Picket Captains are the backbone of our Union during strikes, serving as frontline organizers and the embodiment of solidarity on the picket line. As a Picket Captain, you’ll play a crucial role in ensuring our members’ voices are heard and their rights are protected.

Your responsibilities will include maintaining attendance on the picket line to ensure members receive their strike pay, coordinating strike duties fairly, and ensuring the safety of our members. You’ll also be the point of contact for any emergencies or decisions that may affect all members on your line.

Picket activity is closely monitored by Canada Post, including corporate security, supervisors, and the media. With clear anti-scab laws in B.C., Picket Captains may need to report any scab incidents to the Union promptly.

As a Picket Captain, you’ll relay important information between zone coordinators and members, ensuring smooth communication and information flow during the strike. You’ll be a vital link in our Union’s strength and resilience.

Picket Captains are Postal Workers just like you, who have stepped up to take on additional responsibilities. Your commitment and dedication will be crucial in showing our strength in numbers and solidarity.

The Local needs volunteers for Picket Captains, and the more volunteers we have, the stronger our Union will be.  Join us in solidarity as we stand together for our rights and a better future for all.

Local will be providing a Picket Captain course. The deadline to send your name and contact info to the email below is May 10^th. Join us in solidarity as we stand together for our rights and a better future for all.

Please send your email:

Anju Parmar President   [email protected]

Kat Poch   Organizing Director   [email protected]

In   Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Joseph H McCance has been elected as 1^st Vice President.

Kevin Biggs has been Re-elected as Secretary Treasurer.

Sukhwinder (Tony) Phunal elected as Executive Shop Steward PPC Shift 2.

Shop Steward Election Results

The following Shop Stewards have been elected to a Two (2) year term.

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

John Tweed      Robyn Mann

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Every year, on March 31, we celebrate Transgender Day of Visibility, a day where transgender people from all walks of life can proudly speak up and share their contributions to society, as well as raise awareness to the struggles we face. It is a day to be proud of who we are, and to celebrate our achievements, accomplishments and legislative gains.

This past year has been difficult for many in the 2SLGBTQIA+ community as we have all seen the rise of anti-transgender legislation in Canada and abroad, as well as the rise in anti-transgender hate speech and political rhetoric. Last year’s demonstrations around so-called “parent’s rights” and counter-demonstrations by those who support transgender youth brought these issues to the forefront of the public eye. The very existence of transgender youth has become polarized for political gain, and it hits hard for many transgender adults because many of us knew who we were on the inside from a young age. Many of us grew up knowing that how we felt on the inside did not match who society expected us to be on the outside, at a time where the information was not widely available and supportive resources didn’t exist yet. The fact that there are now resources available and greater education around trans and non-binary identities is a massive leap in acceptance and understanding of transgender people, especially youth at a crossroads in their lives. To see it intentionally withheld in the name of “protecting children” is a step back that will have transgender youth that are afraid to come out to continue struggle in silence.

read more here

In order to fully understand the threat to our working lives posed by Separate Sort from Delivery (SSD), we need to understand what it is and how it poses new risks and strains to Letter Carriers. Currently, a Letter Carrier sorts and prepares their own mail, then they go out and deliver it. Under the SSD system, a “Router” will spend all day inside and sort the mail for several other routes, while Letter Carriers spend more time outside and less time inside. You can see a basic visual representation of this below:

The longer a Letter Carrier spends outside, the further they walk. Additionally, they are exposed to extreme weather events such as heat waves, freezing temperatures and forest fire smoke for longer. This all has a serious impact on the health of Letter Carriers, and this is all structured on an “average volume” day. The longer a route is, the harder it is to complete on heavy volume days such as when property taxes or vacant home assessments go out to every address on the route.

From Canada Post’s own testimony during the National SSD Grievance:

“With the help of a document filed as Exhibit E‐3, Mr. Lefler stated, using the North Fraser depot as an example, that letter carriers have been working just as much since the implementation of the SSD project, the difference being that they work 35 minutes less indoors and 35 minutes more outdoors, while the number of routes has remained the same.” (Emphasis Added)

That was in 2019, then North Fraser had another restructure in 2022 that made the routes even longer!

One of the other major issues with SSD is that when the sortation is taken away from letter carriers and given to the routers, the time values used to calculate a fair 8-hour work day are erased. Someone in Ottawa manually deletes the information taken from the volume count, and the Union gets a report with zeroed out information. Routers work is no longer measured by time value, and when they are done their sorting duties, they are assigned additional work at-will by the supervisor, and can even be assigned delivery despite being “inside” workers.

