It is with heavy hearts that we share news about one of our union family’s most dedicated members, Sarah Fairbrass, who was diagnosed with a serious illness earlier this fall.
Sarah at the Victoria Labour Day Picnic in 2016
A CUPE 374 member since 1997, Sarah has served as Unit VP for the District of North Saanich for 20 years. Sarah started her involvement in CUPE leadership in 1998 when she joined North Saanich’s OH&S committee, and her passions for education and occupational health and safety have taken her many places within CUPE since then. She’s been a staunch advocate for our members and for employee rights and has volunteered countless hours for our Local as Unit VP and Shop steward, as a national facilitator and Ombudsperson, and as Chair of the OH&S and Anti-Poverty Committees and for our District Council. Sarah insists that over her life she has sat on every single committee that CUPE has!
Sarah and former CUPE 374 President Justin Schmid.
Sarah’s generosity of spirit and kindness touches many other people outside of our Local: she’s also a devoted mother and grandmother, a tireless animal parent/advocate/rescuer/fosterer, a gifted gardener, a talented crocheter, and an incredible, hilarious friend.
In honour of the difference Sarah has made in the lives of so many of us, we are renaming our CUPE 374 scholarship to The Sarah Fairbrass Legacy Scholarship. Though the support it provides can never compare to what Sarah does for others, we hope it will carry forward the spirit of support and solidarity that she continues to embody. We love you Sarah!
In the registration, please list the Employer you work for under Organization. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you have any questions, please contact your Unit VP. Thank you.
Trevor Davies, CUPE BC’s outgoing Secretary-Treasurer, officially steps down from his role in October, closing a remarkable chapter in his career within the union. For us at CUPE Local 374, where his journey first began, this moment carries particular weight, marking the end of an era that Trevor helped define.
Starting as a Parks Labourer 1 for the City of Colwood in 2004, Trevor quickly emerged as a union leader with vision and tenacity. By 2007, he had stepped in as acting president, taking over for Justin Schmid, and by 2011, Trevor had officially taken the reins as president of Local 374, a role he held until 2015. Alongside Justin and our Local’s current president, Shireen, the trio have collectively steered the Local for an incredible 23 years.
From 2009 to 2015, Trevor served first as Alternate Regional Vice President and then as General Vice President. Then, in December 2015, Trevor took on the role of Secretary-Treasurer for CUPE BC, overseeing the union’s financial operations and bringing the same great energy and spark all of us at CUPE 374 had grown to know and love over the years.
Beyond CUPE, Trevor has served as a member of the Pacific Blue Cross Board of Directors since 2018, chairing the Investment and Loan Committee. During his time as CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer, Trevor also somehow found the time to get married and welcome two daughters into the world, one in 2018 and one in 2021. In 2023, he also completed his MBA, deepening his knowledge and preparing him for his next challenge.
That challenge awaits as Trevor moves into a new role as Chief Executive Officer of the BC School Trustees Association. Trevor leaves some big shoes to fill at CUPE BC, and even though he’s leaving, for us at CUPE Local 374, he will always be one of our own.
Thank you for everything Trevor! It won’t be the same without you.
It is that time of the year again for our CUPE 374 Scholarship Applications. We offer four (4) $500 scholarships that will be awarded for the 2024/2025 school year.
To qualify you must meet the following requirements:
Note: This particular scholarship is not available to members, dependents only.
The selection process will be lottery style at the June General Meeting. Announcements will be made the following day. Upon being selected, you must be able to provide proof of registration in the program before funds will be disbursed. Funds will be disbursed in September.
If you have a dependent that would qualify, please have them fill out the application and submit no later than Friday, May 31st, 2024. The application can be found here. Only pdf applications in an email will be accepted. If you are unable to email the form, please contact your Unit Vice President or call 250 472 0374 and leave a message.
Please submit to:
Email: admin@cupe374.ca
Subject: CUPE 374 Scholarship Application
Any questions, please contact your unit Vice-President.
Dear Members,
We are excited to announce the kickoff of a logo design contest to create a new logo for our Local!
The contest is open to all current CUPE Local 374 members in good standing, their spouses, and their dependents.Please submit your logo design by February 24, 2024. You can find the full contest rules and submission details at cupe374.ca/logocontest.
