OPEN GOVERNMENT | ISLAND LIBRARIES | HEALTH & SAFETY YEAR | CUBA VISIT
PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
SPRING 2016
SAVING OUR SCHOOLS
CUPE K-12 members lead the fight for public education
LEADINGUS PAUL FAORO, PRESIDENT “At a time when our province’s economy leads the country, it’s appalling and shameful that the government is only sharing prosperity with the people who are already doing just fine."
Clock’s ticking on Clark government TWENTY YEARS OF BC LIBERAL RULE? DON'T LET IT HAPPEN! As the Spring 2016 edition of Public Employee went to press, I looked forward to working with all the delegates who will be in Victoria for our annual Convention to conduct the important business of our union on behalf of all our 85,000 members. Thanks again to our executive board for appointing me as president to succeed Brother Mark Hancock. After working with him for three years, I am honoured to build on Mark’s work as our division president as he sets the course for CUPE across Canada as our national president.
WE’RE PAYING FOR THE RICH In February I attended the provincial budget lock-up in Victoria. The “lock-up” gives stakeholders, including the labour movement and the business community, an advance look at the Budget documents before they’re released to the public. I was shocked to see the BC Liberals’ complete inaction on what I think is one of the most pressing issues of our time: child poverty. They managed to raise MSP rates — again — and slash supports for the most vulnerable while, at the same time, cutting taxes for the richest British Columbians by $236 million. And they managed to siphon off $100 million for a phony “prosperity fund” by making cuts to K-12 “administration costs” while at the same time increasing support for private schools. When it’s properly funded, public education is the great leveller in our society. It gives kids from disadvantaged backgrounds the same opportunity to succeed as kids from wealthy homes. One of the greatest weapons we have to fight inequality and social injustice is a quality public education system. And yet Christy Clark is closing schools and slashing funding. At a time when our province’s economy leads the country, it’s appalling and shameful that the government is only sharing prosperity with the people who are already doing just fine.
PROUDLY NEW DEMOCRAT CUPE BC is not only the largest union in British Columbia, but also one of the most politically active unions in the province. Every year, delegates to Convention reaffirm our affiliation with
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SOLID PARTNERS CUPE BC President Paul Faoro joined BC Teachers’ Federation President-elect Glen Hansman (centre) and outgoing president Jim Iker at the BCTF convention on March 14. CUPE BC and the BCTF have long supported each other’s efforts in advocating for a quality, fully-funded public education system. the BC New Democratic Party, and we recommit ourselves to working to elect a truly progressive government in Victoria. Next May — just 377 days from the opening of our convention — is the next provincial election. After 16 years of regressive rightwing Liberal government in Victoria, it truly is time for a change. We will be working hard over the coming months to build additional capacity to engage members to work with us for change. CUPE BC traditionally has been most active in local elections, where in so many communities we are almost literally electing our bosses. The connection to provincial politics for our members and our locals isn’t quite so direct, but the provincial government holds the key to solving so many of the problems that our members — and our communities — face.
A TERRIBLE LEGACY Sixteen years of BC Liberal government. Sixteen years of torn-up contracts. Cuts to health care. Cuts to education. Cuts to supports for the most vulnerable. An almost absolute indifference to the needs of working people, and an almost absolute focus on the needs of the richest and the biggest corporations. Having this gang of right-wingers run this province for 16 years is bad enough. But if Christy Clark pulls off another win next year, by the time the next election comes around in 2021, it will have been 20 years — two decades — since the NDP was in power, and I’m afraid we won’t recognize our province. I hope you’ll work with us to elect a government that represents all British Columbians, not just the privileged elite. FOLLOW PAUL ON TWITTER
@PaulFaoro
CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FRONT LINE CUPE 2403 WELCOMES NEW CIVIC WORKERS POUCE COUPE | Nine employees from the Village of Pouce Coupe have become members of CUPE Local 2403, Dawson Creek civic workers.
WELCOME TO THE FAMILY New CUPE 2403 members in Pouce Coupe include, from left, Patsy Smith, Barry Cox, Donna Schillinger, Donna Cooke, and William Bull. “I’m pleased to welcome these workers to Local 2403,” said Acting President Melina Sweezey. “They will be a good fit with the members we represent in Dawson Creek.” The workers voted to join CUPE in a Labour Board vote counted in January. CUPE 2403 represents approximately 150 workers including outside workers, bylaw officers, parks workers, administrative office staff and recreation workers, as well as sub-locals for library workers and the Peace Regional District.
WHAT’S “APP” AT CONVENTION? Delegates to the 2016 CUPE BC Convention (April 27-30, Victoria) will be among the first to experience the Division’s new convention app, which packs everything you need for the week into your mobile device. It will include links to resolutions, speakers, related documents and the agenda. And you don’t have to be a delegate to install the app: just go to the app store for your device, search for "CUPE BC" and follow the instructions.
HELPING HAND CUPE 401 members like Daina Stalzer, shown here giving Cumberland Public Library’s newest patron his first library card, helped win a collective agreement through their participation in the public awareness campaign.
