. L-R: Cathy Peverelle (CUPE 459), Zack Chang (CUPE 3479), Katherine Percival (CUPE 3479), and Michelle Waite (CUPE 3479).

THUMBS DOWN ON WAGE CONTROLS VICTORIA | At the Union of BC Municipalities annual convention in September, CUPE BC executive members and staff once again kept a close eye on proceedings while continuing to build on the union’s strong relationship with locally elected leaders from across the province.

While the resolutions debated were relatively uncontroversial, delegates once again voted to oppose the BC Liberals’ appointment of the Auditor General for Local Government. That opposition didn’t stop Communities Minister Peter Fassbender from saying, in his annual address, that the provincial Liberals are preparing to bring in provincial wage controls for employees of local governments.

Paul Faoro told attendees at CUPE BC’s annual reception that the union would work with local leaders to push back on provincial downloading and interference.

Jacob H. Cultural Assistant, CUPE 4163

CUPE: working for students

“

I help new students feel comfortable on campus and try to create the best possible environment for them to learn about Canadian culture and language. I love meeting new students, making friends with them, and helping them to make friends and form lasting relationships with other students. I think they get the best experience when they have a chance to connect and create community. Watching and helping them build these tight-knit communities is really my favourite thing about this job.

“

LOCALS 917, 951 and 4163 at THE UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

917.cupe.ca

cupe951.ca

cupe4163.ca cope 491

AXED BY THE PREMIER CUPE BC members joined parents, teachers, and community allies on October 20 to support Vancouver School Board trustees fired by Christy Clark for defending quality public education.

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MAKING A DIFFERENCE CUPE Locals 917, 951 and 4163 at the University of Victoria recently launched a campaign, including ads in The Martlet, the campus newspaper, to increase member visibility while raising awareness of chronic underfunding of post-secondary education. Featured in this ad is CUPE 4163 member Jake Harrigan.

LINKINGLABOUR

ROBIN JONES, REGIONAL DIRECTOR

“There’s lots of work to be done to organize and educate workers about the benefits of being in the House of Labour."

BUILDING A BIGGER, STRONGER CUPE WATCH FOR A BIG LEAP IN THE UNION’S ORGANIZING EFFORTS IN 2017 At the 2015 National Convention, delegates prioritized the goals of increasing CUPE’s organizing capacity with a crucial focus on precarious workers. They were right. For lots of reasons, organizing is important to CUPE members. A strong House of Labour helps maintain wages and benefits while keeping unions in fighting form to protect public services in our communities. The more members we have, the greater our clout.

Many employers try to improve their bottom line by eroding benefits and hiring people as part-time or casual. They much prefer a precarious workforce without defined hours of work, expectations for a living wage, regular vacations with pay, benefits or even collective agreements. To prevent that from happening, we need to organize.

To that end, at the B.C. regional office we’ve trained 14 member organizers and will probably train some more in the new budget year. We’ve undertaken a mapping project to map all worksites in B.C. Once we identify who and where they are, we’ll begin mounting some precarious worker-specific organizing drives.

Leaving no stone unturned We’ve been mapping the bigger sectors for a while now. Mapping is a multi-faceted animal. It’s done by having a lot of conversations, getting information on Google, checking employer sites, and having more conversations. It means identifying the workers and the geographical areas where they live, work, and socialize. And it means collecting information about the employer. Mapping We need the help of locals helps us find out if we can service these workers and if to look around and identify CUPE is a good fit for them. workers who should be part So far, we’re looking at of their union but aren’t municipal, K-12, universities yet — and let our Organizing and colleges, childcare and department know. social services sectors. In the municipal sector, most precarious workers can be found at recreation centres as lifeguards, fitness instructors, and day care providers.

Our goal is to make gains where there are attainable certifications. We need the help of locals to look around and identify workers who should be part of their union but aren’t yet — and let our Organizing department know.