The winning logo will be announced at the General Membership Meeting on March 13.
This is a great opportunity to showcase your creativity and leave your mark on our Local. The selected logo will represent CUPE Local 374 on our website, newsletters, apparel, and more. We look forward to seeing submissions that capture the spirit of our diverse and dedicated membership.
Member Focus is an ongoing series helping members learn more about each other across roles and work sites.
Steve Migliarese serves on the 374 Executive as our Unit VP for Esquimalt. He’s worked there since 2014, and before that he worked at the District of Saanich, another CUPE workplace.
How long were you/have you been a member of CUPE? In what roles?
Been a CUPE member since 2007. Been an active union rep since 2016 or so.
Was asked to step up as a Shop Steward by then VP. Suddenly before I could say “no thanks” I found myself elected Vice-President of Esquimalt.
Remained VP since, whether that’s due to doing a good job or no one else wanting to do the job, it doesn’t matter to me.
I enjoy constantly learning, achieving victories as they come our way and meeting new people with which to exchange ideas and strategies.
Getting to see new places I would never otherwise go to has been a massive bonus.
Steve (whose Italian Aunties call him “Salvatore”) has been a CUPE member for over 15 years, and is also a talented musician.
“There’s so many things needing to get done. The variety is endless. Get involved.”
Tell us about your life outside of work.
Been with my Gabrielle for 20 years now, for which we celebrated earlier this year by going on a 20 night cruise from Miami through the Panama Canal up the West Coast and back home to Victoria.
G is my rock and my engine who keeps me going day to day.
Our family welcomed a surprise little boy to the world two years ago who was named Cruze. He is my nephew and our family treasure. The funniest, sharpest, wildest of the Migliareses.
My life outside work and family has been music. The longest running band by far is Acorn Hell with my old school brutha and PW co-worker Craig Stewart on drums while I play guitar and make vocal noises.
The most notorious project was Meatlocker Seven; video on Muchmusic, Canadian Tour, multiple Western Canadian tours and with many great bands both famous and not so famous… all great nonetheless.
Rotterdam was my full on frontman vocalist experiment band which expelled one album.
Currently I play bass and vocalize in Run Like Hell which has nothing to do with Pink Floyd.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Managing to go to work almost every day while living with a painful permanent partial physical disability and not using it as a way to get special treatment.
What advice do you have for those who are new to the workforce?
Nevermind what everyone else is doing or getting away with…just do your work thoroughly and safely and if you want some new experiences to fall back on later, consider getting involved with union work.
There’s so many things needing to get done. The variety is endless.
Get involved.
If you don’t get involved, give support and respect to your co-workers that do. It can be rewarding as much as thankless depending on who and where it is happening.
Anything else you’d like to share with us?
Read your Collective Agreement and get to know it.
If your issue is not covered under the CA, Labor Law or Human Rights, then it is merely a complaint and you may be SOL.
Remember… we can’t force employers to do what you want though we wish we had such magic powers!
Lastly… solidarity is our greatest strength. If we stand together for what is just and fair, it’s an offer no one can refuse.
This is a reminder that we will have our annual general membership meeting Wednesday, November 15th @ 7pm via Zoom.
Highlights of Meeting Agenda:
Elections for the following positions:
Recording Secretary – 3 Year Term (ending Fall 2026)
Trustee – 3 Year Term (ending Fall 2026)
Please click here to register for the meeting. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
If you have any questions, please contact your Unit VP.
Recording Secretary – 3 Year Term (ending Fall 2026)
Trustee – 3 Year Term (ending Fall 2026)
Please email your nominations to colwoodvp@shaw.ca stating Nomination for Recording Secretary or Nomination for Trustee in the subject line. Please add the member that you are nominating to the email so that they will have a chance to stand/accept the nomination.
Cut-offs for nominations will be on November 8th, 2023 end of day.
Elections will take place during the AGM on November 15th, 2023.
Please register here to attend. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email.
Any questions or concerns please reach out to your Unit VP.
Elections will take place on Thursday October 26th, 2023, in the Discovery Room in the Oak Bay Recreation Centre. Ballots will be conducted from 10:00AM- 1:30PM.
Adam Major and Simon Vickers are the nominated runners. Please do your best to make it out to vote for CUPE 374 Unit Vice President for Oak Bay.
