CUPE 1936

Dear members,

Please read on for general CUPE BC announcements and to learn more about upcoming events, learning resources, and community engagement opportunities. If this email was forwarded to you and you wish to be added to our mailing list, please send an email request to info@cupe.bc.ca.

Free Tickets | Vancouver Bandits Basketball Game | July 6 & 18. –  CUPE BC is offering free tickets to watch the Vancouver Bandits take on the Brampton Honey Badgers and the Saskatchewan Rattlers this July at the Langley Events Centre. The Vancouver Bandits are # 1 in their league currently. See standings here. Enjoy a professional basketball game and watch world-class entertainment.

Game Day: Sunday, July 6, 2025.     Time: 5:00 pm.         Brampton Honey Badgers vs. Vancouver Bandits

Game Day: Friday July 18, 2025.       Time: 7:00 pm.         Saskatchewan Rattlers vs. Vancouver Bandits

Members who wish to attend the game cam receive up to 4 tickets apiece by request to info@cupe.bc.ca with your name, CUPE Local,  and preferred game date. Tickets will be distributed to members on a first come, first serve basis

Surrey Pride | Civic Centre | June 28.  –     CUPE BC and CUPE Local 728 will host two booths at the 26^th annual Surrey Pride Festival.  The event will be held on Saturday, June 28 (12:00-7:00 pm PST) at Surrey Civic Centre.  All members are invited to come celebrate and visit with us at the booths.

Disability Justice Survey | Civic Participation Workshop | July 2  –   Women Transforming Cities (WTC) is partnering with Live Educate Transform Society (LET’S), an organization run by disabled and neurodivergent folks who work to create change through advocacy and education, to co-create a workshop on Understanding Local Government through a disability justice lens. The goal is to achieve more equitable and accessible civic participation by, with, and for people with disabilities, ensuring their voices are heard by local governments.

CUPE members living with a disability (or disabilities) are invited to participate in a survey, which will help WTC and LET’S understand existing barriers and personal experiences around civic participation. The survey deadline is July 2.

First Nations Health Authority | We Walk Together Project Launch | July 15   –    The FNHA, in partnership with the Office of the Provincial Health Officer, is hosting a virtual film screening and discussion on July 15 (2:00-4:00 pm PST) to launch the findings of a joint research project We Walk Together: Exploring Connection to Land, Water, and Territory.  This project centers teachings from First Nations Elders and youth on what connects them to their lands, waters and territories.  To register, please click here.

Heritage Plaque Unveiling | Bowen Road Cemetery | Aug 16   –   The B.C. Labour Heritage Centre, the B.C. Building Trades Council, and the Nanaimo Historical Society will unveil a heritage plaque in honour of 23 workers who were killed in an aircraft crash on Mt. Benson on October 17, 1951.  The event will be held at 11:00 am PST on Saturday, August 16 at the Bowen Road Cemetery in Nanaimo, BC, with a reception to follow afterwards.

Call for Nominations | CoDevelopment Canada Board of Directors | Aug 27  –  Are you interested in social justice? Want to join a team full of fellow solidarity-minded community members and create an impact, locally and globally?

If you have been a member of CoDev for no fewer than 60 days prior to CoDev’s Annual General Meeting (AGM), you can be eligible for election to CoDev’s Board of Directors. * Not yet a member, sign up here by July 9, 2025!

Eligible CoDev members are invited to apply to the Board. If interested, please complete a Board Candidate application online by August 27.  CoDev’s AGM will be held in Vancouver on September 10 (time/location TBD).

Podcast | BC Labour Heritage Centre | The First Women to Drive Transit  –  Check out this podcast featuring rare recordings of union women who worked as conductors, motormen and transit drivers in Vancouver beginning in 1943. This episode tells the story of the “conductorettes” – the women who worked as streetcar conductors in Vancouver during World War II when many men were overseas fighting fascism. The conductorettes were part of a strong union, the Amalgamated Transit Union, which ensured they had the same rights, privileges, and wages as the men. The union played an important role in supporting the women, including helping one get her job back after she was fired for becoming pregnant.

Should you have any questions regarding this update, please email info@cupe.bc.ca for additional information.                                                                                                                                             In solidarity,    CUPE BC Executive Board 

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Jun 18, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Xn8LExW6QkWFeMdw4JvkPg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Kate Pirillo is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: CUPE 1936 EDI Meeting June 11th
Time: Jun 11, 2025 06:00 PM Vancouver
Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89144992540?pwd=CBJlzbUt6lVUKoIcPjPMCAC9EssXTI.1

Meeting ID: 891 4499 2540
Passcode: 388722

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kdBaHaCjZP

BC’s Community Social Services Workers

May 27, 2025

Last week, your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) Bargaining Committee kicked off negotiations for your new agreement. CSSBA met with your employers-

the Community Social Services Employers Association (CSSEA)- to begin the hard work of bargaining.

