Have Your Say on Bill 148

Bill 148 – Changes to Ontario’s Employment and Labour Laws

On June 1, the Ontario government introduced Bill 148: Fair Workplaces, Better Jobs Act 2017.

These changes are the culmination of years of mobilizing and lobbying among union members, worker advocates, anti-poverty activists, faith leaders and many more.

But our work must continue. This is a once in a generation opportunity to achieve major labour law reform so we must continue fighting to get the changes that workers in this province deserve.

CUPE has created a fact sheet that provides overview of the changes we will be focusing our lobbying effort towards.

There are public hearings that are coming up in a number of communities across the province. The bill is expected to pass this Fall and as the process unfolds, CUPE will be providing further information.

Labour must have a strong voice and presence at these consultations. The committee will benefit from hearing how this legislation will impact working people across the province.

If you have not already done so, please register to make an oral presentation when this committee meets in your community, or in a community near you.

For the member of CUPE 932 who are interested in making an oral presentation, please contact any member of the Executive Committee.

 

RATIFICATION MEETING – VENUE CHANGE

Please be advised that the ratification meeting will now be at the Turner Park Branch.

Meeting will still be on Friday, February 10 at 6:00pm. Presentation will begin at 6:30pm.

The venue change is due to a sold out event at FirstOntario Centre on the same night. This sold out event will make parking difficult and, if you do locate one, it will be expensive. We apologize for this inconvenience and we’re looking forward to seeing everyone in Turner Park.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact Jennie Hamilton jehamilt932@gmail.com

In solidarity,

Negotiations Committee

 

IMPORTANT UPDATE — Ratification Meeting VENUE CHANGE

A deal has been reached.

The Negotiating Committee would like to present the deal to the membership and afterwards, a ratification vote will be held.

Friday, February 10, 2017

Hamilton Room, Central Library

TURNER PARK LIBRARY

The presentation will begin promptly at 6:30pm

Central Library will be closed to the public at that time and members are asked to enter via the York Street doors. 

Please enter through the shipping doors.

Refreshments will be provided.

For more information please contact Jennie Hamilton (VP) via jehamilt932@gmail.com

 

CUPE 932 Statement on HPL’s Rural Service Model Proposal

In the October Labour Management meeting of CUPE 932 with its employer, HPL Chief Librarian Paul Takala presented the Rural Service Model proposal that he will be presenting to the Board.

The gist of the proposal is to extend the open hours of rural branches without any staff present at the location. The employer advised in the proposal that there will still be some way for customers to contact staff virtually via intercom, facetime or some similar technology.

Below is CUPE 932’s statement regarding this proposal. This statement was read during the November Labour Management meeting and forwarded to the employer for inclusion in the minutes for that meeting. The statement was already read during the November General Membership Meeting.

To HPL Board Members and Management:

 

Please do not take our silence as a sign of agreement regarding your plans for the Rural Branch Model.  We were so shocked by the presentation at the last Labour Management meeting, that we had to step away and digest all that you proposed.

Our concerns are many and warranted.  Your staff see the erosion of their livelihoods in the decimation of full-time jobs. They have lost hope that they’ll ever be able to support their families and communities on the reduced income and stability that result from part-time positions. It does not go unnoticed that there have been zero reductions for management staff.  Now they look to the future and see you’re proposing they can be replaced by EMPTY SPACE – branches with no staffing, limited community engagement, and unsafe work environments.

Rural branches should be open for more hours; on this we agree.  But the strength of good library service relies on good customer service, as well as access to materials.  If the rural branches are to be opened additional hours, they should be staffed for those hours, so that the library remains the hub of the community, the go-to place for face-to-face interaction with knowledgeable, dedicated staff.

What message are you sending to your staff and the community when you decide it’s more cost effective to allow theft, than to have dedicated staff working in the branch?  Do not think for a minute that when word gets out there are unmanned branches, people will not come from miles around for the free goods they can load up into their cars.

Perhaps the goal should be to open rural branches longer when the capital is there to staff them and provide the stellar customer service that HPL is known for. Why should rural customers settle for less than urban customers?

 

 

It’s almost the Holidays….CUPE 2794 is still on strike

Sisters and Brothers,
It looks like the CUPE 2794’s strike is not going to end anytime soon. In the last membership meeting, it was decided that we will send a financial donation to our sisters and brothers in Essex County Public Library.
We were wondering if there are people who are interested in sending non-monetary donations to them. It could get cold while they are at the picket lines, so maybe scarves and gloves. We’ll take anything that could help them out there.
Please message us on our Facebook page or e-mail Jennie (jehamilt932@gmail.com) and we’ll take care of gathering all of them and making sure that it gets to Library Warriors of CUPE 2794.
Thank you for your generosity.

September – CUPE Updates

Highlights of the September 2016 National Executive Board meeting

Distribute the information throughout your local to keep your members up-to-date on what’s happening within the union.

National President’s Report and National Secretary-Treasurer’s Report to the September 2016 National Executive Board meeting

Circulate the reports to members of the executive and make them available to interested members for their information.

CUPE Local 2974 strike appeal letter

Circulate to members of your executive. Consider making a financial contribution to support the CUPE Local 2974 Essex County Library strikers.

CUPE’s National Leadership Survey letter

Circulate to members of your executive. Encourage your elected CUPE local leaders to complete the survey by November 6, 2016.

Statement – CUPE National Officers Reaffirm Support for Locals Fighting Concession Demands and Two-Tier Schemes

Circulate to members of your executive and your bargaining committee.

Economy at Work – CUPE’s economic and bargaining newsletter

Circulate to members of your executive. Consider using the report as a bargaining reference tool to provide accessible information and analysis of economic developments.

Global Justice newsletter

Circulate the information to your Global Justice Committee and post the newsletter in the workplace.