June 2022 Newsletter

I hope you are getting a chance to get outside and enjoy the nice weather.

This will be the last Newsletter until the new school year. I would normally wish everyone a safe summer and say something like “we will see you in September”, well, I do wish you a safe summer but you will be hearing from me throughout the summer given that Notice of Bargaining has been given.

On June 3rd, 2022 the OSBCU submitted Notice to Bargain, when the OSBCU has served notice to bargain centrally this also means that notice has been given locally. In the coming days dates will be scheduled to begin Central bargaining. Please understand that when the Central bargaining team is at the table Locals are also able to be at the local bargaining table.

It is imperative that ALL Local 218 members have access to their CUPE 218 email. This will be how we communicate with you on bargaining updates, and membership meetings which could very possibly be a strike vote meeting. If you have not viewed your CUPE email in some time, I would suggest that you check to make sure everything is working properly. If you have not setup your email please contact Sue Wilkinson, swilkinson@cupe218.ca ASAP.

Unfortunately, there is a very good chance that we will be on strike. This strike would be Province wide shutting down all publicly funded school across Ontario. I would highly recommend that if you were thinking of making a large purchase like a new pool, trip, renovation that you hold off for the time being.

In the very near future you will be able to find the strike pay forms on our website which you will need to fill out your banking information to be able to receive strike pay.

On Thursday, June 23rd, education workers will deliver letters signed by tens of thousands of education workers across Ontario to the premier’s office at Queen’s Park and to the local constituency offices of MPP’s across the province calling for action by the provincial government to provide workers and students the working and learning conditions they need to thrive in their school communities.

Laura Walton, President of the OSBCU, will also be at Queen’s Park holding a press conference at the media studio, the press conference is to start at roughly 10:00 am.

I would like to thank our Lead Mobilizers, Tammy Fleming, Cindy Ellis, Stephanie Dezsi, Lauralene Cullen and Jehan Bisnauth for all their hard work. we were able to achieve well over 60% of member signatures which were placed on a banner. The Lead Mobilizers are now working on getting mobilizing liaisons in every school and work location and organizing strike captains. If you are interested, please contact mobilize@cupe218.ca. There will be strike captain training in the next couple of months so we need to get names as soon as possible.

“You always face the greatest struggles, the greatest opposition, the greatest discouragement right before the breakthrough.”

If we are going to achieve anything it is going to take all of us, the OSBCU is 55,000 members across Ontario, CUPE Local 218 is over 3,000 members strong. I can’t begin to tell you how important it is, for members to engage in this fight.

Do you want stronger Job Security, fair wage increase, respectful workload, stronger language in your Collective Agreements, safer working conditions? Then ask how you can support the bargaining teams at the Central and Local bargaining tables.

In Solidarity

Thank you
Dennis Gibbs
President
CUPE Local 218

I can’t believe we are already in the month of June and by the time this newsletter comes out both the elementary and secondary schools will be wrapping up another year. We have had another busy year with COVID situation all throughout the year. I am hoping that when we come back in September we will have a normal school year for everyone.

Since our last newsletter a lot as taken place from the local stand point. We have sent out surveys and got feedback from some members from those surveys. We had the bargaining survey that went out and we had in between 25% to 30% of our membership participate in that one. We also had the EA survey that went out and we had a pretty good showing of replies back for that one. We as the local rely a lot on what the membership send or communicates with us because if we do not hear from you the members then we don’t hear much of what is going on in our schools so please be active in communicating with your unit committees and keep them informed on what is happening in your schools.

Here are some of the days we recognize and celebrate since our last newsletter:

April:
-The International Day of Pink. This is a day that we recognize to stand up up against bullying, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia and transmisogny, and speaking out against the harmful impacts of discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

-We celebrated Good Friday and Easter. Easter is a Christian holiday that celebrate the belief in the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

May:
-International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia. This day is recognized to stand alongside the LGBTQ2 communities across Canada and the world to condemn all forms of discrimination and violence, based on sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression.

-Victoria Day. This is a day that we celebrate the Queen Victoria’s birthday. It was declared a holiday by the Legislature by the Province of Canada in 1845.

June:
-National Indigenous History Month. In June, take time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nation, Inuit and Metis Peoples across Canada.

-Launch of Pride Season. Pride Season is a term that refers to the wide range of Pride events that take place over the summer.

-Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day. In Canada, nearly 10 million people speak French. On June 24, on Saint-Jean Baptiste Day and the National Day of Quebec, Francophones across the country show their pride by celebrating their language and their traditions.

Mobilizing and Bargaining
In the last few month’s our Lead Mobilizers have been very busy. They completed phase one of the mobilizing with getting over 60% signatures from our members. Congratulations!! It is great to see our members getting involved.

The Lead Mobilizers are now on to phase two of the mobilizing. Phase two is getting your photos so they can put it up on a banner and send it to the OSBCU for support of our members for bargaining at the central table. If you haven’t sent your photos in please send them in as soon as possible.

