Press Release:

DELTA

It has been another busy week for the CUPE 391 Executive: bargaining, bindery and the Board (the 3 Bs!) have certainly kept us challenged and hopping.

We

The Union Executive and Bargaining Committee hear surprising stuff from our membership. Please keep telling us what you hear, what you think and what you need to know. Click on the Bargaining Blog and write bargaining@vpl.ca for any questions.

CUPE 391 have two mediation dates: July 3 and July 11. We will update the membership with any relevant news after meeting with mediator, GVRD and LMT. CUPE 15 have had their essential services meeting with the LRB. They will be hearing next week which public services will be considered essential. CUPE 1004 goes into mediation on July 5. They will likely have essential services hearings in the week of July 9th and may not hear the results until the week of July 16th.

The City of Delta

The Library Board meeting is a 5.30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 27th.  The structure of the agenda is complex due to the inclusion of the results of the cultural survey.  A representative of the organisation managing the process will be facilitating and the working group will examine the results with Board trustees. The Membership is welcome to be present.  This part of the meeting will take about an hour and a half.  Apparently the regular board meeting will not commence until approximately 7.10 p.m.  At that time Laura Safarian and Alex Youngberg will be making short presentations.  The in camera portion of the meeting will be around 8.30 p.m.

The Union realises that this is not convenient for many members.  However the content of the subject matter affects us all.  In the first instance, staff will be digesting the results of the their 3rd survey on staff health and welfare in the last two years.  How do you think our organisation fulfils its mandate to its employees?  Please attend this meeting if you wish to review the first presentation.  Other presentations to staff re: the survey, will follow on Friday and next week.  Human Resources will inform you of the dates and times.

The other issue that the Union will be bringing forward is, of course, the implementation plan of the dismantling of the Bindery.  This process is both painful and divisive.  It requires the Union to make harsh decisions in the light of the legalities and greater good.  This short-sighted, yet very damaging decision on the part of some Board trustees and LMT will have long-ranging consequences that will haunt us for years.  So much for be tired of dealing with the Bindery and wishing it would go away.  The decision to close a cost effective work unit and contract out our work has opened Pandora’s box.  Our glorious public service is now firmly on the slippery slope.  We must continue to fight for the public good.

Please phone 604-331-4003 or 604-331-4000 to book a seat at the June 27th Board Meeting at 5.30 p.m.  Make the last Wednesday of the month a regular out for family, friends and supporters of public service and libraries.  Take back our libraries services for our public.

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The Membership votes:

97%

A strong turnout of Vancouver Public Library Workers, CUPE Local 391, gave a resounding response to contract negotiations with the Employer. 97% of the membership who cast ballots are are in favour of strike action if the Employer continues to ignore our proposals.  This Employer, after voting to close a cost-effective work unit and contract out its work wants to:

• Delete the Technological Change language.  We are proposing that the Tech change language provide for training and job placement within VPL across all classifications.


• Skip re-posting when a subsequent vacancy occurs in the same classification


• Delete 8.6.2 which provides for the Employer to write a written explanation explaining the reasons why an employee did not get a posting.


• Sick leave restructuring

Please continue to read here and the Bargaining Blog, https://cupe391.ca/blog2/ for further information
97 % - We are solidarity personified.

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