Island library campaign a big hit CUPE WORKERS ARE ‘THE HEART OF THE COMMUNITY’ NANAIMO | CUPE 401, representing approximately 210 members working at Vancouver Island Regional Library, reached a settlement earlier this year thanks in large part to member involvement. CUPE 401 members were featured in advertising in community papers, bus interiors and ferries, and at www.loveourlibrary. ca. “We’re pleased with how this round of bargaining concluded,” said CUPE 401 President Blaine Gurrie. “We hope to work
together with VIRL to foster a workplace relationship that better serves all library users. After all, our members and public libraries are at the heart of the community.” After a strong strike mandate, bargaining concluded with the help of a mediator and after serious discussion on the many issues that affected members. The contract includes wage increases as well as benefit and language improvements. The local represents library workers in 39 branches at 37 locations covering all of Vancouver Island (except Victoria), B.C.’s Central Coast, Haida Gwaii, and several islands.
BC BUDGET: A LOST OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH The BC Liberals’ 2016 provincial budget, released in February, is more about repositioning the Christy Clark government in advance of next year’s provincial election than it is about making a positive difference in the lives of working people, said CUPE BC President Paul Faoro. “British Columbia’s economy is forecast to outperform other provinces, which ought to present the BC Liberals with an
opportunity to re-invest in key areas of government spending and public services that they have spent the past 15 years gutting,” said Faoro. “Premier Clark and her government continue to miss the point — British Columbians are suffering and only a few are sharing the prosperity generated by the economy.” For more Budget coverage, see cupe.bc.ca.
SPRING 2016
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CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FRONT LINE
VOICES CUPE MEMBERS IN THE MEDIA “If someone doesn’t meet contractual commitments, there’s usually a compensation…Where’s your compensation?” CUPE 3742 President Karen Wong calls for accountability after Fujitsu Consulting Canada Inc., the company responsible for B.C.’s much-maligned MyEducationBC system, admits it has “performance issues”. Prince George Citizen, Tuesday, February 23, 2016.
“We’re going to lose members because of the school closures regardless, but the other cuts are still out there no matter what.” CUPE 606 President Rob Zver predicts more than just job losses in the district, with pending school closures at Woodlands Secondary and Woodbank Primary at the end of June. Nanaimo News Bulletin, Wednesday, March 2, 2016.
“I’m a little disappointed in this report…Most of the infrastructure is looking like it’s going farther and farther and farther into eastern Maple Ridge.” Pitt Meadows Councillor and CUPE 498 member Dave Murray says that consultants planning the city’s parks and recreation services should have considered options such as Vancouver’s OneCard program (which allows holders access to all pools, rinks and fitness centres across the city) rather than forcing Pitt Meadows residents to travel to another municipality for those services. Maple Ridge News, Friday, February 12, 2016.
“I do blame the provincial government for this; they keep downloading the costs for MSP and Hydro, and didn’t relieve those cost pressures.” CUPE 5523 President Mark Olsen tells a Vernon School District meeting that he’s pleased the Ministry of Education is providing more money for districts across B.C. but that it is not enough. Vernon Morning Star, Sunday, January 31, 2016.
“They were very clear today that they will be consulting with our employees.” CUPE 401 Vice-President Laurence Amy, pushing back on an employer-initiated core review, notes that CUPE 401 is protected by a labour contract that prevents the City from contracting out services. The Daily News (Nanaimo), Thursday, January 28, 2016.
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VITAL SERVICE At the federal NDP convention in Edmonton, CUPE 1004 president Andrew Ledger speaks in support of protecting supervised injection sites like Vancouver’s Insite, which is operated by Local 1004 members.
Local wins ruling on leave BURNABY | Collective agreement provisions denying paid vacation accrual to employees off work due to maternity/parental leave, sick leave, or workplace injury are discriminatory and violate the BC Human Rights Code, an arbitrator has ruled. In a decision issued on December 31, 2015, Arbitrator John Hall found that provisions in the collective agreement between CUPE Local 23 and the City of Burnaby denying paid vacation accrual to such employees were contrary to Section 13 of the BC Human Rights Code. Hall determined that the appropriate remedy was to declare the language to be in violation of the Code, but he referred the matter back to the parties to resolve at the bargaining table given that their collective agreement expired on December 31, 2015 — the very date of his decision. This decision may be relevant to your local should you have similar language in your collective agreement. Whether or not your language violates the Human Rights Code will depend on the specific language and nature of the benefit under your agreement, and specifically whether employees are entitled to paid vacation based on their status as employees, or whether such entitlements must be earned through the performance of work, much like wages. If you find this language in your collective agreement or have questions about it, please contact your CUPE National servicing representative.
SEWAGE TREATMENT TO COME IN-HOUSE SOOKE | More evidence that public operation is a better deal has led the District of Sooke to bring sewage treatment in-house. The plant was built and operated as a public-private partnership with EPCOR beginning in 2006. CUPE 374, representing Sooke inside workers, campaigned from the start for public operation. On March 29, when a second five-year contract with EPCOR was up for renewal, Sooke crunched the numbers and found that it can save $225,000 a year with in-house operation.
CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FRONT LINE CUPE SUPPORTS BCTF COURT CHALLENGE
GREAT ADDITIONS To a rousing welcome from aboriginal drummers and dancers, BC NDP Leader John Horgan accompanies newly elected MLAs Melanie Mark, the first First Nations woman elected to the B.C. Legislature, and Jodie Wickens into the House for their swearing-in ceremony on February 17.
