News

Bargaining Update – Provincial bargaining begins for K-12 sector

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Bargaining for a new provincial framework agreement for K-12 school support workers began this week. The K-12 provincial bargaining committee met with their counterparts from the B.C. Public School Employers’ Association for three days of face-to-face, safely distanced discussions.

The K-12 bargaining committee tabled a comprehensive set of proposals, based on the priorities set out by K-12 locals and the provincial bargaining survey. In opening the talks, the committee had a clear message for what needs to be accomplished in this round bargaining.

“School support staff have done an exceptional job keeping our schools clean, healthy, and open for students during the pandemic, in particular for the children of emergency support workers, and vulnerable students,” says Paul Simpson, president of the K-12 Presidents Council and chair of the bargaining committee.  “But after two years, support staff are now exhausted and need meaningful solutions to their urgent issues. The top issue among them – the need for fair and reasonable wages that recognize the vital role school support workers play in our communities.”

The first meetings were very productive, with constructive and cooperative discussions on a wide range of issues. Both committees voiced a strong desire to reach an agreement at the table that will lay the groundwork for a successful local bargaining to follow across the province.

The bargaining committees will be meeting again next week for another three days, and then again March 1 – 3. The K-12 bargaining committee will be sending out regular bulletins as negotiations progress. Watch for them at bcschools.cupe.ca, directly from your local, and on our social media – @cupek12bc.

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Bargaining Update – Ready to bargain: first day Feb. 8

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After months of training, research, consultations and discussions, the K-12 sector provincial bargaining committee is confident it’s ready to start negotiations. This week, the K-12 Presidents Council gave its overwhelming endorsement to the bargaining committee’s proposals and priorities for a provincial framework agreement.

Guided by the results of the provincial bargaining survey, the top bargaining priority will be fair wages that recognize the expertise, experience, and dedication of the provinces over 30,000 school support workers.

The bargaining committee met for several days in January to review the provincial bargaining survey results and draft proposals to best address the concerns raised by members.

The message from the survey and input from K-12 local presidents is clear – school support workers need and deserve fair wages and supports to keep providing vital services to this province’s students, families, schools, and communities.

Contract talks for the Provincial Framework Agreement will begin on February 8 and continue until March 3.

The bargaining committee will open negotiations with the B.C. Public School Employers Association on February 8th, with nine days of negotiations scheduled between then and March 3rd.

The bargaining committee will be sending out regular bulletins as negotiations progress. Watch for them at bcschools.cupe.ca, directly from your local, and on our social media – @cupek12bc.

The K12 sector provincial bargaining committee includes elected representatives from each region. They are:

Paul Simpson, Chair

Metro:

Christina Forsyth
Daun Frederickson
Dave Bollen
Tammy Murphy
Warren Williams
Francine Brisson (alternate)

South Island:

Amber Leonard
Jane Massy
Paul Knapik (alternate)

North Island:

Denise Bullock
Jeff Virtanen
Andrew Schneider (alternate)

Fraser Valley:

Jason Franklin
Tracey O’Hara
Tracey Dahlin (alternate)

Okanagan:

Gray Boisvert
Tammy Carter
James Fox (alternate)

Kootenays:

Michelle Bennett
Pattie Pocha
Heather Skarbo (alternate)

North:

Jeanette Beauvillier
Monica Brady
Ken Evans (alternate)

Other support staff unions:

Haemant Sawh
Tim DeVivo

The committee will be assisted by a team of CUPE National staff.

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Bulletin – Guide to WorkSafeBC COVID claims

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If you contract COVID from work, or where it is likely you contracted it from work, you should file a claim with WorkSafeBC. This would include when you are sick and unable to get tested, but your symptoms are consistent with COVID.

Even with mild symptoms, it possible that long-term or permanent secondary conditions (i.e., conditions commonly referred to as long-COVID) may develop in the future.

To protect yourself from these possible long-term consequences and regardless of whether you suffer any time loss (“wage loss”) or healthcare costs, and regardless of whether you are able to be tested, you should file a WorkSafeBC claim.

The initial steps for filing a WorkSafeBC claim include:

