COVID 19 has upended our globe, our country and our community. There remains very little in the world that has not felt the impact of this pandemic and the havoc it has wreaked upon our world. It has been a difficult time for everyone and we know that we have more road to travel.
Every aspect of how we work and when we come together as a community was altered over the past few months. The ability to be together, to support each other, to see our families and receive their support has been on hold. Now, with the gradual and thoughtful re-opening of our communities, a much needed hug from a loved one is just what many of us need right now.
As we move towards the fall semester, our usual summer preparations are now occurring from home offices or by enacting social distancing measures on campus. The usual frenetic pace, the buzz around the halls, has shifted and in it’s place is a new world that we are all still trying to adjust to. It’s not easy, it hasn’t been easy and we know that each and every one of you have risen to the occasion.
While we have guarded against lay offs over the last few months, the current financial circumstance must now be addressed. Meetings for those impacted members were convened last and this week. We waited to send out additional communication out of respect for those affected and to remind our community that lay offs, in this context, are targeted. This means only areas that have seen significantly reduced work or very little work were areas identified by the College for lay offs. We are not facing Government mandated cuts as we did under the previous Liberal Government.
For CUPE, anyone who is impacted will have met or is scheduled to meet with their manager/HR and union representation. This means if you don’t have a meeting booked and/or concluded, there isn’t one pending.
We want you to know that we will continue to work together, to push the College for meaningful solutions and enforce the provisions of our Collective Agreement. Please don’t hesitate to connect with the Union office if you have questions, comments or concerns.
In solidarity.