The newsletter of CUPE Local 15, Vancouver Municipal Education and Community Workers

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Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:CUPE Local 15545 W. 10th Ave.Vancouver, BCV5Z 1K9

The Members’voice

General Membership MeetingJANUARY

Date & Time: Wednesday, Jan. 26, 5:30 p.m.

Location: Italian Cultural Centre3075 Slocan St. Vancouver, Room 5Under

Discussion: • Vancouver School Board, Langara College, Emily Carr University bargaining updates

• Review of 2011 key events• Executive Board By-election: College/University Rep

General Meetings provide all members with an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect the union. (Childcare assistance and Interpretation available upon request.) 2011

Notice of By-electon – College/University Sector Representative:There is a vacancy for College/University Sector Representative (balance of a two year term ending in May 2011).

Election for this position will take place at the General Membership Meeting on January 26, 2011. Only members from the College/University Sector are eligible to vote.

notices

By Doug Elford, City

As we start off the New Year many of us have resolutions. Lose weight, pay debt, get healthy, find new love, etc.

What I have not been hearing is “I will be committed to reducing my footprint on the environment.” You remember the environment? According to the leading scientists in the world and supported by all the data you can gather, we are quickly destroying our earth. It was a major topic of concern for everyone on the earth until our economy went south and all of a sudden the environment was not part of mainstream media.

Some say that there is a concerted effort to downplay the effects of environmental degradation, just look at the political denials coming out of the US congress lately. Hey, it even appears as if Harper fired one of his environment ministers for wanting to take a stand against the oil patch.

We are fortunate to have a progressive council in Vancouver who has not forgotten about the most important issue facing mankind. They continue to plan and create policies that address our environmental issues regardless of the loud bellyaching of their political opposition.

CUPE is a very progressive organization when it comes to the environment. I invite you to check out the material on the National website or to embrace CUPE BC’s “Ten Percent Shift” strategy they are rolling out this year.

I hope that you all continue to commit yourselves to the reduction of greenhouse gases. Whether it is adjusting your commuting patterns or your habits at home, I encourage you to participate in community environmental activities.

Please hold the local municipal politicians to account in the upcoming elections.

Here is a fact list for your interest:

1 Tonne of CO2 is emitted when you:

Travel 2,000 miles in an airplane• Drive 1,350 miles in a large SUV• Drive 1,900 miles in a mid-sized car• Drive 6,000 miles in a hybrid car• Run an average Canadian household for 60 days• Have your computer on for 10,600 hours• Graze one Ugandan dairy cow for eight months.•

To offset 1,000 tonnes of CO2 you could:

Move 145 drivers from SUVs to Hybrids for • one yearRun one 600 KW wind turbine for an average • yearReplace 500 100 watt light bulbs with 18 watt • fluorescentsReplace 200 refrigerators with the new • modelsInstall 125 home solar panels in India• Plant an acre of Douglas Fir trees • Protect four acres of tropical rainforest from • deforestation

Average CO2 Emissions per Year

4.5 tons for the average car• 4.5 tons for the average global citizen• 6.2 tons for average household• 21 tons per person• 1.5 million tons for a 500 MW gas power plant• 8.3 million for a 1000 Mega Watt coal plant• 6 billion tons for America• 25 billion tons for the planet•

Remember the Environment

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I always find it a little troubling each January to think another year has passed by and I have to ask where did all the time go. But it doesn’t take long to figure it out when I look

back at all of the activities and campaigns our union was engaged in during 2010. A quick look at all of the news stories and bulletins we posted last year on www.cupe15.org visually shows this.

Our union shop stewards, Executive Board, staff and CUPE National Representatives need to be thanked once again for their activism and strong commitment to protecting the rights and working conditions of our 5,500

members. We all had a lot off difficult issues to chart through including significant operating budget shortfalls at the School Board, City, and Vancouver Art Gallery. I believe we put our best efforts forward always with the objective of keeping our members working and protecting public services and programs in Vancouver for the long term.