SSD is taking away the fair and balanced system of time values, and taking us back 60 years of collective progress. The Corporation continues to push this system on us without National consultation, a violation of Article 38.02 and a slap in the face to every carrier across the country.

This contract, WE MUST FIGHT TO ELIMINATE SEPARATE SORT FROM DELIVERY

In Solidarity,

Jamie McCurrach, 1sr Vice President.

WorkSafe BC (WCB) is a third-party Board that covers injuries that occur on the job, and in some cases, the property surrounding a workplace. For example, if the employer failed to salt and de-ice the parking lot and an employee slipped and fell causing injury, this would be considered a workplace injury. WorkSafe BC covers a wide range of work-related injuries and it does not necessarily need a singular or specific incident to file a claim. Claims can also be filed under aggravation of a pre-existing condition, repetitive strain, strains and pains. An example of repetitive injury would be carpal tunnel syndrome and sciatica.

When any injury or pain starts at work, report it! See a first aid attendant and have it documented in the log book. See a healthcare provider, either a walk-in clinic or family doctor as soon as you can and advise them this is a work-related injury. Go on-line at WorkSafeBC.ca and file your claim. If work needs to be missed due to an injury, WorkSafe BC will cover 70% as ‘IOD Pending’ and 75% of wage loss when approved. There will be no disruption to your pay schedule. Furthermore, WorkSafe covers 100% for healthcare needs to aid in healing such as physiotherapy, acupuncture as well as needed medical aids such as back braces, splints, medications, and bandages etc.

read more here

At a time of global conflict, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is united in our commitment to the principles of peace, solidarity, and justice. It is our collective duty to address the issues affecting our world today, and in doing so, promote a better, brighter future.

Our constitution speaks to our support for the rights of the Palestinian people and our pursuit of peace. The Israel/Palestine conflict continues to cause suffering to innocent people on both sides, especially children. As supporters of justice, we call for an immediate cease-fire, recognizing it as the first step toward achieving the peace that all people deserve. We ask all sides to ensure the safety and well-being of those living in this conflict-torn region and engage in talks for a peaceful resolution.

The global stage presents another difficult scenario: the Russia/Ukraine crisis. The tension in this region has led to great hardships for the Ukrainian people and threatens global stability. It is important that we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and work for a peaceful resolution. Let us remember that peace is a universal goal and goes beyond all borders, boundaries and beliefs.

read more here

Recently our membership has been subjected to an onslaught of discipline regarding plant safety rules.

We all are concerned about our health and safety and strive every day to work in a way that is sustainable and not detrimental to our safety. However, when we see the Corporation disregarding our rotation of duties on a daily basis, when Canada Post constantly operates without a full compliment of employees thereby overburdening people, when we see daily demands being placed on our bodies that will lead to injury, we obviously will feel that the Corporation does not truly care about our health and safety.

• We want to work in an environment that fits what the stated goals of Canada Post are, a workplace that shows respect for our health, safety and physical well-being.
• We want to work on a work floor where we respect each other as colleagues and treat each other as we would like to be treated.
• We want to be involved in processes that build on these shared values and stated goals. What we don’t want is to be harassed and bullied into doing things that we feel are damaging to our health and safety.
• We do not want to be treated without due respect and understanding of our struggles.
• We do not want to be subjected to unnecessary discipline with the subsequent loss of income as well as loss of working people on the floor which in turn will lead to more overburdening.
• We want to work without fear of being singled out for discipline when others are respectfully coached.
• We want to work where no one is above the law, where everyone is treated equally. To this end we are encouraging all of our membership to make sure to follow the words of the Canada Post Code of Conduct regarding supervisors, superintendents, managers and directors breaching plant safety rules.

read more here

At a time of global conflict, the Canadian Union of Postal Workers is united in our commitment to the principles of peace, solidarity, and justice. It is our collective duty to address the issues affecting our world today, and in doing so, promote a better, brighter future.

Our constitution speaks to our support for the rights of the Palestinian people and our pursuit of peace. The Israel/Palestine conflict continues to cause suffering to innocent people on both sides, especially children. As supporters of justice, we call for an immediate cease-fire, recognizing it as the first step toward achieving the peace that all people deserve. We ask all sides to ensure the safety and well-being of those living in this conflict-torn region and engage in talks for a peaceful resolution.

read more here

In the recent weeks we all have read and heard about the tensions between Canada and India. Due to the current diplomatic strains between the countries at present, the Indian government has halted visa processing for Canadian nationals in response to escalating tensions between the two countries.  This crisis literally hits home for our members who have immigrated from India, especially those who still have their friends and families back home.

