CUPE 1936

CUPE BC UPDATES

GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS & RESOURCES

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.

U pcoming CUPE BC Canvasses | 2021 Federal Elections

Below is a list of upcoming canvasses taking place over the coming days in the Lower Mainland and on Vancouver Island:

Please also check the CUPE BC Facebook page regularly for a full list of other upcoming canvasses and events.

T-Shirt Fundraiser | Orange Shirt Day | Sept 30

CUPE BC encourages members to visit the Orange Shirt Society website and consider a t-shirt purchase for Orange Shirt Day on September 30, 2021. Partial proceeds from all t-shirt and merchandise sales will go towards the Orange Shirt Society and support the organization’s reconciliation events and activities.  T-shirts may also be purchased directly from various London Drugs locations.

CUPE BC Posters | UNDRIP and Truth & Reconciliation

All locals should have received print copies of the CUPE BC United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and 94 Calls to Action posters in mail earlier this summer. A digital file containing both posters has been attached for viewing and distribution. If your local would like to request additional print posters, please email the CUPE BC Office (info@cupe.bc.ca) with your desired quantity, poster type, and mailing address.

BC Government Consultation | Paid Sick Leave Survey | Sept 14

The Provincial Government is developing paid sick leave for employees in BC to enable them to stay home when sick or injured, without losing wages, for a set number of days each year. The new model will come into effect on January 1, 2022.  At this time, the Government is seeking input from workers and employers about what paid sick leave they currently have in their workplaces and what improvements could be made.   For more information, please see below:

Paid Sick Leave Engagement Project:  Click here

Worker Survey:  Click here              Employer/Business Owner survey:  Click here      Surveys Close: September 14, 2021

 CCPA Reports | Election 44: The Care Economy, Women, and COVID-19

The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) has remained at the forefront of the COVID pandemic by publishing in-depth analysis of its impacts and policy changes that are needed to protect vulnerable populations.  Please find links below to the CCPA’s reports and policy recommendations as the elections approach:

Platform Crunch: Conservatives release their federal commitments

Which promises have the Conservatives made to support women’s employment and the care economy? Click here to review the CCPA’s recent analysis, along with their assessment of the NDP commitments (click here). Other party platforms will be released as well.

Budget Watch 2021: The rebuild must start with the care economy

Senior CCPA researcher Katherine Scott explains why the “rebuild must start with the care economy” as a means of addressing the social, racialized, gendered, and income inequities exposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.  Click here to read more.

Long-term care reform: No time to waste

The CCPA has published a road map (click here) to ensure that every senior is able to live with dignity and respect.

Canada’s immigration system is failing migrant care workers

COVID-19 has worsened the precarious, sometimes abusive working conditions for migrant care workers—most of whom are women and racialized people.  Click here to read CCPA researcher Rishika Waderhra’s analysis.

For more information, please read the CCPA Report “Women, work, and COVID-19: Priorities for supporting women and the economy” by Katherine Scott or listen to the CCPA “The Care Economy and What’s at Stake” podcast episode.

Should you have any questions regarding this update, please email info@cupe.bc.ca for additional information.

In solidarity,

CUPE BC Executive Board

CUPE British Columbia

#410-6222 Willingdon Avenue ,   Burnaby, British Columbia,     V5H 0G3     P: 604.291.9119

www.cupe.bc.ca

Headquartered on the unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), Tsleil-Waututh and Qayqayt First Nations.

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CUPE BC is committed to reducing the use of paper. Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.

Hi there,

You are invited to a Zoom meeting.
When: Sep 15, 2021 06:30 PM Vancouver

Register in advance for this meeting:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZElfu-hrj8uH9xYmPLh7ZO2RGdJ7q7NnAL3

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

CUPE is pleased to see NDP leader Jagmeet Singh pledge Tuesday that an NDP government would end for-profit long-term care (LTC) and commit to a Care Guarantee.

CUPE members and Canadians at large expect our federal government to take real, meaningful action to address the unthinkable tragedies that took place in long-term care during the pandemic.

But we also have to recognize that conditions in many long-term care homes were bleak before the pandemic too.

The understaffing and the lack of resources that cause so much suffering in long-term care are the direct result of cost-cutting so that for-profit operators can turn a profit to shareholders – and it is residents and workers who pay the price.

Mountains of evidence have proven that not-for-profit care delivers better outcomes for residents and better working conditions for workers, and CUPE has been calling for action to address the problems in long-term care for decades.

We are encouraged to see the NDP make this important pledge, and we call on other parties to follow suit. It’s the least they can do for the people who have borne the worst effects of this pandemic.

CUPE members bravely answered the call on the front lines of the response to COVID-19. But the pandemic showed us just how far we have to go to deliver better care to those who need it. In this election, better care for all is on the ballot.

