March 2023 Newsletter

President’s Message

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

It has been three months since my last report and very little has changed when it comes to Local negotiations. We have continued to meet with each Employer with the hope of having fair respectful, bargaining but unfortunately the Employers continue to push back. They are refusing to engage in fair, respectful bargaining; this is why we have filed for conciliation.

The Ontario Ministry of Labour has appointed a conciliator to each bargaining table for the purpose of helping us achieve a tentative Collective Agreement. We would bring the tentative Collective Agreement to the Membership to review and vote on. If the Membership was to vote down the tentative agreement, our next steps would be filing a No Board Report. Once a No Board Report is filed, the 17-day countdown begins. Once the 17-days have elapsed, the Membership can take job action. Job action could be work-to-rule or up to a full withdraw of services, which would mean full strike action.

We have been able to secure dates with the conciliator and the Durham District School Board for April 6th (CM unit), April 11th (OCT unit), April 13th (EA unit) and April 17th (CONED). At this time we have only been able to secure tentative dates with the conciliator and the Durham Catholic District School Board.

We have held individual bargaining classification meetings to update members on the progress, or lack of progress, at the bargaining table. As you are aware, at these meeting we have been updating Members how the bargaining process works, what steps have been taken, what our next steps are and answering any questions that Members might have. In the near future we will host further meetings so please continue to view your CUPE Local 218 email for dates and times.

For the past few months we have been preparing for the possibility of job action and/or strike action. This is why you might have seen information circulating throughout the workplace asking those that are interested to submit their names for a Strike Coordinator, Mobilizers and Strike Captains. Work-to-Rule instructions, Strike Captain Kits and Strike locations have already been organized and now we need the commitment from the Members. To be prepared is half the victory.

In my December message I informed you that the Durham Catholic District School Board has started an Attendance Support Program. In my opinion, this policy violates the Collective Agreement and Employees’ rights. This is why I have filed a grievance against the DCDSB. I have met with the Employer, pointed out their violation and their formal response was still to deny the violation. We will be moving to the next and final step prior to arbitration.

On the topic of grievances, we have been discussing a number of grievance issues through the
grievance procedure;

• DCDSB Security Checks – paying members below the Employment Standards Act,
• DDSB Security/Fire watch checks – only paying 15 minutes of an hours wages,
• DCDSB and DDSB – Duty to Accommodate,
• DDSB Privacy Breach – Arbitration March 8 th and,
• DDSB – requesting medical documentation prior to the 5 consecutive days absent and before or after a personal vacation day.

So, given all that I have shared thus far, you can see that regardless if you work for the Durham
Catholic District School Board or the Durham District School Board, both Employers have no respect for you or the work that you do. Here’s the catch, every single one of you belong to a Union, a Union that will not stand for their members being treated this way. It doesn’t matter what profession you work in or what school board you work for, YOU ARE CUPE LOCAL 218, 4000 members strong, second largest Local in the education sector. If we stand in solidarity, speak-up, stand-up for each other and back our Union we have strength. United we stand, divided we fall.

In Solidarity

Dennis Gibbs
President

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Public Board OCT

Hello Brothers and Sisters. My name is Antony Nembhard and I have been a steward and Bargaining Rep for over 8 years. I am your new OCT Chair and I am looking forward to hearing what you have to say. We have a really amazing team that you can reach out to in times of need or if you just need a quick work / union related question answered. In the coming weeks I will be sending out a survey on behalf of your bargaining team. We would like to know what is on your mind and if you have any burning questions that you would like answered. Please ensure that you have an active CUPE Email. If not, contact swilkinson@cupe218.ca and activate your very own union email account.

Meet your committee:
Andrew Pearce – Ed Centre Rep
Andrew.pearce@cupe218.ca
Position: Network Analyst – Security
Likes: Traveling, Sports, Technology, Spending time with family and Beer
Dislikes: Raking leaves, Cleaning and Eggplant
Quote: ‘”I’ll put this over here with the rest of the fire” – Moss (IT Crowd)

Allison Petty – Secondary Rep
Allison.petty@cupe218.ca
Position: Elementary Head Secretary at Adelaide McLaughlin PS
Likes: Camping, crocheting/crafts, visiting with family/friends,
Dislikes: : Horror movies, most green veggies, mosquitoes
Quote: In a world where you can be anything, be kind. Unkown

Leanne Finlay – Elementary Rep
Leanne.finlay@cupe218.ca
Position: Elementary Head Secretary Sherwood P.S
Likes: Baking, fishing, chilling at my cottage, babysitting my 1 1/2 year old Granddaughter
Dislikes: Cold weather, rainy weather
Quote: Life is a journey, not a destination!

Antony Nembhard – OCT Chair
Antony.nembhard@cupe218
Position: Lan Administrator
Likes: Basketball, Basketball, Basketball, jazz and some cooking too.
Dislikes: closed gyms, bad weather, musicals
Quote: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure” – Marianne Williamson

Did you know?

CUPE 218 just completed an email upgrade. Please check your CUPE email regularly and if you would like to forward your mail to a personal account, you can do so by following these steps.

