Newsletter

September 18, 2024

September 2024 Newsletter

Table of Contents

Vice President’s Message

WELCOME BACK TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!!!

As we embark on a new school year, I want to take a moment to extend a warm welcome back to each of you. After a well-deserved break, I hope you’re feeling refreshed and ready for the exciting challenges and opportunities that lie ahead. To our 12 month members, thank you for getting our schools ready for another school year to ensure our colleagues and students have a successful year.

This year brings with it a renewed sense of purpose, as we continue our collective mission to inspire, educate, and support the growth of our students.

I want to first start by apologizing for the Collective agreements not being done in a timely manner. When I took on the active president role, I started with reviewing what stage the collective agreements were at.

Your exec worked hard from that time to ensure that a revised copy was sent to the employer with the proper Bill 124 pay rates. I was hopeful that they would have revised and agreed to our submission before the end of the summer. Unfortunately we are still awaiting confirmation from HR as they have had some staff changes and needed more time to review.

This process is not a process I wish to continue moving forward. I have spoken to the Exec and the National Rep around approving this process so we are not waiting this length of time to have a signed agreement that you can have access too.

Over the summer we also met as a team to review the Strategic Planning.

Membership Education
Community Engagement
Stop the Violence
Local Bargaining

These are the 4 priorities that we are focusing on over the next two years.

Thank you to everyone who have put their names forward. The more we focus on our goals, the more success we will have as a local to receive the respect we so rightfully deserve.

Member engagement and feeling the empowerment for change is the goal for the coming year.

Your dedication and resilience are truly the heart of our schools. The impact you have in the success of our schools to be supporting the students and running our schools is immeasurable, and I’m constantly inspired by the way each of you brings your unique skills and passion every day. CUPE education workers are the Core of the Education sector. WE have proven that schools can’t run without us!

There have been Health and Safety concerns that were brought to the Unions attention since the start of the school year. Many on social media. I do not focus Facebook personal pages that have CUPE members as well as non CUPE members. Please contact the office and/or your Health and Safety Rep so we can follow up with the employer. Your safety is the number one priority. If you don’t reach out, we don’t know that there are any concerns.

WE are trying to roll out a process to track staff absences and shortages. Your exec is working on a plan as each unit is very different when it comes to our ability to track. If you are in a position where you are able to assist us with this, please reach out as we have heard your concerns with staff shortages and need data to support change moving forward.

Once again, thank you. The power of a union comes from its members standing together. When workers are united, they can achieve their goals and foster a sense of community among us all.

Solidarity,

Carrie Boisvert
Acting President

Disability Management

Welcome Back to a new school year. I hope everyone had a well deserve time to rejuvenate from a very busy year. To our 12 month members, thank you for putting the work in to get the schools ready for September. As always, I hope everyone is staying healthy and safe in this trying time and continues to focus on their mental health as self-care is extremely important and even more important during this difficult time that we have all been faced with.

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 marcelle.spadafora@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

We are receiving many calls around workplace exposures. This pertains to any bodily fluid, chemicals etc. If you believe you may have been exposed while at work, but you are not ill 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.

Be sure to document for your records the date of your doctor or hospital visit.. You must also fill out a WSIB form 6, inform your Principal of this and send the completed form to Marcelle Spadafora 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

Fax 905-571-4102

Please keep checking your CUPE email for any updates and for our upcoming social events.

Stay safe!

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

John Allan – John.allan@cupe218.ca
Stephanie Dezsi – Stephanie.dezsi@cupe218.ca

Catholic Board SCT

Welcome to Fall!

Welcome, welcome, welcome! It’s that time of year again as we gear up for another exciting fall school start. This month, we’re excited that we all got our $1/hour raise. By now, you should have received your Bill 124 retroactive payments—hopefully you didn’t spend it all at once! That’s a total of $3/hour in raises since our last contract, plus the Bill 124 increases. While it’s still not where we’d like to be, we’ve come a long way in the last six months.

SCT Committee Elections

Nominations and elections for the SCT Committee are coming up this fall. Nominations will be in September, with elections following in November. Whether you want to support the current committee or run for a position yourself, we encourage you to get involved. CUPE thrives on active participation, and every member has the right to run, provided they meet the bylaw requirements (check them out on our website). Don’t hesitate—democracy in action depends on your voice!

CUPE 218 Website Update

You may have noticed some improvements to the CUPE 218 website. One of our goals is to make accessing important information easier. Be sure to check out our new virtual assistant, Mindy, powered by AI, as we continue enhancing its capabilities.

Get Involved

We’re looking for volunteers to assist CUPE 218. It’s a great way to dip your toes into union activities and see if you’d like to get more involved. Some roles may include booked time off work or travel (with mileage covered). If you’re interested, reach out to me, and we’ll discuss what’s involved.

CUPE 218 Pub Night

Mark your calendars for Saturday, November 9th, 2024! We’re hosting a CUPE 218 Pub Night at the Tap and Tankard in Whitby, starting at 6:00 pm. This is a perfect chance to unwind and connect with your colleagues outside of work. Please make sure to arrange transportation if you plan on drinking.

Collective Bargaining Agreement Update

I understand the frustration surrounding the delayed release of the new Collective Bargaining Agreement. As far as we know, it’s still somewhere between the DCDSB and the CUPE National Rep’s office. Let’s hope we get to see it before it’s time to negotiate the next one!