Long-term care

Long-term care in Canada was in a crisis before COVID-19 – and the pandemic pulled back the curtain on just how bad things were for residents and workers alike. Long-term care is health care – and in Canada, there should be no place for greed and profiteering in our health care system. It’s been almost a year since the Trudeau Liberals promised to fix long-term care, and nothing has changed. The Liberals have completely failed to act. It’s time to bring long-term care under the Canada Health Act, making it a publicly funded and delivered health care service accessible to everyone. Residents should be guaranteed a minimum of 4.1 hours of care per day, and workers should be guaranteed a secure job and a livable wage. In this election, let’s vote to fix long-term care.

Child care

Our economy doesn’t work without quality, affordable, accessible child care. The pandemic made that clear. We know that public investment in child care isn’t just good for kids – it also advances women’s economic participation, and creates jobs and grows the economy. The BC NDP government recently signed a landmark agreement with the federal government to move forward with $10-a-day child care across the province – clear proof of the progress we can make with NDP governments in office. In this election, let’s vote for affordable, quality, accessible child care and good-paying, secure jobs for child care workers.

Pharmacare

Millions of Canadians have no prescription drug coverage, and one in ten people in Canada can’t afford their medication at all. But despite decades of studies and repeated election promises, the Trudeau Liberals have consistently stood in the way of enacting a national pharmacare program since taking office in 2015. A national, universal pharmacare plan is the only way to ensure equitable access to essential medications for all Canadians, while also lowering the cost of drugs for families, workers, governments, and employers. This election, let’s vote to make a national pharmacare program a reality.

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August 19, 2021

The provincial government is currently conducting surveys regarding access to Employer paid sick leave.  CUPE Local 1936 members who are covered by the General Services and/or Community Living provincial Collective Agreements are only able to access 80% Employer paid sick leave.  Community Social Service Workers are one of the few public sectors that do not have access to 100% Employer paid sick leave.  This is unacceptable.

As workers in the Community Social Services sector, the CUPE Local 1936 Executive requests that you participate in the survey below.  The provincial government needs to fully understand that 80% Employer paid sick leave is not enough.  They need to understand the negative impact this has on our members and the ways in which 80% employer sick leave impacts your decisions on whether or not you choose to work when you are sick.  We hope you will take a few minutes to fill out this survey.  The government needs to hear from you.

The surveys can be accessed here: https://engage.gov.bc.ca/paidsickleave/  and the News Release here: https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021LBR0028-001534

Surveys will be available in Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Punjabi, Korean and Tagalog next week.

In addition to engagement with key stakeholders and Indigenous partners, there will be two phases of consultation:

• Phase 1 (Aug. 5 to Sept. 14)– surveys will gather information from employers and workers on the kinds of paid illness and injury leaves currently provided, and how they are meeting workers’ and employers’ needs; and
• Phase 2 (Sept. 20 to Oct. 25)– informed by the surveys, options will be prepared for various paid sick leave models, including the numbers of paid days and other possible supports, and will be posted for public feedback and input.

In solidarity,

Sheryl Burns, President, CUPE Local 1936

Lee-Ann Lalli, Vice-President, CUPE Local 1936

Bernice Way, Secretary-Treasurer, CUPE Local 1936

After 112 days of being locked out, it’s time we stand together with the women who cook for, clean after, and serve guests in hotels.  On August 5, join fired and locked out Hilton Metrotown workers, hotel workers, and women leaders in the labour movement for a sit-in at the Hilton Metrotown to urge the hotel to bring workers back to their jobs!

Date: Thursday, August 5th, 2021

Time: 5:00 pm

Where: Hilton Metrotown, 6083 McKay Ave, Burnaby, BC

Facebook: Click here

As workplaces begin to open up again, questions are being asked about the ability to purchase leave related to COVID-19.

This is the link to the MPP website that explains how the purchase of service works.

Leaves, time off and wage changes – Municipal – Municipal (pensionsbc.ca)

For purchase of leave, there is usually a 3-year employment requirement but due to the pandemic, this provision has been waived.

For members that have specific inquiries about your own situation, they should contact the Pension Corporation for assistance.

CUPE BC Boutique | 2021 Pride & Labour Day Events Swag

Does your Local or District Council need swag for upcoming Pride or Labour Day events?  Please contact Darci Schmid at info@cupe.bc.ca for instructions on how to place your complimentary swag order online at www.cupebcstore.com

CUPE Education| Upcoming Workshops | August 2021 (if interested please email bway1936@gmail.com for registration)

CUPE Education has added the following virtual workshops to the August 2021 calendar, with priority registration access being given at this time to Locals in BC.  Please share these workshops with members of your local, and ensure to register online by the deadlines noted on the form pages:

Call for Support | Canadian Red Cross | BC Fires

The Canadian Red Cross has launched a fund to support individuals and families displaced by wildfires in Lytton, BC and elsewhere in the province.  Locals and District Councils wishing to help are encouraged to make a financial donation to the BC Fires Appeal online at www.redcross.ca or by calling 1-800-418-1111. Donations will be used for immediate and ongoing relief efforts, long term recovery, resiliency, and emergency preparedness for future events in BC and impacted regions