We didn’t even have time to wind down at the end of the year as just before the Christmas break we resolved a significant grievance at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre. It resulted in $30,000 being paid out to a number of our

members for time worked and not paid. One member will receive close to $8,000 due to our union’s efforts.

One issue that I am very proud that we took on and successfully resolved last year was a grievance initiated by our union regarding top up for members on maternity leave at the Vancouver School Board. CUPE 15 filed a grievance in January 2008 on this issue as it was our view that 10 month employees of the VSB while on maternity leave should receive top up for the summer months. This grievance was scheduled for arbitration, however, we were able to convince the employer to agree with our position. As a result of our advocacy the employer was required to pay out over $55,000 to approximately 23 members who were on maternity leave.

2011 will without a doubt continue to be a busy time for our union as the overall economy has still not yet fully recovered which means the 17 employers where we represent workers will still have challenges with their operating budgets. I plan to spend more time reviewing the financial records and spending habits of these employers and expose any inappropriate and wasteful expenditures of public dollars. Public funds are limited and should be going directly to public services and programs. Tied into this is my belief that many of our worksites are still top heavy with managers which our union will continue to challenge.

This year we also have several rounds of negotiations to complete and start for approximately a third of our membership. This

will require significant time and union resources. Bargaining is one of the most important responsibilities unions have on behalf of their members. CUPE 15 takes this very seriously with the fundamental view that bargaining collective agreements is not just for current members but for future members as well. It is important to reinforce that every decision we make as a union is done looking at the immediate and long term effects.

Just to make 2011 even more interesting, there is a good chance we could face three elections - federally, provincially, and at the municipal level in November. We will continue our long history of being active in these elections. We can’t have a provincial election soon enough in my mind given the damage the BC Liberals have done to our province and residents. Statistics Canada figures show more than one in ten children live in poverty in British Columbia and our province continues to have the highest child poverty rate in the country, for the seventh year in a row. You don’t hear any of the BC Liberal leadership contenders talking about fixing this when they’re here spewing out hollow campaign promises. Guaranteeing steep profits for corporations and tax cuts appear to be more important to them. Not to me.

I wish you and your family a healthy, safe and grand year.

2011 - The Year of the RabbitPresident’s Messageby Paul Faoro

Update from your Executive

Paul Faoro, President

by Leanne Toderian, Secretary Treasurer

I hope everyone had a restful, festive or otherwise enjoyable holiday season.

2011 promises to be a busy year. On the political front, over the last few months we have seen the Premier of our province step down and

a leadership race announced for both major parties in this province. With that opportunities arise! This provides a wonderful opportunity for British Columbians to take control of their lives and

communities. I sincerely hope everyone takes the time to educate themselves on issues and fully participates where they can.

For many of us it seems our voices have not been heard by the politicians in various offices, but we

can’t keep using apathy as an excuse not to get involved; for with that we will be the authors of our own demise. We can make a difference and the ability to reach politicians has reached a new high, as most politicians and candidates are much more accessible with the advent of social media and blogs. I believe we have the power collectively to mould our future like never before.

The same can be said for activism in our union. In the coming months we hope to highlight what goes on around our union. So many of us are consumed by our own schedules and work place demands, it is understandable that we lose touch with what is happening around our local. We hope to find ways to keep you informed. We are very pleased with our website. It underwent a major facelift of late and we consider it a work in progress. We also hope to keep you informed about issues that you face in your workplaces.

Speaking of social media and networking, I would like to thank the staff at Sunset Community Centre for their hospitality in hosting CUPE Local 15’s Annual Children’s Christmas Party and Skate. I would like to thank Sisters Terri-Lynn Hobbs and Barbara Dickinson of Parks, Brother Joseph Lau, Vancouver School Board,

and Brother Paul Faoro for hosting the event. The staff and volunteers did a wonderful job of welcoming our members and children on and off the ice. An appearance by Santa and the colourful works of Bobbie Loonie, the balloon artist, kept everyone entertained. It certainly was an enjoyable event for those who were able to attend.