1. Log into the CUPE
2. Click on the Members portal
3. On the left hand side, halfway down the page – click on account
4. Select “Email Forwarder”
5. Enter the email address that you would like your mail forwarded to.
6. Click on the “+ Create Forwarder”

Now you wont’ miss out on the important information and messages provided by your union.

On behalf of the OCT Bargaining Unit,

Kindest Regards.
Antony Nembhard

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Catholic Board LINC ESL

Since joining CUPE, our group ratified our first Collective Agreement that we were told was quite comprehensive for a first. We are now in the throes of negotiating our CA for the second time. The employer has been difficult on certain issues, and so it is crucial that our membership stand strong and united. This means being engaged in CUPE:

• Attend all GMM meetings.
• Talk with each other during the breaks at work about CUPE issues in a favourable and bold way.
• Support each other and the bargaining committee.
• Don’t hesitate to reach out to CUPE, or your bargaining committee because we are here to support us and make
• sure the employer respects and works with the employees.

BARGAINING:
We are in the process of negotiating our next Collective Agreement which can be stellar knowing that all members are fully engaged and willing to participate. Remember that the board needs to understand that we are a force to be reckoned with and that we are willing to work together with them in good faith, and not be taken advantage of or lied to anymore by our immediate management. Plus, this CA will be in effect for the next 4 years, so let’s make sure it includes what we would like to have and what is necessary for positive and healthy working conditions. It is all of our responsibility input our thoughts and desires so that your bargaining committee with CUPE can effectively fight for what we want and need. The last thing we want is to strike, which is a possibility depending on how strong we are as a unified group, because the employer’s response to our negotiations is partly based on how they see us as a strong and unified group willing to fight for what is right.

LABOUR MANAGEMENT:
Our committee with CUPE had a meeting with the board’s HR which included our supervisor to discuss working conditions and any issues needing attention. There had been a couple of issues that sorely needed attention: ergonomically compatible workplaces (the proper tools for the job – desk and chair), and OMERS eligibility and contributions. Both these issues were brought to the attention of HR at our Labour Management meeting on February 15, 2023. As a result, these issues are now being dealt with. For years, our supervisor had thwarted any attempt at improving work conditions and even hid important information from our members. No more! Dealing head on with issues is a good example of what we can accomplish as a unified group working together and supporting each other with CUPE backing us.

CLASSIFICATION MEETING:
Our first Classification Meeting (meeting with CUPE and only our group members) held on Feb. 13 was poorly attended. The only excuse for missing it would have been if you were dead!!! Many important issues were discussed, and much gratitude to those who showed up and were engaged. Showing support and respect by showing up to meetings and participating in events will boost your morale and you will find that getting to know your Local 218 is empowering and a lot of fun. CUPE 218 is a group of good and dedicated people here to support us.

DOCTOR’S NOTES: In regard to updating workstations
Below is a statement form CUPE on the employer asking for medical information from an employee:

Supervisors are not to request medical unless advised by the
Disabilities Management (Christy) or possibly HR. I don’t see why they
would require medical given that it is the Employers responsibility to
supply equipment required to conduct work delegated. Below is the
wording from the Collective Agreement regarding Employer scheduled
meetings. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to CUPE for
further assistance.

Below is the wording for medical notes in the Central Collective Agreement (negotiated by OSBCU), in section
C.6, paragraph h:

h) Proof of Illness Sick Leave Days Payable at 100%

A Board may request medical confirmation of illness or injury and any restrictions or limitations any Employee may have, confirming the dates of absence and the reason thereof (omitting a diagnosis). Medical confirmation is to be provided by the Employee for absences of five (5) consecutive working days or longer. The medical confirmation may be required to be provided on the form contained in Appendix C.

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I have also included wording on work meetings from section C9 in the Central Collective Agreement, because the employer was scheduling short meetings outside paid working hours:

C9.00 ATTENDANCE AT MANDATORY MEETINGS/SCHOOL EVENTS
Where an employee is required through clear direction by the board to attend work outside of regular working hours, the provisions of the local collective agreement regarding hours of work and compensation, including any relevant overtime/lieu time provisions, shall apply.
Required attendance outside of regular working hours may include, but is not limited to school staff meetings, parent/teacher interviews, curriculum nights, Individual Education Plan and Identification Placement Review Committee meetings, and consultations with board professional staff.

Working Hours:
Please remember that your working hours are from 8:30-11:30 AM, or 12:00-3:00 PM, or 6:00-9:00 Night.
In our existing Collective Agreement (CA), it states the following:

ARTICLE 19 – HOURS OF WORK AND OVERTIME
19.02 Hours shall commence at 8:30 am for the morning block and
12:00pm for the afternoon block and 6:00pm for the evening block. Each
block shall be for three (3) hours, inclusive of fifteen (15) minutes
to complete Portfolio-Based Language Assessments and reporting. For
clarity, these hours reflect programming from September to June
inclusive.
 
These are our paid working hours. We are trying to negotiate wording in our CA.
You do not have to knock yourselves out trying to prepare, upload to D2L, or finish marking assessments outside paid working hours. Our CA clearly states the hours of our workday.