  1. Seek medical attention immediately. Make sure to tell the treating practitioners you’ll be filing a claim with WorkSafeBC. You should obtain copies of clinical records / chart notes from the treating practitioners and get a copy of the treating practitioner’s report to WorkSafeBC (Form 8/11).
  2. Advise your employer immediately. Complete incident reports as required in your workplace. Also advise your Joint Health & Safety Committee through your union Local.
  3. Advise WorkSafeBC by calling 1 888-WORKERS (1 888 967-5377), Monday to Friday, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. You can also file a claim by mail or online using Form 6. This form is available online at the WorkSafeBC website. You can download a PDF or submit a claim online. Make sure to keep a copy of your claim.
  4. When speaking with WorkSafeBC, or when completing Form 6, include all relevant information, such as the occupation, the duration of exposure, the places of exposure, the presence of persons with symptoms and/or diagnosed COVID-19, evidence of work causation, etc.
    Make sure your report (Form 6) has the same information and is consistent with your treating practitioners report to WorkSafeBC (Form 8/11). Your employer will also need to contact WorkSafeBC and submit Form 7 – ask your employer to supply you a copy directly. Even though your employer will contact WorkSafeBC, it’s very important that you contact them too (by phone, or by mail / online by submitting Form 6).
  5. Ask WorkSafeBC for a copy of the claim file. Check to make sure the contents are accurate and contain all relevant documents and evidence.
  6. Keep a file with relevant information available for calls from WorkSafeBC. And keep detailed logs of all calls, correspondence, meetings, and treatment. This will help your keep track of your claim.

WorkSafeBC is currently prioritizing COVID-19 claims for workers experiencing a loss of income. Other COVID-related claims may be delayed. But it still important to file claims as soon as possible.

This bulletin is just a brief overview on getting a claim started. More information is available in this guide prepared by CUPE, along with a factsheet. WorkSafeBC also has information online on COVID claims, the assessment and review process, forms and contact information. If you need more assistance, please contact your local or a shop steward.

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Bulletin – Clarification on PHO vaccination disclosure order

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The Provincial Health Officer has issued a new order regarding the reporting of vaccination status of K-12 staff. According to the PHO and Ministry of Education, this order enables local Medical Health Officers (MHOs) to direct school boards to obtain the vaccination status of school staff and share that information with the local MHO.

Like many K-12 members, CUPE was surprised by this announcement. We were not consulted on the order, nor given advance notice it was being issued. We also understand that initial news coverage of the order added to confusion over the nature and scope of the order. We hope this bulletin will provide clarity on what this means for K-12 support staff.

The PHO and Ministry of Education says this is an enabling order for local MHOs and provides a consistent approach for gathering this information if needed. It is not a province-wide order, nor does it require immediate action by school districts. School districts have been told that they are not required to collect staff vaccination status information unless they are ordered by their local MHO with a specific directive.

The Ministry of Education says the purpose of this order is “to support MHOs to obtain information about K–12 staff vaccination rates to assess, advise on and respond to risks arising from exposures, cases, clusters and outbreaks in schools.”

IF an MHO directive is issued under this order, it would:

  • Require the employer to collect vaccination status information of staff;
  • Require staff to report vaccination status information to their employer;
  • Require staff to update their vaccination status information if their status changes to their employer;
  • Require the employer to provide aggregated vaccination status information by school to the MHO; and
  • Require the employer to consider that staff who do not provide vaccination status as unvaccinated, when implementing control measures.

PHO orders are not a grievable matter as they are not a decision from an employer. As an order from the PHO, it does carry penalties for non-compliance that are unrelated to the workplace.

If an MHO does order this directive to a school district, CUPE expects this information will be gathered in a way that protects the privacy and rights of K-12 staff as outlined in the province’s K-12 Sector Guidelines for Vaccination Policies.

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Bulletin – Rapid Antigen Tests rolling out to K-12 sector this week

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Over 200,000 self-administered COVID-19 rapid antigen tests are being sent out this week for immediate use in the K-12 sector. This initial allotment from the provincial government is specifically for use by school and district staff. They are being sent to districts early this week, with each district getting enough for two tests per staff member.

This first shipment of rapid tests will be for at-home use by symptomatic staff members to rule out COVID-19. They will not be used to determine if asymptomatic staff can attend school.

The Provincial Health Services Authority has another pending allotment of rapid tests. Once this allotment is confirmed, the Ministry of Education will roll out plans to expand rapid testing to students. It is expected more tests will arrive from the Government of Canada later in January that will support the expanded use of rapid tests within the sector.

Deployment and distribution to staff will be managed by the individual school districts. The tests will arrive prepackaged in boxes of five, so they will need to be repacked on by school districts into sets of two. This may cause a slight delay in getting them to staff.

Once ready, the Ministry of Education is recommending they be given out to staff to take home, so they are immediately available when needed. The tests will come to staff with a letter including guidance on when to use them, instructions on how to use the tests properly, and direction on what to do in the case of a positive or negative result.

These rapid antigen tests being provided are in addition to existing testing in the province, available for individuals when recommended by public health.

All other existing safety protocols and practices in schools should also be maintained.

Rapid testing resources

Understanding Test Results – Find out what your COVID-19 test results mean. BCCDC

Rapid antigen at-home test instructions for K-12 School District/Authority Staff. Ministry of Education

Symptoms of COVID-19. BCCDC

COVID-19 Rapid Antigen Test Deployment – Information for the K-12 Sector. Ministry of Education bulletin

 

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