Last week’s flooding and mudslides continue to impact CUPE members, our workplaces and our communities. As part of the province’s emergency response, a state-of-emergency has been declared that includes restrictions on travel and fuel. Non-essential travel along severely damaged highways is restricted. There is also a 30-litre limit to retail fuel purchases in southwestern B.C. More information on the state-of-emergency and provincial restriction orders is available on the BC government website.

The 30-litre purchase limit per visit applies to all essential and non-essential workers in the Lower Mainland (Vancouver to Hope), Sea to Sky (Squamish to Pemberton), Sunshine Coast, Gulf Islands, and Vancouver Island.

The Ministry of Education is prioritizing keeping students and staff safe and maintaining in-class instruction. Given restrictions on travel and fuel purchases, however, the Ministry is encouraging school districts to have workers who can work from home during the state-of-emergency. Districts are also encouraged to defer all meetings and events that can’t be held virtually. School districts directly impacted by non-essential travel restrictions and road closures are working to find alternate transport options to reduce traffic, such as inter-region shuttle busses.

School district vehicles, such as buses, are exempt from the 30-litre limit. Branded vehicles that need to purchase retail fuel will be able to do so. Unbranded school district vehicles will require a letter of certification to purchase retail fuel beyond the 30-litre limit (these letters will be issued by school districts shortly).

All workers that continue to work in schools and other K-12 system workplaces in southwest B.C. are encouraged to carpool, use public transportation or other alternate transport options whenever possible.

The Ministry of Education has prepared a Q&A on the impact of the fuel and travel restrictions on the K-12 system,   and online at bcschools.cupe.ca.

CUPE BC Disaster Relief Fund

CUPE BC has established a Disaster Relief Fund to support CUPE members impacted by the recent catastrophic floods and mudslides.

Any CUPE members in B.C. experiencing hardship due to recent floods are invited to apply for CUPE BC funding support through their Local.

All CUPE Locals and District Councils in B.C. are encouraged to contribute to the Disaster Relief Fund if they are able.

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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.

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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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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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