Speaking of which, the next round of bargaining is right around the corner. Have any suggestions for the new agreement? Write them down and email them to us. The more members we hear from on a topic, the more influence it carries, so don’t hesitate to share your ideas.

Communication Tips

If you’re discussing an issue with your Principal or Supervisor—especially if it involves a health and safety concern, or tasks outside your job description—make sure all communication happens via email. Principals may verbally ask for things they won’t put in writing. If this happens, request the instructions in writing. If they refuse, follow up with a summary email. Documentation can be crucial for protecting yourself and may be needed later if a grievance arises.

Breaks & Lunches

Don’t forget to take your breaks and lunches every day—you’ve earned them! It’s now explicitly stated in our Collective Agreement that these should be uninterrupted. You shouldn’t be answering phones, taking notes, or dealing with coworkers or the public during this time. Take advantage of it!

Work Tasks During Work Hours

If you’re running errands like going to the bank for work, be sure to do it during work hours—not on your unpaid lunch, or before or after work. These tasks are part of your job and should be completed on the clock.

Student Supervision

While we are all responsible for the safety of students, prolonged supervision is not our job. If your administrator is leaving students in your care for extended periods without a supervising staff member, speak up. Let them know it’s not your responsibility. If the issue persists, contact the union office.

Injuries on the Job

If you’re injured on the job, report it immediately to your Principal or Supervisor, complete the necessary paperwork, and keep copies for your records. Be sure to inform the Union Office as well (office@cupe218.ca), so we can assist you as needed.

For health and safety questions, reach out to Alyssia King, the SCT Health and Safety Rep, at alyssa.king@cupe218.ca. For other concerns, feel free to contact the SCT Committee directly.

Mike Morris – Chairperson/Steward – mmorris@cupe218.ca

Sandra Ribeiro-Dantas – Bargaining Committee/Steward – sandra.dantas@cupe218.ca

Jennifer Del Gatto – Bargaining Committee/Steward – jennifer.delgatto@cupe218.ca

Public Board OCT

Welcome back everyone! The brevity of summer makes you wonder if it happened at all. It’s been an extremely crazy start up. The number of students in our schools is absolutely mind blowing. It is at this time, you are reminded to take your breaks and lunches. Be aware of your mental and physical health. There is quite a bit of work to do, however, if you are unwell, the work cannot be completed. Let’s support each other by ensuring that individually, we take responsibility for our own well-being.

Reminders:

Please ensure you complete your offense declaration. It is easy to work extra time during this time of year. However, please do not over extend yourself to the point you are putting yourself at risk. Ensure that the extra time you work is documented and approved by your supervisor or principal. Overtime is any time that you work outside of your normal hours. Overtime is paid at the rate of one and one-half times the published wage rate for the first four hours and double the published wage rate after four hours in any one scheduled day or shift Monday to Friday. If you work in a school office attendance at “Annual Commencements and “Parents Nights will be considered as overtime. Any time off in lieu of overtime pay should be given at 1.5 times the overtime worked. Be sure to report any violent incidents as soon as possible or as near to the time they occur as you are able to. Also, we must not treat violent incidents as minor or acceptable occurrences. If each incident is not dealt with, there is always the potential that it can be repeated and escalated if not addressed with proper policies being put in place.

September 30th is the National Day of Truth and Reconciliation. This Holiday should be recognized“as part of the reconciliation process that has been called for by Indigenous peoples”. It is a reminder of the atrocities inflicted through the legacy of Residential Schools.

Did you Know:

The autumn equinox is different each year. The day when the sun is directly in line with the Earth’s celestial equator changes from year to year. Autumn was not always the name of the Fall season. It was once called Harvest based on the time of year farmers would reap their crops as well as because of the full moon aptly named the “Harvest Moon”. Autumn babies live longer: According to the Journal of aging Research 30% of centenarians born during 1880 and 1895 were born in the Autumn Season.

Please remember to reach out to your committee members if you have any inquires or uncertainties. We will be happy to try and help you find the answers you are searching for.

Let’s have a safe and fulfilling start up!

Antony Nembhard – OCT Chair – antony.nembhard@cupe218.ca
Ramona-Lisa McDonald – Ed Centre Rep – rmcdonald@cupe218.ca
Leanne Finlay – Elementary Rep – leanne.finlay@cupe218.ca
Allison Petty – Secondary Rep – allison.petty@cupe218.ca

Catholic Board LINC/ESL

DCDSB LINC/ESL September 2024 NEWSLETTER

Welcome back after a well-deserved summer break!

As summer gives way to fall, we begin a new school year that is bound to be filled with new opportunities for learning and gaining knowledge.

Below is some news for the upcoming school year:

This upcoming year will have a focus on CUPE member unity and community engagement to prepare for the next round of bargaining in 2026.
Each month, your Chair will pay a visit to your worksite during your lunchtime to touch base with instructors only giving the opportunity to discuss any issues you would like to see addressed.
CUPE 218 has elections in November, 2024, where Unit members vote for their bargaining committee (Chair + Steward).
For LINC/ESL at the DCDSB, instructors will commence a soft launch of Avenue, the new online learning platform to be used replacing D2L. Online classes will completely switch to Avenue, and in-person classes will have the chance to introduce Avenue in their classes.
The schoolboard will create a schedule for labour management meetings for this year.
Jaime Sheepwash is the new Superintendent of Education in HR replacing Gerard Winn who has been promoted to Director of Education for the DCDSB. Congratulations to Gerard. We wish him all the best.

