Bulletin – Help us build support for public childcare!

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The provincial government is committed to $10 per day childcare, a model CUPE strongly supports and advocates for. The federal government is committing significant resources supporting childcare for kids aged 0-5, but what’s missing is new spaces for school-aged kids.

CUPE BC began our childcare campaign advocating for the Seamless Day model of early learning childcare, and that advocacy has resulted in more than 20 pilot projects currently underway in schools around the province. (Here’s more about the work we’ve been doing.)

The federal government recently announced a significant investment in childcare for kids aged 0-5, and that’s good news, but it doesn’t do anything for one of the most critical childcare shortages—spaces for school-aged kids (ages 5-12). People all over B.C. struggle to find affordable quality childcare for before and after school—and even if they can afford it, they often have to go to great lengths to get their kids to and from care.

Wouldn’t it be great if before and after school childcare was available at the school? Doesn’t that just make sense?

The most efficient and cost-effective way to get quality, accessible and universal school-aged childcare up and running quickly is to create spaces in public schools.

We have the facilities already—there’s almost no need for capital expenditures or construction.

We have the trained staff available—qualified Education Assistants already are in place, and most don’t currently receive full-time hours.

For parents, it couldn’t be more efficient—drop your kids at school in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day. No more running to multiple locations or juggling competing schedules.

And for kids this means high quality care with more stability and fewer transitions through their day – this is especially important for some children with special needs for whom these transitions can be very difficult.

Here’s how you can help

We’re asking supporters of our vision of public childcare to visit PublicChildcareNow.ca and take 20 seconds to send an email to your local School Trustees asking them to advocate for their district to get on board.

We’ve already made significant progress toward building a public childcare system. Let’s keep the momentum going, and together we can make public childcare for school-aged kids a reality in B.C. schools.

View PDF.

Bulletin – SSIRRE support staff survey

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Chance at prizes for K-12 CUPE members that participate

The Support Staff Initiative for Recruitment and Retention Enhancement (SSIRRE) is asking CUPE members to participate in a short online survey gathering information about recruitment and retention for support staff in the public education system.

The results of this survey will be shared with both the support staff unions and the school employers to inform collective bargaining in 2022.

This survey is not to be confused with the CUPE K-12 bargaining survey. Both are important to participate in – the bargaining survey will be coming soon.

The SSIRRE is a joint project of the BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) and CUPE and the Support Staff Union’s K-12 Presidents Council.

The survey is anonymous, takes approximately 15 minutes to complete, and respondents can enter a draw for cash prizes.

There will be 42 draw prizes, on the following schedule. The earlier you complete the survey, the better your chance to win a prize.

If you choose to participate in the draw and provide valid contact information, you will be entered one (1) time into each draw that happens subsequently on this schedule:

– November 17: 6 prizes of $200 each

– November 24: 12 prizes of $100 each

– December 1: 24 prizes of $50 each

Participants will only be eligible to win one draw. Winner’s names will also be used for the purposes of promoting the survey during the remainder of the survey period. Your name in the draw cannot be connected with your survey responses.

The survey closes December 1. You will receive several reminders to complete the survey, but your participation is voluntary.

The survey can be accessed here: https://survey.alchemer-ca.com/s3/50130903/SSIRRE-Support-Staff-Survey

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Bulletin – Wanted: Public Education Benefit Trustees

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Becoming a Public Education Benefit Trust trustee is a unique and rewarding opportunity to play a critical role on how benefits and other health and wellbeing services are delivered to members in our provinces K-12 sector. There are currently two vacancies on the PEBT Board of Trustees. Appointments will be made by CUPE, effective January 1, 2022.

What is the PEBT?

The PEBT is a joint health and welfare trust responsible for delivering health and wellbeing programs to over 25,000+ support staff members and their families in the BC K-12 sector. Its board is comprised of six trustees appointed by CUPE, and six trustees appointed by BCPSEA.

What does a PEBT trustee do?

As a PEBT trustee you get to:

  • Collaborate with other influential representatives in the K-12 sector to support and improve service to members
  • Contribute to a positive labour relations environment that encourages stakeholders to work together for a common purpose
  • Gain valuable experience and learn new skills
  • Receive continuing education and training to support you in your role as Trustee

What do I need to become a PEBT trustee?

To be a PEBT trustee, a CUPE member must be:

  • Currently working in a CUPE certified School District
  • Minimum five years from retirement
  • Committed to attending Board meetings (4-6 per year)
  • Available for Committee meetings (4-6 per year)
  • Interested in pursuing educational programs regarding benefits and Trusts

Other assets that are valued but not mandatory include a level of interest and knowledge regarding employee benefits, benefits administration experience, and familiarity with joint trusts.