NEXT TARGET Robin Jones and Organizing Representative Tracey Mathieson shared with member organizers Aman Cheema and Trevor Morgan the latest CUPE map identifying potential new certifications in B.C.

Success with voluntary recognition In K-12 and the university and college sectors, we’ve had success with voluntary recognition. In post-secondary, the employer hides workers by using grant-funded money and telling workers that the funding could be cut at any moment. Yet many of them work there for years.

CUPE’s Organizing department has received calls from workers who want to become members. Organizing normally collects signatures in preparation for a Labour Board vote. In a few circumstances in the past, they worked with locals prior to filing an application at the Board, approached the employer and were successful in getting voluntary recognition. So let’s continue to be aware of other workers at our worksites.

It can make a big difference to precarious workers. One example is an employee who had worked for more than a decade under grant funding who finally got union membership and now has a collective agreement. That member now gets proper statutory holidays, vacation entitlement, retroactive pay based on hours, and lay-off and recall language.

Bucking the trend The national trend is for part-time, precarious, non-benefit work.

That hurts CUPE as an organization and it hurts workers financially.

So it’s a big deal. But when you’re younger, it doesn’t seem so urgent. Instead, the light bulb goes on around 50, and by then it’s too late. So there’s lots of work to be done to organize and educate workers about the benefits of being in the House of Labour.

It all about the conversations. Six months ago, I went up to Creston Days with the CUPE BC trailer and talked to two or three lifeguards from the community centre about the benefits of belonging to a union. Recently I was back in Creston and one of them told me they want to join. That just shows that we’ve all got to keep plugging away.

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COVERSTORY

ONE ON ONE: JOHN HORGAN Why the BC NDP leader wants to be your next premier

JOHN HORGAN is a busy man these days. As the May 9 going to work as hard as I possibly can to show people that we provincial election looms larger in the consciousness of more really can make this place even better.” and more British Columbians, the sixteenth leader in the history Horgan returns to this theme repeatedly during the hour-long of the British Columbia New Democratic Party finds himself in interview, reflecting on the disconnection from government and growing demand. politics that so many British Columbians feel.

When Public Employee sat down to interview “I know we can bring government back to him in November, Horgan had just wrapped the people who elect it, and we can do that by “For far too long we’ve up a speech to a housing association, and a restoring trust in the process — by banning big been governed by a party series of media interviews, following a wellmoney from politics,” he says. “For far too long attended pre-election campaign kick-off rally we’ve been governed by a party that has done that has done right by its in Vancouver the day before. right by its donors, but that’s left many more donors but that’s left many “It’s a nice problem to have, frankly,” Horgan people alienated from the political process.” more people alienated from says as he rattles off the list of groups he’s Horgan predicts that education and affordability the political process.” given speeches to recently, or is scheduled will be the top issues in the election campaign. to do soon. “There are a lot of people in this “Education touches everyone in this province. province who honestly have gotten used to the idea that ‘this It’s the great equalizer in our society — something that’s said so is as good as it gets.’ But as we get closer to the election, there often it’s almost lost its meaning — but I wouldn’t be here today are a lot more people looking for an alternative to Christy Clark as leader of the opposition and potentially the next premier if it and the BC Liberals. It’s my job to show those people that wasn’t for public education. A properly funded, quality education things don’t have to be the way they are right now — that this system gives all of us an equal opportunity to succeed. But doesn’t have to be ‘as good as it gets,’ and that we can have in 2002, Christy Clark and Gordon Campbell decided to tear a government that actually cares about people and is on their up contracts, and in the 14 years since they’ve invested more side. in courtrooms than classrooms. When Christy Clark became “Voters want hope, and I intend to provide it to them. And education minister, we had the second-best funding in the if that means I’m doing several speeches a day and talking to country. Today, after four years with her as premier, we have the more reporters, that’s a good thing. One thing’s for sure: the second-worst funding. only way this government is going to get re-elected is if they “We can’t afford to find out what she’ll do to education with convince people that things really are ‘as good as it gets.’ I’m another four years in power.”