The committees have been very busy preparing for bargaining. We have sat down several times now with our national rep to go over local issues and putting the proposals together for the 8 bargaining unit in local 218. We have a busy few months coming up with bargaining so please remember during the summer to keep checking the Cupe website.

COVID
As another school year comes to an end, we have been through a lot of COVID issues but I think we are getting there and everything seems to be on the right track to be fully opened again. COVID is still out there and I don’t think it will ever leave us now that it is in our world but I think our bodies are getting immune to it in some aspects. All our members have been amazing during the last 2 and a half years of dealing with COVID, you are all SUPERHEROES .

Health and Safety
Please remember to always wear your PPE. It is provided for you and if you don’t have it please reach out to management to get the proper PPE at your location.

If you require more Health and Safety materials for your Health and Safety boards in your location please reach out to your Health and Safety reps. The Health and Safety reps can reach out to the local for those supplies.

Equity
I have been involved in 3 Human Right and Equity meeting with the DDSB. They have been very informative for me as I am from the DCDSB and I am learning so much on how it is run on the DDSB. Please keep an eye on the Cupe website for further information on an Equity team for DDSB members.

The DCDSB has had 3 meetings this year and I was able to attend the last one. I would like to introduce Kristina Mclaren, who will be sitting on the Equity Steering Committee for the DCDSB and Elizabeth Cannons-Hurley will be sitting on the 2SLGBTQ+ advisory group for the DCDSB. Thank you to all the members who sent their names in to be part of the Equity team.

Disability Information:
If you have been injured at work or not at work and you require to be off work for anytime please reach out to the union office to find out what your options are. Even, if you are not sure please give us a call to find out if there is anything that we can do for you and if you need to send us any medical information for your injuries and need time off to heal from those injuries then we can lead you in the right direction. Please reach out to us for any support.

Both the DCDSB and the DDSB have FEAP programs if you, or someone needs a little extra support. Most schools have information or posters with the number to call, or the contact information is on their websites. It is completely confidential. The FEAP sheets for both boards is in this newsletter for your information.

General Membership Meeting
All our General Membership meeting are done for the 2021/2022 school year. We will see you for our next General Membership meeting in September 2022.  Just a reminder that we are only doing 4 newsletters a year now so the General membership meetings are posted on our website.

Sean Hebert
Vice President and Disability Rep
Cupe 218
shebert@cupe218.ca

As always, please continue to ensure that if you have a workplace injury, you contact the CUPE office so we can answer any questions or concerns you may have.  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 in order for us to support and ensure you have a safe return back to work, all documentation you send to the Board offices should be sent to the CUPE office as well.  It is all confidential and only members of the Disability Team have access to it.  I can’t express enough the importance of reporting incidents that happen in the workplace whether there is an injury or not. If you receive a call after your injury from the Board stating that they can accommodate you after your injury, do not turn down the offer, but instead tell them to reach out to the Union to schedule a meeting.  Once you turn down an offer, WSIB is notified and it becomes more challenging to be approved for your claim.

The DCDSB pays for any medical that is out of pocket.  All receipts should be emailed to christie.morissette@dcdsb.ca or confidential.medical@dcdsb.ca Please include the CUPE office in all correspondence.

The DDSB medicals should be sent off to shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca as well as 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 Christie Morissette 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.

Both boards are currently sending out LTD packages by email. If you are from the DDSB, once the CUPE office is notified that you have received the LTD package, I will send you off a LTD letter that has some common information as well as give you a call.  If you are from the DCDSB, the information that Rose Pearson sends off has a lot of information so I do not send you a letter, but I will call you to ensure that you have received the package.   If you have any questions around the package or need anything printed off or sent off, please do not hesitate to contact the CUPE office for assistance.

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.

Please have a safe and restful break.  It has been a trying 2 years and we appreciate all the hard work and dedication from each one of you.

Please keep checking your CUPE email for any updates as we are in the process of starting Bargaining and all communication/updates will be sent through your CUPE emails.

If you have not set up your email, please contact swilkinson@cupe218.ca

Stay safe!

Carrie Boisvert- carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca
Disability Management Coordinator

Sean Hebert- shebert@cupe218.ca
Lori Richard- lrichards@cupe218.ca
Bobby Montgomery- bmontgomery@cupe218.ca

I cant believe school is almost finished for the year. Where did the time go?

As many of you have heard we have had a decision come back from the arbitrator regarding daycare overtime. The Local took forward a grievance on behalf of the members of the Custodial group regarding Over-time. After a lengthy arbitration we have received the arbitration award and unfortunately it did not go in our favour.

At the end of the day the Arbitrator did not view the language in the collective agreement the same as the Union and took the position that the language did not support the grievance filed on your behalf.

Going forward we will need to try and negotiate defined language which would support what we were seeking. We will be tabling language which hopefully will accomplish this.

In less than 30 days we will be submitting to the Employers and the Government the Notice to Bargain.

What we need from you to be successful in this change and others, is to be prepared to support your Bargaining Committee when needed, follow the Local 218 website, watch for any campaigns which will be used to achieve a new Collective Agreement and to participate in those efforts.