In the coming months we are sending 10 active stewards to week long training on a variety of courses including Occupational Health and Safety, Labour Arbitration, Critical Incident Stress, Union Counseling II, and Pensions Governance. These courses are heavy duty coursework which provide the highest level of education for our stewards. We are proud to be able to send our members to these well respected courses. There are also one day courses which I strongly recommend to our newer stewards. The complete list of courses is available elsewhere in this issue and on our website at www.cupe15.org.

Happy New Year to you and your families, I look forward to serving you in the coming year.

Happy New Year!

Leanne Toderian Secretary Treasurer

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Letters, Notices, & Updates

Richard J. Bidwell 1946-2010

I have known Richard Bidwell for over 10 years, so I was deeply saddened when I foundout that he passed away suddenly of a heart attack on Reid Island in early November.

Richard worked as a studio technician in the film/video department at the Emily CarrUniversity of Art & Design for 26 years and quietly retired in 2007. He was verydedicated to his work at the university as he worked alongside students, staff, andfaculty.

Before he retired, Richard protested plans to shut down the University’s metal shop. Today, the metal shop is full of students, busy as ever with a working foundry.

I later learned that he used the metal shop to build parts for his barn on Reid Island and atrebuchet for launching water balloons for the children’s annual summer block party onRingwood Avenue, where he resided in Vancouver.

I feel very privileged to not only have known him as colleague, but also as a dear friend. Richard

was an industrious man with many interests. He lovingly worked on his shared property on Reid Island, learned how to program computer language for his dream website, Democracy Now!, and enjoyed reading about Greek and Roman history.

We will miss him very much.

Marlene Yuen, ECU

VSB Job Share OpportunityI am looking for an SSW job share position starting January 2011. I prefer to work Wednesday, Thursday and every 2nd Friday. (I do not have a position but am looking to share with someone who does.)

Please contact me at judithlynne57@yahoo.ca. Thank you.

Judy Heintz

Carnegie Newsletter gets boost from CUPE 15Dear Members:

Volunteering is almost part and parcel with having social consciousness and a conscience. The part of your organisation that considers requests for funds has seen fit to give $1,000 to further the work of publishing the Carnegie Newsletter.

It’s a 16-28 page, twice monthly paper containing writing, poetry, local graphic art, event announcements, notices of workshops, rallies around social issues like poverty, housing and homelessness, murdered and missing women, the drug trade, the sex trade, “free” trade, coverage of local arts & culture, political machinations, gentrification, and much more.

The Newsletter has been coming out, with rare exceptions, 23 times a year since August 15, 1986. Except for the actual printing, everything – content, input, editing, layout, collating, stapling, folding and delivery - is and has always been done by low income volunteers. The Carnegie Newsletter is by, for, and about, the people of the Downtown Eastside.

Pride is an enemy of the mind so it is with gratitude that I send this thank you.

Respectfully submitted,Paul R. Taylor, Volunteer Editor for 24 years, Carnegie Newsletter

Downtown Eastside Neighbourhood Council says thanks for suppport!Hi folks at CUPE 15:

We, at the DNC – Downtown Eastside Neighborhood Council, would like to thank you for the financial support of our organization.

The Downtown Eastside Neighborhood Council is a registered non profit organization based on low income residents in the downtown eastside, as defined by the City of Vancouver. We are a low income resident based, democratically elected board, whose mission is to fight and slow down gentrification, displacement of our low income residents, stop the criminalization of poverty and homelessness, fight for decent healthy affordable housing, and have more of a say in the decisions City Hall has with our community (nothing about us, without us).