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“When a government chooses the wealthy and the well-connected, and dismisses concerns from the rest of us, it drives cynicism about government. Tax cuts for the richest, but MSP increases, Hydro increases and ICBC increases for the rest of us? Cuts to healthcare? Cuts to education? Those are the wrong priorities, and we’re going to fix that.”

Reflecting on the speech he’d just delivered on housing, Horgan says housing and affordability had become serious issues far beyond Vancouver and the Lower Mainland.

“All over B.C., wages are down and costs are up. And in the Lower Mainland in particular, the housing market is almost completely out of reach of the majority of us. Yet just a couple of months ago, Christy Clark and Mike de Jong were laughing off the issue and saying it was just in a couple of Vancouver neighbourhoods.

“When a government chooses the wealthy and the wellconnected, and dismisses concerns from the rest of us, it drives cynicism about government. Tax cuts for the richest, but MSP increases, Hydro increases and ICBC increases for the rest of us? Cuts to healthcare? Cuts to education? Those are the wrong priorities, and we’re going to fix that.

“I’m hearing it more and more, that after 15 years of BC Liberals, it’s time for a change. On May 9, I hope to deliver that change.”

A progressive resume John Horgan was very young when his father passed away.

He and his siblings were raised by his mother Alice, a CUPE member employed by the municipality of Saanich. Today, Horgan credits the union wage and benefits as key factors in his mother’s ability to raise a family on a single income.

Horgan is passionate about sports, particularly basketball and lacrosse, and says that competitive sports helped him understand what leadership is all about. He also credits the public education system for keeping him on the right track at a vulnerable time as a teen.

As a young man, Horgan worked in a B.C. mill and in a joinery before earning his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees at Trent University in Ontario and Sydney University in Australia. A meeting with federal NDP Leader Tommy Douglas sparked his interest in social democracy, and he went on to work for Members of Parliament in Ottawa. During the 1990s he worked for the BC NDP governments in a number of progressively senior positions, including chief of staff to the Premier.

In 2001, Horgan started a management and research consulting company helping private and public sector organizations, First Nations and not-for-profit groups.

First elected MLA for Juan de Fuca in 2005, he was elected Leader of the BC New Democratic Party in 2014. Asked what first made him want to run for public During the 1990s Horgan worked office, Horgan smiles. for the BC NDP governments “In the run up to in a number of progressively the 2005 provincial senior positions, including election, I was yelling at the TV about chief of staff to the Premier.

FAMILY VALUES Alice Horgan (right) walks a picket line with her CUPE sisters from Local 374 during a lockout in the early 1970s. the news that the BC Liberals were shipping hundreds of shipbuilding jobs overseas by building ferries in Germany,” he recalls.

“A teenage friend of my son was in the kitchen and asked me what I was yelling at. I told him, and he looked at me and said: ‘Well, what are you going to do about it?’ I said, ‘I’m going to run for MLA, and I’m going to help fix this — and you’re going to help me.’ Along with my son, he worked on my campaign, and he’s worked on every campaign since.”

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CUPEFOCUS P3s AND MUNICIPALITIES

Stacking the deck for public-private partnerships AS THE CAPITAL REGIONAL DISTRICT PROCEEDS WITH A MOSTLY PUBLIC PLAN FOR SEWAGE TREATMENT, THE QUESTION REMAINS: WAS THERE EVER REALLY A FULLY PUBLIC OPTION AVAILABLE? VICTORIA | After years of planning and decades of discussion, the Capital Regional District (CRD) in September finally made a decision on how to treat the Core Area’s sewage. CUPE members had been advocating from the start for a publicly owned, operated and maintained sewage treatment plant — and, from the start, the fight was an uphill battle.

The planning process began in 2006, after the B.C. government announced that the CRD must develop a plan for sewage treatment in the Core Area, which includes seven of the region’s municipalities. Shortly thereafter, then-Premier Gordon Campbell announced that the project must be evaluated by Partnerships BC to see if it could be a public-private partnership (P3).

