Health and Wellness Fund – Pilot Project

If you are defined as a “Regular Employee” or “School Term Employee” under Article 1 of the Collective Agreement, and hold a single permanent position that is at least four (4) hours per day, you may be entitled to access the Health & Wellness Fund.

CUPE 411’s new Health and Wellness Fund is an initiative that was agreed upon during the 2022 Collective Bargaining process and eligible members are asked to take a few minutes to read through the Application form as well as the FAQ’s before reaching out to a Union Rep to address any questions or concerns.

Members are asked to provide us with your current contact information when submitting their application to ensure our records are up to date:

Address
Phone Number
Personal Email
Work Location

Members will need to indicate whether they want to have their reimbursement cheques:

Delivered to their current work site via inter-school mail,
Mailed home via Canada Post, or
Picked up at the Union Office

If the latter is your choice our office will then touch base via your personal contact information to advise on a date/time for pick up.

In Solidarity

On Monday February 17, 2025, the CUPE 411 executive messaged all three candidates one question:

As per the BCSTA website: “As employers, school districts have a legal responsibility for oversight of their management, teaching and support staff. For unionized staff, the terms and conditions of the relationship are established through legislation, board policy, and in collective agreements. Boards of education represent the employer in this relationship.”

Please share, in 100 words or less, how you (as a Trustee) can support CUPE 411 members. Please provide an example of why you believe CUPE support staff are important members of School District 33.

Here are their responses (in order of when they were received):

Katie Bartel (02/17/25)
“As Trustee, I will advocate for CUPE 411 members to ensure their essential contributions are recognized and supported. CUPE members play a vital role in meeting students’ academic and emotional needs, whether they’re the first face students see at school or on the bus, keeping spaces clean, or supporting learning. I’ve seen how EAs help my daughter thrive. I’m passionate about advocating for collaborative prep time between EAs and teachers, stronger strategies to reduce the challenges EAs face daily, and increased recruitment and training to meet our schools’ growing needs. CUPE members deserve resources and respect from the School Board.”

Laurie Throness (02/19/25)
“If elected as a School Board member who must sit on the management side of the negotiating table, I will negotiate fairly and in good faith with their bargaining agents, and I will always thank and appreciate support staff. Our District couldn’t function without them.
I will pay special attention to support staff safety in schools, to academic achievement for their children, and I will protect and defend their interests as taxpayers.”

Shane Kooyman (02/20/25)
“I sincerely feel that CUPE 411 members are an unshakeable pillar of our school community in School District 33. Your endless efforts—be it through offering additional assistance to students with disabilities, maintaining settings tidy and safe, or pushing the struggle for improved wages and terms of employment—better reflect the spirit of commitment and solidarity. As your representative, I vow that your voices will be heard in every and all board decisions, working to build a transparent, accountable system valuing your knowledge and work. We can build a more just, responsive education system that respects and rewards your hard work together.”

We want to thank all three candidates for their responses.

We encourage all our members to vote in the by-election, as a democratic right, and as a responsible citizen of the community.

Please see the following website for local voting dates, times, and locations: https://www.chilliwack.com/main/page.cfm?id=2446

CUPE 411

CUPE 411 – School District #33, Chilliwack

Health and Wellness Fund – Pilot Project

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2025 School Trustee By-Elections are Underway

Please share, in 100 words or less, how you (as a Trustee) can support CUPE 411 members. Please provide an example of why you believe CUPE support staff are important members of School District 33.