BEING A STRONG UNIT:
Looking forward to seeing each and every one of you at the next GMM meeting.
Check your CUPE email every day.
Any email, or monetary (such as OMERS) issues can be addressed to Sue at CUPE: swikinson@cupe218.ca

In solidarity!

Your bargaining committee,

Tracy Gill & Katherine Sanchez

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Public Board Continuing Education

Dear members,

I was thrilled to hear that Wiarton Willie did not see his shadow and I am sure that others agree to see the end to winter sooner rather than later.

So, what has happened since our last newsletter in December?

Bargaining Update– As mentioned during the classification meeting, your bargaining committee has met with the board twice to exchange proposals and it was crystal clear from the beginning that they had no intentions of making this round of bargaining a priority. We have received very limited responses to our proposals and they are making every effort to drag this process out to frustrate our members into settling for a collective agreement that is without gains and will do nothing to benefit you, your family and your coworkers. If we do not make any gains at the table and if the end result of bargaining is a Collective Agreement that is status quo, this will be the Collective Agreement that we have for the next four years. The question is, are you willing to accept a Collective Agreement that is not in your best interests? We have the ability to make gains during this round of bargaining BUT we need membership engagement to have any kind of leverage at the table. It is imperative that we show the employer that we are a united front and we stand together in SOLIDARITY.

Please keep in mind that this is not only about the dollar increase or the retro pay, this is about putting language into the CA that other units currently have, this is about not letting the board continue to give us the bare minimum. WE NEED TO DEMAND MORE!!

It is so important that you regularly check your CUPE email. In the coming days there will be a great deal of information going out to keep the membership informed about any bargaining updates, unit classification meetings and much more..

I urge you to make the classification meetings a priority. These are sessions offered to provide you with information that you requested in the unit specific surveys.

At the time of writing this newsletter. I understand that a Conciliator has been assigned to CUPE Local 218. I am hopeful that we will receive additional dates soon. WE are ready to go back to the table at any time. I would like to thank the committee for the hard work they have put in over this lengthy period of bargaining.

Labour Management-our next labour management meeting is on March 23^rd. 2023. We look forward to getting some positive responses from management regarding our items raised at the last LMM. We are also anxiously awaiting to hear about the funding for our next fiscal year and if the funders have approved the additional work week in June.

Job Evaluation – There continues to be a lot of discussions around the job re-evaluation process for the LINC/ESL/ELT instructors. Important information has been shared by your committee to a few instructors regarding how to begin this process. If you feel that your duties have changed, I URGE you to reach out to each other to discuss putting detailed notes together.

Annual CNC Site Assessment- The assessment went well, unfortunately both Oshawa and Pickering received one noncompliance for not having records on file for staff immunization & TB.  Fortunately this is not a reflection on either CNC supervisor this is a result of the employer not keeping track of the information as well as not obtaining the information from Employee Relations in a timely manner. To say that we were a little disappointed in this, is an understatement. Both CNC supervisors requested that this information be located and available for the January assessment in September. We plan to seek clarification of this problem during our next LM in March.

Supply LINC/ESL Instructors– We are happy to report that new instructors have been hired and fingers crossed we will not need to worry about the supply shortage being an issue for the rest of the school year.

CNC Virtual Conference– On March 2nd & 3rd the CNC staff have the opportunity to attend the first Conference: Growing Strong Communities. Members are looking forward to attending their individual learning sessions and I feel that this will definitely be a great couple of days of much needed motivation and inspiration for all. 

New Programs- The Special Delivery Instruction classes have started in Pickering and there is a plan to have an Oshawa class starting very soon. It has been communicated that by April there will be a few more classes beginning. 

New Business- As mentioned during our unit classification meeting there is a seat available at the Health & Safety Table for our unit. Please consider becoming a member of this committee to have your say in ensuring a safe and secure work and workplace environment for everyone.

Contact Dennis Gibbs dgibbs@cupe218.ca

We would like to stress the importance of checking your email and mailbox daily. Mailboxes are located in the main office in Oshawa and the staff room in Pickering.  It is also very important to ensure that your attendance is completed daily as that is the information used for funding.

CUPE emails- We trust that everyone is able to access their new CUPE emails. You are now able to change your password and forward emails to a personal email from the Member’s Portal.  

Important Contact Information:

All information/questions about OMERS pension and the EWBT Benefit Trust or your CUPE Email should be directed to Sue Wilkinson and cc the CUPE office swilkinson@cupe218.ca 

All information/questions about Disability and WSIB should be directed to Carrie Boisvert carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca and cc office@cupe218.ca

All information/questions about Health and Safety should be directed to the CUPE office office@cupe218.ca and will be forwarded to the appropriate representative.

The next General Membership meeting is scheduled for Sunday March 19^th, 2023, at 7:00pm.  You are encouraged to attend meetings as the more our members get involved, the more our voices will be heard. This is a great opportunity to have your questions answered by the experts.

Our next Newsletter will be published in June 2023.

As usual, please feel free to contact Darlene, Arisa or Kristine for any union-related issues.