*IMPORTANT*:

Check your CUPE email regularly for updates and information.
When corresponding with management on work/CUPE-related issues, please Cc, or if you prefer Bcc, the CUPE office, the CUPE president, and your unit Chair to keep all informed.
Put everything in writing; it is advisable to email management on all issues, including follow-up emails after verbal communications to document the conversations.
All members are CUPE. Each voice is as important as the other. Please don’t hesitate to connect with CUPE on any concerns.
Your bargaining committee is voted in as your liaison/representatives with the board and CUPE but not above or more significant than each member. They bring your concerns and ideas to the table. There are certain duties and responsibilities the bargaining committee must engage in, and it is your bridge to the board and CUPE in some ways. We all hold equal stature, and your insights and recommendations are vital to the life and success of our Unit.

Below is some important contact information:

CUPE 218 office: office@cupe218.ca
CUPE 218 President: carrie.boisvert@cupe218.ca (acting president at the moment)
Current bargaining committee: tracy.gill@cupe218.ca & Katherine.sanchez@cupe218.ca

Here’s to a productive year!

Your bargaining committee,
Tracy Gill & Katherine Sanchez

Public Board CONED

Public Board Continuing Education Newsletter

Welcome back to our 2024/2025 school year. I hope that everyone enjoyed the beautiful summer weather and found some time to relax and take a much needed break. I would be remiss if I did not mention how much I am truly going to miss working with the five CNC staff that have been redeployed this year. I wish them all the best and will continue to check in throughout the year. Ann, I will miss you dearly in Oshawa but I know that you will have an amazing year in Pickering.

I look forward to representing the amazing Con Ed staff again this year. As always, I am committed to continuing to build, develop and foster relationships with each and everyone of you. You can email me at kristine.brown@cupe218.ca or call me on my cell at 904-242- 3740.

By the time you are writing this newsletter, school will have started and most of our 2024/2025 programs will be up and running. Please remember that the CUPE newsletters will only be available quarterly so I encourage you to check the CUPE website and your CUPE email on a regular basis for information and updates.

True to Con Ed form we begin this year with some unexpected changes, nothing shocking there!
In June CNC staff were told that they would have the opportunity to work September 3rd to the 5th for registration. This opportunity was removed in late August with the explanation that the allocated funds were no longer available. At the time of writing this newsletter I understand that the instructors have not been provided with their classroom assignments yet. I know that this causes many of you much frustration as well as anxiety and I sympathize with you and I know that this is not how we like to start off the school year. We have also been informed that there is no money for supply staff this year. This means when a staff is off sick/medical appointment, a supply will not be requested. If a staff is on an approved LOA, there may be one requested to cover. This will mean that we will either need to cancel classes/childcare or our students will be combined within one class. I have anxiety trying to process how this scenario will actually play out, so I can sympathize with everyone else who this will affect.

It saddened me to hear late summer that the funders to our program have decided to remove infant care from our CNC programs. This was unexpected news as many of our immigrant families have young children and as a result will not be able to access the services that they rightly deserve.

Please remember that the union fought very hard to get the additional PBLA time and I urge you to use this allotted time and refrain from putting extra time in before and after school. We are not required to be in the school before or after the hours of the instructional day. I know that this is easier said than done but when you are putting in extra hours to do your job, you are giving the employer more than you are earning. The extra hours that you work let the employer know that the workload is manageable. We all need to be united from the start and not enable the employer to increase our workload and not be compensated for it. I cannot stress enough the importance of taking your uninterrupted lunch time every day. You need this time for yourself. If you do not start the year off doing this, it will become a routine that will be hard to break free from. Take your lunches, you deserve them.

Payroll Schedules – for your reference, you can refer to the payroll schedules through the attachment below. Please note that there are two links, one is for permanent employees and one is for supply/contract employees.
https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/my-employment/payroll.aspx#Pay-Schedules
Employee Work Year Calendar
2024/2025 10 Month Employee Work Year Calendar can be reviewed through the link provided below.
https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/my-employment/employee-information.aspx
People of Culture Contact Information can be reviewed through the link provided below.
https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/my-employment/resources/Documents/HRDocuments/EmployeeInformation/EmployeeRecordsDocuments/FOS-PDFs/HRS_DCE.pdf

Sick Days – If you are on a LTO – your sick day allocation is prorated to your date of hire. Please ensure that the correct number of days is reflected on your Employee Self Serve page. It is also important to ensure that if you had any sick days remaining during the 2023/2024 school year, they should be reported on your SL Top Up line in your Absence Details page.

When you are off sick, you are required to submit a medical certificate on the 5th day that you are absent. This medical is not required to be sent to your Admin or Supervisor. Any medical documentation is to be submitted to shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca and to office@cupe218.ca

THE DDSB WILL OFTEN REACH OUT AND OFFER YOU A MODIFIED RETURN TO WORK PLAN. PLEASE DO NOT ANSWER THE EMPLOYER UNTIL YOU REACH OUT TO ONE OF THE DISABILITY TEAM MEMBERS TO HELP YOU NAVIGATE THROUGH THE PROCESS.

