Earth Day is this Friday, April 22. We can all do our part. What will you do for the environment this Friday?

• Take public transit to work
• Conserve energy
• Eat local
• Plant a tree

Or, even better, maybe this is the time to start greening your workplace, with ideas like energy conservation, car pooling, recycling, reducing waste, etc. CUPE has produced a fact sheet if you want to set up an environment committee in your workplace.

CUPE also wants to encourage and promote existing green practices in our locals’ workplaces. You may submit your local for our 2016 Earth Day contest. Deadline is May 6th.

TORONTO – CUPE’s 55,000 education workers are lauding a significant Ontario Superior Court victory, after several unions challenged the constitutionality of Bill 115. The court challenge was filed in 2013 after Bill 115 stripped workers in the education sector of their rights to bargain collectively. The challenge was postponed in 2014 at the request of the province, and resumed in December, 2015.

“CUPE’s position has always been that Bill 115 violated our basic Charter rights,” said Terri Preston, chair of the union’s education sector coordinating committee. “We saw it as a threat to all Canadian workers, and we couldn’t let it pass unchallenged. The court validated our position that this Bill was a gross overreach that trampled basic freedom-of-association rights.”

“After this lawsuit was initially filed, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) ruled in the Saskatchewan Federation of Labour case that workers have a constitutional right to strike,” said Fred Hahn, president of CUPE Ontario. “CUPE was a lead union on that SCC case, and victory there gave us great confidence in our case here. We are thrilled the Superior Court has agreed that the government’s approach to collective bargaining was ‘fundamentally flawed’.”

Significantly, in his ruling Justice Lederer wrote that the impact of this flawed piece of legislation was “not just on the economic circumstances of education workers but on their associational rights and the dignity, autonomy and equality that comes with the exercise of that fundamental freedom.”

“This couldn’t send a clearer message to governments that they ought not interfere in free collective bargaining,” said Preston. “It’s a terrific ruling for education workers in Ontario and in building on the existing case law, for all Canadian workers.”

Read the full story at CUPE National

Greetings,

Further to our earlier message about this workshop, we received an enthusiastic response from members expressing an interest to attend.

Therefore, participants will be determined by a draw during the Special Meeting to be held 12:05-12:55pm, Friday, April 22, 2016, CC 121-Int/F 306-Lans.

All expressions of interest we received have been acknowledged by earlier email. Do let us know if your interest has been missed, so you (and your spouse, if desired) may added to the draw.

Also, we are working toward having another Retirement Planning workshop in the Fall.

Thank you!

Do you need child care this fall? September 2016 Registration for Camosun Child Care begins soon.

Child Care Services operates five licensed centers between both campuses.

At the Interurban campus, they offer full time care for infants, toddlers and preschoolers.

At the Lansdowne campus, they offer full time care for toddlers and preschoolers.

Information and an online application are available at camosun.ca/childcare or call 250-370-4880.

Greetings!

The next General Memebership Lunchtime Meeting will be held on Friday, April 22, from 12-1pm in Campus Centre 121 and Young 306.

• 2016.04.22 Agenda – April Special Meeting Agenda
• 2016.02.26 Minutes – February General Meeting
• 2016.04 April Report – Education
• 2016.04 April Report – Communications

Do you have an issue to bring up? Your Union meeting is the place to do it!

Do you have a new person in your area? Bring them along so they can be sworn in as a CUPE member.

Feeling a little new yourself? Brush up on the Rules of Order.

Your opinion matters and every vote counts – See you on the 22nd

Let’s put an end to tax avoidance, tax evasion and tax havens once and for all.

Canada is losing billions of dollars to tax avoidance, tax evasion, and tax havens. Corporations and the very wealthy are getting out of paying their fair share for public services all Canadians depend on.

The Alternative Federal Budget shows there was $199 billion of Canadian dir­ect investment in tax havens in 2014 — a quarter of all Canadian direct investment abroad — and that is just what is officially reported in corporate balance sheets.