At present the situation is unsafe to say the least. We would like to remind members to think seriously if any plans to visit their loved ones for now until the situation gets better.

In case you need to visit your family in any emergency, remember to take the health emergency phone numbers with you. Since our extended health plan specifically excludes riots and acts of insurrection however it is defined, postal workers who go to India will need to be careful and vigilant if they choose to travel to India at this time.

I will also recommend to get an additional insurance even though our extended plan for postal workers travelling out of province (40 days or less) which covers insured postal workers, spouses and dependents up to a maximum of $250,000 (two hundred fifty thousand) per person. Also, before you travel, I will recommend to find out detailed information on which insurance that will cover first in case needed.

If you need more information please contact your Local President at [email protected] or call (604) 685-6581 Extension 2.

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President                                                 lb/CUPE-3338

WHEN: November 25^th to December 1^st,2023

WHERE: Gimli, Manitoba

Lakeview Gimli Resort

10 Centre Street R0C 1B0

COURSE: Turtle Island 

The Turtle Island course aims to build meaningful, long-term relationships with and among Indigenous peoples inside and outside our workplaces. The course identifies key moments in indigenous peoples’ history in Canada, connects these historical events to the current context, and debunks myths and stereotypes. It concludes with participants identifying ways to act as effective and respectful allies to Indigenous peoples in their struggle for decolonization. This opportunity will also contain a continued emphasis on becoming a facilitator on this material. It should also be noted that ONLY those who identify as Indigenous will be asked to facilitate the Turtle Island course. Please note that this educational opportunity has been requested by the previous National Human Rights Committee and passed by the outgoing National Executive Board. The intention is to primarily provide this course to those who identify as Indigenous with the hope of building participants up to one day facilitate this life changing course to all CUPW workers. With this is mind, we are strongly encouraging those who identify as Indigenous to apply. Should we not be able to fill the class with those who identify as Indigenous, we will fill it with other applicants – so all are encouraged to apply. This education program falls under Article 11.06 of the National Constitution and expenses for delegates are paid under Article 7.42, which include meals, transportation and accommodation. Reimbursement for childcare expenses is also available. The Union encourages all members to access this right of membership and learn how to make your own working life and that of your co-workers better.

Please mail your applications to :109-4238 Lozells Ave Burnaby, V5A0C4

Or You can fax at (604) 685-4931

NOTE: Application will not be accepted via emails.

For more information, please contact your President at (604) 685-6581 ext 2.

 Deadline to receive the application is October 12^th at noon.

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Click here for Course application

Our Contract has about 4 more months to go. While CUPW is hoping to negotiate a new one before that, there are never any guarantees. Members should be looking at their savings and alternate sources of income in preparation for the possibility of a strike in early 2024.

There are some other things that can be done to help ensure that we get a decent Collective Agreement before the deadline:

Let the management know that you want this round settled with good contract which is negotiated in a good faith. Let them know you are demanding better wages and working conditions. Let them know you’re willing to strike if needed to achieve those demands!

Take an interest in the progress of negotiations. Come to meetings and stay informed. Remember if management knows that our membership is involved and ready, they have an incentive to not play games at the negotiating table that they have tried in the past.

The Vancouver Local will hold demand ratification meetings from October 25^th to November 1^st.

On another note I would also like to inform our members that in early August Vancouver local has launched the BUILDING WORKER POWER campaign. Sister Ellen Bowles, our regional coordinator, is has been meeting members in our local for almost 2 months now, having visited every delivery depot in the local. In coming weeks, we will be starting face to face conversations with Group 1, 3 and 4 at PPC and PIF.

TOGETHER WE CAN UNITE, STAND UP, FIGHT BACK AND WIN!!