Labour Management – at this time we have not scheduled any dates for discussions.

Collective Agreement – I want to thank you for your patience as we have been working very diligently with the employer to get the collective agreement posted on the CUPE and DDSB websites. This process takes time as we want to ensure that everything is 100% accurate. I will let everyone know when it will be available for review. The additional $1.00 increase should be effective in September for this school year. Please remember to check your pay stubs for accuracy.

Bursary & Scholarship Information
If you are an OTIP member, you and your family members who will be attending school during the 2024-2025 academic year may be eligible for a $1,500 bursary from OTIP. Bursary Program Application will open again in October 2024. https://www.otip.com/why- otip/community-investment/bursaries

Please remember to complete the CUPE 218 Scholarship application in September. This is a great opportunity to offset some of your child’s educational expenses. The application can be found on the CUPE website or you can see me in early September and I will provide you with the application. https://cupe218.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/CUPE-Local-218-and-Len-Byrne-Memorial-Scholarships.pdf

NEW CUPE EWBT Website is now live- This is your go to destination for all your benefits provided the CUPE EWBT. https://www.cupe-ewbt.ca/

New Hire -Applications for CUPE EWBT

Eligible education members of the CUPE EWBT are guaranteed coverage under the benefit plan if they enroll within 31 days of receiving their New Hire Event email from OTIP ( note, this is sent to your board email address) If you do not enroll within 31 days, you will be deemed a “late applicant”.
As a “late applicant,” you, your spouse and eligible dependent children (if applicable) will be required to complete a medical questionnaire and submit it to Canada Life for approval, Canada Life may ask for additional information and has the right to decline health coverage to you, your spouse and/or your dependent children.
If your coverage is approved by Canada life, your effective date for health coverage will be the date of Canada Life’s approval.
As a “late applicant” your dental coverage is limited to a maximum of $200 per person for the first 12 months of coverage.

Strategic Planning Session
In July, I had the opportunity to sit down with our executive committee as well as two representatives from our National committee to create a strategic plan for Local 218. This was an excellent opportunity for us to discuss key goals that we would like to achieve within our local. There will be an information session offered to our membership to explain our Local and to offer a platform for members to ask questions. I encourage everyone to attend to have your questions answered by the experts.

Upcoming Dates are scheduled for Wednesday, Sep 25, 2024at 7:00pm. This will be
virtual. Sunday, Sep 29, 2024at 6:00pm at the union hall prior to the GMM.

Key Goals that will be discussed include:

Membership Engagement
Community Engagement
Stop the Violence
Local Bargaining

Save the Date
General Membership meetings will take place at the CUPE Local 218 union hall on Sunday,
September 29th, Sunday, October 27th and Sunday, November 24 at 7:00 pm. I hope to see everyone in attendance.

Our next Newsletter will be published in December 2024.

I am optimistic that this will be a great year for everyone and please remember that we are stronger together.

I hope that everyone has a healthy, safe, happy and productive fall. If you have any questions or concerns, we are always here to provide assistance.

Kristine Brown – Chair – kristine.brown@cupe218.ca
Arisa Tierney – arisa.tierney@cupe218.ca

Public Board CONED Health & Safety

Public Board Continuing Education Health & Safety Newsletter

Welcome Back friends!! It seems like only yesterday that I was wishing you all a happy summer and now our break has ended and we are headed back to our regular work routines. I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone for all your hard work and dedication to our program and students and to also remind you that you matter and your health and safety matter while you are at work.

As we start the year, I am sure that we will have a few school fire drills. Please remember to report to administration ASAP if you are not able to hear the alarms or if you encounter any problems during a drill.

Please remember that if you are injured at work, concerned about your mental stress or heat stress, you need to report it to your supervisor ASAP. Parklanes are to be filled out if there is ANY first aid treatment required (washing/icing/Band-Aid) or you just need a moment to collect your thoughts and step away from your classroom. Please remember to check First Aid on your report. It is your right to have time within your work day to complete the forms.

Do not be afraid to report, you don’t know how you will feel the following day. NO INJURY should be disregarded. If you require medical attention, please, please notify the union, we are not aware and cannot provide support and guidance if we are not informed.

If you need to go off on short term, please forward any medical documentation to the short term absence shortterm.absence@ddsb.ca as well as the union office@cupe218.ca, this way we have the proper paperwork and information to represent you on your return to work procedures. No questions asked are too small, we are always available to provide assistance.

Please refer to the link provided below if you have been exposed to bodily fluids (spit/blood/vomit/etc)
Worker’s Exposure Incident Form • •

A friendly reminder to always be aware of your surroundings. There are times when students are exiting the building and the doors remain open, thus allowing members of the public to enter our building. Ideally it would be great if our classroom doors remained shut and locked at all times, but I understand that some like to keep the doors open for proper air circulation.

The DCE Health & Safety committee will be completing the first inspection of the school year within the next few weeks. Inspections are important as they allow you to:

Communicate your concerns
Identify existing and potential hazards
Be aware of steps taken for corrective actions

I would like to thank Carrie Boisvert for advocating to allow me to represent Con Ed at the Joint Health & Safety Committee meetings this year. As always, I appreciate her support and dedication to our unit.

I look forward to representing our unit at the 2024 Injured Workers & Health & Safety Conference in October this year. It is sure to be a week filled with opportunities to connect, share and plan on issues that we are facing in our workplaces.