By-elections a message to Clark NDP WINS SUGGEST MORE ROUGH SAILING FOR LIBS On February 2, the BC NDP saw two new MLAs elected in Lower Mainland by-elections, sending a strong message to Premier Christy Clark and putting her government on notice that voters have had enough of regressive, right-wing politics. “I want to congratulate both new MLAselect, and I know all CUPE members join me in celebrating their historic accomplishments,” said Faoro. “Melanie Mark is now the first-ever First Nations woman elected
to the B.C. Legislature, and Jodie Wickens defeated both BC Liberal and Green candidates in a riding the NDP has never won. “The Premier and her spin doctors won’t admit it, but they were hoping for a far better showing in both ridings. Instead, the BC Liberal candidate in Vancouver-Mt. Pleasant came in a distant third place. And in Coquitlam-Burke Mountain, the BC Liberal vote collapsed dramatically.” CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer Trevor Davies, thanking CUPE members and staff who volunteered on the campaigns, said the victories show the importance of union political action.
CUPE BC UNVEILS SPLASHY NEW WEBSITE TOTAL REBOOT The new version of cupe.bc.ca will be more interactive for members, says Paul Faoro.
Launched just in time for Convention 2016, CUPE BC’s new website (still at www.cupe. bc.ca) positions the Division on the cutting edge of online union activism. The new site, developed by cStreet, is built on the NationBuilder platform, the “go-to”
technology for campaign-driven progressive organizations. “We’ve been working with Communications for the better part of the past year to develop a new site that will help us connect with our members,” said CUPE BC President Paul Faoro. “I’m excited to see how our union can use new technology to improve our capacity to support our Locals and work for positive change in our workplaces and our communities.”
CUPE will seek intervener status in the upcoming Supreme Court of Canada case between the British Columbia Teachers Federation and the B.C. Government. The case is the outcome of years of successful court challenges mounted by the BCTF stemming from the BC Liberals’ unilateral changes to the union’s collective agreement. Although CUPE members aren’t covered by the BCTF’s collective agreement, the union is seeking intervener status to challenge the government’s ability to arbitrarily change the terms of collective agreements with no recourse available to union members whose contracts have been torn up. The outcome of the case may have wide-ranging ramifications for all public sector workers, particularly in the education sector, where 27,000 CUPE members are employed. The case is expected to be heard by the Court this fall. Watch cupe.bc.ca and future editions of Public Employee for updates.
CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS CUPE BC recently created a Precarious Workers Working Group tasked with defining what constitutes precarious work and researching the issue within our bargaining units. The Group’s purpose is to assist the Division in developing policy that addresses the needs of these workers. The Working Group will soon launch a survey aimed at gathering important information regarding the nature and extent of precarious work within bargaining units, the experiences and struggles of precarious workers, and what the union can do to help. The Working Group is seeking a representative group of locals from different sectors and regions of B.C. to assist with developing the survey and implementing it once it is launch-ready. Interested locals should contact Working Group Chair Jacqueline Hall, care of info@cupe.bc.ca. SPRING 2016
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CUPEACT ION MEMBERS ON THE FRONT LINE
Safety comes first in 2016
UNIVERSITY LOCALS
The Strategic Directions document approved at the 2015 CUPE National Convention called for 2016 to be the Year of Health and Safety. As part of the campaign in all regions, CUPE National is launching the new Health and Safety Learning Series this year. Modelled after the successful Steward Learning Series, the new Union Development program will feature a ninehour introductory course followed by a selection of three-hour modules. This format allows locals to run courses at their convenience.
VICTORIA | With CUPE 4163’s tentative agreement reached on behalf of 1,100 members in Components 1 and 2, all CUPE university sector locals have now settled contracts. “We were able to reach this agreement thanks to both the strong efforts of our bargaining committee and our members, who showed strong solidarity and support,” said CUPE 4163 President Greg Melnechuk.
Tentative deal for CUPE 4163 Big issues for members at the University of Victoria were protection against academic harm, term of contract, and fair compensation for newly certified Resident Life Workers. Components 1 and 2 members also include Teaching Assistants, Lab Instructors, Computer Lab Assistants, Academic Assistants, Language Instructors, and Cultural Assistants.
ROLE MODEL CUPE 402’s Aman Cheema was featured in a cupe.ca profile as part of the national union’s Year of Health and Safety coverage. Currently, 10 modules have been completed, and CUPE National will continue to develop additional courses. The Health and Safety Learning Series will be launched at this year’s Weeklong School (May 29 June 3) to be held in Kamloops. To register, please fill out the online application on the new CUPE BC website by May 16. You can also access the courses through your servicing representative or union education representative. Please visit www. cupe.bc.ca/union-education for more information.
SAVE THE DATE! CUPE BC is organizing a conference this fall for CUPE members in all three education sectors — K-12, Colleges and Universities. The conference is scheduled for November 7-9 at the Westin Bayshore in Vancouver. More information will be coming soon. Watch cupe.bc.ca for registration information.