Because of your kind financial contribution, our organization has been able to purchase decent food stuffs for our meetings that take place twice a week. It has also helped us feed those who volunteer at our DNC Street Market and Fair every Sunday at Carrall and Hastings Streets as well as printing weekly Street Market posters, monthly general meeting posters, and our AGM poster campaign that recently passed (November 13). Of course, also posters for our action items that come up a few times a month (ie. seeking social housing above the proposed new DTES library on East Hastings at Heatly Street).

Without your important support and financial contribution we could not have come so far.

We are eternally grateful.Thank you!

All my relations/NamasteTami StarlightDNC-Downtown Eastside Neighborhood Council

Thanks CUPE 15, for supporting educationThank you for your contribution of $500 to support higher education at Simon Fraser University.

We appreciate your support and assure you that gifts like yours make a significant difference at SFU. On behalf of Simon Fraser University, again, thank you for your generosity.

Erin Geary,Director, Advancement Services & Donor Relations, SFU

Bursary ThanksThank you so much for providing me such a generous bursary award. It couldn’t have come at a better time! Due to financial and personal circumstances,

I had to postpone my goal of completing a diploma program in adult education. This bursary will allow me to continue my educational goals. So once again, I’m very grateful for this support.

Hasina Lavoie, City

Farewell, Richard

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FYI

Submitted by Sally Bankiner and Santino Scardillo, Chair and Co-Chair, Education Committee

On behalf of the Education Committee we wish all our members and their families a very healthy, happy, and productive 2011!

January is here already and there is no shortage of education opportunities coming up here at Local 15. We have requested courses for the spring calendar covering the following topics:

Advanced Stewarding• Responding to the Attack on Sick Leave • EntitlementsConflict Resolution• Intro to Worksafe & The Right to Refuse• Intro to Stewarding, Bullying & Personal • HarassmentFacing Management• Resume Writing/Preparing for a New Career• Representing Members at Investigative & • Disciplinary Meetings The Impact of Attendance Management & • Wellness Programs

These courses have been requested but are not yet guaranteed. We will announce the dates as soon as they are confirmed with

CUPE. Remember, your Education Committee always welcomes feedback and suggestions for upcoming courses for both the spring and fall calendars. The fall seems so far off right now but we are always planning ahead and expect to offer a few of the Stewards’ Learning Series sessions. We will keep you posted as this develops.

Please remember that when you want to take a course, always complete the “Request for Education” application form in full as this is the form we use to review your application. You must also complete this form when requesting to attend out of town schools and submit both forms at the same time to the Education Committee. Incomplete applications delay the process and you may end up missing a registration deadline. Our committee meets once per calendar month so it’s best not to delay. Submit your requests as early as possible and you can give the office a quick call to ensure your fax was received for the next committee meeting. Remember, union education helps us develop the tools we need to defend the rights of the members we service.

We have had several requests to hold the Stewards’ Training Workshop in town this year and we have been busy working on plans to offer more specific in depth training for stewards. We are also endeavoring to keep you up to date via future issues of the Members’ Voice and the Local 15 website.

Education Corner

Aboriginal Veteran’s Day MarchThis year’s Aboriginal Veteran’s Day March and Feast is over and people have had some time to get a sense of how the community viewed the event. By all accounts it was a great success.

The unique thing about this year’s Aboriginal Veteran’s Day is that it was organized by the community in an effort to honour our modern day warriors. They fearlessly shed their blood and surrendered prime years of their lives in the defense of their people and in protection of their people’s freedom.

Many, upon returning from war found themselves abandoned by the government they fought for. Upon return they were given bus tickets to get them back to their reserve, and when they got home they found they had lost their native status because they had left Canada for more than one year.

To this day our Aboriginal vets still fight for equal benefits. It is this history of abandonment which made it so important for the community to step up and honour the Aboriginal Veterans. In the past it was veterans who organized their day but this year with the guidance of a veteran from the Squamish Nation, it was the public

who organized and hosted the march and feast. With moose, elk, and deer donated by native hunters, salmon donated by the Squamish Chief and council, and other food items donated by Superstore and the Greater Vancouver food bank, or purchased with money donated by CUPE BC and CUPE Local 15, we held a traditional feast , prepared at native housing kitchens, cooked by local Aboriginal cooks and served by community members.