Kristine Brown- Chair – kristine.brown@cupe218.ca

Darlene Sasseville- darlene.sassville@cupe218.ca

Arisa Tierney- arisa.tierney@cupe218.ca

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Catholic Board Facility Services

Dear Members,

Well it is hard to believe that we are already in the month of March. We have such an amazing team of Custodians and Maintenance staff, it doesn’t matter how much we get disrespected by our employer we always come through and get the job done. By the time this newsletter comes out March break will be done and we will be hard at it and maintaining our buildings until summer clean up.

I just wanted to remind everyone of who your Facility Service committee is.
Sean Hebert – Chairperson
Dave Slater – Bargaining rep
Beth Davies – Bargaining Rep
Greg Gillis – Steward

It was great to hear of everyone who showed up at our classification meeting, although the numbers weren’t the best for the first meeting hopefully we will be able to build momentum going forward. We are in for a fight with the Board on negotiations and we want everyone engaged in the whole process. We have filed for conciliation and a conciliator will be joining us in April to try and help us reach a deal with the board. I want to apologize for not being at the classification meeting, I was at a union course during
that weekend.

Bargaining updated: We have now met 3 times with the Board and things are moving very slowly at the table. Our last meeting we sent them a response back to the board so the next time we meet we should get the response back from the board and hopefully some movement from their side of the table.

We currently have 7 grievances we’re working on. The first grievance is going to arbitration. This grievance has been dragging on since 2019 with absolutely no regard for timelines by the employer. This grievance is about full time staff shifts being moved from 7am to 3:30pm to 10:00am to 6:30pm shift during summer month and March break this Arbitration will be held in February 2024. We have a personal and policy grievance for weekend permits and not staffing them properly. We have 3 personal grievances for Shipper /Receiver position and we have a grievance for Security Checks as well.

We just want to let you know that we are putting pressure on the board to hire faster with the postings, new hires from the floaters list and new floaters to fill the voids in your location. We are aware of the shortages and we are trying to make them move faster with their process.

As the weather gets warmer over the next month or so please be mindful that the snow will melt and freeze up during the night as the temperature drops so please be careful when walking outside when going to the garbage bin or your vehicle. Please remember if you have an accident at work please report to your principal even if you don’t think it requires reporting it, we need to stay safe at our work sites.

We want to Thank everyone for your hard work and we hope you enjoyed your March break.

Sean Hebert – Chairperson
Dave Slater – Bargaining Rep
Beth Marie Davies – Bargaining Rep
Greg Gillis – Steward

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Public Board Custodial Maintenance

Well spring is just around the corner and it can’t come fast enough. Let me bring you up to speed on Local Bargaining. Since we ratified the Central Contract late last year, we have had only two bargaining days with the board. They continue to push back on every proposal that we have put forward. Some of the common responses from the board have been,

• The Board is not Amendable to the Unions Proposal
• The Board requests that Cupe withdrawals this Proposal
• Status Quo

This has made for a very slow process, not only for our unit, but all 8 units between the public and catholic boards. It was at that time the union filed for Conciliation. Bargaining is a long process that can take many months, and the board seems they want to drag this out longer and longer with each meeting and their unwillingness to secure a fair Collective Agreement.

An issue that has been increasing is the Board requesting medical documentation before the 5 consecutive working days or longer. (Article C6.1h) They seem to be asking more for the documentation if you have a sick day and vacation day back to back and or vice versa. The union reached out to Heather Mundy, one of the Superintendents with the DDSB, in which she replied that any manager or supervisor can request medical documentation prior to the 5 day rule. The union does not agree with this and we currently have a policy grievance filed. If your supervisor asks you for a medical prior to the 5 day rule, I advise you to get the medical so you don’t lose a day’s pay and we will file a grievance at that point. Remember, that your medical documentation ONLY needs to be sent to Short Term Absence and not your supervisor.

We have had some questions come up about the interview process in respects to postings for Lead jobs. The main thing I have been told by supervisors is that they want the candidates to provide “Details” on their answers. The more details that you can provide on your answers the better it is. The extra details you provide on your answers seems to get extra marks on their scoring system.

There has been numerous issues with members being disciplined for their job performance lately. Rumours have come up that Leads have been reporting to supervisors about the way sections are being cleaned. Just a reminder, It is not a custodial responsibility to evaluate the cleaning skills of any member and report this to the supervisor, this is the responsibility of management and management only to
inspect areas that have been cleaned.

A reminder, that if you have your name on the transfer list and you successfully transfer to a new school, it is always good to forward management notice that you wish to have your name removed from all other transfers to other schools.

Vacation sheets will be distributed very soon. The board still insists that they will not be granting many vacation days for the last week in August. The union has filed a grievance on this issue and which is now at the Arbitration stage. Just be mindful when booking your vacation days, they may or may not grant you that week until we get this issue settled.

Please remember that if you have the unfortunate experience of a work-related injury to please report it to your Supervisor and to Carrie Boisvert, our Disability Coordinator at the Union Office, Also, if you submit medical to the Employer, PLEASE make sure Carrie receives a copy as well. No injury is too small to report.