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PLANNING AHEAD CUPE’s district councils, established throughout the province, meet periodically to coordinate the union’s efforts in every region. Seen at meetings earlier this year, from the top down, are delegates to the Okanagan Mainline District Council in Vernon, Northern Area District Council in Prince Rupert, and Kootenay District Council in Creston.
NEWSBRIEFS CORE REVIEW UPDATE The City of Nanaimo is continuing to look for ‘efficiencies’ as part of a core services review ordered by mayor and council. The scope of the review was greatly narrowed in late 2015 and the contractor, Western Management Consultants (WMC), is now looking at 16 specific services and six corporate-wide processes. Service areas being examined include bylaw/parking, recreation, and permissive tax exemptions – all common targets of core service reviews. CUPE 401 continues to closely monitor the core review and has recently launched a radio ad focused on promoting the value of community public services. The final review is due in early May.
CRD SEWAGE UPDATE
The Capital Regional District (CRD) continues to move forward with plans for new sewage treatment infrastructure. The CRD held a second phase of public consultations in early 2016 where yet again the ‘publicly owned and operated’ message was noted as a theme. In March, the committee in charge of developing a plan for sewage treatment made a conditional change to their liquid waste management plan and are now considering a two-plant plan. They will also move forward with a canvas of the private sector for more ‘innovative’ and ‘cost effective’ solutions. CUPE 1978 members continue
SCHOOLING UP Facilitators for last year’s week-long CUPE Spring School gathered outside the Coast Kamloops Conference and Convention Centre. This year’s week-long school in Kamloops runs from May 29-June3. to follow the progress of the plan and advocate for a public solution to sewage treatment.
METRO BARGAINING With contracts for Lower Mainland municipal workers expiring on December 31, 2015, negotiations for new collective agreements got underway in early 2016. Metro bargainers met in January for two days of coordinating strategies and issues and developing new bargaining skills, including communications. In addition to wages and benefits, addressing issues for precarious workers — including auxiliary and casual workers—pay equity, and job evaluation were common concerns across many locals. CUPE Local 1004, representing outside workers in the City of Vancouver, was the first local to reach a tentative agreement in mid-March.
upwards of three hours — creating a heavy workload for clerical staff — with overtime coming out of districts’ pockets. Until the supplier addresses system bugs, problems will continue to plague staff and create additional costs. MyEdBC was brought in by the provincial government to replace BCeSIS, which cost $89 million and was also unreliable and problematic.
BC FED CONFERENCE KAMLOOPS | The BC Federation of Labour is holding a regional conference (“Good Jobs, Strong Communities,” May 13-14) that
will explore initiatives on how to protect good jobs and build strong communities both locally and provincially. The conference will touch on local organizing efforts, labour history and leadership development. There will also be a focus on the 2017 provincial election and what1s at stake for the labour movement. On the day before the conference, delegates will be invited to join a half-day field trip to the Secwepemc Museum & Heritage Park and Chinese Heritage Ceremony. Register at: conference.bcfed. ca/kamloops
MYEDBC COMPUTER The provincial government’s $95-million data management computer system continues to cause inconvenience, frustration and lost time in school districts throughout B.C. Tasks that should be completed within 45 minutes are taking
NEW OFFICE FOR PG CUPE members in Prince George finally have their new area office. At its opening in February, members, staff and activists were joined by members of other Prince George local unions. Here, B.C. Regional Director Robin Jones shares a laugh with CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury and Dawn Hemmingway, a faculty member at the University of Northern British Columbia and a member of Stand Up for the North. SPRING 2016
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SAVING OUR SCHOOLS
CUPE K-12 members lead the fight for public education
BURNABY | Thanks to BC Liberal policies
that negatively impact public education in every corner of the province, CUPE members in B.C.’s K-12 system continue to face serious challenges and difficulties supporting students and teachers. With more grim news of cuts and school closures, the positive gains made in the last round of bargaining bring a little welcome respite.
ON THE COVER Chilliwack School District Education Assistant Brenda Moores is a CUPE 411 EA shop steward and a member of CUPE BC’s Workers of Colour Working Group.
An inadequate funding formula and a provincial government mandate that boards must submit balanced budgets — on top of more than a decade of underfunding — are policies that continue to wreak havoc in B.C. schools. The current Budget and Fiscal Plan reduces what the government calls “administrative expenditures” by $29 million in 2015/16 and a further $25 million in 2016/17. However, what the BC Liberals call “administrative” (implying less important, or bureaucratic) expenses clearly includes some of the integral support services that CUPE members provide. “Much of the spending now classed as ‘administrative’ is really money spent on school clerical workers, trades and maintenance staff, custodians, and bus drivers,” CUPE BC President Paul Faoro told the Kelowna Daily Courier in a recent interview. Faoro, arguing that support workers will only be hurt by the Ministry’s “mislabelled cuts,” raised concerns about cuts to public education at a time when the Ministry has managed to increase funding for private schools by $48 million.
