By Paul Faoro, President

On August 22nd Canada lost someone very special. I know when we heard the news that Jack Layton passed away it set us all back and I think the country stopped for a moment. I am sure our thoughts collectively channeled to Jack’s family – especially towards his wife MP Olivia Chow, and his son and daughter.

Over the years I had the privilege and honour to meet Jack and at times had the opportunity to chat with him. He always seemed to have time for a conversation which always amazed me knowing his busy schedule. I will never forget the passion and energy he had for making our country better for everyone.

As public sector workers we need to say thank you to Jack for the continually strong stance he took on strengthening public services from coast to coast and keeping them public.

In one of his many speeches he said, “Building this country means building stronger communities. Increasingly, it’s our cities that attract investment, jobs and immigration. It’s

about world-class infrastructure — roadways, harbours, transit, recreation, energy systems.”

Jack was a great person and leader. He was a great Canadian. He truly will be missed.

The newsletter of CUPE Local 15, Vancouver Municipal Education and Community Workers

Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:CUPE Local 15545 W. 10th Ave.Vancouver, BCV5Z 1K9

General Membership MeetingSEPTEMBER

Date & Time: Wednesday, September 28, 2011 5:30 pm

Location: Italian Cultural Centre3075 Slocan St. Vancouver, Room 5Under

Discussion: • BargainingupdatesfromVancouverSchoolBoard, Vancouver Art Gallery, Emily Carr University & City et al

• BCTFJobAction• ExecutiveBoardBy-election-MemberatLargeHealthSector

(HSPBA)

General Meetings provide all members with an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect the union.

(Childcare assistance and Interpretation available upon request.) 2011

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Thankyou,Jack.“Building this country

means building stronger communities.

Increasingly, it’s our cities that attract

investment, jobs and immigration. It’s

about world-class infrastructure —

roadways, harbours, transit, recreation,

energy systems.”

-Jack Layton1950-2011

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I hope you and your family had a good summer. It is certainly a summer that I will remember with the unprecedented victory of voting out the HST and of course the sad news of the

passing of Jack Layton. I was able to take some time off to enjoy our wonderful city.

Things didn’t slow down much in our union world over the summer months. In July we were able to finalize a new collective agreement for members at Langara College. While we were completely jammed from the get go by BC Liberal Government’s “net zero” mandate we were able to make some key

improvements. Thanks to Kathie Currie from our staff and to Bob Loitz, Zeljka Loncaric, Brian McGibney, Reba Noel, Chrissy Poulos, Ken Schmunk, and Jim Wong for putting in a lot of work and long hours serving on our bargaining committee.

In late August we also concluded a new contract for members working for the Students’ Unions of Vancouver Community College. Good work, again, to Kathie Currie who led our negotiations and Tiffany Kalanj for dialing in an agreement with significant benefit and wage improvements.

Now with September upon us our Vancouver School Board bargaining committee will be back at the bargaining table in a few weeks and our City et al and Vancouver Art Gallery committees will be finishing up on their preparations. While we thought we had a deal with Emily Carr University in July it unfortunately went sideways due to interference by the Post Secondary Employers’ Association who, without a doubt, were carrying out their marching orders from the provincial government. As a result our union had no choice but to file for mediation at the Labour Relations Board. If PSEA and the government don’t meddle we should hopefully have an agreement by the end of the month.

Over the coming weeks we will monitor closely the contract negotiations with teachers especially since they have commenced phase one of their job action. Teachers are now not performing administrative tasks such as filling out forms, collecting data, meeting with principals, supervising on playgrounds, or writing report cards. Once again we have to remember that it is the BC Liberal Government who has set the negative tone for all public sector negotiations in British Columbia.

CUPE 15 has a very good working relationship with the teacher unions in Vancouver and we are going to do everything we can to support them in their efforts. We know if we reach the same point our union will have the full support of the teachers. At the end of the day teachers and all public sector workers deserve fair and respectful contract settlements. Ones that are negotiated at the bargaining table without government interference.

One other serious issue we are concerned with is the poor financial state of the Museum of Vancouver. For the second year in a row our members have been effectively given no choice but to reduce their weekly hours by a full work day. A significant contributing factor is the excessive amount of senior administrators. The proportion of managers to unionized staff at this facility is completely out of whack. This must be rectified if this organization ever wants to become financially stable.

With the November municipal election only a few weeks away, we will put a lot of energy towards re-electing a COPE/Vision School Board, Park Board and City Council. We cannot allow the right wing NPA to creep back into power. CUPE members working for the City of Toronto are now facing mass layoffs since right wing anti-union Rob Ford was elected. About 17,000 city employees have already been offered substandard buyout packages. CUPE 15 members should have a look at the CUPE Local 79 website at cupelocal79.org to see what Mayor Ford is up too. You should also know that Suzanne Anton’s NPA party has hired the election campaign company that helped carry Rob Ford to victory.