Please pay close attention to your CUPE218 e-mail for all updates regarding bargaining.

I would like to give a huge congratulations to Dan Mills our health and safety and Bargaining Rep. on his upcoming retirement. We wish you all the best Dan, you will be greatly missed.

Lastly I would like to thank all the Custodial/Maintenance members for their continued hard work throughout this school year and hopefully you will be able to enjoy some much need relaxation in the upcoming summer months.

In Solidarity,

Bob Montgomery
Chairperson/Disability Rep.
CUPE 218
(905)571-7879

Committee:
John Alan
Dan Mills
Dan Fusco
Robin Fair
Kevin Lamont
Scott Freeburn
Jessica Fusco

As the summer clean up of the sites begins, please be mindful of the following;

1. The weight of boxes, waste receptacles (recycle and garbage), file cabinets, and shelves. When possible work in teams and pace yourself.
2. Organize your work so that scrubbing can be done when there is two people in the building in case of an accident such as a slip or trip. If you do not have any scrubbing slippers, request them from your supervisor. Also, try to work in well ventilated areas and only use chemical as it is prescribed to be used and, with cold water.
3. All schools should be receiving notification of a respite area for breaking and cooling down.
4. If you come across any non board furniture, contact your supervisor to have it removed as it is not our responsibility to be cleaning or removing it and the staff member should be the one to remove. We can assist if comfortable.  You may even want to draft up a letter to all staff reminding them of the polices, procedures, and any site-specific requests.

A couple other items that require the Leads attention are;

• Health and Safety bulletin boards need to be up to date with all required documents.  If you are unsure if you have everything, request a kit from the health and safety department.
• WHMIS (chemicals). Please ensure that you are only using Board approved chemicals and that they are up to date. There have been a few cases of staff having reactions to old or non-approved chemicals. Along with this, please check your WHMIS Inventory and update it appropriately. The system the Employer has in place is a good system and allows for an inventory to be tracked and going forward, may be something that you can check and adjust on a monthly basis. Information around these items can be found on the Board website through Spark.

Lastly, I imagine many of you have heard and seen my school posted. I have finally decided to hang up the keys after 37 years in facilities and 17 years as your Health and Safety representative. Robin Fair, Custodian at Pickering High School and Union Committee member, will be my replacement as of August 30^th. Thank you to everyone who has supported and assisted me over the years. One thing that I hope you all remember is you that have the power as an employee and a union brother or sister.  Use the rights that are given to you and communicate; being unheard helps no one and doesn’t allow us to assist if needed.

Take care and stay safe.

“See you along the path”
-Dan

Dan Mills
Health and Safety Representative
CUPE 218

Please note this section does not apply to certain workers and some circumstances which are listed in Section 43(1) and (2) of the OHS act.

Here’s how you can refuse unsafe work:

1.Notify your supervisor or employer about the circumstances for refusing to work. The supervisor or employer must investigate the situation with you and the worker-selected member from the joint health and safety committee, or a union representative.

2.If, following this investigation, you believe the unsafe condition still exists, you may refuse to work. Either you or your employer must notify a government inspector.

3.The inspector must investigate in consultation with you, the employer, and a worker-selected member of the joint health and safety committee, or a union representative. The inspector’s decision must be provided in writing to all those involved in the investigation.

4.You are required to remain in a safe place near your workstation until the investigation is completed. During this time, you may be assigned other reasonable alternative work or directions by your employer.

You cannot be threatened, dismissed, disciplined, intimidated or coerced for complying with the legislation, according to Section 50 of the OHS act.

Well, we are in our last month of the school. I just want to thank all the custodial and maintenance staff during this year, it has been another year of COVID but I think we are finally starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Your work has been extraordinary again this year and we thank you for all the extra work that you have been doing over the year.

We would like to wish Natalie Melich a happy retirement.  She has been a Bargaining Rep for many years and her knowledge and experience will be missed during this upcoming round of bargaining.  All the best Nat!

In the Custodial/ Maintenance dept. we are stilled plagued with critical staff shortages and managements answer is to just continually throw overtime at us however, what we are seeing from our membership is burnout and overwork. Even when offering O/T they offer half the required amount to complete the task at hand. This being said, do not hesitate to call and ask your SQS for extra help if you feel you need it for your location. Follow up that request with an email to your CUPE rep so we can track how many of these requests are actually filled.

The Board has started the bumping process with the custodian who is working at the virtual location as that location is closing the doors as of the beginning of July so we have to go through this process. This process will take a little time but hopefully it will be done by the end of June. The board has also interviewed 10 floaters to fill 6 vacant positions, the floaters will not find out their location until the bumping process has finished. The board has also interviewed some candidates for the plumber and controls tech position and from what I heard that they have put offer sheets out to some individuals for these positions so hopefully they get filled soon.

