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

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 was mentioned in the last membership meeting that RBC has approached us and was offering a special rate for various insurance services for members of CUPE 932.

If you are interested, here’s the link for more information.

UPDATE: Nov 14 – The survey is now closed. Thank you for everyone who participated.

The members of CUPE Local 5105 are facing an urgent situation and need your help. On August 12, Hamilton City Council voted to stop funding for child care for children with special needs from St. Matthew’s House. The loss of the funding – which funds the jobs of 40 CUPE members – will deal a devastating blow to the agency and will almost certainly lead to its closure. St. Matthew’s executive director has said himself that the loss of the funding will “bankrupt” the agency.

We are asking CUPE members in Hamilton-area social service agencies to call their councillors and ask them to restore funding from the city’s Special Needs Resourcing Services to St. Matthew’s Early Childhood Integration Support Services. You can use the sample text below to e-mail or call your councillor – please support your fellow CUPE members in Local 5105!

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Sample script or e-mail for calling councillors; see the attached flyer to the contact details for your councillor:

Hi, (Councillor Name – office)

My name is ______________________ and I’m calling to voice my concerns about City Council’s decision to remove the funding for services for special-needs children from St. Mathews House.

I’m concerned that this loss of funding will lead to the closure of St. Matthew’s House.

St. Matthew’s House is a multi-service agency working in Hamilton’s poorest neighbourhoods. It provides not only programs for children with special needs, but also a summer camp program, emergency food program, transitional and sustainable housing for seniors and mental health and street outreach services.

Removing the funding for special-needs child care services will make all of the work St. Matthew’s does no longer financially viable. 60 % of St. Matthew’s staff will lose their jobs and residents who depend on St. Matthew’s will lose their support.

I don’t believe Hamilton city council meant to put St. Matthew’s existence at risk but that’s what will happen unless council reverses its decision and restores the funding for services for children with special needs. It is this “anchor” funding that allows St. Matthew’s to provide the other services that are so crucial to our most vulnerable residents.

I’m asking you to please reverse this decision. Thank you.