REMINDER … CUPE 4154 MEMBERSHIP MEETING VIA TEAMS APP

SATURDAY MAY. 15TH, 2021  10:00 AM

AGENDA ITEMS:

· COVID Update

· Preliminary Staffing Update

· Forum Feedback

 

Nominations for the following positions:

Vice – President – Custodial/Maintenance

EA/ECE/IAW/SSW

Secretarial/Admin/IT/Library Tech

Secretary/Treasurer

Recording Secretary

 

“AN INFORMED WORKFORCE IS A POWERFUL WORKFORCE”

WE LOOK FORWARD TO INTERACTING WITH YOU VIRTUALLY ON MAY. 15TH, 2021!

Trudy Scott

President

LOCAL 4154

Notice of Elections

Positions up for Election

  • 3 Vice Presidents
  • Recording Secretary
  • Secretary Treasurer
  • Trustees (1 one year term position)

The elections will have the following timelines:

  • Notice of Election was sent on April 20, 2021. If you are interested in running for office and are unable to attend the meeting on May 15, 2021 written nominations will be accepted up to Thursday, May 13, 2021. Nominations and acceptance of nominations in writing can be sent to president@cupe4154.ca. A scanned copy or picture via e-mail with both the candidate and nominators signatures are acceptable. Nominations will also be accepted at the Membership Meeting on May 15, 2021.
    1. Nominations will include:
      1. Name of Candidate
      2. Position being sought
  • Statement from the Candidate accepting the nomination
  1. Name of Nominator
  2. Resume (each candidate can provide a one-page resume)

 

  • To be eligible for election to an Officer or Trustee position, on the date of being nominated, a member must be a member in good standing.
  • A member may accept nomination for one office

 

  • In the event that there is only one (1) nominee for any position, the election committee shall declare that nominee elected by acclamation.
  • When two or more nominees are to be elected to any office by electronic vote, each member voting shall be required to vote for the full number of candidates otherwise the electronic vote will be declared spoiled.

 

  • In case of a tie vote, there shall be a second electronic vote run-off amongst the tied candidates within fourteen (14) days.

 

  • Elections will open on Saturday June 15, 2021 11:00 am and close on Sunday June 16, 2021 at 11:00 am.

 

  • The VP Admin/Secretarial/Library Tech and the VP Custodial/Maintenance will be a one term ending in 2022, the Recording Secretary will be a two-year term ending in 2023, the VP EA/DECE/SSW/IAW and the Secretary Treasurer will be a three-year term ending in 2024. This correction process will put all positions on a three-year term rotation ensuring no more than two members of the Executive Board will be up for election at one time.

 

  • The local will use Simply voting in order to complete the election.
  • Only the members in good standing can vote.
  • Resumes of the candidates will be available on the local’s website, Facebook page and emailed to all members after the May meeting.

If you need technical assistance, please send an email to AdminVP@cupe4154.ca

 

RESULTS WILL BE ANNOUNCED VIA EMAIL, CUPE 4154 WEBSITE AND FACEBOOK PAGE.  

Day of Mourning E-Action

On April 28, we are encouraging all CUPE members across the province to observe a moment of silence in recognition of workers who have been killed or injured on the job and in protest of the government’s failure to protect them from COVID-19.

We are demanding paid sick days for all workers, vaccinations for all frontline workers, paid time off from work for vaccination, an immediate end to any enhanced police powers, and appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Fill out the form below and pledge to take the following actions on the Day of Mourning—April 28:

    • Observe a moment of silence;
    • Wear black (for example, by wearing a black mask, using a black mask as an impromptu armband, or wearing all black—whatever you can do);
    • Send a message to Premier Doug Ford and your MPP below;
    • Download the poster, print it, and send a photo of yourself with it to 1-866-821-7273, and post it to social media with the hashtag #PaidSickDays;
    • Call your MPP and Premier Ford’s office at 416-745-2859 and demand paid sick days, vaccinations for all frontline workers and an end to enhanced police powers

Day of Mourning E-Action

 

“The shutdown is a sign of political failure, but we can break the cycle”: CUPE Ontario

TORONTO, ON – We could end this cycle of opening up and shutting down with planning and concerted action by the provincial government, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario.

