Community Social Services of Greater Vancouver
Dear CUPE Local 1936 community social services members:
RE: NOTICE OF MOTION
That CUPE 1936 will conduct a vote of the membership at our next membership meeting, November 18th, 2020.
That CUPE Local 1936 will include Qmmunity, formerly of CUPE Local 3495 into our Local.
In solidarity from your Local 1936 Executive,
Sheryl Burns, President
Lee-Ann Lalli, Vice-President/Grievance Officer
Bernice Way, Secretary-Treasurer/Education and Grievance Officer
MPP REDESIGN / INFO WEBINAR INVITATION
CUPE BC will be hosting a series of information webinars for CUPE members on the Plan Partners BC Municipal Pension Plan Redesign changes. If you have members in the MPP, please share this invitation and registration links.
Each webinar will be one hour in length with presentations by CUPE National staff, and will provide members with an overview of key changes followed by a Q&A period. These webinars do not replace the current consultation process being conducted by the Plan Partners, but are to provide CUPE members with further opportunities to learn about the changes. For full details of the Plan Partners MPP Redesign, please direct members to visit mppredesign.ca to ask questions or provide feedback on the changes using the “Ask a Question” feature. Once again, these sessions are for general information and members seeking specific advice on their retirement planning should consult directly with a personal financial advisor.
Please use the links below to register. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
DATES:
| Tuesday, October 13, 2020 | 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here For members in the Municipal & Library sectors
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Thursday, October 15, 2020 | 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here For members in the K-12 sector
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| Tuesday, October 20, 2020 | 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here For members in the Health & Community Social Services sectors |
Thursday, October 22, 2020 | 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here All members welcome
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| Tuesday, October 27, 2020 | 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here All members welcome
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Thursday, October 29, 2020| 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here All members welcome
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| Tuesday, November 3, 2020| 5:00-6:00 pm
Registration: click here All members welcome |
BURNABY – The partners of the Municipal Pension Plan have launched a consultation for a proposed plan redesign that will change how future contributions are made.
It is important MPP plan members understand the proposed changes and how they may affect their pension and retirement planning. It’s also important for members to provide their feedback during this engagement period.
The proposed changes are in response to the changing nature of work and retirement, to better align benefits with how the majority of members are using them, and to rebalance contribution rates with accrual rates.
To answer your questions and provide full information of the proposed changes you can visit mppredesign.ca.
This website includes information on the proposed changes, a Frequently Asked Questions section, and a pension calculator you can use to see how the changes will affect your retirement.
If you have questions, you can submit them at mppredesign.ca.
For assistance, you can also call 1-877-251-0997 to speak with a representative. The call centre is available Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. until October 23.
October 14, 2020 | 9:00-10:30am
Dear members,
We are pleased to invite you to CUPE BC’s first Fall 2020 web conference offering, which will focus on the theme of diversity and inclusion in the workplace. Please find the event details below:
Date: October 14, 2020
Time: 9:00-10:30 am (90 minutes)
Topic: A Technical Understanding of Inclusion for Unions
Registration: https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_QjtNAGb7RgSJSuODFRITPg
Cost: FREE
The web conference will feature guest presenter Alden Habacon, Diversity & Inclusion Strategist with Inclusive Excellence Strategy Solutions Inc. Please find a program description and speaker bio below and attached:
PROGRAM DESCRIPTION
Outcomes-driven organizations lead with intentionality, clarity and a strong sense of excellence. This initial engagement is focused on:
· Framing the conversation around EDI as a means to achieving their existing aspirations for unions and their respective industries;
· Establishing basic literacy around diversity and inclusive excellence;
· Providing a common understanding of the journey towards inclusive excellence; and
· Affirming how acknowledging and disrupting cognitive and cultural bias will benefit their unions.
Participants will examine different kinds of diversity, the business case (or business imperative) for a more inclusive workplace culture, and also explore the organizational stage-by-stage process towards fostering an environment where people with profound differences thrive. Participants will determine where they are in the journey, what business outcomes are most relevant and the kind of organizational mindset they aspire to establish as leaders. This module explores the most recent report by Deloitte on when employees feel included, and provides a research-based framework around inclusive leadership.
SPEAKER BIO
Alden E. Habacon is one of Canada’s leading diversity and inclusion strategists and facilitators. He is well known in this field and highly regarded for his fourteen years of impact, and his innovative work around inclusive leadership, unconscious bias and intercultural training. He works with leadership in a wide range of professions and sectors throughout Canada, including the legal community, social services, the public sector, municipalities, first responders, and large private corporations. Over the last few years he has delivered professional development to faculty and staff in almost every university in British Columbia and currently works with many universities across Canada, the US and Hong Kong. He is currently a Visiting Diversity & Inclusion Fellow at the University of Delaware. For more information about Alden, please visit his website (click here).
AV INFORMATION
The CUPE BC Division will be testing various virtual platforms in the coming months in the interest of securing the best web delivery option for our online learning series. We have partnered with FMAV Services to deliver the October 14 web conference. We welcome feedback from all webinar participants with regards to web platform accessibility, user-friendliness, and any other areas of improvement. A short survey will be sent out after each session. We thank you in advance for your feedback.
We look forward to your participation during our web conference. Should you have any questions about the event, please contact our office (info@cupe.bc.ca) for further assistance.
In solidarity,
Paul Faoro, President
Trevor Davies, Secretary-Treasurer
CUPE British Columbia
#410-6222 Willingdon Avenue
Burnaby, British Columbia
V5H 0G3
P: 604.291.9119
Headquartered on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh and Qayqayt First Nations.
