Port Hardy Secondary School Library
9350 Granville St., Port Hardy
Please attend this important meeting

AGENDA

The purpose of this Special Meeting agenda will be to:

• Update the members on the state of the Merger with Local 401
• Meet the new CUPE National Rep Brother Roger Oakley
• Elect a member to attend the CUPE BC Convention on behalf of Local 401

 

Port Hardy Secondary School Library
9350 Granville Street, Port Hardy

Agenda

Create a plan to utilize the High Interest Savings account in the event of a strike
The December 2012 Audit
Motion re: CUPE BC Convention Delegate
CUPE Scholarship Selection Policy

Port Hardy Secondary School Library
9350 Granville Street, Port Hardy

Agenda

The purpose of this meeting will be to ratify the Proposals for bargaining with School District No. 85
Please attend this important meeting.

Worksafe BC has introduced a new newsletter for the education sector. It is to be released 4-6 time a year. Here is the latest one.

On Tuesday, February 4, 2013, CUPE Local 401 voted overwhelmingly in favor of the merger with CUPE Local 2045. An application will now be made to the National President to merge the two locals.

Joanne Welch
President
CUPE Local 2045

A strike vote was held on January 28th, 2013 for Local 2045 members who are employed by the Village of Port Alice. The majority of the membership attended, and after an update on the status of bargaining, a vote to strike was held and the results were that 90 percent of the members voted in favour of a strike.

More information will follow as it becomes available.

The Bargaining Committee would like to thank the members for attending, and supporting them in this process.

In Solidarity,

Kevin Cameron, Director for Port Alice and Member of the Port Alice Bargaining Committee
Ed Henderson, Member of the Port Alice Bargaining Committee

I would like to thank everyone for the great turnout at the last two meetings, especially the regular meeting on the 26th. To fill everyone in on the voting results of the motion to Merge, it was overwhelmingly in favor of the Merger. CUPE Local 401 will be holding a meeting on February 4, 2013 where they will be taking a similar vote. If it passes, then Paul Moist, the CUPE National President must make a decision on whether to approve the merger or not. I will keep the members apprised of the process. Again thank you for the great turnout.

Joanne Welch
President
CUPE Local 2045

1. The amalgamation proposal has come about as a result of Local 2045 members and the Executive seeking a solution to several years of internal dysfunction, and as a result of members of Local 2045 recently contacting CUPE National for assistance.
2. The Regional Director of British Columbia assessed the situation and recommended the merger as the best solution available.
3. Your executive has met with the CUPE Local 401 Executive and has unanimously endorsed the recommendation. The Local 401 Executive has also endorsed the merger recommendation.
4. Both Local 2045 and Local 401 memberships will vote on a motion to merge, at a general membership meeting, as per the National Constitution requirements. This will occur on January 26th 2013. Only members in attendance at this membership meeting will be eligible to vote.
5. A majority of votes (over 50%) in the affirmative are required to pass the motion.
6. The vote must be conducted at a membership meeting to be considered valid under the Local 2045 By-laws, and the CUPE National Constitution.
7. If both Locals approve by voting in favor of a merger, then the National President will consider the motions and make the final decision on the amalgamation.
8. If Local 2045 votes in favour of a merger with Local 401, they will join the compliment of the 401 units, which would subsequently increase from 11 to 14.
9. If the motion to merge with Local 401 passes, three Vice-Presidents will be elected. School District No. 85 employees will elect their Vice-President, Village of Port Alice employees will elect their Vice-President, and Port Hardy Recreation will elect their Vice-President. Each of these Vice-Presidents would sit on the 401 Executive, which currently has a chair from each of their 11 Units.
10. Decisions on the governing of Local 401 are for the most part made by this Executive, and each Vice-President has an equal vote.
11. None of the current benefits, wages, or provisions of the Collective agreement will or can be altered as a result of an amalgamation with Local 401.
12. Each Unit can hold their own Unit meetings. Motions that affect Local 401 as a whole cannot be passed at Unit meetings, however direction can be given to the Chair on how to represent the Unit at the Executive level.
13. Local 401 has an average membership of 1,768 members that make up 11 units with a million dollar budget.
14. Local 401 has two offices (Campbell River - 2 days a week, and Nanaimo –open full-time); two and a half full-time officers and a full-time office assistant; a Human Rights officer, and a WCB representative.
15. Discussions with Local 401 have indicated that Local 2045’s current savings/terms would be used for a specific purpose that was dedicated to the three Units that make up Local 2045 (i.e. strike top-up fund, bursaries or something of that nature).
16. Each Unit would still elect their Vice -resident, Shop Stewards, Labour-Management Committee members, Bargaining Committee representatives, Health and Safety Representatives, Job Evaluation Committee members etc, from members of their own Unit. Representatives elected would have access to Local 401 assistance and resources.
17. Local 401 has a large education budget, and would continue to educate active members in the Unit.
18. Local 401 Union dues structure is one that fluctuates based on Levies that are in place if certain funds fall below a certain amount, and that stop when the funds are replenished. The base rate is 1.80%. If both levies are on at the same time, at the highest the dues are 1.96%. At the lowest this is a dues decrease for Local 2045 members, and at the highest it is a dues increase. Current Local 2045 dues are 1.85%.
19. The point of the merger is to pool resources with the 11 other units that make up Local 401. The purpose of this is to attempt to address the membership’s Executive servicing concerns, by providing resources and assistance to the activists representing the membership.

A Notice of Motion was given to Local 2045 members at a Special meeting held on January 19, 2013. Local 401 Executive members attended that meeting, and three Representatives from CUPE National were also in attendance. There was a two-hour question and answer period held before the meeting adjourned. This fact sheet has been developed based on some of the questions that arose at that meeting. On January 26, 2013, this process will be repeated before the vote takes place.

If you have questions in the meantime, please contact your Executive. Also information on Local 401 is available on their website http://www.cupe-401.com/. Local 401 is a multi-sector Local, with a membership that spans across the North Island from Ladysmith to Haida Gwaii.