The event started at the Carnegie Community Centre theatre where coffee and snacks were served, followed by opening prayers and dedications. This was followed by a march down Hastings Street to the Victory Square Cenotaph, where veterans were “blanketed”. Drum songs honoured all veterans present and dignitaries from the community came forward and laid wreaths to show their respect for the sacrifices our warriors had made for their people and country. Following the wreath laying everyone was invited to the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre for a traditional community feast and speeches from elders and Aboriginal leaders.This whole event was about the community coming together to respect and honour our

veterans, and it was an immeasurable success.

All the food and financial donations, the hard labour and dedication from the organizers, and the hundreds of people who showed up throughout the event came together to make this the most successful Aboriginal Veteran’s Day event in Vancouver history.

We wish to close this year by respectfully thanking everyone who participated and contributed to the success of this event and would like to invite all of you to come together again next year to prepare for Tuesday, November 8th as we once again join hands as a strong and proud community to honour our Aboriginal veterans.

MaguishLittle Black Bear WarriorOn behalf of the Aboriginal Veterans Day 2010 Organizing GroupRobert Nahanee, Head Elder and Veteran AdvisorKelly WhiteLaurie SimonJim Leyden, City Member

Congratulations Mary-Pat!By Paul Faoro, President

I would like to express my appreciation and thanks to Mary-Pat De Tina for all her activism with our union and time spent assisting members in her role as shop steward. Mary-Pat is retiring from her position at Vancouver Coastal Health and I know she will be missed by her colleagues. I’ve had the pleasure of knowing her for many years and she always was someone I could rely on to get what was needed done. I will always admire her passion for fairness and standing up for the right thing.

Have a wonderful retirement Mary-Pat.Mary-Pat De Tina with Leanne Toderian, Sectary-Treasurer

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Reports

By Steve Baker, Staff Representative

College Sector

As the new year starts we are continuing negotiations with both Langara College and Emily Carr University in the midst of a Net Zero Mandate directed by the Provincial Government. While we have had some productive meetings and discussion on various issues, the opportunity to negotiate even the slightest improvements have been met with absolute NOs. If it involves money or improvement in benefits, both employers have either said no or asked what we are willing to give up in order to attain improvements.

What is more frustrating is where we could establish a potential savings with slight modifications or fine tuning of the agreements, the employers are saying the “potential” savings is not real so they cannot agree.

Both negotiating committees recognize our accomplishments from the past cannot be modified for the sake of minor improvements in benefits. When it comes to wages, there is no chance of improving them while in a Net Zero bargaining environment.

We have dates scheduled through January and February and expect to have non cost issues resolved over the next few meetings. As we move forward, we may find the only opportunity to address monetary issues is to step back and wait or negotiate a “me too” provision. Both Langara and Emily Carr are further into negotiations than any of the other post secondary organizations throughout the province.

Vancouver Art Gallery

The last year at the Vancouver Art Gallery has seen layoffs and reductions in services which continue to affect operations and morale. With the collective agreement expiring this past month, we continue to work with the same agreement through the financial challenges the Gallery is faced with. While we have the opportunity to negotiate, the fact remains that the Gallery continues to be faced with reduced revenues which do not provide an optimistic outlook for opening up the agreement.

Through monthly Labour Management meetings we have challenged the Gallery on various workload issues as a result of the reductions in staff. A commitment the Gallery has made is that any work that is eliminated would not be expected to be picked up by the remaining staff. This includes excluded managers as the agreement already restricts managers from performing bargaining unit work.

Some of the cost savings the Gallery has implemented beyond the layoffs include a salary freeze for managers at 2009 levels, a delay in filling any vacant position along with an assessment of the need for positions to be refilled (including excluded positions), and a realignment of exhibits in an effort to reduce the installation cost of shows. The directors of the Gallery have also been called to pull in donations at an increased level from previous years.

