Greetings VSB Members:
It has just been brought to your bargaining committee’s attention that a group called the EA Café is calling for a meeting on April 1 and 2, 2025 for all Education Assistants (EAs) of the School District #39 (SD 39), Vancouver.
There are several problems regarding this.
This group is not affiliated with CUPE Local 15 and does not have any bargaining authority under the BC Labour Relations Code.
The dates that group are calling for meetings are the exact same dates that your VSB Bargaining Committee has scheduled to advise all VSB members of the proposals your committee have prepared for the upcoming round of bargaining.
You should have already received notice from the union regarding the dates, times, and locations of the union meetings. If you have not received notice, then it means the union does not have your current mailing address. You can update it by calling the union office at 604-879-4671 or sending an email to email@cupe15.org.
As in the past, CUPE Local 15 VSB members will be voting on the proposals that will go forward on behalf of ALL VSB members, which includes EAs, to the upcoming round of bargaining. Those proposals are created based on the results from the employee survey sent out to all VSB members from the union.
This planned meeting by the EA Café group will be in direct conflict with your officially recognized bargaining committee meetings. This will result in pulling people away from voting on your official proposals that will go forward for bargaining with the employer.
While their efforts are noble, they are not helpful. Their planned meeting is in direct conflict with your rights as a member to vote on your proposals as sanctioned under the CUPE Constitution.
The ONLY official opportunity to discuss and vote on proposals for your upcoming bargaining is to attend the CUPE Local 15/VSB bargaining meetings scheduled by the union on April 1 and 2, 2025 at the Holiday Inn and the Italian Cultural Centre, respectively.
This is a time for solidarity, not confusion!
Please only recognize communications from CUPE Local 15 as the official Information regarding your upcoming bargaining. Kindly share this information with your fellow Education Assistant colleagues.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
In solidarity,
Warren Williams, President
and
CUPE Local 15/VSB Bargaining Committee