We currently have 2 grievances we’re working on. The first is a Step 3 which we have received a response from the employer, however we feel that they have only half addressed the issue at hand and therefore we will be proceeding to Arbitration. This grievance has been dragging on since 2019 with absolutely no regard for timelines by the employer. Our grievance with the board regarding the Truth and Reconciliation Statutory holiday has been settled. The board will now recognize T. and R. for the Facility Service dept. and we will take that day (fully Paid) at a mutually agreed upon date during March Break for 2022 and it will be further discussed with the employer to establish a date for the following years. Our second grievance pertains to a floater custodian being sat at a step 3 process where we were successful in the grievance, we just have to see if the member accepts the offer.

As stated in previous newsletters, Chief Custodians/ Designates, please keep a close eye on all PPE for your site/ school if it is ordered through OMAC. Do not run out or let stock get to critical levels. Follow up all orders with an email to your respective SQS and Principal/ Vice Principal so there can be no excuse for management to blame you.

We have heard that vacation time for Christmas has been denied for certain members. If your vacation time has been denied please reach out to you union committee to let them know. We have heard that they are only giving 7 custodians the time off during the Christmas holidays and there is not suppose to be a limit to how many custodian can take vacation time during this time.

We are presently preparing for our next round of bargaining.This round of bargaining is going to be a hard one and we need your help to show our employer that we all stand united as a UNION and we want to show them that we are very serious about this round of bargaining. We all need to show a united front to the board and have them take us seriously. If you feel you may be able to help in any way possible, please contact any one of your Reps and we will point you in the right direction.

We would like to personally ask everyone to spend some time thinking and keep in their hearts, the people of Ukraine with the terrible events that have unfolded there in the last 6 months.

To end my report my committee and I would again like to thank our Custodial and Maintenance staff for their continued professionalism, hard work and dedication in keeping a clean and safe environment for our students and staff. We are as always proud to represent you on behalf of CUPE 218. We wish you a safe and restful summer, make sure you take some well deserve time off.

David Slater – Chairperson
John Quarrie
Beth Marie Davies

Labour Management Meetings
On April 22, Dennis Gibbs, Sue Wilkinson, and I attended our Labour Management meeting. Thank you Dennis and Sue for your assistance and guidance. We now have a seniority list for supply instructors. In addition, I am hoping to be given good news that we will be part of the SFE system. This would allow us to have a supply contacted when we are sick. Currently, we are expected to call around to find a supply when sick.  This will most likely be discussed at our upcoming LM meeting.  Our next Labour Management meeting is scheduled for June 15, but I have asked to reschedule it for either June 8 or 9 since the last day of work is June 10.

LINC/ESL Bargaining Committee
I would like to thank Sajida for everything she has done as Bargaining Committee Chair. It has been a pleasure working with her. Sadly, Sajida has resigned from her position. We hope to see her at future GM meetings.

We would like to welcome back Tracy Gill as the Units Chairperson. Thank you Tracy, for returning as we step back into bargaining and will benefit from your experience and knowledge.

LINC/ESL Collective Agreement
As you all know, our collective agreement expires at the end of August, so we have a lot of hard work ahead of us.

All LINC/ESL instructors are encouraged to attend our upcoming General Membership Meetings starting in September 2022. Please continue to check your CUPE email to stay informed and participate in any surveys or mobilization efforts. Please remember that collectively we are strong. This means we all need to do our part to show that we stand up for our rights so that we are paid fair wages including prep time, and we are respected at work in an environment that is free of health or safety issues.

Wishing you all a safe and happy summer!

Katherine Sanchez
LINC/ESL Bargaining Committee Member
Katherine.sanchez@cupe218.ca

Bargaining
As a committee we are working with our CUPE National Rep and are in the process of finalizing our OCT Bargaining Proposal.  It is so important now for all of our members to be checking their email on a regular basis.  And for those members who have not yet logged into the member’s portal or who can’t access their email, I can not stress how important it is for you to contact Sue Wilkinson at swilkinson@cupe218.ca now rather waiting until it’s too late.  Information about our bargaining processes, and work to rule and strike information will be sent to our members via email.  You will also need to be able to access your CUPE email in the event we do go on strike to be able to access your strike pay.

Breaks/Lunch
At the end of May a survey was sent out for our Elementary Secretaries regarding the use of student office helpers.  There were a few comments/concerns that I felt it was important to address.  We are all entitled to our breaks and our one hour unpaid lunch.  It is in our Collective Agreement under L17.02 Present Conditions and Benefits.

The Parties agree to maintain present practices with respect to breaks. It is understood that a ten (10) minute rest break is to be taken approximately mid-morning and another taken mid-afternoon. In addition, a one (1) hour unpaid lunch break is to be taken approximately mid-day.

It is not your responsibility to cover your lunch or breaks.  If you have not done so already, you should speak with your admin and work out a time that is mutually agreeable for you to take your break/lunch and then when that time comes, you can let them know you are leaving your desk.

It is very important for all OCT members, in schools or at the Ed Centre, or wherever you are located to take your breaks.  We all need that time to change our mental focus and take time for ourselves.  It’s so easy at this time of year to feel overwhelmed with all of the tasks that need to be completed and time is running short.  Be good to yourself.  This is a job.  You can be replaced at work, but you cannot be replaced at home and with your family.  Prioritize and make sure to make yourself a priority.