With the lack of resources the Gallery has available, we continue to be concerned with the impact on our members’ work and morale. That said, we are also reasonably satisfied with the transparency the Gallery continues to extend with most of their finances and the initiatives they continue to take to keep most expenses limited to what is absolutely needed. There may be further reductions that could be more responsible but the Gallery is recognizing that staff resources are at an absolute minimum and that they are being challenged to maintain current operations.

One Last Word

By the time this is published, I will have about one month of work left with our local. I started work with Vancouver Community College in April of 1976. In 1989, I was successful in attaining a position with our union (VMREU at the time). The years I spent on the Executive provided many learning opportunities and gave me an appreciation for the complexities and challenges we face every day with our members and our employers. The many courses offered through our Union provided a deepened interest in representing our members through advocacy rather than union politics. In these last 35 years I have personally worked with six Business Managers, eight Presidents, and eight Secretary Treasurers along with many office and field staff. For me, I learned from them all and every one of them has been part of my success.

For every member I have had the honour to represent, we managed to find solutions to even the most bizarre situations. For every contract I was part of negotiating, there have been improvements without compromise. In our union, we have managed to establish and maintain a respect in the workplace which does not go unnoticed by other unions and employers. We, as workers, have demanded and acquired that respect.

I invite every worker and advocate to demand the respect workers deserve and to maintain a respectful work environment and to support every worker to maintain a reasonable standard of living and a responsible role in our society.In the next month, Kathie Currie will be picking up my assignment and will continue to advocate for our members. I am confident she will learn our culture and represent our members’ interests to bring more improvements and respect into your workplace.

Staff Representative Report

Benefits, What Benefits ?A guide for CUPE 15 members at the VSBBy Craig Hopkins, VSB Shop Steward

The Vancouver School Board covers 100% of the cost of a number of benefits that we receive as paid permanent employees of the VSB. The benefits include the Medical Services Plan, Dental Plan and Extended Health Benefits through Pacific Blue Cross, as well as Group Life insurance in the amount of $100,000.

These benefits were achieved through the hard work of union negotiators over the past many years.

For a list of what is covered log on to www.pebt.ca and select School District #39 (Vancouver ).

PEBT stands for Public Education Benefit Trust.

This website also provides information on our Long Term Disability program, the Joint Early Intervention Service, and the Employee Assistance Program.

When a VSB employee uses all their sick days and is no longer in receipt of pay from the VSB and is on medical leave, their benefit costs are no longer paid by the VSB. The VSB will provide you with a letter outlining the cost of the benefits if you wish to continue benefit coverage through the VSB.

CUPE Local 15 members may also purchase benefits when on parental leave and other leaves of absence.

For a detailed list of benefits covered by Pacific Blue Cross log on and sign in at www.pbchbs.com.

For the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by Shepell.fgi please call the 24 hour toll free number at 1-800-268-5211.

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Interview with Shop Steward - Emma Somers, Emily Carr UniversityQ: Where do you work?I work in the Library at Emily Carr University.

Q: How long have you been doing that now?

I have been working at Emily Carr since 2001.

Q: Was this your first job With CUPE 15?

I started out as a casual employee with Emily Carr, working at the reception desk. I quickly got a temporary position working in Continuing Studies and then another temporary job working as the assistant to the Associate Registrar. Eventually I got a permanent job working in Admissions. When a job came up in the library a few years ago I applied and got the job! I have found that having a breadth of experience from working in a number of departments at the University has actually made it easier for me to help the students and to help my co-workers as a steward.

Q: What made you decide to get involved and was stewarding your first involvement?