The office recently changed service providers, if you need help with the CUPE 218 Website, Portal or Email please contact Sue Wilkinson at the office or swilkinson@cupe218.ca

In Solidarity,

John Allan Chairperson	Bret Filion	Ian Watt
Robin Fair	Mike Nixon	Jessica Fusco
Kevin Lamont	Tyler Cameron	Scott Freeburn

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Public Board Custodial Maintenance Health & Safety

Hello Brothers and Sisters,

Well it looks like Mother Nature may not be done with us yet. I guess the old saying of “March in like a lion and out like a lamb” is happening this year. We have had some record snow in little time and with that comes strains and stress on our bodies as we try and clear the mess from our schools. We have had some instances where people have strained their backs due to the heavy snow accumulation. Please make sure that you are taking breaks while shoveling and that you are not over exerting yourselves or over heating. Your health comes first before anything else. Hopefully Spring is upon us quickly, as we could all use a break from the salt in our schools.

This newsletter will most likely be out after our March Break. I hope everyone had a chance to relax this week. If you had to work during March Break, I hope it was at a little slower pace as we had no kiddies in to distract us from our duties. When using stripper on the floors, please make sure to use the proper N95 masks and the proper footwear as this chemical is both very fumy and extremely slippery. If you need “stripper slippers”, please contact your supervisor or you can also order them through Swish.

As this will be the last newsletter until June, I wish everyone a very Happy Easter. Take time with the ones you love to relax, decompress and make memories. Our down time from work should be cherished.

If you happen to have an accident or injury at work, please report it to your supervisor immediately. We
as a union, can’t fix trends if we don’t know where they are.

Take Care of Yourselves,

Robin Fair
CUPE 218
Health and Safety Rep

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Public Board EA

You matter! I hope each and every one of you had a relaxing and enjoyable March Break. Without each of you in the positions you are in, our students wouldn’t succeed the way they do. Although some days you may not feel like it, your hard work is not going unnoticed. Each of you are making a difference and you should all be proud!

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. Stephanie Dezsi EA/Outdoor Ed Chairperson. I look forward to my new role, and working with each and every one of you. We have the biggest unit, and we need to be heard.

We have had a few changes to our unit committee. Please refer to the chart below to see the changes, you may have a new steward for your area.

School Area	Contact Person	Contact Info
ALL PICKERING SCHOOLS	BRANDY TOWNSON (REP)	brandy.townson@cupe219.ca
ALL AJAX SCHOOLS	JEHAN BISNAUTH (REP)	Jehan.bisnauth@cupe218.ca
WHITBY SCHOOLS (ANDERSON C.V.I- JACK MINER P.S)	JENNIFER CURRIE (STEWARD)	Jennifer.currie@cupe218.ca
WHITBY SCHOOLS (JOHN DRYDEN P.S- WINCHESTER P.S)	LORI-ANN RICHARDS (STEWARD)	lrichards@cupe218.ca
OSHAWA SCHOOLS (ADELAIDE MCLAUGHLIN-JEANNE SAUVE P.S)	KIMBERLEY POLLOCK (STEWARD)	kimberley.pollock@cupe218.ca
ALL NORTHERN SCHOOLS & OSHAWA (KEDRON P.S- WOODCREST P.S)	SUE WILKINSON (REP) (CONTACT FOR CUPE EMAIL ADDRESS, BENEFITS AND OMERS)	swilkinson@cupe218.ca
SUPPLIES- OFFICE/OUTDOOR ED/ H&S ITEMS	STEPHANIE DEZSI (CHAIRPERSON)	stephanie.dezsi@cupe218.ca

Bargaining update – We have secured a conciliator and will be bargaining on April 13, 2023. Each of you play a role in successful bargaining, we have a bargaining team but the union is only as loud as its members. Have conversations in the workplace, show solidarity to your union brothers and sisters. Continue wearing your purple on Wednesdays for Education Worker Wednesday. This fight is not over and we all need to commit to do our parts, member engagement is crucial during these times.

Social media – Please stay off social media during working hours, this is an ongoing issue and can result in discipline. Be mindful of what you are posting, somehow the employer always finds out.

Supervisors – Please remember that Serts/ Spec Ed Heads are not your supervisors! Your supervisor is your school admin and any/all concerns should be brought to your admins attention. We have had many questions around who is in charge of EA’s and who should be telling us our expectations and role within a school… the answer is ADMIN.

Seniority list – Our updated seniority list will be out at the end of March and can be found on the CUPE218.CA portal.

Please remember to take care of yourselves, and as always reach out.

In Solidarity,
Stephanie Dezsi- Chairperson & Health and Safety Rep

Bargaining Reps-
Sue Wilkinson
Brandy Townson
Jehan Bisnauth

Stewards-
Lori Richards
Jennifer Currie
Kimberley Pollock

Health & Safety

I hope you each had a great March Break and took time for you, we are seeing an increase in mental health and burn out. You are important and you all need to take care of yourselves.

Violent incidents – We have been in school 7 months and from September until February 28 th we have had 1224 violent incidents filed and only 115 resulted in a park lane report being completed. Violent incident forms and safe schools are in house documents that only go to the board, the MOL is notified when a park lane is completed. If you are completing violent incident forms and not receiving an email saying it has been completed, please check in with your admin/ let me know. We have received vi reports from November, which isn’t acceptable.