Oh ya, on the same union busting theme, the NPA just named Peter Armstrong as their chairman. Mr. Armstrong is the chief executive officer of Armstrong Group that runs the Rocky Mountaineer train. On June 22nd his company locked out their unionized employees and brought scabs in to keep their trains running.

Followmeontwitter@paulfaoro

AFallpreviewofthingstocomeby Paul Faoro, President

Update from your Executive

by Leanne Toderian, Secretary Treasurer

As summer draws to a close we can look back over a busy few months since the June Members’ Voice. While a large portion of members are on summer

break, or perhaps taking time off with their families, work still continues around the local.

Shortly before the summer break members at Langara ratified an agreement. This came after protracted negotiations which were complicated by an Employer Association and Provincial Government net zero mandate. More on that later... Emily Carr bargaining took and unfortunate turn

after it seemed than an agreement was reached. Complications arose – suffice it to say not on our side. There will be an update on that situation posted on CUPE Local 15 website. A disappointing setback, but staff and the bargaining committee are committed to seeing it through.

The K-12 Sector (Vancouver School Board members) took a break over the summer and

bargaining will resume in coming weeks. Adding to the mix is the 72 hours strike notice issued by teachers (BCTF) over the Labour Day weekend. This has caused some confusion for our members as the school administrators have been taking advantage of “school to school” practices and the lack of clear language around duties performed in schools. Members are being asked to do work at some schools, which is otherwise done by teachers. We are anxious to find a resolve to this challenge and continue to support the teachers in their struggle to bargain with their employer representatives and ultimately the Liberal Government.

Also entering into bargaining are the three Museums: Vancouver Maritime Museum, H. R. McMillan Space Centre, and the Museum of Vancouver. While these contracts are smaller in scope they face serious challenges as do other cultural sectors, such as the Vancouver Art Gallery which is also bargaining. Traditionally underfunded and relying upon donations, strong administration of these types of organizations are critical to their survival. The union continues to look at ways to support the members in these sectors as they enter bargaining.

To keep things exciting, the largest sector entering bargaining is the City et al (City, Parks, Britannia, and Ray-Cam). The bargaining committee has been working over the summer summarizing bargaining surveys completed by members and preparing bargaining proposals. Look for a ratification meeting notice elsewhere in this issue.

Back to the net zero mandate… There has been much written about the Liberal Government’s wage freeze which they have imposed on all provincial government employees, of whom we represent via School, Health, and College boards. Members have faced zero wage increases before the bargaining has even commenced. This certainly hog ties the committee from achieving any improvements which have a dollar value attached. Bargaining? To put it in perspective the Liberal Government voted to give MLAs a 29% increase. Spread over four years, this amounts to 7.25% per year, all front loaded, while every other public sector worker is expected to live with “net zero.” In recent rounds of bargaining members at Health got a wage roll back; interesting and challenging times for members who fall under this mandate.

What this means for our union is we are monitoring our expenses regarding bargaining and contract enforcement. In coming months the Finance Committee will review the year to date as we prepare the 2012 operating budget. Our local continues to prioritize and move and bend where the challenges arise and our finances can support that. We are very proud of this security we can offer members.

In closing I can assure members, despite the high level of activity around the local, our financial house is in order.

Keeping an eye on the bottom line

Leanne Toderian Secretary Treasurer

Paul Faoro, President

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Letters, Notices, & UpdatesDonation Thanks!On behalf of everyone at Canuck Place Children’s Hospice, we can’t thank you enough for your recent donation of $100 in the memory of one of your union members. Your heartfelt generosity will help bring comfort, care, and joy to over 400 children and teens with life threatening illnesses and their families throughout British Columbia.

Every day, 365 days a year, your wonderful commitment keeps the Hospice running, and enables us to offer quality programs including counselling, grief support, pain and symptom management, recreational opportunities, animal assisted therapy, and respite care to the families on our program, at no cost to them.

Your gift comes at a crucial moment. To meet the need for pediatric palliative care in BC we are building a new 10 bed and 30,000 square foot hospice in Abbotsford. We broke ground this past November and expect to complete construction in 2012. Thanks to your support of the Hospice, we are steps closer to realizing our goal of reaching every child and family in our province that needs the care of Canuck Place. We hope for your continued support in the future.

Once again, thanks so much for caring about Canuck Place and contributing to our cause.

Sincerely,Nancy TardioliDirector, Partnership Programs

Bursary Thanks!I am writing to thank you for your generous $500 VMECW Society Members’ Bursary.

I was very happy and appreciative to learn that I was selected as the recipient of this bursary.