Sick Days
Please be mindful when booking time off using your sick days.  These days are for our own personal illness and medical appointments.  When communicating with your admin, remember you are sending messages to their board supported devices so information could be tracked.  If you are using a sick day for something other than the described purposes and your admin/manager/employer is made aware, you could find yourself in a meeting.  Please be responsible and aware.

Collective Agreement
Our Collective Agreement is posted on the union’s website.  While it may not seem like a “fun” read, it is full of information that you will find useful during your employment with DDSB.  I encourage all of our members to read it over, just to get an idea of what is in it.  What days can you take for special leave?  How many days do you get for bereavement?  What happens if a close family member falls ill and you are required to take time off to care for that person?  All of the answers and so much more are available at your fingertips.
The magnifying glass/search makes finding answers so easy in Adobe.  I would be lost without it!

As an incentive for our members to read through the CA and be able to access their CUPE email, the first three OCT members to email me the section title that corresponds to Article L27.00 will receive a special gift.  You must use your @cupe218.ca email address to qualify.  Email me at allison.petty@cupe218.ca (Example – Article L9.00 – Seniority)

Lastly, to all our members, THANK YOU for all your hard work.  You are appreciated.  And if I have not met you, please feel free to send me an email to introduce yourself.  There are approximately 113 different job classifications within the OCT so I would enjoy hearing from you and learning about your position.

Have a great summer!!

With summer approaching I hope everyone is eager to take some time off. It has been an extremely difficult two years. Everyone has had so much stress in their lives, both professionally and personally. Please take some time to take a break from it all and recharge your batteries.

We have had some discussions with the board around technology for SCT members and currently all they will commit to is that everyone should have access to a microphone and camera on their desktop. If you do not have access to this, please create a help ticket so that it can be investigated. We had discussions about when the next computer refresh happens, we would prefer to see Laptops be issued instead of desktops. This would allow our members to be more mobile and to participate more in staff meetings with the rest of the school’s staff. This would also still allow for them to be hooked up to an external monitor(s) and keyboard/mouse.

As everyone should be aware, we have bargaining coming up this summer and fall. The is shaping up to be an even tougher battle then we had last time. Please make sure you are checking your CUPE 218 email regularly and visiting the website for updates. I am expecting the fight to be centered around wages this time, given the record inflation we are all facing added together with our decade long minimal to no wage increases. If anyone was planning and large purchases over the summer, I would suggest holding off until we see how things are looking.  Hopefully we have a better idea later in the summer or come September.

As usual we are looking for people to help out with mobilizing. If this is something that you are interested in then please see the website for mobilization updates.

Please remember that we only work our regularly scheduled hours. The more we successfully cram into a day the more the Board will demand from us. We only work a 7–8-hour day and the board just keeps trying to add more and more work into those hours. Any work outside of your regular hours of work should be paid overtime. Do not allow yourself to be guilted into stay with your supervisor/principal. They are paid significantly more than we are and therefore they have additional responsibilities that we do not have.

If you are away and are not being replaced when you should be, please reach out to the union and let us know. The board doesn’t tell us when they do not fill absences. We only know when the membership informs us. We would like to try to get a handle on how often this is happening and we need members to keep us informed.

Along with that please ensure that you are taking your full lunches and breaks away from your desk where you are constantly interrupted by other staff or students. You deserve your full breaks.

If you are interested in posting to a position, please apply when the position is posted internally. I have had several people asking about positions that had no applicants internally but then people were interested once the posting went external. Once a posting is external the board has no obligation to existing CUPE members.

When you are filing out your vacation requests and/or leave requests for this summer, please ensure you have a signed copy of your vacation request. If you are working in a school, it is HR’s position that they need to approve your vacation in addition to the principal. So please make sure you have a signed copy with their signature on it as well. Please also ensure that you are using the correct form that accompanies the Numbered memo on vacations.

If you have any questions or concerns about your health and safety at work, please first speak with your supervisor so that they are aware of the issue and have a chance to correct it. If that fails, please contact our SCT Health and Safety rep Alyssa King at alyssa.king@cupe218.ca. You can also contact me as well or call and leave a message at the CUPE 218 Office @ 905-571-7879. If your PPE supply is getting low, please let your admin know so that more can be ordered.

If injured on the job, please make sure you report it right away to your Principal and/or Supervisor. Make sure all paperwork is completed and copies are made for your own files. Please also let the Union Office (office@cupe218.ca) know that an incident has occurred and any updates following. We are here to assist you when required, however we can only do that when we are informed.

If you need assistance getting access to your CUPE 218 email and account, please contact Sue Wilkinson at the CUPE office via email swilkinson@cupe218.ca

We have already had our final General Membership meeting of the year so I look forward to seeing you all again in the fall.