Have a great Fall Season Con Ed!!

Kristine Brown
Continuing Education Health & Safety Representative
kristine.brown@cupe218.ca
905-242-3740

Catholic Board Facilities

To All Facility Service Members,

Welcome back to another school year, it is hard to believe that school has started for another school year. We hope that you had a great summer and were able to spend some down time with family and friends. Thank you to all Custodial and Maintenance teams for getting the schools ready for a brand-new school year. Every year we get more and more challenges at our schools to complete the summer clean up as more schools are used with community use permits, but you seem to get it done so great work out there.

Grievance update:

Here is our list of grievances that are in various steps currently.

1 Grievance for External permits this one is going to Arbitration.
1 Grievance for acting Chief was sat at a step 3 and still waiting for a response.
3 Grievances for acting Chief over the summertime is filed at Step 1
1 Grievance for posted Chief job at Notre Dame is filed at Step 1
1 Grievance is being filed pylons is filed at Step 1
1 Grievance for the All-Purpose position that is going to arbitration.
1 Grievance for Vacant Positions this one is in abeyance.
1 Grievance for Duty to accommodate this one is in abeyance.
1 Grievance on Security Checks that is going to arbitration.
16 Grievances on weekend permit coverage that was sat at a step 1 and we are still waiting for a response.
1 grievance for overtime list that has been filed at a step 1 for not following the overtime list.

Facility Service committee Update:

As a committee, we have divided up the areas by town or city. If you have any information or questions, please contact the committee member in your town or city your school is in.

Beth Davies – Maternity Leave
Dave Slater – Pickering/Oshawa
Greg Gillis – Ajax/Oshawa
Sean Hebert – Whitby, Brooklin, Port Perry, Uxbridge, Beaverton and Maintenance.

Workload Committee:

As many of you know by now the workload committee has sat with management to discuss the schools that have gained square footage in their schools and lost square footage in their schools. This is always a hard time for the union workload committee as we know that this will be affecting some members in their locations, it is usually the least senior person that is affected by these changes. We as a committee work hard to try and keep the members in their schools but with the square footage changes it doesn’t work sometimes and we must put members on splits even if they have been on an 8 hour shift the prior year. We apologize for any movement that affects your shift, but it is the process that has to happen at the beginning of every school year.

Health and Safety:

As the weather is getting colder, please remember to do your stretches before you start your shift to prevent any injuries on the job. If you any kind of injury at the job please report it to the principal or your supervisor so they can fill out a Parklane on your behalf so the paper work is started in case some arises out of this further down the road. If you have any Health and Safety concerns at your location, please reach out to Sean Hebert at shebert@cupe218.ca.

Socials For Cupe:

We have a few events coming for our members.

A golf tournament is being held on Saturday, September 21/24 at Quarry Lion Golf Resort and the cost is $40.00 per player.
We have a pub night being held in November so keep an eye out for the flyer for more details.
We have the kids Christmas party coming up at the end of November so keep an eye out for the flyer for this event.

Facilities committee:

Sean Hebert – Chairperson

Beth Davies – Bargaining Rep (Maternity Leave)

Dave Slater – Bargaining Rep

Greg Gillis – Steward

Public Board Custodial Maintenance

CM/PB Newsletter for September 2024

I would just like to welcome everyone back for another year. The custodial team have made the buildings look great as usual and I would like to thank everyone for all their hard work over the hot summer. Thanks to our maintenance staff for getting all the repairs done as well and I hope that everyone also had time to enjoy time with your friends and family.

I guess the hot topic for the start of the school is the change to the recycling program.
Just after Covid, the union filed a grievance about our responsibility for picking up
recycling. Here is what the union and the employer agreed to,

The Parties acknowledge that, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many sites had an environmental program or club where students were participating and assisting with duties related to recycling materials within the building.
Where a site may return to such environmental programs or clubs in the future, the program will be structured in a similar manner, subject to the discretion of the program/club lead or Principal and with due consideration to health and safety of staff and students.
If a site did not have such program or club listed above or does not currently have a similar program or club, it is understood the duties related to the collection and disposal of recycling materials within a building will be the responsibility of the Custodial staff at that site.

This agreement was signed back in early 2021 by the chairperson and president at that time and the grievance was withdrawn by the union.

Back in April of this year at a Labour Management Meeting the employer told the union’s bargaining team about this new program. When the union asked how this would be working, we were told that all the details have not been worked out. When the email came out, that is when the union found out how the program would be run. I can tell you that the union has many questions about this, and a meeting has been held with the employer. The union does not expect our members to carry individual bins from the classrooms to the dumpster. On the day or week when you collect your recycling, if it has any type of contamination in the bin, either food waste or non-recyclable materials it should then be considered waste and disposed of accordingly. The union met with the employer at the beginning of September and we will continue to meet with them until this issue is resolved.

The new online transfer list was rolled out a few weeks ago. It seems the employer has had a few hiccups with the roll out but the issues are getting resolved. If you have a concern with your positioning please contact Greg Noumtinis to have it corrected.

From a disability perspective, whether it’s a workplace injury or an injury outside of work, board medical certificates will be required to be submitted to the employer. As a reminder, whatever paperwork you send to the board, please forward to the union. It helps us to be on the same playing field with the employer if any questions arise from your injury. No injury is too small to report.

