December 2024 Newsletter

CUPE respectfully acknowledges that Simon Fraser University campuses occupies unceded, traditional Coast Salish territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh), q̓ic̓əy̓ (Katzie), qʼʷa:n̓ƛʼən̓ (Kwantlen), kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem), Semiahmoo and Tsawwassen Nations.

CUPE Local 3338 is a non-profit union organization. We represent nearly 1200 members in six bargaining units each with their own employer across all three campuses of Simon Fraser University. Our vision is to advocate for just and diverse workplaces and communities, and to foster respect, dignity, and equity for our members, and for all working people.

President’s Message

Hi Everyone,

Can you believe we have the end-of-year on the horizon?  It’s been an intense year with lots of challenges and we know everyone is tired.  Please take care of yourselves as the ramp up to wrap up goes full steam ahead.

The Local has been doing an incredible amount of work throughout the year that we were happy to share with you at each General Membership Meetings (GMMs).  We hope to see more members attend as these meetings are a great way to both get updates and engage with the executive board.  We enjoy seeing you there, getting to update you on the business of the Local and engaging through questions!

2025 Focus

1. SFU budget update: The update from November 23, 2024 left us all with many questions but the writing on the wall is clear for all to see.  The union will address the University’s budget decisions and impacts to CUPE staff – particularly with the increase to management/executive staff and increases to executive compensation (salary and benefits) following layoffs.  CUPE is deeply concerned, disappointed and frustrated to see increases to higher income earners after layoffs to the lowest paid workers at the University, our CUPE colleagues.

2. Safety on campus: We are aware of several points of concern and we have started conversations with employers (SFU, SFSS and BEST) about safety practices in various workspaces on the university property.  Please ensure you connect with your supervisor about current safety and reporting mechanisms in place.  If you experience any verbal harassment and/or threats to physical safety, report the incident to both your supervisor and the union office immediately.  We encourage you to think about compassionate approaches to reporting (for example, is campus security/police the first approach).

3. Bargaining: There will be two bargaining tables – Unit 5/SFSS in March 2025 and Unit 1/SFU Collective Agreement expires March 31, 2025, which means bargaining is likely to happen mid-2025.

SFU and CUPE Closures

SFU will be closed from Wednesday, December 25, 2024 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025, reopening on Thursday, January 2, 2025.

Please contact your supervisor with any questions about the winter closure and shift work during this time.

The CUPE office will be closed from Monday, December 23, 2025 to Friday, January 3, 2025.  ‘Info@cupe3338.ca’ will be monitored during this time but only urgent/time sensitive communications will be responded to.  All emails/voicemails will be responded to in order of priority starting Monday, January 6, 2025.

It’s been an honour to be in this role and I’d like to share how proud I am of the executive board team.  I look forward to stepping into my second term as president and continuing this important work with the executive board for you, the members.  Wishing you a safe and enjoyable season, may it offer you some rest and a lot of joy.

In solidarity and on behalf of the 2024 executive board,

Shaneza Bacchus

2024 Annual General Meeting (AGM) Highlights

Your executive board spent a considerable amount of time preparing for the AGM with reports from the board, secretary-treasurer and trustees.  It was wonderful connecting with those who were able to attend and we certainly hope to see more of you attend in the future.  Please find a high level overview of the AGM below:

2025 Executive Board

2025 General Membership Meeting (GMM) Dates

January 22 | March 19 | May 21 | July 16 | September 17 | October 15

The Annual General Meeting (AGM) is usually held in November.

Bylaw Revisions 

These revisions were started in 2022 and as you can see, it takes quite some time to update the Bylaws from the internal revisions to membership approval to National review and approval. The final step will be submitting the 2024 AGM Minutes to CUPE National.  The updated Bylaws will be on the website soon!

Motions (Passed)

• November 16, 2024 AGM Minutes

• 2024 Executive Board Report

• 2024 Secretary-Treasurer’s Report

• 2024 Trustees Audit Report

• 2025 Budget

• 2022 Bylaw Revisions

Unit Updates

Unit 1/SFU

• Unit 1/SFU: This is your final reminder to use the “Personal Day with Pay” benefit (as per Article 41 of the CA) if you have not done so this year. If you do not use this benefit, it does not get carried over to the next year. Use it or lose it!

• The current CA expires March 31, 2025.  It seems like a long way away but it will be here sooner than we think.  Stay tuned for the bargaining committee call out in early 2025!