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CUPE_Presidents_Information_Sheet_MPP_Redesign_2020-09-02
For all of the CUPE 1936 members who are in the Municipal Pension Plan please click on the link to find out what changes will be in effect by January 1, 2022
Organizations and agencies in B.C.’s community social services sector will be better able to build capacity, support recruitment and retention, and improve occupational health and safety training programs for staff, thanks to $10 million in one-time funding from the Province.
“Over the past year, we have built a strong relationship with the community social services sector, which proved invaluable during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and enabled us to address emerging issues quickly,” said Shane Simpson, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction. “Community social services sector agencies provide many services that British Columbians count on, and this new funding will help agencies meet the challenges of recruiting, training and retaining a skilled workforce.”
The funding will support training programs to agencies and organizations across the sector, including training and development for Indigenous agencies and Indigenous staff, foundational training and development opportunities, and occupational health and safety.
“Community-living home-share providers, and the agencies that support them, help people with developmental disabilities live more freely and independently,” said Brenda Gillette, CEO of BC CEO Network. “This funding will help us develop and deliver new readily accessible training that will ensure this foundational support is sustainable and available for the many people who rely on this option while simultaneously enhancing community living throughout B.C.”
B.C.’s community social services organizations, in partnership with government and other public sector agencies, provide vital services to some of the province’s most vulnerable people, including:
“We know that violence can have devastating impacts on people and their families. Victims of violence deserve compassionate and comprehensive care,” said Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General. “This funding for organizations serving victims of crime will help ensure that staff have the needed skill and knowledge to deliver these services in their communities.”
Quick Facts:
Learn More:
Learn more about the social services sector roundtable: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/governments/about-the-bc-government/initiatives/social-services-sector-roundtable
August 17, 2020
Dear CUPE Local 1936 community social services members:
RE: Pandemic Pay Update
For those members eligible for the jointly Federal and Provincial funded Pandemic Pay Premium, you should see it as a lump sum payment near the end of this month or possibly early September. Employers and Government are looking to make the process as streamlined as possible, which is why the payment has not yet been made. Many agencies need to receive the funding before they are able to pass it on to eligible employees.
Given the approval of the CUPE National Secretary Treasurer’s Office, we are pleased to inform you that Union Dues will NOT be taken off the $4/hr pandemic pay premium that is jointly funded by the Federal and Provincial Governments.
If you would like more information on the pandemic pay fund, it can be found here: https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/temporary-pandemic-pay
In solidarity from your Local 1936 Executive,
Sheryl Burns, President
Lee-Ann Lalli, Vice-President/Grievance Officer
Bernice Way, Secretary-Treasurer/Education and Grievance Officer
There has been a few inquiries about when members that are qualified for pandemic pay will be receiving it. Below is the link to the government website that will answer your question. Please feel free to call or email the local if you have any other question.
https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/safety/emergency-preparedness-response-recovery/covid-19-provincial-support/temporary-pandemic-pay#:~:text=B.C.%20COVID-19%20Temporary%20Pandemic%20Pay%20Temporary%20pandemic%20pay,delivering%20in-person%2C%20front-line%20care%20during%20the%20COVID-19%20pandemic.
VANCOUVER – A century old tradition of summer in the lower mainland of BC is being threatened by a loophole in the federal government’s response to the COVID-19 public health crisis. The largest union representing workers at the Pacific National Exhibition says long-term survival of the Exhibition – and the jobs of over 4,200 people – are at risk due to its exclusion from federal emergency financial aid.“While many Canadians and businesses have had support to weather the COVID-19 pandemic, the Pacific National Exhibition is being left behind,” says Andrew Ledger, president of CUPE 1004, representing over 4,000 PNE workers. “Without immediate action from the federal government we may lose this important public institution, along with over $200 million of economic benefits to the region and the jobs of 4,200 people it employs every year.”
While the PNE is owned by the City of Vancouver, it operates as a year-round not-for-profit organization with no government funding. But municipal governments are excluded from accessing the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy, the federal government program subsidizing partial wages for businesses affected by COVID-19. While financially independent, the PNE affiliation with the City has meant it cannot access the CEWS. Without this assistance, and revenue losses due to COVID-19, the long-term survival of the PNE is threatened.
“Even with cost cutting measures, the Exhibition is staring down at project debt of up to $19 million by the end of the year. For a non-profit organization, this could be a fatal blow,” says Ledger. “We desperately need the CEWS or some other support from the federal government to save the PNE.”
In June, CUPE 1004 and the other unions representing PNE workers wrote to Finance Minister Bill Morneau urging federal government action, outlining the historic and ongoing significance of the PNE, the economic benefits it provides to the region, and the impact COVID-19 is having on the over 4,200 people the PNE employs every year. To date, there has been no response from the federal government.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has taken a serious toll on CUPE members at the PNE, and even through these tough times they are still dedicated to this 110-year-old institution,” says Ledger. “But we need the federal government to step in, or there won’t be a PNE for CUPE members to help rebuild.”
In an effort to mount pressure for federal government action, CUPE 1004 has launched a Save the PNE campaign. The union is urging British Columbians to visit SavethePNE.ca, where they can send messages to Finance Minister Morneau calling for federal action.
COPE 491
BC’s Community Social Services Sector was featured prominantly in this special edition of CUPE BC’s “Public Employee” magazine. Click here to see the entire edition online!