I hope everyone has a great successful year, and again thank you for all your hard work this past and upcoming school year.

In Solidarity,

John Allan Chairperson

Robin Fair

Kevin Lamont

Bret Filion

Mike Nixon

Tyler Hunter

Ian Watt

Jessica Fusco

Scott Freeburn

Catholic Board EA

Hope everyone had a nice restful summer. Here we are in the beginning weeks of school. Already your committee has been busy with incident reports as they have already started coming to us. Please keep filling them out. They are an important method of being able to track which schools may be seeing increases or decreases and that they all are documented and discussed at both ad hoc and joint health and safety meetings. Once your committee receives them we will reach out to make sure you are okay. This is a great way for us to have open communication so we are better able to help you. If you have received first aid, remember to fill out a Parklane with your principal.

The board is paying us for 7 hours, but our working hours are 7 hours 40 minutes with an unpaid lunch. Some EAs have been given the option to have breaks put onto the start or end of the day. If you are finding you are going over this time because you are being asked to ride a bus, please reach out to your principal and if a solution cannot be reached please email us.

Everyone should be checking their eServe account to make sure you are being paid correctly for your vacation percentage rates. If you find your percentage isn’t correct email us so we can assist in making sure this can be corrected.

We have a job description for a very good reason. We need to be following it and not working out of the scope of our position. We shouldn’t be doing work that another unit is contracted to do. Our jobs are stressful enough and working longer hours will only lead to burn out. It is the teacher’s job to program. We are just to assist in the execution of their plans.

Your committee is here to help you and if you ever have questions or concerns, please reach out. We will do our best to try and answer your questions. We are all EAs and are right along side you as we try to make it through another year.

Wishing everyone the best of luck for the 2024 2025 school year.

Bargaining Chair
Patricia Bosley(Ajax) – patricia.bosley@cupe218.ca

Bargaining Committee
Maureen Cope(Pickering) – maureen.cope@cupe218.ca
Kristina McLaren(Oshawa) – kristina.mclaren@cupe218.ca

Steward
Anita Condron(Whitby) – Health & Safety Rep – anita.condron@cupe218.ca

Public Board EA

EA & Outdoor Ed PB Newsletter September

Welcome back to our 2024/25 school year. I hope that everyone had a restful summer and were able to enjoy some much needed time for yourselves. By the time you are reading this we have been back into the full swing of things and supporting students the best way we know how.

The committee is looking forward to representing you again this year! I am the Chair person for the unit and can be reached at Stephanie.dezsi@cupe218.ca or by phone at 905-571-7879 EXT 106. The stewards for each area are:

Brandy Townson- H&S Rep, Pickering, Oshawa A-J Email: Brandy.townson@cupe218.ca

Jehan Bisnauth- Ajax Email: jehan.bisnauth@cupe218.ca

Lori Richards- Whitby J-W Email: lrichards@cupe218.ca

Jennifer Currie- Whitby A-Jack Miner Email: Jennifer.currie@cupe218.ca

Glen Morrison- Oshawa K-W Email: glen.morrison@cupe218.ca

Deborah Kennelly- North Email: deborah.kennelly@cupe218.ca

If you have any general questions, please reach out to the steward for your area, they also will be reaching out to you in regards to violent incident reports. We are all here to support each and every one of you and we love hearing from you.

If you need immediate support, please contact the office!

Busing:

Busing has been a hot topic to start the year, I recognize that some schools are having issues with not enough support for buses or buses returning late. Please remember that now that school has started and you should have a set start and end time that you must receive 7 days’ notice if your start or end time is to change long term.

Also, we do not do general supervision on a bus, you can only be assigned to ride the bus with students you support on a regular basis.

Supply EA’s

We have had a few calls at the office around supply staff and the hours they should be working. A reminder that supplies should be scheduled the same hours of the person they are covering for and would be required to do all of the duties of the staff they replace, including busing.

Schedules – Please make sure that you have a schedule, your schedule must indicate where you should be and exactly which students you are supporting. If your schedule doesn’t, this would all be general supervision. If you do not have a clear schedule, please reach out to the steward for your school.

Debriefing and forms: It is not up to the Sert or Admin if you complete a VI, complete the reports. Admin must give you time within your working hours to do so, and must also allow for a debrief as we have clear language in the C/A around this.

Collective Agreement: Thank you for being so patient, we have gone back and forth with the employer to make sure that everything is correct in the C/A. Recognizing that it has taken a long time but I am excited to say that it should be posted on the website very soon. If you have any questions around the C/A, please reach out.

Reminder:

Please stay off your cell phones during working hours, except on lunches and breaks and be mindful of posts on social media.

Keep your hands off students unless absolutely necessary, bms containments are a last resort and you should be trying to de-escalate and redirect. We have had many CAS investigations and the process is extremely difficult to go through.

Labour Management Meetings: We are awaiting dates for Labour Management
meetings at this time.

Strategic Planning:

Although we are not bargaining this year, it is never too early to start planning and being prepared. The local executive took part in a 2 day planning to discuss our key goals that we would like to achieve and had opportunity to come up with a timeline for these goals. Some of the key goals discussed were Membership engagement, Community engagement, Stop the violence, and Bargaining! We discussed the importance of members understanding the Union and the roles within and will be holding CUPE 218 info sessions.