Education Assistants seeing benefits of LIF On the bright side, this is the first year members are seeing the impact of the Learning Improvement Fund (LIF), which increases the number of hours for Education Assistants (EAs) towards providing jobs
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COMMUNITY PRESENCE CUPE 2020 member Robert Vogstad is a First Nations Resource Worker at Queen Charlotte Secondary School in Haida Gwaii. Public schools throughout B.C. provide public space, offer programs, serve children and families, and provide a community hub. that can support a family. This year, the fund reached $20.3 million. Most districts saw increases to EAs and more whole jobs. (“Whole jobs”, a term included in consecutive Provincial Framework agreements since 2006, refers to jobs that are not full-time but include liveable wages and decent working conditions — such as hours outside the classroom for preparation and consultation with supervising teachers.) EA shortages mean that students do not get the support they need, some districts cannot find enough EAs, and some EAs are denied requested leaves. The Provincial Education Assistant Committee includes one EA from each region along with BC School Employer’s Association (BCPSEA) and Ministry representatives. Formed through the Provincial Framework Agreement, the committee continues to work toward improved working conditions for EAs. Progress is being made on the three priorities: the
VALUED SERVICE CUPE 3742 member Bev Proppe is a custodian at Prince George Secondary School. The BC Liberal government is forcing school districts to make $25 million more in cuts to what it calls ‘administrative’ services — including school clerical workers, trades and maintenance staff, custodians, and bus drivers. creation of whole EA jobs; recommendations for deployment practices; and a system of recognized credentials and qualifications for EAs.
First-ever K-12 Job Evaluation begins A provincial job evaluation process, negotiated in the last round of bargaining, will carry out a pilot job evaluation in each of B.C.’s seven school district regions. Currently, each K-12 local and school district has its own job evaluation process, which takes up a huge amount of time and resources. One goal of the provincial committee, established with both CUPE and BCPSEA representatives, is to help streamline the process and make it more consistent across the board. The committee has begun to establish terms of reference for the project and is modifying the CUPE Job Evaluation Plan,
which will be used to measure support staff jobs across the province. With about 50 per cent of school districts reporting, there are already more than 2,000 different job descriptions, which reflects the diversity of services provided by CUPE members (thus reinforcing the need for job evaluation). With the new system, the committee and Job Evaluation Representative Peter Coombes hope to have only a few hundred provincial job descriptions. The pilot program will be rolled out in a couple of years. Job evaluation presents an opportunity for locals, particularly smaller locals, to work toward improved regional or even provincial equity in pay rates.
Districts throughout B.C. are facing pending school closures with multiple closures being considered in Vancouver, Nanaimo, Campbell River and several towns in the Okanagan. In Osoyoos, the District is looking at closing both the secondary and elementary schools, leaving students to bus to nearby towns. Quesnel is closing three schools, including a brand new building. "Many communities have already closed schools in the past and these latest cuts will be devastating," says Paul Faoro. "Closing schools often pits communities against each other as they fight for a piece of the evershrinking pie."
STANDING UP FOR SCHOOLS AND COMMUNITIES Paul Faoro addresses School District 28 trustees on March 30, urging them to reject BC Liberal cuts and keep local schools open.
FUNDING WOES CONTINUE FOR POST-SECONDARY SECTOR While the number of student spaces in post-secondary has increased by 30,000 (or 18%) over the past 10 years, government spending on the Ministry of Advanced Education has decreased. This lack of funding has forced institutions to cut programs and services. While funding stands still, costs continue to rise. Some of those increases, such as for MSP and BC Hydro, come directly from government. In 2015/16, the budget for Advanced Education was cut by more than $10 million. Although the prov-
MORE SCHOOL CLOSURES COMING
ince plans to modestly increase funding for the sector (around 1.4% annually) over the next three years, this won’t even come close to making up for the underfunding.
Corporatization a problem Underfunding means that institutions must raise money in other ways — tuition increases, sale of goods and services, donations and non-government grants, and investment income. As they turn to private funding, post-secondary institutions are under increasing pressure
to operate more like businesses than public institutions. During the 2014-2015 fiscal year, all three of B.C.’s largest universities were less than 50-per-cent funded by the government.
Pay more, face higher debt Tuition fees for the average undergraduate have doubled since the BC Liberals came to power in 2001. Most students rely on loans to fund their education, and the average student debt is $26,000 at graduation, according to a 2013 BMO survey. Some post-secondary institutions may be using extra fees to
get around the 2 per cent funding cap mandated by the provincial government. For example, North Island College is adding a fee of $5 per credit, which could be up to $150 dollars extra per student per year on top of the 2 per cent tuition increase. And at Selkirk College, overall tuition could go up 4.5 per cent in September, thanks to a proposed new student services fee. The only good news about the BC Liberal government’s abysmal record on post-secondary funding, and its lack of commitment to post-secondary education? The next provincial election is only one year away.
SPRING 2016
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LINKINGLABOUR
ROBIN JONES, REGIONAL DIRECTOR
“The main thing is to ensure that, throughout every sector, there’s no CUPE member working beside someone who’s not unionized.”
Expanding our horizons CUPE IS RAMPING UP ITS ORGANIZING EFFORTS IN EVERY SECTOR AND REGION During CUPE’s National Convention last fall, delegates passed a Strategic Directions (2015-2017) document that places top priority on building our union’s strength through organizing and increasing protection for precarious workers. To this end, CUPE is developing an organizing strategy aimed at building strong and sustainable new bargaining units across the country. The union also intends to strengthen the negotiating power of existing bargaining units by identifying strategic organizing targets in specific sectors and regions.