As part of our commitment to equity, CUPE encourages applications from qualified members of five designated groups: women, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, racialized people and LGBTQ2+ people. Accommodations are available on request for candidates taking part in all aspects of the selection process.

Please note: all PEBT activities, including committee and Board meetings, are currently conducted virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic and no travel will be required until it is safe to do so.

If you would like to obtain a candidate information package, or have questions regarding this special opportunity, please contact either:

Lori Lofthaug, PEBT Trust Secretariat
llofthaug.pebt@cupe.ca
604-292-0288

Alison Coelho, PEBT Trust Secretary
acoelho.pebt@gmail.com
604-379-2581

Interested individuals are requested to submit an expression of interest by November 19, 2021 to:

Rob Hewitt, Member Trustee
rhewitt@cupe.ca
250-859-1963

We encourage you to check out the website at www.pebt.ca to learn more about the PEBT’s purpose, vision and values and the benefits and services offered to our members.

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Bulletin – Provincial K-12 guidelines on vaccination policies

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The Ministry of Education has released guidelines for school districts that might be considering implementing a vaccination policy. These guidelines build on the existing K-12 health and safety measures to limit the spread of COVID-19 in the schools and communities.

The K-12 Sector Guidelines for Vaccination Policies are online, and attached with this bulletin.

CUPE participated in the development of these guidelines, along with all other stakeholders in the K-12 sector.

This guidelines document is not a vaccination policy. It offers guidance for school districts that want to create a vaccination policy. It provides a roadmap to ensure that school districts respect privacy rules, legal requirements, consult with their employee groups and respect collective agreement rights.

Individual school districts can now decide whether they want to develop and implement a policy or not. The guidelines recommend school districts first attempt other measures to increase vaccination rates, in collaboration with ‘employee groups’ (i.e. CUPE, other unions), before exploring a vaccine policy.

The BC Public School Employers’ Association (BCPSEA) is currently working to create a framework policy that could be adopted by school districts that want a vaccination policy. This would ensure consistency across the province so that there is not a patchwork of different approaches and standards.

CUPE continues to support vaccination as the best way to end the pandemic and protect everyone in the school system. CUPE is also focused on representing our members and protecting their rights within the bounds of the law, human rights legislation, privacy rules, and our collective agreements.

We will fight any unjust terminations and seek alternative accommodations wherever possible. It is our fundamental position that CUPE members who cannot be vaccinated for protected human rights reasons must be accommodated. CUPE is also continues to advocate for school districts to expand other safety measures that promote clean and healthy schools, such as rapid testing and daytime custodial services.

K-12 Sector Guidelines for Vaccination Policies

View PDF of the bulletin.

 

Bulletin – K-12 workplace health & safety updates

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Violence Prevention Toolkit

We’d like to thank everyone who took part in last month’s workshop on the new K-12 Violence Prevention Toolkit. We’d also thank panelists Tom McKenna, CUPE Occupational Health and Safety specialist, and Hans Loeffelholz, BCPSEA sector lead for OH&S, for their presentation on this vital resource.

A copy of the workshop presentation is attached, and will be post on bcschool.cupe.ca, to share more broadly with CUPE members in the K-12 system.

The toolkit includes many resources and is now available on the BCPSEA website.

More information on the toolkit, along with workplace posters and a video outlining the toolkit resources, is also available on the WorkSafeBC K-12 violence tools website.

This toolkit was developed by a WorkSafeBC working group that included CUPE and other education system stakeholders. All the resources were reviewed by CUPE National health and safety representatives to ensure consistency. They were also reviewed by the K-12 coordinators in CUPE, employer representatives, and WorkSafeBC staff.

The WorkSafeBC workplace violence prevention strategy working group will continue to meet regularly. It will assess how the toolkit is being used by school districts to prevent violence in the workplace. The resources in the toolkit will be updated and revised annually, or sooner if needed.

ACTION NEEDED: ventilation reports

All school districts in the province are required to report on ventilation improvements and measures put in place in each school, in accordance with health and safety guidelines. The Deputy Minister of Education says these reports need to be completed by school districts and submitted to school-level Joint Occupation Health & Safety (JOHS) committees as soon as possible.

We are asking all JOHS committees to share the completed ventilation system overview reports with the CUPE K-12 coordinators once they’ve been submitted by school districts. If your JOHS Committee has not received this report, please request it from the district Superintendent, Secretary-Treasurer or Facilities Leads. A copy of the ventilation system overview report template is attached.

View PDF of the bulletin.