Bargaining Update Coming Soon 

December 9, 2020 

Dear Members, 

There will be a bargaining update coming out next week that will require input from all members. If you have a current email at your employer, you will receive the information needed through that email address. We have received permission to use the email for this purpose due to the pandemic. 

If you do not have a work email and have not yet subscribed to receive Union Bulletins, please visit www.cupe374.ca and subscribe now to be able to participate. 

Please contact your Unit VP or call 250 472 0374 if you have any questions. 

Thank you. 

 Stay positive, safe and healthy!

In Solidarity,

Shireen Clark

President, CUPE Local 374 

2020_12_09_Bargaining_Update

Upcoming Bargaining Survey 

Dear Members, 

We will be going into bargaining again as of January 2021. Surveys will be coming out next Friday, October 23rd.They will be available for 10 days. Please visit www.cupe374.ca to subscribe and receive the survey by email. 

There will be paper survey copies available as well, but I encourage everyone to sign up for electronic communication. As bargaining commences, without the ability to have unit meetings in person, email updates or zoom meetings will be the only options. Personal email addresses will be required to be able to participate in either. 

Please contact your Unit VP or call 250 472 0374 if you have any questions. 

In Solidarity, 

Shireen Clark 

President, CUPE Local 374 

2020_10_15_Bargaining_Bulletin

CUPE 374 SCHOLARSHIP

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 2020/2021 school year.

To qualify you must meet the following requirements:

• Be a dependent of a current member of Local 374.
• Applied for a post-secondary program.
• Submit an application form.

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 attached application and submit no later than June 1st, 2020. During this time, only email applications will be accepted. If you are unable to email the form please contact your Unit Vice President or call 250 472 0374.

Please submit to:

Email:         admin@cupe374.ca

Subject:      CUPE 374 Scholarship Application

CUPE 374 SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION FILLABLE

Any questions, please contact your unit Vice-President.

Thank you,

Shireen Clark, President

CUPE Local 374

2020_CUPE_374_ScholarshipNotice

Dear Members,

I hope you are all doing well, staying healthy and finding a way to enjoy the sun and outdoors safely.

While there is nothing new to report regarding workplaces at this time, we would like to let you know what the Union has been working on for our members.

• Updating website to enable membership sign up lists with email confirmations sent.
• Researching electronic voting systems that have been approved by national to hold required elections (bargaining committees).
• Researching online forums for future general meetings and unit meetings.
• Researching ways to conduct regular business in a new normal.
• Staying on top of changing rules that directly affect any of our members.

I am not sure anything will ever be the same, so we have to make changes and adapt to a new way of living going forward. If you or a family member is having a challenging time through this, please be reminded of the resources available.

Employee and family assistance programs are available for members at all of our municipalities:

Homewood         https://homeweb.ca/      1-844-693-5123

(Colwood, North Saanich, Sidney and Sooke)

Lifeworks            1-888-307-0590.

(Oak Bay)

Walmsley            https://www.walmsley.ca

(Esquimalt and Metchosin)

 

Other resources available to our community:

United Way        http://www.unitedway.ca/

Here2Talk            https://here2talk.ca/home

(post secondary students)

 

If you just need someone to talk to, please reach out to your unit VP. We can always arrange group chats, online for those who need it.

Take care of yourselves. Stay safe, healthy and optimistic.

 

In Solidarity,

Shireen Clark

President, CUPE Local 374

 

 

Dear Members,

On March 26^th, Emergency Management BC in consultation with other government ministries and the Provincial Health Officer (PHO) released a list of Essential Services in BC. As well, the Public Safety and Solicitor General in consultation with the PHO defined the list of non-health essential service providers in BC during the COVID-19 pandemic.

These guidelines are established by Provincial Government Ministries and directed to Municipalities, individual Employers and Unions as mandated.

Please remember that it is everyone’s responsibility to enforce Social Distancing to those not adhering, that includes Management. We should all be working together to get through this as best as we possibly can. For further questions regarding refusal to unsafe work, please visit www.cupe374.ca for the bulletin released last week with the guidelines.

The Union has summarized the information into the 2 categories in this April 2nd Fact Sheet  that affects our members within Local 374.

Stay positive, safe and healthy!

In Solidarity,

 

Shireen Clark

President, CUPE Local 374

 

 

I just wanted to put out a note for ALL employees and employers.

As we face this uncertain time in our lives and workplace, I feel the need to respond to the many inquiries that are coming my way.

Firstly, the union is 100% working in conjunction with our employers, to deal with this fluid situation that is ever changing by the hour.

We are certainly in this together, I need to emphasize at times like these our daily coping mechanisms are being put to the test. We are fortunate enough to be able to still come to work (social-distancing etc.) and provide an essential service for our community and also each other.

Normal daily tasks may change for the time being, but let’s not look at this as anything more than the opportunity to stay working.

There is no “rule book” or past practice for what we are experiencing right now.

If you find yourself in a new “workspace” alongside someone you normally don’t work with, take the time to say “Hi” and “how are you doing?” It truly is the little things that will help us when we might most need it.

I have always said, regardless of “union” or “management” we are ALL employees of the Town of Sidney!

Management and the Union are working crazy hours behind the scenes, in order to provide the best outcome, we can for ALL of the employees.

As direction filters down; Federal, Provincial, and Local governments are doing everything within their powers to keep us working.

Please think of all of the “front line” workers that 1 month ago were never a thought in your daily routine!

We are ALL connected!

To our Leaders in the Town of Sidney and the EOC, a sincere THANK-YOU!

To each of our municipal workers, a sincere Thank-you! Stay safe and HEALTHY! J

 

Ron Green

Sidney Vice President, CUPE Local 374

Dear Members,

As we head into the end of week 2 of COVID-19 Pandemic, we are hearing you and your concerns. There have been many questions about what is unsafe work. Attached is a Work Safe fact sheet on refusing the right to unsafe work.

Please remember the following when assessing if your situation is unsafe work:

Reasonable cause to believe: assess the situation as a reasonable person, exercising good faith judgment with respect to the hazard with due regard to the worker’s training and experience.

Reasonable cause to believe and the susceptible worker: the situation needs to be assessed to whether the worker has reasonable cause to believe the work presents an undue hazard is to be applied in the context of the person’s specific health condition. There needs to be a clear connection between the undue hazard asserted by the susceptible worker, and his or her health condition

Factors that may be considered in the COVID-19 context include:

• the state of the COVID-19 containment situation in the worker’s particular city, region, province and workplace at the time the refusal to work is being exercised
• the age and health of the specific worker
• the type of workplace and type of work
• the duties or tasks performed
• the number of workers at the workplace and whether or not social distancing is possible
• the measures adopted by the employer
• if the worker has been diagnosed with COVID-19 or SARS-CoV-2
• whether the worker or the circumstances fall in one of the legislative exceptions to the right to refuse unsafe work

I hope this fact sheet helps answer some of the questions many of you have.

Stay safe and healthy.

IS,

Shireen Clark

President, CUPE Local 374

March 26th WORKSAFE Q&A

Please click the March 23rd Bulletin for the latest bulletin on the COVID-19 Crisis from your Local.