Well, my great grandfather was a coal miner in the north of England and a union activist and my mom was a primary school teacher and a shop steward for years. So labour activism was always part what we talked about as I was growing up. My involvement at Emily Carr started when a good friend and co-worker was treated very badly by her supervisor. I was really shocked by the level of disrespect and nastiness she was shown after many years of service and, frankly, hard work. At the time we sought the help of other supervisors and HR. No one seemed willing to do anything to intervene and sort of passively just let the harassment continue. My friend ended up going on stress leave and eventually quitting. It was a real wake up call to me to see how deeply hurtful unjust and unfair treatment can be. Especially when it comes from an employer. I ended up reading our collective agreement cover to cover and realizing we should have just been submitting grievances rather than trying to reason with

an unreasonable supervisor and complicit HR representatives. I signed up for steward training right away.

Q: What have you learned about yourself since you began stewarding?

I think when I started I was more in a Wobbly frame of mind: “The working class and the employing class have nothing in common!” I still really believe that but, at the same time, I have come to hope for a future with better labour relations. Lately I have been looking towards places like Germany and seeing that with a little fairness and transparency, the “greater good” can actually be somewhat achievable. I mean, eventually this crazy machine will collapse, won’t it? I also have come to a place on a personal level where I don’t take HR representatives personally anymore. They are paid be jerks to the union and its representatives. Their jobs are, after all, so much more precarious than ours. HA!

Q: What was your most rewarding experience?

I have had so many rewarding experiences as a steward. The work is by its very nature

rewarding. It is always great to settle a grievance favorably for someone. Overall for me it has been getting to know the workers at Emily Carr on a more personal level that has been the most rewarding. The people I work with are truly an amazing and very interesting bunch. Many are artists and all are committed to keeping education public and accessible and to being really sincere and open with the students. It actually blows my mind what a great group we have working here. It feels good to be the person who is constantly reminding the management how lucky they are to have the workers they have and showing them the lengths that people go to to make this place a good place to learn.

Q: If there was some advice to give to someone who is contemplating becoming a steward what would that be?

I would start by taking the “Intro to Shop Stewarding” course. It is only a small step but it will give you a better picture of what your role would/could be. Also talk to other activists at your site (if there are any) or call the CUPE 15 office and have a chat with your Staff Representative. The thing to keep in mind is that it takes a while to get a full grasp of union activism and stewarding and you will get there with time. It is ideal if you can find someone who will mentor you, maybe another shop steward or a staff rep. Also, the most important lesson: when people ask you a question tell them “I’ll get back to you on that.” It always pays to do your research whether it is rereading the collective agreement or consulting with your other activists.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that we would not otherwise know?

I have a beautiful son called Gus who is 2. I have a massive veggie garden in my East Vancouver rented home. Both Gus and the garden are a little out of control. I would not have it any other way!

Steward Profile

By Paul Faoro, President

With a lot of new members having joined our union by their employment with the City of Vancouver, Park Board, Ray-Cam, and Britannia it is important to highlight that there is 4% wage increase for all these members effective January 1, 2011.

Please check your pay statement to ensure the increase has been applied as well as all other contractual entitlements, such as vacation time. If you have any questions about this or other workplace matters please contact any shop steward. Call the union office or check www.cupe15.org for a list of names.

The collective agreement will expire at end of the year and we have already begun initial planning for its renewal. Information about this will be sent out in the coming months.

4% Wage Increase Effective January 1st

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Negotiations

By Paul Faoro, President and Justin Schmid, CUPE National Representative

After more than nine months of bargaining, a tentative agreement was reached on December 22, 2010 between the Health Science Professionals’ Bargaining Association and Health Employers’ Association of BC.

This agreement was negotiated under the B.C. Liberal government’s Public Sector Employers’ Council “net zero” Bargaining Mandate 2010, which prohibited contracts negotiated within the public sector to have any net increases in total compensation costs and required compensation trade-offs, essentially using the elimination of existing provisions in a contract to fund any improvements in it.

The tentative agreement covers more than 17,000 health science professionals who deliver health care services in B.C. hospitals and communities. They are members of Health Sciences Association, BC Government and Service Employees’ Union, Canadian Union of Public Employees, and Professional Employees’ Association.