“P3s will become the new capital standard,” crowed the premier, in the B.C. government news release. “In the future, all provincially-funded capital projects with a value of over $20 million (that amount will later increase to $50 million) will be considered first by Partnerships BC to be built as a P3 unless there is a compelling reason to do otherwise.”

STEADFAST COMMITMENT Dedicated activists from CUPE locals throughout the CRD worked for nearly a decade to ensure that publicly owned, operated and maintained sewage treatment was consistently part of the sewage planning discussion in the region.

Here, CUPE National President Mark Hancock (front centre) congratulates them for their work

Not drinking the Kool-Aid Despite pressure from other levels of government to privatize Ultimately the same procurement model was suggested for the vital community services, CRD residents continued to voice their revised plan that the CRD approved in September 2016. The hybrid support for public services. In the Public Consultation Summary procurement model soon to be implemented could bring significant Report to the Core Area Liquid Waste Management Committee challenges.

(May 2009), the recurring theme was of “a community desire Renewed pressure from Ottawa to have locally built, publicly owned and managed treatment We are certainly seeing a strong push for privatization at the federal facility(ies).” level. Last fall Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that his Even with strong community support for a fully public solution government was considering the creation of a “Canadian Infrastructure for sewage treatment, the CRD ultimately chose a hybrid Development Bank.” This model would entice approach to procurement that includes a mix private companies and pension funds to invest of public and private procurement. The main This all begs the question heavily in public infrastructure. Should local treatment facility and conveyance system will of how much choice local governments want to access this funding, they be owned, operated and managed publicly would be forced to consider a P3. while the resource recovery portion of the governments have in This all begs the question of how much choice project will be delivered through the P3 procurement of new or local governments have in procurement of new model by an unknown private partner for 30 or updated infrastructure. While senior levels years. updated infrastructure. of government often try to drive decisions by In 2012, funding for the project was imposing funding conditions like P3 screening, confirmed and the implementation phase of the project began. local governments can and do push back on their own and through However, in 2014 that plan fell apart and the CRD went back their provincial and federal associations. to the planning phase. This caused grave concern for several Now, more than ever, it is important to voice your concern over the reasons, one being that if the CRD lost the public funding they federal government’s ‘infrastructure bank’ and insist that decisions had secured there would be no other public funding available around local services should be made by those communities — not by and a new application for federal funding would be subject to an governments imposing their agenda on communities. automatic P3 screen.

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GUEST COLUMN “Our members working at BC Nurses are very aware that their employer is a pariah within the labour movement. They dearly wish their employer were in the house of labour.”

WALKING THE TALK OF TRUE SOLIDARITY WHEN THE BC NURSES BEGAN TARGETING STAFF, OTHER LABOUR ORGANIZATIONS — ESPECIALLY CUPE — STOOD UP FOR TRADE UNION VALUES

by David Black One union striking against another. It’s not a common event, but it can happen. In the early summer of 2016, the BC Nurses Union (BCN) tried to slash medical, health and family leave for its administrative staff. They locked out their staff, members of MoveUP, who were then forced to go on strike to avoid having their leave stripped.

The BCN is a highly divisive union. They engage in aggressive raiding of other union’s members. Raiding is when a union tries to increase its membership by targeting workers who are already in another union, instead of focusing their efforts on workers who don’t already have the protection of a union.

The Canadian Labour The Canadian Labour Congress banned raiding Congress (CLC) banned raiding among its among its affiliates affiliates because because the practice the practice destroys solidarity and weakens destroys solidarity and the labour movement. weakens the labour In 2010, the BCN was expelled from the BC movement.

Federation of Labour, the CLC and local labour councils for raiding. (Like other unions, we’ve dropped the ‘U’ from the organization’s name ever since.)

Working for labour’s pariah Our members working at BCN are very aware that their employer is a pariah within the labour movement. They dearly wish their employer were in the house of labour. When the strike began, we weren’t sure what to expect. But very quickly our members started receiving support, both formal and informal, from other unions in the BC Federation of Labour.