I am a Software Engineer and now I am completing a certificate at BCIT related with my major and with the work I am doing at the VSB.

By awarding me the VMECW Society Members’ Bursary, you have lightened my financial burden which allows me to focus more on the most important aspect of school, learning. Your generosity has inspired me to continue and hopefully help others with my work and my new skills.

Sincerely,Jorge Rodriguez, VSB

Thank you for awarding me the Part-Time Studies Bursary while I attend Langara College.

I am currently working on completing my Bachelor of Recreation Management degree to further my career in the parks and recreation field.

With the combination of work experience plus what I am (and will be) learning in school I hope I will be able to continue to provide excellent services to our field and City.

Yours truly,Randy Chan, Parks

Thank you for awarding me the VMECW Society Member Bursary. As I am going into my last two semesters of my Professional Linking Program to get my teaching degree this will be very helpful financially for me. Along with my program I am still working towards my Bachelor of General Studies degree at SFU. I hope that others will also take advantage of your generosity and apply for this bursary in the future.

Thank you again for selecting me for this year’s 2011/2012 bursary. Sincerely,Tiffaney Gamble, VSB

I sincerely appreciate the $1,000 bursary from CUPE 15, which is helping fund my Masters of Counselling Psychology degree.

Knowing that the union not only supports me in my work, but also my education reinforces my sense of belonging to a solid team!

I started as an auxiliary staff in 1999, and have been a Community Youth Worker since 2004. I am currently at the West End Community Centre. Ivy Vuu, Parks

I would like to say thank you to the union for the generous support in my studies in Industrial Design. This bursary is a great help in this time of skyrocketing tuition and living costs in Vancouver.

I cannot wait to graduate and apply my skills.

Thank you.

In solidarity,Mimi Law, Emily Carr University

TheExecutivedecidedBy Leanne Toderian, Secretary Treasurer

At the Executive and Society Board meetings of July 6, July 20, and September 7, 2011 the following decisions were made:

To appoint Sister Barb Dickinson as the • Executive Contact to the West End Community Centre Association (Little Sprout) bargaining.To endorse the recommendation of • the Langara Bargaining Committee to recommend the tentative agreement to the members.The book the Italian Cultural Centre for • all General Membership Meetings from September 2011 to June 2012.To submit Sister Barb Dickinson’s name for • the Resolutions Committee and Brother Matt Quiring’s name for the Constitutional Committee at the National Convention.To approve $500 from the Political Action • Fund to support the Vision Vancouver Event focusing on labour presidents whose employer is the City of Vancouver.To purchase up to three tickets to the • Vancouver West End NDP Pride Brunch.To create a new mileage policy that • increases approved reimbursement claims for mileage to a maximum of the automobile allowance rate set by the Canada Revenue Agency.To hold an educational retreat for • Vancouver Coastal Health Shop Stewards.To approve convention resolutions for • submission to CUPE National.To authorize up to $500 to design and • manufacture a CUPE 15 banner.To approve up to $5,000 to hire a • consultant to work with the Langara Students’ Union to formulate a structure and facilitate working agreements with the employer and employees subject to reference checks, and apply for a cost share from CUPE National.To donate $1,000 to CUPE Local 3338 • to assist their members who have been locked out by the Simon Fraser Student Society since July 10, 2011.To appoint Sisters Leanne Toderian, • Miriam Pulsifer, and Sally Bankiner as delegates to the Vancouver and District Labour Council.To purchase four tickets to the First Call • Dinner sponsored by the BC Child and Youth Advocacy Coalition.To purchase four tickets to the Back • to School Breakfast with Patti Bacchus sponsored by Vision Vancouver.To hold three separate meetings to • conduct a City et al ratification of proposals vote.To appoint Brother Craig Hopkins to the • Union Education Committee.To approve 12 full time bursary awards as • per policy and as recommended.To approve eight part time bursary awards • as per policy and as recommended.

The Members decidedAt the General Membership Meeting on June 22, 2011 the following decision was made:To adopt the CUPE Local 15 Equality Statement and include it as an appendix to the CUPE 15 bylaws.

notices

HoldontoyourchefhatsfortheannualChiliCook-offthisfall!City of Vancouver’s United Way Chili Cook-off!In this contest staff teams of three will get to show off and share their favourite chili recipes. Each team will bring their ingredients and have an hour to prepare and cook their recipe on site. The chili will then be judged by a panel of media judges. Please invite your coworkers to enjoy samples of the chili and music by the Firefighters’ Band, while learning more about our United Way campaign.

Wednesday, October 5, 2011CityHall,CouncillorParkingLot,NorthSIde

Judging/Sampling:12-1:15p.m.

In addition to the Dave Veljacic Memorial Cup for the winning team, there will be prizes for 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, best decorated booth, Best Costumes and People’s Choice.

