Please note that all news updates from CUPE BC, BCPSEA etc. are located under the tab “News”.

Hello Everyone,

Good news!  We have learned that there was a good turnout of all staff  to receive the AstraZeneca vaccination last week.

This is Mental Health Week.  The theme this year is #GetReal about how you feel.  The District has attached a link on the SD23 website to the Canadian Mental Health Association site.  Please watch out for each other ensuring we all stay safe and mentally well.

We have received many calls and emails asking what are CUPE members’ representation rights when asked to attend a meeting with management – as well as some concerning calls where members have attended meetings which they were told were not disciplinary and, therefore, didn’t need CUPE representation.  If there is more than one manager at the meeting, you can ask for CUPE representation (shop stewards or CUPE President, CUPE Vice President etc.) regardless of why the meeting is being held.   If you’re called into a meeting with your manager, and the discussion becomes uncomfortable, you can stop the meeting at any time and request CUPE representation before continuing.

Once again, the Union is stressing that if there is more than one manager in the meeting, you are entitled to request a Union representative.

The mask mandate has been revised.  For this information as well as the updated Provincial COVID-19 Health & Safety Guidelines for K-12, please see the following links:

Addendum_Public_Health_Guidance_K-12

Provincial COVID-19 Health Safety Guidelines for K-12 Settings – March 30 2021 – FINAL

Have a great rest of your week and upcoming weekend!

David Tether

Please click the link below for the February 4 K-12 Updated Guidelines

The next CUPE General Meeting will be held via ZOOM on May 15th.  Registration will be through Employee Connect/Workshops.  We will send out an email to ALL CUPE once it is posted.

There will be a Notice of Motion for a Bargaining Committee to elected at the June 12th CUPE General Meeting.  (There was no quorum at the April 17th meeting where this Notice of Motion was originally going to be put forward.  For new members, if there is no quorum at a meeting, business cannot be conducted).

Upcoming CUPE General Meeting:

June 12

Collective Agreement 2019-2022 (002)

Please click on the link below to read the PEBT bulletin.

PEBT Civil Litigation Bulletin – January 2021

CUPE BC will be hosting a series of information webinars for CUPE members on the Plan Partners BC Municipal Pension Plan Redesign changes.

Please read the information in the link below for further details.

MPP Redesign

2020 Support Staff Seniority List may be viewed by opening the link below:

2020 Support Staff Seniority List

Please see the attached link for the Guidelines. Using personal devices is optional.  School District should have supplied technology if you are contacting students from home.

Approved Communication Guidelines for CEAs 

Attention CEAs,

The Union has received a few phone calls from CEAs who have attended staff meetings at their schools and thought they were being paid to attend the meetings because of the SIA (Service Improvement Allocation) Fund.

The SIA Fund does not take effect until July 1, 2020.  The fund will only cover 1 staff meeting per month up to one hour held outside of school hours.

For other departments, please also note that the date the SIA Fund takes effect is July 1, 2020.

The following MSP information is from the School District and was emailed to ALL STAFF today just to give you a heads up about the changes in MSP and the new process.  This new process will start in 90 days and SD23 will email  information to ALL STAFF closer to that date.  Until then, all changes are made through the Payroll Department at SD23.

Last Friday, all employees received an email to inform you that the District processed your last MSP premium deduction in November 2019.

To further explain, MSP premiums will be eliminated January 1, 2020, however the MSP program will continue to provide provincially insured health care benefits for eligible BC residents.  Those employees with existing MSP coverage do not need to re-apply.

The District plans to cancel their Group MSP Plan in the coming weeks but the process will take up to 90 days to complete.  As our District’s Group Plan is cancelled, the Ministry of Health and Health Insurance BC (HIBC) will automatically transfer you and any existing dependents to a self-administered MSP account.  Until you are notified, contact the District’s payroll department for any changes.

As HIBC begins this transfer in the spring, each individual will be notified and will become personally responsible for keeping their individual MSP accounts up to date.

• To update your address at any time, visit www.addresschange.gov.bc.ca;

• To make the following changes, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/managingyourmspaccount;

• Update your personal information, or information for other individuals on your account (including name, date of birth, or gender);

• Add and/or remove a spouse (including Common-law) or child(ren); and/or

• Update your status in Canada (e.g.: obtain a new work permit, study permit, or confirmation of permanent residence).

More Information:

1 – Questions re: your MSP coverage, visit www.gov.bc.ca/MSP or contact HIBC (1-800-663-7100);

2 – To request an MSP Account Confirmation letter that will verify MSP enrolment status for one or more individuals on your MSP account, visit: www.gov.bc.ca/confirmMSPaccount;

3 – Any further questions, visit https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/health/health-drug-coverage/msp/bc-residents/msp-premium-elimination-jan-1-2020

4.  Changes on your personal MSP form are no longer made by the District.  Members log in and make their own changes.

President:  David Tether – [email protected]

Vice President:  Teri Wishlow – [email protected]

Recording Secretary:  Julie Melia – [email protected]

Secretary Treasurer:  Kieran Fahy – [email protected]

Shop Stewards:

Sergeant-At-Arms:  John O’Flaherty – [email protected]

General:  Ronn Dunn – [email protected]

Clerical:  Shelley Yost – [email protected]

Custodial:  Dean Armstrong – [email protected]

Indigenous Advocate:  Simone Gauthier – [email protected]

Operations:  George York – [email protected]

Student Support Services:  Denise Mott – [email protected]

Student Support Services:  Michelle Price – [email protected]

Transportation:  Duane Wheatley – [email protected]