Hopefully all of you have received your Chromebooks. I do know that if you haven’t received it because you were absent you have to get your supervisor/principal to put in an IT help ticket requesting it for you. All LTOs and FT EAs are to get a Chromebook. Since CBs are all online, but you want a certain app you must request this through the IT Help ticket process specifically naming the app. If IT determines that the app is not viable, they will let you know. For any issues regarding connectivity etc. put in an IT help ticket. Your committee is not equipped to deal with individual IT issues. Some of you have reached out requesting training and, on that note, we offered both an in-person and an online training on the June 3^rd PA Day that consisted of both a morning and afternoon session.  I really enjoyed the session I offered at St. Josephine Bakhita’s Learning Commons.

Some PSTs have been asking EAs to share or loan their Chromebooks to students. My answer is a flat out “NO.” This is your work Chromebook and not to be shared with students.

Reporting Sick Time – Some PSTs are requiring EAS to email, call or text them if they are going to be absent. If you decide to do this, remember that that is a courtesy. You are only required to report absences in your online SFE. If I were told to do this it would be a direct “NO.” We are not going backwards to a time when we had to call the school, the PST at home, the Board etc. Your PST is not your supervisor!

We have had two Labour management meetings since our last GMM. We did have a lot of items to discuss on April 22^nd:

-The board has been hiring 3 to 4 supply EAs on a weekly basis since March and have had them deployed right away. We have been assured that the emergency shortage has curtailed and shouldn’t have to continue with the practise of using lunchroom supervisors to cover EA shortages.

-They are going to continue paying supplies 7 hours per day to help cover, and there was discussion that they may continue this in the Fall if the ministry incentive is there.

-We expressed our wish to change how the current yearly performance appraisal is done. The board has agreed that the current appraisal is not an incentive for EAs. The plan is to set up a joint committee to change the current appraisal, and to change how often. We realize that they haven’t done the appraisals in the last two years but the Board is telling us that they plan on doing performance appraisals this year with the goal of changing it in the future.

-It seems the Course Tuition Form 4401 and procedure 427 is outdated as it incorrect and makes people wait way longer than necessary to get reimbursed. The Board has assured us that they will be making changes to reflect the current practises.

Our last Labour management meeting was on Friday, May 27^th where we had hoped to discuss this year’s postings but because of the changes to HR staff, they were unprepared. We had another meeting on Wednesday, June 1^st, and that was strictly to focus on the postings. The Board was not quite ready, as they have a lot of new staff so the postings will be out on Monday, June 6^th.

AD HOC – we also had AD Hoc on Thursday, May 26^th. There will be a survey coming out shortly requesting your opinion on your preferences regarding PA days for next year. Please look for that and fill it out as we would like to support whatever selections/topics you all want. We are happy to report that the EA incidences have come down over the year through your hard work. Please continuously familiarize yourselves with students’ safety plans. If the safety plans require Walkie Talkies, please ensure you are charging them. If they are not working demand new ones. You should not be required to use your personal phones to call for back up. Learn who your back up person is. We had Chromebook training for EAS on June 3^rd and EAS could select in-person or virtual both am and pm.

Health & Safety – Carrie Boisvert
Recently the Union sent out a survey around PPE. We have heard that the masking mandate may be lifted at the end of the Month.  We want to hear from the members around their feelings with having these restrictions lifted in schools.  The Joint and Health and Safety has reached out to all union groups and to have the data collected before returning from March Break.

As always, please continue to write your incident reports.  If you feel that the safety plan needs to be reviewed then reach out to your admin.  You should be a part of the safety plan process.  This is a plan that you are to follow, therefore your voice matters. IF you have any concerns or questions, please reach out to me carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca
Stay safe

The Board held a retirement dinner for the 2020/21 retirees on Thursday, May 26^th at the Sikorski Hall. The evening was quite nice as all staff were recognized for their years of service to the board. They are also having a retirement dinner for the 2022 retirees on June 14^th at the Jubilee Pavilion. We just want to congratulate and thank those that are retiring for their years of service.

Rallies:


I attended the May 1^st OFL rally at Memorial Park in Oshawa along with our CUPE 218 Mobilizers and other members from the EA/CM group, and the exec. We darn near froze as it was bitter cold and wet. Your mobilizers also attended a Rally on Thursday, May 26^th alongside OSBCU president Laura Walton and other CUPE 218 members. I couldn’t make it has I already had an important prior commitment. They were there hoping to ask the PC MPP Patrice Barnes who is   running for office a question: “Would they sign a pledge and support Education Workers this round of bargaining, and would they repeal Bill #124.” Of course, Patrice knew they were coming and was supposed to be there but she didn’t show up and cancelled. Your mobilizers were also in Bowmanville last week and had the NDP candidate from there sign their pledge to support Education workers in this round of bargaining. A big shout out goes to all these members who are actively mobilizing on your behalf. We appreciate the work, the time and the efforts they have done to promote us and to get us to a stronger presence at the bargaining table. The following DCDSB EAs were out at these rallies and I would like to thank them personally on our behalf. These included mobilizers as well as members:
Lauraleen Cullen
Tammy Fleming
Nancy Philip
Fabiola Seres
Kim Parker
Crystal Grande

Please remember to send your pictures using the QR code. If you don’t want to walk the picket line, now is the time to add your voice, and your picture. It only takes a few seconds.