Come out and vote for your CUPE15 Team!

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Events & Credits

The Members’ Voice is published nine times a year for members of CUPE Local 15 - Vancouver Municipal, Education and Community Workers. The Deadline for submissions is 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All submissions may be edited for brevity and clarity. Signed articles and letters do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of CUPE Local 15.

CUPE Local 15545 West 10th AvenueVancouver, BC V5Z 1K9Phone: 604-879-4671Fax: 604-879-7582Email: email@cupe15.orgWebsite: www.cupe15.org

Local 15 is a chartered affiliate of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and is also affiliated with the CUPE British Columbia Division, CUPE Metro District Council and the Vancouver & District Labour Council. CUPE 15 is a member of the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM).

CUPELocal15ExecutiveBoard

TableOfficers:President: Paul Faoro

1st Vice President: Miriam Pulsifer

2nd Vice President: Sally Bankiner

Secretary Treasurer: Leanne Toderian

Sector Representatives:City: Santino Scardillo, Diane Brown

College/University: Emma Somers

Cultural: Matthew Quiring

Health/HSSCBA: Patricia Taylor

Health/HSPBA: Vacant

Parks: Anne-Marie McGee, Barb Dickinson

K-12: Peggy Wong, Warren Williams

Trustees:Joey Lau, Michelle Alexander, Karla Mairena

StaffRepresentatives:Kathie Currie, John Geppert, Keith Graham, Graeme Moore

Office&AdministrativeStaff:Mark Gloumeau, Accounting Coordinator Rosemary Matheson, Office Manager Barbara Simpson, Office Assistant

Building Maintenance:Jeff Zaharia

CUPENationalRepresentatives:Justin Schmid, Tina Meadows, Matt Yun

Designed by talkingdog.ca

ACCCConferenceReport: by Zeljka Loncaric, Langara College

I would like to express my sincere thank you to CUPE local 15 for giving me the opportunity to attend the Association of Community Colleges Conference held in Edmonton from June 5-7, 2011. The theme of the conference was: Big Sky Thinking: Sustainability, educating for tomorrow. There were many key note speakers addressing the challenges and the opportunities for the future of education. But the one speaker that was most impressive and inspirational was Lance Secretan. He authored many books on leadership and inspiration and is a well known presenter around the world. He talked about his latest book called, “The Spark, the Flame and the Torch: Inspire Self, Inspire Others, Inspire World.” In this book he teaches us how to become more inspired person and he teaches leaders to overhaul stale concepts such as mission and vision statements and rethink our entire model of leadership by focusing on inspiration.

Another notable keynote speaker was Andree Cazabon who recently completed her fifth film, “3rd World Canada” on the conditions for children living on remote First Nations reserve. Andree is an active volunteer on youth-at-risk and youth in foster care projects. In her film which she presented at the conference she exposed some of the unbearable conditions in which our native children live. This film will undoubtedly open our hearts and our eyes.

The Staff Networking started with lunch and introductions. There were a few of us from BC, a couple from back East and the largest group came from Alberta. We learned that we all had a lot of things in common when each of us shared our work experiences with the students and our employers. Most of us enjoy our work and are proud of our contributions to the work force, but we also realized that not all of us have equal access to benefits such as compressed work week and sick leave. At the end we came out of the session refreshed and keen on finding new ways to communicate and get involved in different committees so that we all can have better working environments.

There were many subsequent sessions, presented by board members, educators, and students which I attended and had an opportunity to learn about issues at different institutions from their perspective.

By attending this conference, I had a great opportunity to learn more about the best practices in post secondary institutions and it gave me an new appreciation for the work that I do.

MeetingNoticeforallCity,ParkBoard,Ray-CamandBritanniaMembersby Paul Faoro, President

On Thursday, September 29th we are holding three meetings for members employed at the City of Vancouver, Park Board, Ray-Cam, and Britannia to ratify bargaining proposals for the upcoming round of negotiations. The current collective agreements expire December 31, 2011.

Your Bargaining Committee has been meeting over the last several months to review bargaining survey responses returned from members and other related material in order to prepare for these key negotiations. Please try to attend one of the following important meetings. Your participation is needed.

BargainingProposalRatificationMeeting Thursday, September 29thCroatian Cultural CentreRoom C, 3250 Commercial Drive (at East 15th Avenue)

7:30am – 8:30amNoon–1:00pm6pm – 7:30pm

If you have any questions please contact one of the following members of the Bargaining Committee:

Sally Bankiner (City), Brenda Coombs (Britannia), Barbara Dickinson, alternate (Parks), Arthur Lum (City), Jacques Massé, alternate (City), Anne-Marie McGee (Parks), Betty McGee (Parks), Donald Rounding (City) and Steve Salsman (City).