And recent investigations show that “the precise annual cost to Canadian tax coffers is unknowable. But credible estimates peg Canada’s tax losses to offshore havens at between $6 billion and $7.8 billion each year.”

Tax evasion comes at great cost to the public interest. We need much more progressive tax reform in order to fund the quality public services all Canadians can depend on when they need them most.

Please join us and tell the Federal Finance Minister to support these progressive taxation measures:

-Aggressively tackle tax evasion and tax havens
-Apply a 1 per cent with­holding tax on Canadian assets held in tax havens
-Move towards higher taxation of both corporate and capital income
-Eliminate regressive tax loopholes such as the stock option deduction

More progressive tax reforms are needed to build a sustainable economy, particularly in terms of improving public services, generating good jobs for working people and reducing inequality.

Send a message to Finance Minister Bill Morneau to put a stop to tax evasion and prove the Liberal government is committed to real progressive positive change over the long term.

(reposted from CUPE National)

Applications may now be submitted for CUPE SD Fund activities for the fiscal year from April 1, 2016 to March 31, 2017.

CUPE Staff Development Fund information (Intranet link – posted by the Human Resources Department:)

http://intranet/_hr_/employee_resources/CUPEPD.php

CUPE 2081 co-hosting a two-day CUPE BC Workshop, Retirement Planning, for interested members.

The workshop will be held from 9:00am-4:00pm on each of June 9-10/16 (Thursday-Friday) in Room 211, Centre for Business & Access (CBA 211) at the Interurban campus:

RETIREMENT PLANNING
It’s never too early to start planning for your retirement. Learn about government and workplace pensions and leave with some good tools to help you prepare financially and psychologically.

NOTE: This workshop does not provide specific or personal financial advice.
Participants are requested to bring their Member Benefits Statement as the MPP presenter goes over them during their presentation.

If the participant does not have their Statement, please have them call MPP at 1-800-668-6335 to set up an account.

If they already have an account and need to reprint their statement, they can go to the MPP site www.mpp.pensionsbc.ca and select “My Account” and follow the directions.

Please bring a calculator.

The workshop has been coordinated with the assistance of Greg Burkitt, CUPE National Education Representative, Erynne Grant, CUPE Local 2081 Education Coordinator, and CUPE 2011.

If you are interested in attending this workshop, one day will be Employer paid leave and one day may be vacation leave/banked overtime leave/unpaid leave. Members are required to attend both days. Please first seek approval from your supervisor, then contact the office (phone 250-370-3665, or email cupe2081@camosun.bc.ca, or visit Young 224) to let us know you are interested in attending the Workshop. At that time, please also let us know if your spouse will be attending the workshop with you.

Should interest exceed availability, all names will be entered into a draw during the lunchtime General Meeting on Friday, April 22, 2016 (CC 121/Interurban and F 306/Lansdowne).

CUPE has declared 2016 as the Year of Health and Safety. To showcase the significance and value that we as Trade Unionists place on health and safety in our workplaces, the CUPE Vancouver Island Occupational Health &Safety Committee is hosting a competition for the design of a health and safety lapel pin.

– Create your design

– Complete the official Entry Form

– Submit to vpcupe374@gmail by 11:59 p.m. Sunday, April 10, 2016

ENTRY FORM

1. Contest is open to any Vancouver Island CUPE Local member in good standing

2. The winning design will be selected by the Vancouver Island Occupational Health & Safety committee

3. The winning entry will receive a prize of $150 and 10 of the new 2016 Year of Health and Safety pins

TODAY – March 15th – is the deadline for any applications you need to submit for CUPE SD Funds, for staff development activities taken during April 1, 2015 to March 31, 2016.

Please send your full application package of:

electronic copies BY EMAIL to CUPE SD;  or
paper copies BY INTERCAMPUS MAIL to CUPE SD, c/o the H.R. Dept, Lansdowne;  or
paper copies BY HAND (in person) to CUPE SD, c/o the H.R. Dept, Paul 108, Lansdowne.

Submit for staff development activities from April 1, 2015-March 31, 2016 today!