NANAIMO — CUPE 606, K-12 support workers at School District 68, reached a tentative agreement on Sunday, July 14 following many sessions of bargaining that began in early April.

“Our committee was pleased with the outcome at the end of the day,” said CUPE 606 President Rob Zver. “We were able to achieve improvements that will touch almost all members. We want to thank the employer’s bargaining committee for working in a positive way to attain a new Collective Agreement.”

The tentative agreement also incorporates the provincial framework agreement approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September. The current K-12 agreement expired on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school district boards of trustees, the collective agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed in this month.

CUPE 606 members, who provide services that support students, include Education Assistants, Family Youth Child Support workers, Indigenous Support workers, Custodians, Clerical, Trades, Maintenance, Grounds, IT, Community School Coordinators, Cafeteria workers, Administrative Support, Bus Drivers, and Strong Start workers. The Local of 700-plus members provides K-12 support in 27 elementary and 7 secondary schools in SD68 (Nanaimo-Ladysmith).

VICTORIA — CUPE 382, K-12 outside support workers at School District 61, reached a tentative agreement on July 11 following four sessions of bargaining that began in June.

CUPE 382 President Fred Schmidt noted that bargaining was reasonable, with no outlandish demands on either side.

“This was an amazing learning experience,” said Schmidt. “It’s so gratifying to come to equal outcomes at the end, and I recommend that all members get involved at some point.”

The tentative agreement also incorporates the provincial framework agreement approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September. The current K-12 agreement expired on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school district boards of trustees, the collective agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed in this month.

CUPE 382 members, who provide services that support students, include Custodians, Trades, Maintenance, and Grounds. They keep schools tidy and make them a pleasant place for students to learn; clear branches, snow and ice during inclement weather; keep grounds and fields a safe place for children to play and exercise; and maintain facilities and keep schools comfortable. They provide K-12 support service in Greater Victoria at 22 K-12 schools in School District 61.

To find out more about CUPE members working in K-12, visit bcschools.cupe.ca.

DELTA — CUPE 1091, K-12 support workers at School District 37 reached a tentative agreement on July 11 following 12 sessions of bargaining that began in early May.

CUPE 1091 President Patti Price noted that each side of the table had three members with no previous bargaining experience. She said that it speaks well to the ability of both sides to work so well together to get things done.

“With lots of good back and forth dialogue, we were able to compromise on some of the tougher issues, to make gains that each group wanted from the outset,” said Price. “Our employer has always been good to deal with and we’ve always been able to find common ground to benefit both sides.”

The tentative agreement also incorporates the provincial framework agreement approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September. The current K-12 agreement expired on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school district boards of trustees, the collective agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed in early July.

CUPE 1091 members, who provide a wide variety of services that support students, include Education Assistants, Youth Care Workers, Indigenous Support Workers, Custodians, Trades, Clerical, Maintenance, IT, Crossing Guards and Supervision Assistants as well as Administrative Support. They provide K-12 support service in Delta at 24 elementary and 7 secondary schools in the district.

To find out more about CUPE members working in K-12, visit bcschools.cupe.ca.

VICTORIA — CUPE 947, representing K-12 support workers at School District 61, ratified their tentative agreement on July 4 following six sessions of bargaining that began in May.

CUPE 947 President Jane Massy praised the Local’s bargaining team for conducting good conversations. The committee had several new members, but each played an integral role with guidance from their National Representative.

“We negotiated language that will benefit all members, and we were really happy with some of the gains we made for our casual workers,” said Massy.

The tentative agreement also incorporates the provincial framework agreement approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September. The current K-12 agreement expired on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school district boards of trustees, the collective agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed by mid-July.

CUPE 947 members, who provide a wide variety of services that support students, include Education Assistants, Indigenous Support Workers, Clerical, Early Childhood Educators, IT, and Administrative Support. They provide K-12 support service in Greater Victoria at 22 K-12 schools in School District 61.

To find out more about CUPE members working in K-12, visit bcschools.cupe.ca.

GOLD RIVER — CUPE 2769, K-12 support workers at SD84 reached a tentative agreement on June 26 following four sessions of bargaining that began in April.

Local President Darcy Curr was pleased with how bargaining went. “Our bargaining team was committed to what we wanted to achieve and negotiations went very smoothly,” said Curr. “The employer worked with us, and that made getting to the goal line much easier.”

Because SD84 covers a wide geographic area, ratification voting has begun and Curr expects the local to have completed their ratification process early in July. He is looking forward to completing the process and moving forward with the new collective agreement.

The tentative agreement also incorporates the provincial framework agreement approved by the K-12 Presidents Council in September. The current K-12 agreement expired on June 30, 2019. When ratified by CUPE locals and school district Boards of Trustees, the collective agreement will be in effect from July 1, 2019 to June 30, 2022.

Further details of the tentative agreement will not be available until after ratification by all parties. Ratification is expected to be completed in early July.

CUPE 2769 members, who provide a wide variety of services that support students, include Education Assistants, Youth Care Workers, Indigenous Support Workers, Custodians, Trades, Clerical, Maintenance, IT, Administrative Support and Bus Drivers. They provide K-12 support service in Gold River, Tahsis, Kyuquot and Zeballos in SD84 (Vancouver Island West).