BUILDING OUR STRENGTH Key to the plan is organizing “wall-to-wall” within every workplace — that is, representing everyone employed under the same roof. The national plan also commits CUPE to identifying collective agreements that exclude part-time, temporary, casual and other precarious employees from the scope of our bargaining units, and then bringing those workers into CUPE. To put this plan to work, CUPE is increasing the resources dedicated to organizing. We are also developing materials for each sector to demonstrate “the union advantage” and training more of our members to spread that message. Finally, the plan calls for strategies to organize and bargain with private multi-national employers in sectors such as long-term care. In B.C., we have so far completed a mapping project that identifies regions and sectors that are ripe for the picking. At the moment, we are identifying CUPE members that can be brought in for training to become member organizers. After prioritizing the target projects, we will have a full roster of member organizers we can send out to those workplaces along with our staff.
WALL-TO-WALL CERTIFICATION The “wall-to-wall” approach will be key to our efforts in every sector. In the City of Surrey, the early childhood educators (ECEs) were organized a couple of years ago and brought into CUPE to work alongside fellow brothers and sisters who were already unionized in that city. In the K-12 sector, it used to be the case that we went in
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NO STONE UNTURNED CUPE 1936 President Michael Lanier, who is assisting in a current campaign, shows Organizing Representative Tracey Mathieson and Robin Jones where in B.C. CUPE might direct its future organizing efforts. just to organize educational assistants. Now we’re working to bring janitors, mechanics — all support staff in schools — into CUPE. In community social services, there are pockets of wall-to-wall organizing efforts where the newly organized do not have to negotiate new collective agreements but instead are folded into larger CAs that automatically improve their wages. The main thing is to ensure that, throughout every sector, there’s no CUPE member working beside someone who’s not unionized. The biggest areas for mapping are municipalities (including community centre workers), libraries, social services and day care. We also anticipate more organizing in the universities sector, which is large. Recent CUPE certifications include workers for the Village of Pouce Coupe, Rayleigh Waterworks District, and Black Mountain Irrigation District. Welcome to CUPE!
A LOCAL IN EVERY REGION Regionally speaking, we are looking at expanding our organizing efforts in smaller communities in the Interior where there is no union presence. As we head into spring and summer, we will take a closer look at opportunities in the North. Organizing promises to be a central theme for the second CUPE National Sector Conference in October this year. The plan is to produce a comprehensive national organizing strategy there that can be brought to the 2017 National Convention for debate. With these goals in mind, I think we’re off to a good start here in British Columbia.
CUPEFOCUS OPEN GOVERNMENT
Ending all the secrecy UNION CALLS FOR CHANGES TO FREEDOM OF INFORMATION AND PROTECTION OF PRIVACY ACT VICTORIA | In the wake of the recent ‘triple delete’ e-mail scandal surrounding the
Christy Clark government, CUPE BC had a chance to weigh in on provincial freedom of information and privacy legislation. Thanks to the BC Liberal record over the years, the union’s conclusion will not come as a shock: stated commitments to accountability and transparency — to open government — are simply not being met. Every six years, the government conducts a legislative review of B.C.’s Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Every time that happens, CUPE BC presents the union’s recommendations for creating more open, accountable and accessible government.
Information is power As a public sector union, CUPE BC relies on access to information as a crucial element to our work — both in representing workers in a fair and democratic context, and in advocating for quality public services. Access to information is also a cornerstone of democratic participation: without access to reliable and comprehensive information, citizens can’t adequately assess and judge policy formulation and government decision-making. Despite having once been a leader in Freedom of Information, British Columbia has fallen far behind other provinces when it comes to Freedom of Information provisions and practices. As CUPE BC’s submission makes clear, the current system seems to operate more to withhold information than release it. FOI requests, while serving an important function, represent a more complicated, comparatively expensive, lengthy and sometimes overly restrictive process to accessing information. As such, CUPE BC believes that FOI requests should not be the main way information is accessed.
A fear of documentation Instead, a significant amount of government information could and should be made available to the public through proactive, routine disclosure. This practice could be easily facilitated by digital technology, but routine
disclosure remains an area where B.C. lags behind other jurisdictions. “A further, and we argue crucial, starting point to this discussion is that of the ‘Duty to Document’ and maintain public records,” the submission states. If there are no public records to begin with, FOI legislation is effectively meaningless. The ‘triple delete’ scandal, CUPE BC notes, “brought to light the elimination of potentially millions of emails that have been wiped from the public record.”
Avoiding responsibility CUPE BC’s submission cites two case studies involving the Southern Interior Municipal Employers Association (SIMEA), a society incorporated by several municipalities in the Okanagan Region to perform certain administrative duties on their collective behalf. Recently, municipal governments that are members of SIMEA have been relying on the existence of SIMEA as an excuse to refuse to produce documents and provide information that used to be readily available to the Union upon request: e.g. a copy of the employee benefit plan. In the first case, CUPE had to go to arbitration to force the employer to release a copy of its Group Extended Health and Dental Policy because SIMEA was not subject to FIPPA provisions. In the second, CUPE had to file a bad faith bargaining complaint at the Labour Relations Board when the employer failed to respond to the union’s request for information on the nature of its relationship with SIMEA. The case studies, the union concludes, raise the question “of whether municipal governments who are members of SIMEA are legally entitled to sidestep their obligations under the Labour Relations Code and FIPPA through this mechanism.”