They came to our picket line with solidarity greetings, bringing coffee and doughnuts and so on. They organized events. The Solidarity Notes choir came, the International Longshore Workers Union and the Marine Council held an event, and CUPE BC held a barbeque. This helped our members realize that they weren’t facing

ALL TOGETHER NOW From left, CUPE BC President Paul Faoro along with CUPE 1004 members Andy Healey, Frank Lee, President Andrew Ledger, and Sarah Carrier joined MoveUP President David Black for CUPE BC’s September 2 barbeque at MoveUP’s picket line outside the BC Nurses’ offices. this employer alone; that the labour movement was there for them, enthusiastically, despite the actions of their employer.

As the strike carried on through the summer and into the fall, it was clear the dispute would not end quickly. MoveUP began an advertising campaign to put greater pressure on the BCN. Many CLC and BCFED affiliates showed their support on the picket line and by donating to the health and welfare benefit fund. But CUPE took it to the next level.

Going above and beyond CUPE National launched their own campaign with flyers and ads taking aim at the BCN’s executive. They invested their own resources and asked their members — asked you — to help get information out about our dispute. And you did that. There’s solidarity, and there’s what CUPE did for our members during this dispute. It was above and beyond.

We had a saying on the line — “One day longer, one day stronger.”

But it’s hard. I know that CUPE’s support gave our members the lift they needed to outlast the employer, which they did. We’ve done it for others, like when our members walked the line with their CUPE colleagues at Southern Rail, and we’re grateful to be supported in turn.

Power of principle The employers have powerful advantages: they have the money, the labour law is slanted their way and, quite often, public indifference works in their favour.

But we do have each other. Our members have been changed by this dispute, which was finally settled toward the end of 2016, and this has changed the way they think about the power of organized labour. In the true spirit of our movement, they are looking for the next opportunity to pay that forward.

David Black is the President of MoveUP. WINTER 2017

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CUPECOMMUNITIES MEMBERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE CUPE LOCAL 951, UVIC COMMUNITY, SUPPORT WOMEN’S SHELTER

FRIENDS INDEED Pictured (L–R) are CUPE 1858 executive members Bernie Heise, President Deborah Hopper, Shannon McKenzie and Annette Woolf, with Sam Fiorella, a co-founder of the Friendship Bench project.

Shining a light on mental health NANAIMO | CUPE 1858 is the first Canadian union local to sponsor a Friendship Bench project. The project raises mental health awareness, provides opportunities for those struggling to reach out to others, and encourages discussion of mental health challenges.

“This program spoke to our members because it shines a light on the mental health issues faced by our students and colleagues on a daily basis,” said CUPE 1858 President Deborah Hopper.

Friendship benches placed in high schools and post-secondary institutions provide information about counseling services and resources on campus.

More info: thefriendshipbench.org and at cupe.bc.ca

JACK-O’-LANTERN TIME With ongoing support from CUPE 23 (Burnaby civic employees), and help from CUPE 379 (K-12 support staff) and CUPE Metro, children enjoyed pumpkin patches at four schools in Burnaby during the fall.

The program was started five years ago

by CUPE 23 member Chris Revitt, his wife Daniella, and their three children.

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VICTORIA | CUPE 951 has a long tradition of supporting the Victoria Women’s Transition House. So when the transition house appealed for welcome kits at the end of September, the local’s Health and Wellness Committee launched a campaign to collect muchneeded toiletry items.

“The response was amazing,” said CUPE 951 President Kara White. “Every department, every area just wanted to donate — it was incredible.”

After one month of collections, local members were pleasantly surprised by the amount of donations. Cash and toiletries came from CUPE members and others throughout the campus.

