A Scholar Strike for Black Lives in Canada is taking place on Sept 9^th & 10^th, 2020.  For these two days, organizers are encouraging academics and all university/education workers to pause teaching and all administrative duties.  They have used this time to organize public digital teach-ins on police brutality and violence in our communities from both historical and contemporary perspectives that are available to everyone.

Scholar Strike organizers recognize the precarious labour status of workers in Canada, and they invite university workers to participate in this labour action as much as they are able to engage.  They understand that some will not be able to participate fully, but there are many ways to engage with this protest, from amplifying the message on social media to using the digital public teach-ins during class time.

Acknowledging that Canada’s university and college campuses stand on the ancestral and traditional territories of Indigenous peoples, they are making these calls to action in the spirit of our collective commitment to work towards liberating Black, Indigenous and transnational frameworks and knowledges, while actively working for a liberated global future.

Please visit the website for more detailed information, program summary, and ways you can get involved: www.scholarstrikecanada.ca
Please visit the Facebook event page for listing of available digital teachings/classes: Facebook event here.

After a four year hiatus, we’re excited to reboot Pressure Point, the CUPE Local 2081 newsletter! Read the brand new issue for information about what’s happening in your local, as well as news from provincial and national CUPE movements.

Watch for it around Camosun, or download the PDF here: Pressure Point January 2020

On March 30, 2017, your Union will hold elections for representation on your Executive and various Committees. Representing your Union can be rewarding, whether it be as a Shop Steward, helping a co-worker Return To Work, bargaining the Collective Agreement, working on Job Evaluations, Health and Safety, or Labour Management; these roles and committees are very important to all of us.

There are many members who have spent time on the Executive and Committees during their career at the College and we thank them for their valuable contribution. If your children have now grown up, your career is a little more manageable, or you wish to expand your skill set, maybe you could find time to help out your fellow co-workers.

While representing your Union is sometimes difficult, it is critical that we have adequate representation. Your Union provides training through education and peer development, as well as leave, either from work for College initiated activities, or Union leave for Union activities.

With many key Union Representatives retiring or set to retire, it is absolutely critical to fill positions being vacated to ensure continuity of valuable knowledge.

Check out our Local’s website for more information, including the Bylaws on the Resources page, which provide specific details about the duties of each elected position.

In solidarity,

Keith Todd

On behalf of the CUPE Executive Team

A History of Action from CUPE BC on Vimeo.