CUPE’S PLAN FOR MORE TRANSPARENCY Earlier this year, CUPE BC submitted recommendations that the union believes will lead to improvements to the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act (FIPPA). Among those 17 recommendations, we placed a priority on the following: Proactive disclosure — making information routinely available so that applying for its release becomes a “process of last resort” Strengthening the government’s duty to document, in order to avoid “oral government” Formal explanation of why there is no record in the event of a “no responsive record" response Better training for employees searching, handling, and maintaining records Duty to create and maintain records Reduced wait times for responses (in B.C., wait times are higher than in other provinces and countries), bringing the system in line with other jurisdictions Eliminate backlog Penalties for the heads of public bodies who fail to meet requirements and for public bodies that don’t meet timelines Remove mandatory exception for cabinet confidentiality, for discretionary standard Private corporations, when doing public work, should be included under the Act Any board, committee, commission, panel, agency or corporation that is created, controlled, or owned by a public body or group of public bodies should be included under the Act. SPRING 2016
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CUPECOMMUNITIES MEMBERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE YEAR-ROUND GIVERS SURREY | CUPE 728, representing K–12 workers, supports their community year-round. In spring, they hand out apples at the Surrey Vaisakhi Parade. In summer, they support the multicultural celebration Surrey Fusion Fest. And at year’s end, they help the BC Federation of Labour serve Christmas dinner at the Whalley Legion.
WORKER TO WORKER CoDevelopment Canada’s Kirsten Daub and CUPE BC General Vice-President John Hall join Mindrey Marrero, head of international relations for SNTAP National, in Havana.
Strengthening workers globally LOCAL SPIRITS CUPE 728's Kids Christmas Party Elves for 2015 raised donations for the Surrey food bank. The Women’s Committee helps CUPE Metro on International Women’s Day and also serves dinners a few times a year at Surrey Urban Mission. Last May Day, the Local provided sandwiches to Trinity House and donated equipment to set up its garden. As well as supporting Surrey Food Bank and Canucks for Kids, they work with other unions on Earth Day, Pride and Labour Day. CUPE 728 tries to help out whoever needs support. “It’s great to be able to give back where you live and work,” says CUPE 728 President Ryan Groundwater.
CUPE VISIT TO CUBA BUILDS INTERNATIONAL SOLIDARITY HAVANA | “Qué viva Cuba!” is a rallying cry that John Hall and Kirsten Daub won’t soon forget. Hall, a CUPE BC general vice president and chair of the union’s International Solidarity committee, and Daub, a CUPE 1004 member and CoDevelopment Canada’s executive director, heard this expression many times during the National Union of Public Administration Workers’ (SNTAP) convention held in Havana in November last year. Hall and Daub were part of an international delegation to the SNTAP convention that also included labour union representatives
from Nicaragua, Norway, Argentina, Serbia, Ecuador, Chile, and Belgium. As well as participating in the convention, the CUPE delegates met with workers from a variety of sectors and learned about the history and structures of SNTAP. One of Cuba’s largest and most diverse unions, it represents more than 260,000 workers from 62 sectors including municipal services, banking, judiciary, customs, and insurance services. The international delegation, while meeting with workers from several SNTAPorganized worksites, learned about the importance of SNTAP workers in providing public services in Cuba, as well as the challenges they are facing with the recent changes to Cuba’s economy.
Aquatic staff lauded for saving life PENTICTON | CUPE 608 members working at the Penticton Community Centre received a letter of recognition from the mayor at an April 4 city council meeting in honour of their timely intervention that saved the life of a swimmer earlier this year. On the evening of January 15, aquatic staff at the Penticton Community Centre managed a grave medical emergency at the pool when one of the lifeguards noticed that a patron swimming laps required assistance.
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THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE
After removing the swimmer from the pool when she was unresponsive, staff called 911, checked her vital signs, then connected her to the automated external defibrillator (AED) machine and conducted CPR. They then applied multiple shocks, keeping the swimmer alive as they waited for paramedics to arrive. The swimmer has fully recovered. The team initiated quick action, effectively executed procedures, and professionally managed all aspects of this medical emergency, the City’s statement said.
LOCAL HEROES L-R: CUPE 608 aquatic staff members Garret Naish, Madison Head, Graeme Naish, Lisa O’Daly, Diane Philips, and Michelle Jones.
CUPECOMMUNITIES MEMBERS MAKING A DIFFERENCE CUPE MOURNS LOSS OF 1004'S JODY TAYLOR VANCOUVER | Local 1004 and the entire CUPE family began the month of April in mourning after the loss of Jody Taylor, a certified arborist for the Vancouver Park Board who died on March 31 while doing the work he loved.
FUN IN THE KOOTENAYS On April 7, Public Employee caught up with CUPE 2450 members in Nakusp (School District 10 - Arrow Lakes and the Village of Nakusp), who were meeting to discuss an upcoming community campaign. In addition to sponsoring music in the park on summer Wednesdays (featuring live local entertainment and events for kids), the CUPE local is also partnering with Gabi’s Fairytale Cafe and Cutrite Meats & Deli to provide “Coffee Days” in which residents will receive their morning coffee for free.
