Greetings Vancouver School Board (VSB) Members!
We would like to start off by wishing everyone a very happy and healthy summer break!
While most have headed off for a very well-deserved break, work still continues between the union and employer preparing for the upcoming September.
One of the most important things we need to bring to members’ attention is the change to the Learning Improvement Fund (LIF). As there was less money to allocate this year, we have still tried to cover as many positions as possible for the LIF funding. Having said that, the LIF time for the 2025/26 school year will be forty-five (45) minutes only, not the normal sixty (60) minutes. By doing this, we were able to also cover patches as well as more positions, as previously mentioned.
Another issue members should be aware of is the new school year payday for 10-month employees returning in September. Due to the pay period end date, you will not be paid on your first week back. If you recall last year, that was the same situation.
We have requested a meeting with the employer regarding the potential changes some members may encounter returning in September due to program changes, as a result of the budget cuts made last spring. We have asked the employer to share that information with us so that you are not coming back to any surprises!
As you may or may not be aware, the K-12 Presidents’ Council received a monetary offer from the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) regarding our current round of bargaining. The offer, which is posted on our union website, does not come close to addressing the needs of our members, both in working conditions and monetary needs. While the CUPE Local 15/VSB bargaining will be on hold for the summer, the K-12 Presidents’ Council and the BCPSEA committees may explore further bargaining dates, but as of today, no dates have been booked. Keep checking our CUPE Local 15 website over the summer as any updates will be posted here as they become available.
In the startup of the 2025/2026 school year, please be aware that the employer has ten (10) days to establish your hours of work. Once those hours of work have been agreed upon, the employer cannot arbitrarily change them without your mutual agreement. Should any Administrator try and change your hours without your mutual agreement, please contact the union office immediately at email@cupe15.org, as to do so is a violation of the collective agreement.
Also please be aware that on occasion, some Administrators try to direct members in the beginning of the school year that vacations can only be taken with the Administrators’ approval and that they must be booked in advance. That is factually incorrect and there is no such requirement for members to do so. We do remind members though that they should be mindful of operational requirements for their worksite when planning time off for vacation.
There will be shop stewards available on the VSB steward line over the summer should you have any questions or concerns. They can be reached by contacting the union office at 604-879-4671 or email@cupe15.org.
Once again, we wish you all a very happy and healthy summer!
In solidarity,
Warren Williams
President