Parklane report – A park lane should be completed any time you require ice, cleaning of scratch or bite, band aid, mental health, or medical attention. Any time you are scratched, receive a bite, or are bruised this needs to be completed as you don’t know if this could create issues later on and it needs to be documented. You have a right to complete this form, ask your admin. Also your admin is to allow you time during working hours to complete any forms, ask for that time.

	Employee Violent Incident Report (OHSA)	Safe Schools Incident Report (PPM 144/145)	Accident (Injury) Report
Example 1 Student physically harms another student
Example 2 Student physically stirkes you – no injury
Example 3 Student physically harms you and causes injury
Example 4 Student verbally threatens to harm you
Example 5 Student uses offensive language towards you but does not threaten any harm
Example 6 A parent or member of the public threatens to harm you

Student Briefs

What is a student brief? The Durham District School Board is required to provide information, to workers regarding a person with a history of violent behaviour, if the worker can be expected to encounter that person in the course of their work and the risk of workplace violence is likely to expose the worker to physical injury. The student briefs are typically found in the main office and all staff should be aware of where they can find them. Supply staff should be given the student briefs to review, before starting the working day.

Have you seen the student brief binder at your school? If not, please ask about it.

MOL Violence in the workplace blitz – The ministry has started the violence blitz and we have been to a few schools at this point. In total the MOL will be going to 10 schools, 3 high schools and 7 elementary. These schools were chosen based off data from violent incident reporting. They are looking to see if BSP’s are in place and include correct information, if the school has student briefs and risk assessments and that staff are aware of them, and that staff have a way of getting support as needed (working walkies, or a phone), etc. We had an inspection this week and I was very happy to see a decrease in violent incidents, of course the first question was “are they just not reporting” but after speaking with workers I was informed that the school team has put a lot in place and the behaviours are decreasing. When we have a good working team including supportive admin, this can be accomplished.

Thank you so much for all you do, and please report.

As always, if you have any questions do not hesitate to reach out.

Stephanie Dezsi- Health and Safety Rep

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Catholic Board EA

Hello everyone! As I write this it is a cold February day and snow is expected again! By the time you read this you would’ve just returned from your March Break.  With that being said, we hope you had a restful, safe and healthy break. We also hope the weather was sunny and warm. Here’s hoping. There are a number of issues that have arisen recently so please read the following:

Bus Duty

If you are asked to bus with a student who does not have an IEP and you do not normally support, please let us know. Also please ensure that there is a safety plan for this student and that there is also a plan to contact the school. We should not be supporting a regular school bus because the students are chaotic. We can however support special needs students on a regular bus. Make sure there is also a safety plan and a means such as a cellphone to contact the school when and if this is needed and the safety plan spells out the steps.

Fire Safety Plans

It has come to our attention that some schools do not have fire safety plans for our students especially at the secondary level. Special needs students have the right to take courses even if they are on the second floor. This is called equity and if they are not allowed access to credit courses because of the challenges such as stairs and fire alarms they the school board is violating their human rights. You all should have a well written fire safety plan that spells out who does what. If a mobility challenged student requires a chair lift there should be training for all staff involved especially during semester changes. There also has to be a plan and a clear path for special needs students during lunch and when they are in the cafeteria. Know the fire route and know where you and your students are supposed to

Project Search

This is a new program designed by the Abilities Centre and funded by a grant that will allow students to transition into the world of work after high school. Some EAs have been told that it will mean our jobs and that the board will be privatizing our jobs. This is not the case. There will be only 10 students in the program and they must apply and go through an interview. These are students who do not depend on an EA and if they do, would not qualify as candidates for this program. Please check out the Board’s website for information about Project Search as some PSTs have been telling some of you that it will take away our jobs and this is just not the case.

Postings Mid-Year

I am sure most of you have seen the posting that the board put out first to all FT EAs, and then to supplies. They let us know that they would be doing this as they can’t get EAs to take the northern schools especially Beaverton. They also asked us if they could post it externally.

According to the CA, postings only take place in June so we informed them that this was a violation of the collective agreement. They went ahead anyway. We can appreciate their problems with employing in those areas as it is a safety issue for both students and EAs when they are short staffed. They also requested that they be allowed to post externally if someone could not be found. We of course did not agree to this. I have since heard that a FT EA has posted to the position but haven’t heard if they have gotten it.

Bargaining

We have had two bargaining dates so far and we agreed to some minor items. We also had our first sector meeting for our unit on Thursday, February 16^th via zoom. Thank you to those of you who could attend. We will continue to keep you informed of our next steps to getting a local agreement. We are still awaiting a third bargaining date. Ryan our national rep does have 8 units to represent, but I will nag him and the board all the same. Hopefully by the time you are all reading this we have had more bargaining dates and perhaps a settlement. We will continue to keep you updated as we receive more information. We did file for conciliation to hopefully speed up the process. We want you all to know that although this is not monetary as in the central agreement, that it is our day to day working conditions and these articles matter. We will not take concessions! I repeat, we will not take concessions so be prepared to stand as we did before. We are getting ready to mobilize once again and you will be receiving notifications and directions as to our next steps.