Unit 2/CUPW

You can find updates on the Canada Post site.

Any strike causes disruption and we know this strike is having big impacts, especially at this time of year.  Please show kindness and solidarity with these workers who were on the line in winter fighting for improved working conditions.  This is especially important following a strike.

• Hearings occurred this past weekend and negotiations between Canada Post and the Canadian Union of Postal Workers were at an impasse.

• CUPW workers were ordered back to work on Tuesday, December 17, 2024.  The union contracts will be extended through to May 2025 to allow the bargaining process to resume.  Canada Post has agreed to a 5% wage increase, retroactive to the expiration of the CA.

Unit 4/BEST

Workload

• CUPE will meet with BEST regarding the ongoing workload issues as a result of the layoffs earlier in this year.  If you are assigned more work than can reasonably be completed in a shift and work is left uncompleted, make a note of what tasks could not be completed due to workload and report these to your supervisor/manager before you leave the shift.

Stewards (points-of-contact)

• The union is looking to schedule new steward training in early 2025.  If you are interested in understanding how the collective agreement works and acting as a point of contact between your colleagues and the union, please contact the union asap.  New steward training is mandatory before anyone can act as a steward.

Living Wage

• BEST and CUPE are meeting on December 19, 2024 regarding implementation of the November 2024 living wage update.  A union communication will be sent to the members separately on when the new living wage will take effect.

Unit 5/SFSS

• SFSS and CUPE have finalised bargaining for March 10-28, 2025.  A separate email will be sent to this membership regarding bargaining before the end of December 2024.  Stay tuned for info/Q&A sessions in January 2025.

Unit 6/GSS and Unit 7/SFPIRG

• We will be connecting with members within both units in early January 2025.

Membership Engagement

What would you like to see from your Local?  More social/membership engagement activities?  More involvement in advocacy and activism spaces?  Do you have any ideas on how union meetings can be more interesting or fun?  Please let us know how you would like to be involved in creating greater engagement among colleagues.

Social and Young Workers Committee Call-Outs

• The Social Committee: We have some fun ideas in mind but because exec board members have to focus on Local priorities, we can’t switch to the fun pieces easily.  If you would like to see some fun engagement happen, come on in to plan future events for you and your colleagues.

• We are looking to launch a new Young Workers Committee for those aged 30 and under – create a space together, address concerns, share educational and professional opportunities.  Let’s connect, innovate, and shape the future together within the labour movement!

Upcoming Events

CUPE 3338 hopes to announce a member social in early 2025!

Steward Training

Stewards are an essential part of union activism.  A steward is a point of contact between members and the union.  We encourage anyone who is interested in workers’ rights and ensuring the collective agreement is protected to contact the office.  Becoming a steward is a great way to develop professional skills: note taking, understanding the collective agreement and its practical application, helping to inform others of their rights, and conflict resolution.

There is new steward training coming up in February and continues throughout the year.  Please let us know if you would be interested in becoming a steward and attending this training! (Please note the training is presently full and waitlisted, we are attempting to request extra seats and be placed on a cancellation list.  We may be able to schedule this training specifically for 3338 members).

Did You Know…

1. While Canada is known for having “one party consent” for recording private conversations, doing so at work and sharing without the consent of all parties present is not a good practice.  Recording private conversations can undermine trust in the workplace and with the union.  It also puts your own privacy and confidentiality at risk.  Best practice is not to record any conversations without the consent of all parties involved.  If recording is needed for accessibility (example, language translation), let all attendees know.

2. HR/Management is not your friend, they are the Employer’s friend. When writing to the Union about a workplace complaint, please keep your initial correspondence between yourself and the Union, only.  HR/Management can always be looped in later on, when it is necessary and appropriate to do so.

3. You should always have a union representative in any disciplinary meeting.  If a general meeting becomes a critique of work performance and/or turns disciplinary, you have the right to stop the meeting and request a union rep to be present.  If a union rep is unavailable at the moment, the meeting will be re-scheduled.

To keep up with our most recent news, please visit https://cupe3338.ca for union updates.

Have content to share with the CUPE 3338 community? Submit it to this newsletter by emailing communications@cupe3338.ca.

To contact the union: 778.782.5494 or info@cupe3338.ca. Offices are in AQ 5131 and 5132 and drop ins are welcomed but it’s recommended to schedule an appointment.