Please join us on:

September 25th @ 7 PM virtually or September 29th @ 6 PM in person at the union office.

Additional info:

https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/my-employment/payroll.aspx#Pay-Schedules

Employee Work Year Calendar

2024/2025 10 Month Employee Work Year Calendar can be reviewed through the link provided below.

https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/my-employment/employee-information.aspx

People of Culture Contact Information can be reviewed through the link provided below.

https://spark.ddsb.ca/en/myemployment/resources/Documents/HRDocuments/EmployeeInformation/EmployeeRecordsDocuments/FOS-PDFs/HRS_DCE.pdf

CUPE 218 EVENTS/ IMPORTANT DATES

CUPE 218 Info Sessions- Virtual September 25th @ 7PM or in person September 29th @ 6PM

CUPE 218 GMM- September 29th @ 7PM 2080 Wentworth St Whitby

CUPE 218 Pub Night November 9th @ 6 PM at The Tap & Tankard 224 Brock St S Whitby

Please reach out if you need anything or have any questions, if the local isn’t aware of ongoing issues we can’t help. We are always happy to hear from you.

In Solidarity,

Stephanie Dezsi- EA/Outdoor ED Chairperson

Jehan Bisnauth, Lori Richards, Brandy Townson- Bargaining Reps

Jennifer Currie, Glen Morrison, Deborah Kennelly- Stewards

Catholic Board EA Health & Safety

Hello and welcome back all DCDSB Educational Assistants!

Whether you are returning to familiar routines or adjusting to new students or schools, it’s crucial that we prioritize both our physical and mental health and safety. Below are some important health and safety reminders as we begin the new school year.

Student Safety Plans: As per Memorandum STSE24-251, to ensure the safety of students and staff, information pertaining to safety plans and the Notification of Risk of Injury must be properly documented and communicated to staff before students enter the building. If there isn’t a safety plan in place or you have not been given the opportunity to read it you can refuse work.

The Occupational Health and Safety Act (OHSA) gives a worker the right to refuse work that he or she believes is unsafe to himself/herself or another worker. A worker who believes that he or she is endangered by workplace violence may also refuse work.

There can be NO reprisals for exercising your right to refuse unsafe work.

Bus Safety Plans: Whether you are riding a small or regular bus with special needs students who have safety plans, there needs to be a separate bus safety plan in place. Cell phones have been provided to all schools and should be taken with you on the bus if you need to summons immediate assistance in an emergency.

Walkie-Talkies: Every single EA should have a working walkie-talkie for communication and summoning immediate assistance if needed. If you have not been provided with walkie talkies at your school your admin is responsible for requesting them from the board.

PPE: If you are required to wear PPE with a student and it is documented in the safety plan, you require your own properly fitted pieces. We DO NOT share PPE.

Road Safety Checklist: If you are working with a student who elopes off school property, please ensure that a road safety checklist has been completed. It will consist of controls and preventative strategies when working with students who elope outside the building and onto roadways. The form is to be completed collaboratively between admin, PST, EA’s, PST, and teachers to come up with strategies to keep both the student and staff safe.

Incident Reports: Please ensure that you are completing incident reports for all incidents of student aggression both physical and verbal or the threat of either. No injury, physical or mental should be disregarded. You should be completing your incident reports on paid time and not after hours. If your admin is discouraging you from completing them or not giving you time please reach out to us. Please know your EA committee is reading, responding, tracking them and following up with the board via the EA AdHoc Committee and the Joint Health and Safety Committee.

Parklanes: If you are injured and you require ice, a band aid, cleaning an area due to a scratch or a bite, sitting down after a kick or punch or just need a moment for your mental health, please check First Aid on your report. If you mark first aid on your report, you will also complete a Parklane with your principal. If the injury was caused by aggression please make sure that it is marked as such and not struck/contact. Parklanes need to be completed within 24 hours of the incident. Please make sure you are given a copy of the report and it is signed and dated by both you and your admin. If you have broken skin from a bite, scratch, have been spit, vomited on or came into contact with feces or other bodily fluids, please fill out a WSIB Exposure Form. These could all lead to infection.

If you have any questions or concerns about the above or any health and safety concerns not listed, please reach out to us. We are here to help.

Stay Safe,

Anita Condron
EA Health and Safety Rep/Steward
anita.condron@cupe218.ca

Public Board EA Health & Safety

Welcome Back!

HEALTH AND SAFETY PUBLIC BOARD EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE

I hope you all had a restful summer and found some time to relax! I just want to thank each of you for the work you do each and every day. You matter and as we begin another school year just a few reminders for your health and well-being.

Please make sure you are taking care of yourself – sitting for long periods of time on small chairs is not good for our bodies – ask for an appropriate size chair (if this request get pushback please contact me ASAP). Also please ensure you are wearing proper footwear – toes and heels covered and non-slip bottoms.

If you are working with students that could cause you harm, please read, understand and have questions answered about the Student Safety Plan PRIOR TO WORKING WITH THE STUDENT! This goes for if you ride a bus as well – last year’s SSP will do until it can be updated.

If the SSP states PPE is to be worn when working with the student(s) YOU must wear it at all times when student is present at school. I know jackets can be hot to wear, take cool breaks and know the signs of heat related illness. WE DO NOT share PPE – check yours to make sure it is not damaged and if you need PPE have your admin place an order to get you some.

