The Union has received some inquiries regarding the declaration of Monday, September 19, 2022, being a Statutory Holiday and how that might affect their pay that day, as the District is not claiming this to be a Non-Instruction Day or an Emergency Closure Day.

Therefore, the language that will apply to our members is that which is set out in Article 11 titled GENERAL HOLIDAYS, employee pay for that day will follow the language in 11.2 Regular and School Term Employees.

If members do have questions as to whether or not they will be compensated and what that will look like, we suggest you contact the payroll department for specifics.  If you have concerns about not being compensated for that day, then we ask you contact a Shop Steward for further explanation.

We have extended the date for members to express an interest to sit on our Local’s Budget Committee:

Expression of Interest – Budget Committee

The Advisory Committee for Inclusion is a School District Joint Committee and we are also looking for CUPE representatives to be a voice at this table, please see details:

Expression of Interest – Advisory Committee for Inclusive Education

Lastly, we have a number of Joint Health and Safety Committees that may be experiencing a turnover in their CUPE representatives.  If so, please reach out to the Union so we can ensure that our process is being followed when it comes to replacing our members on these committees.  The Union has the first right to ensure the CUPE representatives at that table have been elected as per our process.  The District or their Representatives are NOT to be appointing our members to these committees until such time as the Union has exhausted our election efforts.  We have contract language that speaks to these site committees and the composition of CUPE representatives at the table.

Please see the bulletin below for an update on the CUPE K-12 Bargaining Committee

K-12 Provincial Bargaining – Bulletin – September 16, 2022

At present we are not privy to the details of the tentative agreement other than the wage offer that has been tabled publicly.  Members wanting to get a sense of what they could expect to see in terms of an increase over the duration of the proposed contract can use the below noted Calculator for an approximated hourly rate of pay.  Simply enter your current hourly rate in the field beside “Current” and let the formulas do the rest….

2022 Wage Proposal Calculator

Our Local Bargaining Team will be meeting over the next couple of weeks to make our final preparations as we are scheduled to commence negotiations with our Employer on October 11, 2022.

Well we hope you all made it through the first week of school unscathed, things never seem to go as smoothly as we would like, but hopefully now that week one is under our belts lets hope we can settle in to a productive year in our workspaces.

We want to remind members to mark their calendars for our upcoming General Membership meeting.

September 2022 – Regular Meeting Notice

The Union is also now looking to strike up our annual Budget Committee to review, discuss, prepare and present the 2023 Budget for our Local:

Expression of Interest – Budget Committee, 09-08-2022

Members that have any feedback to share regarding the latest wage offer that the BCGEU & HEU have tentatively agreed to are welcome to provide it via email at unionoffice@cupe411.ca.

In Solidarity,

CUPE 411 Executive

With the 2022/2023 school year right around the corner we just wanted to take a moment and share out the September 2022 Quarterly Newsletter:

CUPE Quarterly – September 2022

We also wanted to remind members to book mark their calendar for the upcoming general membership meeting on Saturday, September 17th at 9:30am.  This meeting will be in person at 8472 Harvard Place (2nd floor Seminar Room).  If you are planning on attending and require childcare can you please send an email on or before Monday, September 12th to unionoffice@cupe411.ca, indicating the number of children as well as their ages so that we can book a childcare provider.

(IMPORTANT:  If we have not received confirmation then we will not have coverage in place that day)

Have a safe and enjoyable Labour Day long weekend everyone and we look forward to supporting you wherever we can in the school year ahead.

In Solidarity,

CUPE 411 Executive

As other public sector Unions start engaging in job action it is important we show our solidarity in their commitment to the negotiation process, more so when the fight is to secure a reasonable wage increase as well as language that addresses inflation and the negative impact it is having on all public sector workers.

• CUPE K-12 Bulletin – August 16, 2022

For more information on job action both in BC and across the country please visit the following affiliates websites:

• CUPE National
• CUPE BC

The CUPE K-12 Provincial Bargaining committee is scheduled to get back to the table with BCPSEA in mid-September and while our Local table has yet to meet with our Employer we do have dates set for October and November.

