MEMBERS INFORMATION PAGE

CUPE  LOCAL  3501-A-B

 

Membership Information Kit

• Equality Statement
• The Canadian Union of Public Employees
• Where do My Dues Go?
• Elected Officials & Committees
• Website
• Relief Staff

 

 

 

 

Equality Statement

Union solidarity is based on the principal that union members are equal and deserve mutual respect at all levels. Any behavior that creates conflict prevents us from working together to strengthen our union

As unionists, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding are our goals. We should neither condone nor tolerate behavior undermines the dignity or self esteem or any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Discriminatory speech or conduct which is racist, sexist, transphobic hurts and thereby divides us. So too, does discrimination on the basis of ability, age, class, religion, language and ethnic origin.

Sometimes discrimination takes the form of harassment. Harassment means using real or perceived power to abuse, devalue or humiliate. Harassment should not be treated as a joke. The uneasiness and resentment that it creates are not feelings that help us grow as a union.

Discrimination and harassment focus on characteristics that make us different; and they reduce our capacity to work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our union.

CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all sisters and brothers deserve dignity, equality and respect.

 

The Canadian Union of Public Employees

C.U.P.E – Our Union

C.U.PE is Canada’s largest Public Sector Union with over 600,000 members in every province in Canada from coast to coast. Our members are the strength of our union and without them we wouldn’t have a Union. You are the “U” in Union.

CUPE organizes workers in the broader public sector. Workers in CUPE do not work directly for Provincial or Federal Governments, but for agencies funded by them and other forms of government

CUPE has workers in 5 main Sectors in Ontario:

Municipalities – Garbage collectors, water treatment, zoning officers etc…

Health Care – Nurses, food services, lab tecnicians, clerical supports etc….

School Boards – Caretakers, Secretaries, Librarians, etc…

Universities– Teaching Assistants, Maintenance, Librarians

Social Services- Childcare, welfare & ODSP Workers, WSIB Workers, Children’s Aid Societies, Community Agencies and Home care, and community living (CUPE organizes workers at close to 50 Agencies in ACL’s)

 

CUPE also has an Airline Division that organizes the flight attendants at Air Canada, First Nation Airlines, Air Transat, and some regional airlines across the country.

CUPE is very proud of our democratic principles as a union. We are directly membership run as a Union and all decisions are made by members-at the local level at membership meetings and at the Provincial and National Levels by conventions.

Our Local Union first joined CUPE in ___________. We were originally part of a much smaller union (The Boys Home) and merged with two other organizations, Turning Point in ___________________.

Only frontline workers who support clients directly are in our Union. So, secretarial support staff and maintenance personnel are not in our union. That does not mean that they cannot join. In fact, anyone below the rank of Supervisor can join our local.

We have approximately 120 members in local. Our local is considered a small Local. Our Members are made up of CYW’s, Clinicians, Counselors, and Relief staff.

We have some challenges as a result of our size, and we are always looking for workers who are interested in becoming more active

Give our office a call at __________________ for more details on how you could become more involved in your union.

 

 

 

 

Where do My Dues Go?

Every CUPE Local can set there own rate of Union Dues so long as it is at or past a minimum level set by CUPE National.

The Union dues for our Local Union are set by our Membership. Our Union dues are__________%______ of the money we make on each pay cheque.

That means that for every $100.00 a worker generates in income they pay _$__________ in Union Dues.

Union Dues are considered a tax deduction and are included on T4 slips for this reason-so the money we spend in union dues is completely tax deductible.

Union Dues are like a kind of insurance that unionized workers pay to ensure that they have a Union that can help them and make their working lives better.

If we use the example of _$________paid for every $100 earned as a model- model here is the answer to the question, “Where do my Union Dues Go”?

 

49.5% of it go directly to our National Union.

Every Local in CUPE must pay a minimum amount to CUPE National…89% of wages earned. This money goes to pay for supports we receive from CUPE National such as:

National Servicing Representative to assist our Local with all things.

Legal Services/Lawyers for Arbitrations

National Pay equity and job evaluation services

The National Union Education courses. There are many other supports that we can access through CUPE National without paying any additional money. This also includes access to printed materials, posters etc..

The money is also used to maintain the infrastructure of CUPE National’s various offices etc..

Every Local Union is provided a full breakdown of how CUPE National spends our money and every Local who attends National Conventions gets to speak to, amend, and vote on the National Budget that directs the use of Union Dues by CUPE National.

51.5% of it comes back to our Local Union to use.

The money is used for things like Union time for Activists, Grievance/Arbitration.

Education of Members

Office supplies

Phones

Social Services Coordinated Committee Levy

Sending Activists to Conferences and Conventions

 

Elected Officers &Committees

Executive Board Members

President  -  John Wesley (647)971-2014

Vice President –

Recording Secretary –

Treasurer-

Chief Steward 3501-

Chief Steward 3501-A

Chief Steward 3501-B

 

HEALTH and SAFETY Committee

Worker co-Chair – Andrika

Woodycrest –

Withrow –

Logan –

Everette- 

Redwood-

Page 10

Clifton-

Turning Point Shelter-

 

Injured Worker Representative

David Hylton – 

 

Labour Management Committee members

President

Recording Secretary

Chief Stewards

 

Role of Executive Board:

Responsible for guiding the Local and making decisions between membership meetings.

Generally assisting Stewards and members in handling Grievances and other Labor/Management issues or concerns. Ongoing communication with the membership via membership meetings and written updates.

Serves as the overall leader group and all committee report to it.

 

Health and Safety

• Joint committee is mandated by Law. Worker members are elected for a two year term at their respective site locations.
• Worker members perform inspections, review policies, and investigate worker concerns of Health and Safety issue and concerns.

 

Labour Management Committee

• Worker committee members meet with equal amount of Management as outlined in the Collective Agreement.
• The committee meets with the Employer to discuss issues that are common to all workers.
• The committee cannot discuss issues that are grievable under the Collective Agreement or individual issues.

 

Injured Worker Representative

Specially trained rep who helps workers injured at work (occupational) through WSIB (Workplace Safety & Insurance Board)

Assists workers who are injured outside of work (non-occupational).

Represents injured workers at meetings with the Employer for both occupational and non occupational injuries in Return to Work or any work place modification.

 

Stewards

At some point, everyone has concerns about their work or workplace. Stewards are here to help you deal with concerns that you can’t deal with yourself

 

Stewards can help with:

• Conflicts with Supervisors and fellow co-workers
• Unfair treatment including harassment by supervisors
• Sexual or racial harassment and homophobia
• Underpayment for overtime or holidays
• Seniority and work assignments/scheduling
• Being passed over for a job
• Being passed over for training
• Unfair discipline or dismissal

 

Stewards have the right to investigate problems. Management is obligated to deal with the problems that Stewards bring to their attention. If Management does not deal with a problem the Union has the right to file a Grievance on behalf of the worker. Stewards cannot solve every workplace problems. But they can solve a lot more problems than individual workers can on their own.

 

Stewards are co-workers who are elected by members at their own work sites. Stewards will be trained by CUPE and supported by our CUPE National Union staff to represent and assist  members in the workplace.

To contact a Steward for help see the Committee list or Call your unit Chief Steward.

 

WEBSITE

Our Local has developed a website that our members can access for information and updates as well as correspondences from CUPE National. This will be accessible to our members in April and will updated monthly.

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