Welcome kits are packages of toiletries placed in bedrooms for new residents when they arrive at the emergency shelter. Each kit contains basic items for use by the women and

WARM WELCOME After all items were collected, sorted and made into complete welcome kits full of products, toys and gift certificates for women and children, CUPE 951 delivered the kits to the Victoria Women’s Transition House. their children during their stay at the shelter, which is often up to 30 days.

Separate welcome kits for children included products like no-tears shampoo and conditioner, bubble bath, yummy toothpaste with soft brushes, and tub toys.

For all you do, this ranch is for you EXPERIENCE WITH AMBULANCE PARAMEDICS INSPIRES PROPERTY DONATION FOR FIRST RESPONDERS RETREAT KAMLOOPS | Four years ago, Rick Wanless suffered a bad injury while working on his 25-acre property on the North Thompson River. After two CUPE 873 ambulance paramedics responded, likely saving his life, Wanless wanted to show his appreciation.

So he and his wife Donna donated a parcel of land to the Honour House Society for the purpose of creating a retreat for first responders and military personnel who suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

‘There was a lot of good being done by these people and they were going unrecognized,” Wanless, a second cousin of CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer Trevor Davies, told CFJC Today. “We thought, ‘well, if there was some way of recognizing what these people are doing we’d be pleased.’”

On October 22, a grand opening was held for Honour Ranch, an extension of Honour House in New Westminster. The donation

SPECIAL REFUGE The Oct. 22 launch for Honour Ranch drew 150 people including representatives of CUPE 873 (Ambulance Paramedics of BC), military, fire departments and other agencies, along with politicians and supporters. of the scenic, riverfront pasture offers a serene getaway for first responders and veterans to participate in one-day or longer mental health programs, which are expected to launch in March.

More info: honourhouse.ca

CUPECOMMUNITIES MEMBERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE

INSPIRING MESSAGE Writer Kara Stanley, her husband Simon Paradis and his band mate Joe Stanton pose with CUPE 1936 Vice-President and event organizer Sheryl Burns after their literary/musical presentation.

POWERFUL IMAGES Jessica Hannon (to the left of Paul Faoro), executive director of Megaphone and the Hope in Shadows calendar project, joins CUPE BC’s Executive Board and staff after her presentation about the important poverty-fighting work her organization does. For more information, check out www. megaphonemagazine.com/hope_in_shadows.

Empowering people with disabilities NEW WESTMINSTER | A labour event held on December 3 to commemorate the International Day of Persons with Disabilities inspired a large crowd of union activists with messages of empowerment and advocacy. Sponsored by the BC Federation of Labour and affiliates including CUPE BC, the event featured a combination of artistic performances and expert insights into current issues.

The afternoon’s highlight was a joint reading and performance by Kara Stanley, author of Fallen, and the musical duo of her husband, Simon Paradis, and Joe Stanton. Stanley’s reading from her memoir, about Paradis’s road to recovery after a fall in 2008 that paralyzed him, was followed by musical performances by Paradis and Stanton — who, despite his disability, gained new ability by becoming a songwriter.

RIVETING WORDS Members of CUPE 391 (Vancouver, Gibsons, and Sechelt Public Library Workers) pose with their new Rosie the Reader bags at the annual Word Vancouver literacy and reading festival, held at the VPL’s main branch on September 25.

SISTERS AGAINST POVERTY A sibling project to help underprivileged children draws community’s support

GREAT CAUSE CUPE 476 member Susanne Cecconi (left) and her sister Melanie Jordan started Friends of Powell River (FOPR) to raise awareness about kids living in poverty and help them live with dignity. The sisters encourage donations from all the community’s union locals, as well as businesses and individuals.

POWELL RIVER | Seeing kids in desperate need with nothing being done about it inspired sisters Susanne Cecconi, a CUPE 476 member, and her sister Melanie Jordan to launch the Friends of Powell River project.

“As an EA my job is about helping in every way — not just to help kids learn something in school but to help in their whole life,” says Cecconi.