Labour Management

We had our last LM meeting on Wednesday, February 1^st. We are still working out the plans to develop a new method of doing performance appraisals. We are hoping to not only develop a new method, but to also pilot the new appraisal in a couple of schools once it’s completed. We have also requested that we suspend the performance appraisals until the new one is developed. We have so far not gotten a reply to our requests. I will continue to nag on your behalf. Our next Labour management meeting is on Thursday, April 5^th.

AD HOC

We had an AD HOC date on Thursday, March 2nd. Thank you to Carrie for providing the stats for incidences as Lisa Beaulne is absent and has been since before Christmas.  We have a new acting superintendent of Student Services. Her name is Paula Sorhaitz and she was a secondary teacher, VP, and then principal. This is a first time having a secondary Superintendent responsible for Student Services so I’m hoping we can work together collaboratively as in the past. I was once an EA in her room at Pereyma many years ago so I am optimistic. She attended our AD HOC meeting so she could bring herself up to speed on our committee.

PA Day

We had an all-day PA for all FT and LTO EAs on Friday, February 17^th at the Notre dame amphitheatre where we had a fantastic speaker Gary Direnfeld who gave us a much-needed relaxing day full of stories, information and support.  It was fantastic seeing some people that I haven’t seen in years. I want to personally thank Susie Lee for paying for the speaker as well as the huge Greek lunch. She broke her budget on this and I would like to think that it was her parting gift to us as she is leaving to become the director of the Principal’s Association. Her last day is on March 3^rd. Susie has worked very well with your committee to ensure that you all have your concerns and needs met. She was always one call, text message or email away so that we were able to deal with matters as they arose. She made equity a regular name for both us and the students we support. I will miss her. I also want to thank Carrie for helping Susie and I with all the planning for the PA Day. It was a lot of work and she did it on top of all the stuff she does as your VP.

Health & Safety

As most of you are aware Violence has been on the increase in the education section and the MOL has initiated a Blitz. There were two webinar dates with took place on Jan 23rd, 2023 and Jan 25th, 2023 to educate members on what to do to prepare for these visits.  The Phase 2- Inspection Blitz started Feb 1st, 2023- March 31st, 2023.  The plan was for the MOL to reach out to as many schools as they could within that time frame. The DCDSB received their list of 7 schools. As I write this, we were able to meet at Monsignor John Pereyma.  The meeting went well and the MOL had concerns with the Board not following their own internal policies. We cannot stress enough the importance of filling out the online incident reports as well as ensuring you are a part of creating or changing the safety plans.  Each student that poses a risk, needs to have a Notification of Risk alongside the safety plans.  The notification of risk should be shared with all employees in the building regardless if they are working directly with the student.  There also needs to be a means to summons immediate assistance.  Walkie talkies are generally used in the schools, you need to ensure that the safety plan has a identified person who is responsible for responding. When you are out of the building such as co-op or doing bus duty, the Board also needs to provide a means to summons immediate assistance.  Reaching out to your admin to ask for a cellular device during that duty is my recommendation.  If you are receiving push back from your admin, please email me with the school location and I will follow up.  By the next newsletter we should have more information around the outcome of the Blitz.
— Carrie Boisvert
Vice President
Disability Coordinator

This is your committee actively protesting at Queen’s Park. Well done Patricia and Anita. Thank you!

As always if you need us, we are here for you, and can be reached at:

Maureen Cope – maureen.cope@cupe218.ca   
Bargaining Chair, Catholic Board  

Bargaining Committee
Kristina McClaren – Kristina.mclaren@cupe218.ca  

Patrica Bosley – patricia.bosley@cupe218.ca

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Disability Management

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

We have almost made it to March Break. It has been another challenging year.  We fought the Government and now are at the Local Bargaining table.  It is imperative that you stay involved and talking to your brother and sisters showing support for your bargaining team.

As in all my reports, please continue to report any workplace injury to your supervisor, as well as notifying one of our disability team members at the CUPE office.  The sooner we are aware of an injury, the better equipped we will be in answering any questions or concerns you may have and to go over any forms that need to be completed to help support your claim.  We cannot stress enough the importance of filling out all the paperwork that is required and to also forward everything over to the CUPE office to assist you during this difficult process.  When the CUPE office receives a Notification of Occurrence regarding an injury in the workplace, you will receive a letter with a summary of the forms and the procedure that occurs.  We understand that it may be a difficult time, but for us to support and ensure you have a safe return to work, we need to have all the documentations you have submitted to the Board office.  It is all confidential and only members of the Disability Team have access to it.  Any paperwork that is completed due to a workplace injury is covered by WSIB and you do not need to pay.  

When you are off sick, you are required to submit a medical certificate after 5 days absent.  