Political Action:
Now that the Ford government has managed to gain a majority government, it is imperative now more than ever that we support one another in political action if we don’t want to walk the picket line. We need all of you to support us and your mobilizers if we are going to oust Bill 124 and get the proper raise we all deserve. Please check your CUPE email every day, and if you are still having trouble getting your email, please contact Sue Wilkinson at swilkinson@cupe218.ca or call the office and speak to Sue (905) 571-7879.

Employment Insurance:
It’s that time of year again unfortunately. I just want to remind you all that you have to be ready, willing and able to work while on EI. This means that you should also be looking for work. Now I know that this sounds ridiculous as most employers will not hire us for just 2 months. However, in the past I have been called to an in person meeting so that EI could check my job searches. A couple of members also got called last summer and were panicking. CERB had ended and there were a lot of jobs available as people left those jobs during COVID so EI got pretty nasty. Sign up for the job search when you apply for your EI, and keep a record of a at least 10 jobs you have searched for.

Bargaining:  All the Chairpersons, President, and Vice-President as well as the National Rep have met twice in the last week both in-person and online to discuss bargaining proposals. These were long grueling days and I’m sure there will be many more.

Grievances: We have two resolved grievances that the Board has agreed to finally make good on. One was a member who they refused to accommodate her working at home even though she is a virtual EA and that they had allowed others to do. Another was that the board was refusing to pay the member while off sick before their WSIB settlement. The Board has agreed to reimburse the member.
We are also at a Step II regarding the Board’s failure to follow the vacation articles negotiated for members who are working for three years or less. We will update you when we know more.

Job Evaluation: We continue to be frustrated with the co-chair of the steering committee at the board as her lack of response has been extremely trying. We are coming up with a plan and will update you when we know more.

If you need us for anything we can be reached at:
Maureen Cope – maureen.cope@cupe218.ca 
Bargaining Chair, Catholic Board
Educational Assistants

Bargaining Committee 
Carrie Boisvert – Health & Safety Representative carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca 
Bobbi Jo Agius – bobbijo.agius@cupe218.ca 

Steward 
Shelagh Cauchi – shelagh.cauchi@cupe218.ca 

We would like to wish those who have and those who will be retiring this year a wonderful time with your well-deserved next adventure! Enjoy every day to its fullest.

STAFFING – By the time you read this newsletter, fingers crossed all staffing has been completed and everyone has their placement for next year. We have been spoiled so long with Sharon looking after our group for so many years that she knew almost everyone by name and what school/position they were in and spent hours upon hours completing the staffing by hand herself.  Change is difficult for many of us and processes along with technology are becoming the new norm.  Hopefully the new system will take place earlier and run smoother next year after all of the kinks are worked out.

UPDATES– We have been providing updates to you in regards to the staffing and will continue to do so in regards to what is taking place for any changes or info we receive for the upcoming school year.

UPCOMING BARGAINING AND NEXT STEPS– Notice to Bargain was served both Centrally (via the OSBCU) and Locally at the beginning of this month.  We hope that everyone has their CUPE 218 email set up – if not, contact Sue Wilkinson swilkinson@cupe218.ca and she will assist you with that.  You are able to forward your 218 email to your personal email address yourself. It could be a busy summer with many notices and actions coming out from the local.  Watch the cupe218.ca website and your email often.  This is going to be one of the most important Bargaining times we have ever had – workers across the province are demanding respect and fair wages.  We are the backbone of schools and they wouldn’t be able to operate without CUPE members.

A strike is a possibility province wide this round.  We all need to be prepared.  Have the conversation with each other as well as parents and those in your community.

EI – Please be reminded that the Union has nothing to do with EI and their process.  If you have problems with your claim, you will have to reach out to Service Canada.

CONTACTS-Please reach out to the Steward assigned for Area in which you work. REMINDER: We are not to use the DDSB email for any Union business.

We wish you all a wonderful summer and please make sure you take time for yourself.  You are important to your families so after everything you’ve done for the students and others this past year, you deserve some self-care for yourself as well!

Bargaining Team
Glen Morrison, Tracey Lesperance, Sue Wilkinson and Lori Richards (Chairperson)

Stewards
Stephanie Dezsi, Fil Wylie, Brandy Townson and Deb Kennelly

It has been another crazy year, with COVID, school closures, various types of PPE, snowstorms, and power outages. But we have risen to the challenge and supported each other and our students.

Thank you to all the EAs who completed our Violence/Mental Health Survey. This information is so important, as it will help us better understand your experiences and where we as a Union need to demand changes in order for everyone to have a safe and healthy work-life.

You have submitted over 2100 Violent Incident reports this school year. These are reviewed by myself and the EA Stewards, and we reach out via email to provide support and make ourselves available for any concerns you may have.

Monthly Lori ann and I attend an EA support meeting with the Health and Safety Officer, Inclusive Student Services, and Ability Management. We bring forth information from schools and incidents of concern and look for ways to promote positive change.