Social media has played a big role in expanding the program’s reach. The Friends of Powell River (FOPR) Facebook page identifies needs, making it easier to connect with the community. After visiting the page, Cecconi notes, one woman knitted a bunch

of slippers so that kids could have warm feet in school on cold wet days.

Cecconi says that EAs and teachers are instrumental in identifying needs and making sure they are met in a dignified manner. “We can make their environment at school better, so it’s a place where they’re being fed and they’re learning.”

Throughout the district, FOPR provides clothing and “a square meal” to kids who may not get one at home.

CUPE 476 President Daphne Ross supports FOPR by cooking meals at the alternate school where she works. “The work that Susanne and her sister do enriches our community immensely,” says Ross.

WINTER 2017

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POWERINNUMBERS TREVOR DAVIES, SECRETARY-TREASURER “A well-informed approach to our investment income is one of the many ways we stand up for our members and their communities.”

Saving for the future SMART INVESTMENT MAKES A STRONGER UNION We don’t spend a lot of time talking about our union’s investment income. It’s about time we did.

Since becoming secretary-treasurer, I have spent time reviewing our holdings and working with our investment manager — SeaMark Assets Management — to better understand our investment holdings.

Since I’m also a pension trustee, I strongly believe in taking a cautious approach to making adjustments within a portfolio.

One of the changes we made over the summer was the divestment from a private waste collection agency. This was a no-brainer for me, and it’s probably shocking for you as a reader that we even held that asset in the first place. But it’s easy to overlook investments, considering that they are often listed in a short form that might as well be in another language.

Also of note: while we haven’t divested completely from fossil fuels, we are now down to roughly 8 per cent in that sector. These remaining investments provide an opportunity, however limited, to advocate for better business practices and policies in the sector.

A well-informed approach to our investment income is one of the many ways we stand up for our members and their communities.

Finally, there’s the larger purpose that our investments serve to CUPE BC. The Division, like most if not all CUPE locals, receives 99 per cent of its total income from member dues. Having one source of income can be risky if that source is halted or reduced. In CUPE BC’s case, the risk is compounded when locals are on strike, as job action both increases the flow of money out (strike pay) while reducing the income since the local is on strike and not paying per capita. When this occurs with large locals or sectors, the impact can be overwhelming.

Building up our investments with the goal of using the money as a second source of income reduces the risk to CUPE BC. Investments provide opportunities for one-time projects while mitigating the effects of major work disruptions in the future (most likely in the form of technological impact on work) and minimizing the impact of market fluctuations. And, since we don’t rely on investment returns for basic operations, we can afford to plan for the long term.

LONG VIEW Trevor Davies, seen here with Regional Vice-President (Kootenays) Ken Vaughan-Evans, says that investment income is an important secondary source of funds for CUPE BC during work stoppages and tough economic times.

New at Convention CUPE BC’s 54th annual convention, to be held in Victoria (April 26-29), marks another election year for the Division. Here are a couple of new developments: • Electronic voting: delegates will cast their ballots with a virtual click rather than pen and paper. Instead of waiting for the manual ballot distribution, collection and counting, votes will be tallied within seconds. Electronic voting gives us far more time to attend to the real business of our union.

• Two new Diversity Vice-Presidents: A result of last year’s convention, we’re excited to be holding elections this year for two new seats on the executive. By adding DVPs for pink triangle (LGBTTI) workers and persons with disabilities, we will better reflect the diversity of our union while providing more balance on the board.

Big loss: Doug McNicol was many things to his extended CUPE family. Proud garbage man. Local steward, long-time business agent and executive member. Above all: a dedicated trade unionist who brought passion, energy and tenacity to everything he did on behalf of fellow members. After joining his local executive from the shop floor in the mid-1980s, he served CUPE 1004 for more than two decades, taking a strong leadership role in collective bargaining and a number of significant arbitrations.

A mentor to many and a friend to all, Brother McNicol lost his two-year battle with cancer on November 18. We are grateful for his legacy. He will be missed.

FOLLOW TREVOR ON TWITTER @TDaviesCUPEBC

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