This round of bargaining is aimed at reaching a new collective agreement for you and more than 23,000 other community social services workers that are working in every region of the

province.

Our current collective agreement expired on March 31, 2025. While we are bargaining, the terms of the agreement stay in effect until a new one is negotiated. So, it remains business as

usual for you and your coworkers.

We are at the beginning of the process, and we have begun to share our respective language proposals with each other, while all proposals of a monetary nature will be exchanged later in

the bargaining process.

CSSBA represents community social services from eight different unions that work together to negotiate collectively for an agreement that covers wages, working conditions and health and

safety for all unionized workers in the sector.

For the past few months, your bargaining association has been hard at work reviewing proposals from workers like you and finalizing our bargaining priorities and negotiations

package.

We look forward to bringing forward your proposals and representing you at the bargaining table and we will keep you updated throughout negotiations.

We want you to be in the loop! Please remind your coworkers to sign up to get updates by email and ensure that your contact information is current, so you can get regular updates

during bargaining.

In solidarity,

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) Negotiating Committee

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: May 21, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Xn8LExW6QkWFeMdw4JvkPg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

Bulletin Bargaining your new Community Social Services April 14 2025

Bargaining your new Community Social Services Collective Agreement starts soon!

Greetings to all members in the community and social services,

We are gearing up to start negotiating your new Collective Agreement. Bargaining is set to begin mid-May, and right now, your Bargaining Committee is in preparation mode, busy creating the proposal package that reflects all unions’ identified priorities.

A collective agreement is a written contract that sets out the terms and conditions of your employment and includes elements such as wages, benefits, working hours, and grievance procedures.

In Community Social Services your Collective Agreement is the result of bargaining, a process where your Union, through the Community Social Services Bargaining Association (CSSBA) and your Employer, represented by the Community Social Services Employers’ Association (CSSEA), negotiate a group Agreement.

As you may know, our current Collective Agreement expired on Monday, March 31st. We want to reassure you that the terms of our Agreement will stay in effect until a new one is negotiated and ratified. So, it remains business as usual for you and your coworkers.

In solidarity,

Your Community Social Services Bargaining Association

(CSSBA) Negotiating Committee

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Apr 16, 2025 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/Xn8LExW6QkWFeMdw4JvkPg

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.

CSSEA and the Community Social Services Bargaining Association of Unions (CSSBA) are
pleased to announce that the Community Social Services Labour Adjustment and Education
Fund (LAEF) has extended the submission period to December 31, 2025, for applications for
education and training funding. Details on the fund, eligibility criteria and application forms
can be found on the LAEF website.

If you were previously denied funding because your education or training did not begin before
March 31, 2025, we kindly ask that you either re-apply using the LAEF online submission form,
or send an email to LAEF@bcgeu.ca to have your application placed back in the queue.
What is the LAEF?

The Community Social Services Labour Adjustment and Education Fund is a joint initiative of
CSSEA and CSSBA. The purpose of the LAEF is to enhance the skills of frontline community
social services workers by providing relevant professional development. It also prioritizes and
offers additional support and retraining for workers impacted by layoffs, downsizing, or
restructuring so workers can continue to be employed in the community social services sector.

Who Can Apply for Funding?
The constituent unions of the CSSBA, CSSEA, employers, individuals or groups may apply for
funding. Education and training must be relevant to continuing work in the community social
services sector. All applications will be reviewed by the LAEF Joint Steering Committee based
on the eligibility criteria and funding amounts set out by CSSEA and CSSBA. For a full list of
eligibility criteria, please refer to the attached Eligibility and Funding Guidelines or at the
above website. Applications will be reviewed on a regular, ongoing basis.
How Much Funding is Available to Me?

The following chart illustrates the maximum amount of funding available to applicants for the
funding term April 1, 2024, to December 31, 2025. If an individual or group applies for and
receives a lesser amount than the maximum available, they may submit additional application(s)
in the future.

Type of Application Maximum Amount of Funding
Individual $3,000
Individual impacted by layoffs, downsizing or
restructuring

$5,000
Group $10,000
Group impacted by layoffs, downsizing or
restructuring

$15,000

For More Information
If you have further questions not answered on the LAEF website, please e-mail laef@bcgeu.ca