“This routine almost feels like an April Fool’s joke on Ontarians,” said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. “We could stop this cycle once and for all if the Ford government just took the actions that we, and so many experts, unions, and community organizations, have continuously called for.”

With new modelling warning Ontario could see 6,000 new cases a day by the end of this month and a 4-week shutdown set to begin, CUPE Ontario is urging the government to immediately:

  • Develop a comprehensive and detailed vaccine rollout plan that prioritizes hard hit, racialized communities;
  • Ensure that the rollout is backed up with resources for local Public Health units and community organizations;
  • Dedicate sufficient funding to ensure robust contact tracing and accelerated rapid testing;
  • Mandate and supply appropriate PPE for all workers;
  • Finally take action with supports needed to address the growing crisis in Long-Term Care;
  • Actually listen to Education workers and put in the supports needed, like smaller class sizes, to ensure a safe return to school as soon as possible;
  • Legislate paid sick time for all workers;
  • And develop a comprehensive action plan to address the disproportionate impacts of the pandemic on racialized communities.

“A shutdown and some tweaks to capacity limits in retail just won’t get the job done, and, frankly, it does little more than scapegoat everyday people and let’s the government off the hook” said Hahn. “We need improved workplace safety and paid sick days for every worker to prevent alarming cases like the Amazon warehouse in Brampton that saw over 600 cases a couple weeks ago.”

“Now’s the time to recognize that we’re in this vicious cycle because of consistent political failure – and that we can get out of it with political will.”

-30-

For more information, contact:

Daniel Tseghay
Communications Representative, CUPE
dtseghay@cupe.ca | 647-220-9739

 

Province must provide direction, support for students and staff working in schools during COVID shutdown

Even in the current emergency shutdown in Ontario, thousands of students continue to go to school and continue to be supported by education workers. To protect everyone’s health and safety, the union that represents 55,000 education workers is calling on the provincial government to implement some straightforward measures that will lower the risks of spreading COVID-19.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has drawn up a list of simple, low-cost ways to reduce hazards for everyone who spends their days in brick-and-mortar schools. Laura Walton, president of CUPE’s Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU), outlined the measures that the union wants in place in schools that have students attending class:

Mandatory screening: Active and enhanced screening should be applied to everyone entering schools. Screening should include temperature checks for anyone coming through school doors and written attestation should be required from parents to confirm that their children don’t have symptoms of COVID-19 and haven’t been exposed to it.

Improving air quality: Better ventilation is crucial for reducing the spread of COVID, but many older schools have outdated HVAC systems and many newer schools don’t have windows that open. To mitigate the dangers, air purifiers should be put in every school room that is occupied during the shutdown, even if this means moving equipment from one school to another.

Reducing mobility of staff: Student cohorts may be smaller, but the education workers who support them still move from class to class as part of their job. This is dangerous and defeats the purpose of keeping the same group of children together throughout the school day. Smaller cohorts should the workers.

Clarify who should still be in school: Among the very few groups of people who should be in schools during the emergency shutdown are students with high special needs; students whose homes lack internet connectivity; and the workers who support them. The Ministry of Education must clarify which workers are required in schools and enforce stay-at-home orders for everyone else.

Review students’ IEPs: Many education workers are in schools and providing direct support to students who have Individual Education Plans (IEPs). These plans should be reviewed with an eye to safety and risk assessment to make sure that the right safety protocols are in place to keep everyone safe and healthy.

“The services provided by frontline educators workers are vital and CUPE members will always be on site as long as there are students in school to support,” said Walton. “But the provincial government can’t ignore their concerns about health and safety, especially since both are tied directly to stopping the spread of COVID-19 in the community.”