SISTERS UNITED Volunteers from CUPE Locals made this International Women's Day event possible for the 140 women who attended.
Lifting spirits in the Downtown Eastside VANCOUVER | International Women’s Day featured a successful event in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, with the best turnout ever on March 8. Newly elected BCNDP MLA Melanie Mark won hearts with her empowering story, her warmth, and her generous spirit. “Today is a celebration of our sisterhood, our warrior spirit,” she said.
After lunch, all enjoyed Coast Salish drumming and songs. Participants made cedar bracelets and took home purses filled with personal care products donated by CUPE 15 young workers. “We honoured women at risk and women who provide support to them,” said Metro President Cindy McQueen. “They are the true champions of our community.”
MUCH LOVED Jody Taylor is the second CUPE 1004 member in less than two years to have died on the job, following the Portland Hotel Society’s Brian Goble, but the first City of Vancouver employee since 1997. The much loved city employee, who had just turned 43, was trimming the branches of a catalpa tree in Connaught Park while working from an elevated, boom-mounted bucket when a large branch struck him, resulting in a fatal head injury. He left behind ten-year-old daughter Tristan, for whom CUPE 1004 workers have set up a youcaring.com fund. Social media tributes poured in for Brother Taylor as a sombre news conference was held at Vancouver City Hall on April 1. CUPE 1004 President Andrew Ledger described Jody as a dedicated arborist who for 16 years took daily pride in keeping Vancouver’s parks, playgrounds and boulevards “not only beautiful but safe for the citizens of our city.” Ledger joined Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson, City Manager Sadhu Johnston, Park Board Manager Malcolm Bromley, and Park Board Commissioner John Coupar in expressing condolences to everyone affected by this terrible event. On April 28, the international day of mourning for workers killed or injured on the job, a commemoration event at CUPE BC's convention will feature a special tribute to Brother Taylor. SPRING 2016
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POWERINNUMBERS TREVOR DAVIES, SECRETARY-TREASURER “While the political work tends to be the most visible to our members, the administrative and financial responsibilities have been the main focus of my work.”
2016 a year of renewal and growth for CUPE BC UNION BOOSTS ONLINE PRESENCE AND SUPPORT FOR PROGRESSIVE CAUSES, OPENS NEW OFFICES I would like to start by thanking the CUPE BC executive board, staff, and members across the province for all the kind words and support since I was appointed secretary-treasurer by the board in December. It truly is an honour to serve our 85,000 members in this capacity, so that support only fuels my passion for our union and the labour movement. As secretary-treasurer I hold a position that includes political, administrative and financial responsibilities. While the political work tends to be the most visible to our members, the administrative and financial responsibilities have been the main focus of my work since I was appointed. As this issue went to print, preparations for Convention 2016 were well under way. I’m particularly excited about the convention app we will be trying for the first time. In the future, the app should allow us to offer delegates the opportunity to reduce our paper usage at convention by opting out of hard copies, and it will definitely improve our communication with delegates. Also at this year’s convention, we will be re-launching cupe.bc.ca. This new website, built on the NationBuilder platform by cStreet, will significantly improve our ability to support campaigns from the Division office. Last year, CUPE National announced the purchase of new property for the regional office in Burnaby. In conjunction with Paul Faoro, our president, I have worked with CUPE National to ensure that the workspace for our Division is well designed to meet the needs of officers, members and staff, with considerations for long-term growth.
SUPPORTING OUR GROWTH CUPE National SecretaryTreasurer Charles Fleury joins Trevor Davies at the new area office in Prince George on March 11. CUPE's recent growth means that some existing facilities can no longer do all the union's work. Next year, BC Regional Office and CUPE BC will move to new headquarters near Metrotown in Burnaby.
FINANCIAL DONATIONS While we support a wide range of progressive initiatives and campaigns, I want to highlight a few donations the executive board approved at our February meeting. Next UP: Director Kevin Millsip spoke with our board on the work of Next UP, a youth leadership program based in Vancouver whose goal is to equip participants with the skills and tools to become effective leaders for social and environmental change. We’re proud to have a few Next UP alumni among our members and staff, including Sarah St. John who works in Research and Carlos Carvahlo with the United Way. $10-a-Day Child Care: This project is something we have supported for a few years now, and it remains a key part of our efforts to eliminate child and family poverty in B.C. In conjunction with Local 1936, our funding allows for publication materials that promote the creation of a child care system that provides a regulated space for every child whose family wants or needs it. Coalition of Senior Citizen Organizations (COSCO): Our funding includes both a small operational donation and support for their annual conference. COSCO works on senior advocacy issues with a focus on expansion of the Canada Pension Plan (CPP). This support is in line with CUPE BC policy and our work to see the CPP expanded to the benefit of all working Canadians. FOLLOW TREVOR ON TWITTER
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TEL 604.291.9119 FAX 604.291.9043 EMAIL editor@cupe.bc.ca CUPE BC PRESIDENT Paul Faoro SECRETARY-TREASURER Trevor Davies THE PUBLIC EMPLOYEE EDITOR Dan Gawthrop
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