In the 2022/2023 school year, we will be returning to in-person BMS training. This is great news as it allows us to refresh our skills in a more realistic way.

The EAP or employee assistance program is changing there will be a new tool available in the staff section of the website. It is called Life speak and will have videos by professionals on a variety of wellness and mental health topics.

I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication to keeping our school safe and supporting each other.

Please make sure to enjoy your summer- you deserve it! But of course, don’t forget to have fun, stay safe and check your CUPE email over the summer for updates for the coming school year.

Tracey Lesperance
Health and Safety Representative Educational Assistant Unit
Tracey.lesperance@cupe218.ca

Who qualifies as a dependent?

Your time-limited HCSA isn’t just for you.

-The $1,000 in your account can be used to help pay the cost of eligible expenses incurred by your eligible spouse and children enrolled in the CUPE EWBT Health and/or Dental plan.

-Time-limited HCSA benefits also extend to other family members who depend on you for support – and for whom you’re entitled to claim a medical expense tax credit under the Canadian Income Tax Act, including:

-you or your spouse/common law partner’s children or grandchildren who were age 18 or older at the end of the tax year; and

-you or your spouse/common law partner’s parents, grandparents, brother, sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces or nephews who were residents of Canada at any time during the year.

Submitting time-limited HCSA claims for your dependents – It’s easy!

-Just log in to GroupNet for plan members on the Canada Life website (or app!) and follow the same process you use when submitting claims for yourself, but check your dependent’s name instead. (The same process applies for paper-based forms, as well.)

You have until September 30, 2022 to submit your time-limited HCSA claims.

You can use this account for things like…

-Monthly premium payments from December 15, 2021 to August 31, 2022

-Major dental and orthodontic work, including braces

-Vision devices (eyeglasses and contact lenses)

-Paramedical claims over and above your CUPE EWBT benefits plan cap!

HOW TO VIDEO:

-Please use the following link for a step by step guide to the HCSA benefits:

https://vimeo.com/699155281/740c94fba1

BENEFICIARY E-FORM
To add or change your Beneficiary for your Life Insurance please go to your OTIP login and you can make changes electronically.  https://www.otip.com/Group-Benefits/Group-Life

OPTING IN TO EWBT FOLLOWING LIFE EVENTS

In December 2021 the Board of Trustees passed the following motion:

It was resolved to allow declined members to opt into coverage for the following life events:

-Marriage/common law relationship

-Legal guardianship

-Loss of coverage through spouse’s plan (including the death of a spouse that results in loss of coverage)

-Change in eligibility status due to an increase in work hours

This allow members who did not enrol within 31 days and were subsequently declined coverage the ability to re-apply without evidence of insurability if they have a life event.

If you have any questions about benefits please contact Sue Wilkinson, swilkinson@cupe218.ca

OMERS

Have you ever wondered what happens to your pension when you are off work on an unpaid leave of absence? While you’re off work, your own contributions and your employer-matched contributions stop, resulting in a gap in your service. This gap means lower credited service used in your pension formula, which may cause a delay in reaching your milestones such as an early unreduced retirement date. This break in service is referred to as a leave period.

The good news is that, in most cases, you can purchase the leave period. This includes leaves protected by employment standards, such as pregnancy/parental leaves and declared emergency leaves as well as some non-protected leaves authorized by your employer.

The cost to purchase the leave period will depend on the type of leave you take. Learn more on our Taking Time Off page on omers.com.

Considering purchasing your leave period? Sign in to your myOMERS account and use the Retirement Income Calculator to see how buying the leave period can increase your pension.

If you have any questions about pensions please contact Sue Wilkinson, swilkinson@cupe218.ca

Upcoming OMERS Workshops

• https://www.omers.com/events

The Power of Your Pension Plan – Retirees
June 1 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
June 7 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
June 21 | 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The Power of Your Pension Plan – Active Members
June 1 | 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
June 7 | 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.
June 21 | 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

How OMERS Calculates Your Pension
June 16 | 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

Maximize Your Retirement Income
June 16 | 4:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Preparing for Retirement
June 23 | 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

OMERS Survivor Benefits
June 28 | 4:30 p.m. to 5:15 p.m.

STRIKE PAY

APPLICATION FOR STRIKE PAY

You will receive emails to your CUPE email regarding possible upcoming job action.  One of those emails will contain a mandatory application for Strike Pay.  Please complete the application in full to prevent a delay in receiving your strike pay if we need to strike to receive the wage, benefit upgrades and better working conditions that YOU DESERVE!

If you require assistance setting up your CUPE email please contact Sue Wilkinson swilkinson@cupe218.ca   All information will be going to your CUPE email only.

Sue Wilkinson
Secretary Treasurer

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The Edvantage Program gives you special access to discounts on things like car insurance, Canada’s Wonderland passes, GoodLife memberships, retail purchases and more!

Haven’t registered for Edvantage?
Contact Sue Wilkinson at swilkinson@cupe218.ca to register today!