If you have NOT been given the SSP/PPE – then that is UNSAFE WORK – YOU can refuse!

REPORT – REPORT – REPORT

You will notice the Violent Incident Reporting forms have been changed slightly – please continue to fill those out as well as the Safe Schools form. Your admin can not discourage your filling them out.

If you are hurt/injured at work fill out ALL the required paperwork – Violent Incident Reports can be done in chunks of time – ie – 9:40-11:05-student was dysregulated, attacking EA-punched, kicked, pulled, grabbed, scratched and bitten. Washed area. ** Parklane must be completed if you wash the area, apply cold cloth or ice, or if you have taken a few minutes for yourself after an intense situation – Admin must complete this online form and CAN NOT refuse your request to do this. In filling out a VIR once your admin completes their part you will get confirmation – so a week later you have not got this remind admin they need to finish it.

** If a student has caused you to bleed, broken skin, spat on you, bit you, or you have come into contact with bodily fluids – YOU also need to complete a WSIB exposure form Worker’s exposure incident form (PEIR) (wsib.ca) (this incident would be VIR, Exposure form, parklane and Safe Schools form)

WHEN IN DOUBT FILL IT OUT!

If you are asked to do any kind of medical procedure – diabetic testing, suctioning, and catheter care – these require specific training done by an outside agency PRIOR to doing the task. A parent showing us how they do it is NOT acceptable training – the board is to provide this to CUPE members.

UNSAFE work…

Know your rights as a worker in Ontario!

The Right to Know (Safety plans)
The Right to Participate (being involved in SSP creations/updates)
The Right to Refuse (being asked perform work you feel is unsafe and could cause injury to self)
The Right to NO Reprisal (you cannot be punished for following health and safety laws in good faith)

Before exercising your Right to Refuse unsafe work – speak to your admin and voice your concern and attempt to resolve it right away – if that does not work then reach out to myself and the union office for support.

To wrap up this Health and Safety section the DDSB has a policy that speaks to not answering work emails, calls and texts after work – DO NOT do it – we do not need to find coverage for our bus duty if we are away sick – no answering “whats app” group chats!

Have a fabulous start to the school year and reach out to your area steward or myself anytime for support at your workplace.

Brandy Townson, H&S Rep – EA PB
Brandy.townson@cupe218.ca

Public Board Job Evaluation

DDSB Job Evaluation

Job Evaluation Committee

Did you know that if your job has changed significantly, you can complete a job evaluation package? The Job Evaluation Committee is a joint Union/Board committee that uses the CUPE Job Evaluation Tool to evaluate jobs. If you would like to request a Job Evaluation package please email Lisa.coppins@ddsb.ca at the Board office and copy sharon.munro@ddsb.ca so the Union is aware of the request . Once you have received the package, please feel free to contact me if you have any questions. We can also assist you in completing the package. The more thorough the package the better understanding the Committee members will have of your job.

Sharon Munro
Co-Chair Job Evaluation Committee

Catholic Board Job Evaluation

Job Evaluation Committee – Durham Catholic District School Board

Welcome to another year! We have actively been pursuing a restart of evaluating positions that need to be sat. A lot of staff both CUPE and board who worked for the board and had previously evaluated positions have since retired. We have met on numerous occasions with the board to reestablish the “Terms of Reference” and we have also held a joint JE training where we had trained approximately 40 board staff and CUPE members who will now be able to sit and evaluate positions that come up in the future.

If you have been doing a newly created position for the last year or if you feel your job has significantly changed or there are more responsibilities added, please consider completing a job evaluation package. Please request the package from your immediate supervisor/superintendent. You will then need to fill out a signed form with your direct supervisor.

Maureen Cope
Co-Chair – DCDSB Job Evaluation Committee

Retirement

Re: Retirement

Congratulations on your retirement! I am sure you have questions on what’s the next step.

The first step is to let your employer know that you are retiring and when.
The second is to give OMERS a call so they can set up your pension payments for a smooth transition.
Benefits – if you are with the CUPE benefit trust, OTIP, now and want to change over to RTIP you can usually do that without a medical if you do it right away. There are other
Benefit companies to consider but many members claim that RTIP is a good choice for them.
Life insurance – if you are under 65 and want to continue with the life insurance plan through the Trust you have to contact them immediately after your retirement date.
OMERS – contact them and speak to someone directly to ensure that the data you have is accurate. Some members didn’t account for the time we were on strike and they didn’t pay back their pension contributions
Give the Board 60 days’ notice if you can to ensure that they have contacted OMERS to make sure you receive your pension the first month of your retirement. Retirement is now just a form online. It is up to you when you would like to start collecting your pension.
Please contact the Board and CUPE office if you have a change of address and phone number after you retire and let the Board know if you change banking information. (retro pay is deposited directly into your account when a collective agreement is reached and future settlements of lawsuits like Bill 115 where we benefit can occur)

Still thinking of what you want to do with the rest of your life and aren’t sure? Well…CUPE ON Retirees group wants you! We need a seat on the OMERS board so that you retirees have a say. If this intrigues you please reach out to sseaborn@ymail.com using your personal email. Have a voice when it comes to your pension.

Thank you!
Maureen Cope
Secretary -Treasurer
CUPE Local 218
2080 Wentworth St. Whitby, ON. L1N 8W9 (905) 571-7879