Greetings K-12 Members:
The bargaining committee resumed negotiations on September 14, 2022 and we have additional meetings with the employer scheduled in the coming weeks.
COVID-19 Worksafe Claims
If you should test positive for the COVID-19 virus, please make sure to take a picture of your positive result, your dates of isolation, and email leaves@vsb.bc.ca. Please make sure to copy Kathie Currie, CUPE Local 15 Staff Representative, on the email at kcurrie@cupe15.org. Please also forward any correspondence you receive from leaves@vsb.bc.ca to Kathie Currie. If you have reason to believe you contracted COVID-19 during work hours, we encourage members to file a claim with WorkSafeBC. Please be aware we are currently working through the grievance process as a result of the employer’s failure to compensate members for quarantine pay. That grievance is currently being prepared for arbitration.
Education Leaves
If you apply for post-secondary education, please remember that there are Education Leaves available. There are also Pro D and Career Development Funds available. Please make sure to contact leaves at leaves@vsb.bc.ca to inform them of your intent to take an Education Leave. Education Leaves can always be cancelled.
Teachers’ Job Action
For your information, the teachers have not taken a strike vote. Therefore, at this time, there is no contemplation of job action by them that could impact our members. If you hear there is preparation with regards to teachers’ job action, it is incorrect. Please make sure that the union has your up to date personal email address on file by emailing email@cupe15.org.
We were informed late on September 14th that the employer, following direction from the BC Public School Employers’ Association, will not be compensating on-call members for shifts cancelled on September 19, 2022. This day has been declared by the federal government a national holiday to recognize the funeral of Queen Elizabeth II. We have advised the employer that we will be filing a grievance on behalf of those on-call members who had shifts cancelled without compensation.
Please check the CUPE Local 15 website for bargaining updates.
Thank you for your support.
In solidarity,
Warren Williams
President