Please feel free to direct any questions or concerns that you might have via email at unionoffice@cupe411.ca or directly to one of our Local’s Committee members:

• Assistants Division: Wendi Omeasoo, treasurer@cupe411.ca
• Clerical Division: Jenn Wellwood, clericalshopsteward1@cupe411.ca
• Custodial Division: Jeff Kasper, custodialshopsteward1@cupe411.ca
• Maintenance Division: Dale Obirek, vicepresident@cupe411.ca
• Transportation Division: Tracey O’Hara, president@cupe411.ca

In Solidarity…..

CUPE 411 is asking our members to help spread the word in keeping Chilliwack’s Swimming Pools/Facilities in the hands of Public Service workers.

We know all too well what “For Profit” ownership of these types of operations can transgress into and we want to make sure that our pools and the facilities that house them are maintained by highly qualified staff that ensure safety processes and protocols are adhered to, thereby ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for all Chilliwack families and guests who visit our community.

Please take a few moments and “Add Your Voice” in keeping the operation of our pools in the hands of the citizens of Chilliwack.

We would like to “Thank you” in advance for your support and please feel free to pass this messaging along to friends and family within our community.

In Solidarity

With the long slow steady grind of June please accept our apologizes on the delay in getting some relevant information posted.

• Meeting Dates 2022 – 2023 (Regular & Executive)
• CUPE Quarterly – June 2022
• K-12 Bulletin -June 24, 2022
• CUPE BC Opportunity – Member Mobilizer – June 2022

Hope all our members are able to enjoy some much deserved R&R this summer….

CUPE Local 411 would like to CONGRATULATE the following members in securing positions on the Executive Board during the 2022 AGM on Saturday, May 28:

• President (2-year term) – Tracey O’Hara
• 2^nd Vice President (1-year term) – Matt Kohanik
• Treasurer (1-year term) – Wendi Omeasoo
• Secretary (1-year term) – April Mancinelli
• Chief Shop Steward (1-year term) – Jodie Adam
• Assistants (et.al.) Shop Steward (2-year term) – Kari Miller
• Clerical Shop Steward (2-year term) – Jenn Wellwood
• Clerical Shop Steward (1-year term) – Tammy Lambert
• Custodial Shop Steward (2-year term) – Krista Evans
• Maintenance Shop Steward (1-year term) – Cody Beyer
• Transportation Shop Steward (1-year term) – VACANT (member who accepted the nomination has had to step down)
• Trustee (3-year term) – Kristen Wilton
• Sergeant-at-Arms – Teresa Roddick

The Union will be hosting a “Special Election Meeting” via Zoom on Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 6:00pm in order to elect a 1^st Vice President for the remainder of that term (1-year) and to elect a new Transportation Shop Steward for a 1-year term.  An email will be sent tomorrow morning to members personal emails with the appropriate link to register for the meeting.

An updated Executive Contact List will be shared out with the members as well as posted on the CUPE 411 website following Thursday’s Special Meeting.

Members in need of immediate assistance that do not have access to the necessary contact information for an Elected Representative are asked to contact the Union Office directly at 604-392-1411.

AGM Meeting Notice

Your Union Executive just wanted to remind members to check their emails for updates to outstanding concerns; the most recent being the Districts “Temporary Working Remotely Protocol” and the PHO orders on Vaccination Disclosure.

We also wanted to remind members of the Bargaining Survey that went out via email last weekend and while we have received an excellent response thus far, we would love to receive feedback from the majority of members to ensure the direction we take during negotiations is an accurate reflection of our overall membership.  The survey will close at midnight on January 29, 2022 and for members that did not receive this survey via email you can contact the Union office at 604-392-1411 or unionoffice@cupe411.ca and provide the Local with your up-to-date contact information.  Please be reminded that the Union will only correspond with members via their personal e-mail as all our correspondence is intended for active members only.

In Solidarity,

CUPE 411 Executive