Any medical for the DCDSB is the be submitted to confidential.medical@dcdsb.ca and office@cupe218.ca 

The DCDSB pays for any medical, up to $45.00.  All receipts should be emailed to confidential.medical@dcdsb.ca and office@cupe218.ca. It does take about a month to be reimbursed for medical.  If you have not received it, please reach out to christie.morissette@dcdsb.ca and carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca 

Any medical for the DDSB is to be submitted to shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca and office@cupe218.ca

Please note that IF YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER FEELS THAT YOU ARE UNABLE TO RETURN TO WORK, THEY DO NOT NEED TO COMPLETE THE LIMITATIONS AND RESTRICTIONS CHECK LIST.  THAT IS ONLY TO BE COMPLETED IF YOU ARE RETURNING WITH RESTRICTIONS.

If you have any questions around the process, please feel free to reach out to me by email or contact the CUPE office.

WSIB and Covid

If you believe you may have been exposed to COVID-19 while at work, but you are not ill and/or are not currently presenting symptoms of COVID-19, you should complete a Worker’s Exposure Incident Form and fax it to the WSIB at: 1-888-313-7373 AND report this to your Principal.
 
If you are presenting symptoms of, and/or have been diagnosed with COVID-19, which you believe to be contracted at work, you should complete the above form, notify the Board in the usual manner and seek medical advice immediately. Be sure to document for your records the date of your doctor or hospital visit. COVID-19 exists in the broader community, which creates challenges in establishing the link between your workplace and contracting the virus. For a COVID-19 claim to be allowed, evidence must show that a worker’s risk of contracting the virus through their employment is greater than the risk to which the public at large is exposed, and that your work and/or workplace significantly contributed to the illness. You must also fill out a WSIB form 6, inform your Principal of this and send the completed form to DCDSB at confidential.medical@dcdsb.ca or shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca at DDSB.

The Exposure form can be accessed through the WSIB website or the CUPE 218 website.

You can also contact the CUPE office if you cannot access online.

If you have any questions or need assistance, please feel free to call the CUPE Office, we would be more than happy to assist you. The Committee members can be reached through the CUPE Office: 905-571-7879 or Toll free 1-888-571-0218 Fax 905-571-4102

Carrie Boisvert- carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca

Disability Management Coordinator

John Allan- john.allan@cupe218.ca

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Pension Webinar

Retiring in the next five years and have questions about retirement benefits & finances?

OTIP invites CUPE 218 members to attend the Walk into Retirement with a Plan webinar.

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During this webinar, CUPE 218 members will learn about:

• Retirement benefits for life – discover why OTIP is now the leading choice for plan flexibility regarding retirement health, dental and travel benefits
• Your Pension –OMERS
• Other sources of retirement revenue, including CPP and OAS

Dates:

Tuesday April 4, 2023 10am-11.30am or 7pm-8.30pm

Click to Register:

Please register for CUPE Local 218 – Walk into Retirement with a Plan on Apr 4, 2023 10:00 AM at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1854143170692568151

Please register for CUPE Local 218 – Walk into Retirement with a Plan on Apr 4, 2023 7:00 PM at:

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8422592649677580125

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Benefit and Pension Update

Benefit and Pension Updates

OTIP Benefits Services

You still have time to make the switch!
 
If you are eligible for a T4A tax slip, you can check your plan member secure site at the end of February to access your T4A slip securely online until May 1, 2023.

Here’s why you should make the switch and get your T4A slip online:Access your T4A online anywhere, anytimeGet revised T4A slips quicklySave an electronic copy for your recordsBe paperless

If you do not switch to online access by Friday, January 27, your T4A slip will be mailed via Canada Post by February 28, 2023 to the address OTIP has received from your school board.

Ready to make the switch?Go to www.otip.com and click on the Log in button.Select Health and Dental from the drop-down menu and log in.Click Security Settings.Click on the arrow next to Change T4A Slip Delivery Preference.Choose Yes, I’d like to access my T4A slip online and click on Save Preference.

Please note: If you no longer have access to your plan member secure site, you will be mailed a physical copy of your T4A tax slip via Canada Post by February 28, 2023. 

To learn more about your T4A tax slip, visit www.otip.com/T4AFAQ.

How to access your T4A in myOMERS 

If you contributed to your AVC account by pre-authorized debit or received a monthly OMERS pension payment in 2022, you will be able to view and print your tax slip directly from your myOMERS account by the end of February. OMERS will also mail your pension tax slip to your home.

To access your T4A in myOMERS, follow these steps:

1. Log in to your myOMERS account
2. Under Announcements, click on “Getting your 2022 tax slip for Additional Voluntary Contributions (AVCs) or pension payments”
3. Click on the “Reprint Income Tax Slips” link
4. Select T4A and print

Please contact me if you have questions regarding Benefit (OTIP / EWBT) or Pension (OMERS)

Sue Wilkinson
Secretary Treasurer
CUPE Local 218

You can change your cupe.ca email password and forward emails to a personal email from Member’s Portal. Click on “Account” and then “My Profile” tab.

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OTIP Invest to Win

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OTIP Spring Event

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Public Board Job Evaluation

All current submissions are now up to date and have been reviewed.  There are a few reconsiderations being completed at this time.

If you would like to request that job evaluation be done, due to changes in your job, please contact me.

Sharon Munro

Job Evaluation Co-Chair, DDSB