CUPE represents over 500 members in this bargaining association, represented by CUPE Locals 15, 1978 and 4816. CUPE’s representatives on the bargaining committee are Frank De Waard, (Team Leader with Burnaby Home Health), Caroline Mewis (Physiotherapist with Richmond Health) and Justin Schmid, CUPE National Representative.

The CUPE 15 Executive Board and the CUPE Bargaining Committee are recommending to all CUPE members to vote no on the tentative agreement.

The proposed two-year agreement which CUPE voted against at the bargaining table features no general wage increase, no new money for benefits, and no major improvements to members’ rights. Existing benefits that have been hard fought for in the past were traded off for new benefits. For example, to pay for new benefit improvements, members with more than five years of service will lose one vacation day permanently and a number of CUPE members will have their positions red-circled and new employees hired into those positions will be paid at a lower rate.

Tentative Agreement Reached for Health Science Professionals - CUPE 15 Executive Board Recommends Rejection

The tentative agreement includes:No general wage increase.• The freezing of annual vacation accrual for all regular employees over four years • of service for one year. Vacation entitlements for all employees with over five years of service will be reduced by one day.A mandatory requirement to participate in the disability management program.• Reduction of the Special Leave maximum accrual from 180 hours to 144 hours.• Suspension of the classification definition of “General Supervision”.• Enhanced benefits coverage.• Improved opportunities for professional development.• Greater job security protections.• Modifications to the Special Leave provisions.• Working groups to develop improved processes for disability management, on-call • and call-backs.Establishment of a committee to review and make recommendations on the • classification process.Establishment of a high-level joint committee including the Ministry of Health, • Health Authorities and HSA that involves health science professionals in consultation about the health care system.A two year term, expiring in March 2012.•

A comprehensive mail out has been mailed to all CUPE 15 members including details on voting times and locations. We hope that all CUPE members along with members represented by the other unions in the bargaining association will vote no on the tentative agreement. Overall we do not believe it is a fair deal and it is objectionable that members have to pay for improvements out of their own pockets.

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2011 The Members’voice

Events & CreditsThe Members’voice

The Members’ Voice is published nine times a year for members of CUPE Local 15 - Vancouver Municipal, Education and Community Workers. The Deadline for submissions is 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All submissions may be edited for brevity and clarity. Signed articles and letters do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of CUPE Local 15.

CUPE Local 15545 West 10th AvenueVancouver, BC V5Z 1K9Phone: 604-879-4671Fax: 604-879-7582Email: email@cupe15.orgWebsite: www.cupe15.org

Local 15 is a chartered affiliate of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and is also affiliated with the CUPE British Columbia Division, CUPE Metro District Council and the Vancouver & District Labour Council. CUPE 15 is a member of the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM).

CUPE Local 15 Executive Board

Table Officers:President: Paul Faoro

1st Vice President: Miriam Pulsifer

2nd Vice President: Sally Bankiner

Secretary Treasurer: Leanne Toderian

Sector Representatives:City: Santino Scardillo, Diane Brown

College/University: Emma Somers

Cultural: Matthew Quiring

Health/HSSCBA: Patricia Taylor

Health/HSPBA: Caroline Mewis

Parks: Anne-Marie McGee, Barb Dickinson

K-12: Peggy Wong, Warren Williams

Trustees:Joey Lau, Michelle Alexander, Arthur Lum

Staff Representatives:Steve Baker, John Geppert, Keith Graham, Graeme Moore

Office & Administrative Staff:Mark Gloumeau, Accounting Coordinator Maureen Dorratt, Office Assistant Rosemary Matheson, Office Manager Barbara Simpson, Office Assistant

Building Maintenance:Jeff Zaharia

CUPE National Representatives:Justin Schmid, Tina Meadows, Matt Yun

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2010 CUPE 15 Christmas Skatewas fun for all!

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