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Art by Lilly-Rose Babysky

The Vancouver Local invites all members to participate in one of the many events taking place during the upcoming Truth and Reconciliation day

In Vancouver, held on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations:

The Arts Umbrella, 1400 Johnston St. https://www.artsumbrella.com/events/national-day-for-truth-and-reconciliation-2023

Orange Shirt Day at Trout Lake Community Center, 3360 Victoria Drive (Outdoors) at 1PM

UBC intergenerational march to commemorate Orange Shirt Day – 11:45am to 3pm at 1985 Learners Walk (Indian Residential School History & Dialogue center

In North Vancouver, held on the unceded traditional territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations at the Museum and Archives of North Vancouver, 115 West Esplanade, 10am to 5pm

For a complete listing of Truth and Reconciliation day events near you, visit

https://miss604.com/2023/09/truth-and-reconciliation-vancouver-events-2023.html

Saturday, October 28^th

^{Held at the 411 Seniors Center}

^{3502 Fraser St., Vancouver 8am to 4pm}

If you are planning on retiring soon, this course will help you understand your defined benefit pension, how much pensionable service you have, how to plan for your retirement and more.

The CUPW Vancouver Local Retiree’s committee does not have a budget for book offs, so you must attend this course on your own time. If you are scheduled to work on Saturday, October 28^th and wish to attend the course, please fill out a leave form and submit it to your supervisor. There are no pre-requisites for this course, or meeting attendance requirements.

Deadline for applications is Friday, October 20, 2023.  Applications can be faxed to (604) 685-4931, dropped off in person or mailed to #109 – 4238 Lozells Ave, Burnaby BC, V5A 0C4

APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED BY EMAIL

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Work Floor Captain Training

Friday, October 20^th

Held at: CUPW Vancouver Local Office

#109 – 4238 Lozells Avenue, Burnaby 8am to 4pm

CUPW is only as strong as our work floors are organized, unified around a plan, and willing to mobilize. Union leadership will never have the power to defeat the boss and government on their own. Without mass buy-in from our members to strengthen CUPW from the work floor up, our jobs as postal workers will keep deteriorating.

The corporation is positioned to use Amazon and the pandemic as excuses to cut us down in bargaining in 2023. We must be ready, but our capacity to fight forward will only be proportional to how many of us are committed to building the solidarity of our union, in whatever way we can.

The Building Worker Power campaign is the first time since 1988 that CUPW has committed to a National plan to build up the internal capacity of our members to confront the employer directly on the work floor. For this campaign to succeed we will need hundreds of members to volunteer as work floor captains to be trained to help their co-workers collectively assert their rights.

Regional Organizers have been trained to assist Locals in running a one-day course designed specifically for this campaign to give members willing to take a stand all the tools they’ll need to effectively organize their own work floor, such as:

read more here

Every year, the Corporation asks CUPW members to participate in an employee engagement survey. While seemingly well intentioned on the surface, these surveys are designed not only to pit members against one another for prizes, but also to gauge the temperature of the work floor in advance of negotiations. The CUPW Vancouver local is advising ALL members NOT TO PARTICIPATE.

But what if I participate to leave a negative review?

While we would all like the opportunity to tell the Corporation what we really think, their metrics are based on participation levels. Also, in years past, they have received negative reviews and promised change – change that has never materialized.

What about the prizes?   

Nothing more than trinkets and tax write offs to the Corporation. These draws are meant to stoke competition amongst colleagues and divide our work floors. If all employees in a cell or section participate, they get an extra ticket for a draw. This puts pressure on those who do not feel like participating not to let others down. This is no different than draws of the past where the Corporation tries to incentivize not calling in sick, only this time, they are incentivising a divide. Anything that divides us weakens us at a time where we need to build our strength and solidarity.

Do not forget this is the same Corporation that has taken from its workers all year long and now wants to paint a rosy picture. The plant has lost day shift jobs, letter carriers are being forced into Separate Sort from Delivery, and Groups 3 and 4 were completely ignored in this survey. We as a Union cannot stand for divisiveness on our work floors.

How do I let my employer know that I am dissatisfied?

You can always invoke your right to complain under Article 9.07. but if you really want to make a statement, please come to ratify our package of demands this October. Wear a Union button on our work floors. Make your opinions on voting YES to strike known. You don’t have to remain quiet, but you don’t have to play the Corporation’s game by their rules in order to express your discontent. The best way to send a clear message is to send a message of silence. We want meaningful negotiations, livable wages and decent work conditions – not draws for lamps and coolers.

In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

Congratulations to Michael Seney, who won $2,335.00 in the CUPW Vancouver Local Wide 50/50!!!

Michael Seney with his winning ticket and $2,335!!!

A huge Thank-you to everyone who participated and donated. The final numbers are being crunched, but we definitely beat our expectations for ticket sales, and a donation to Seniors 411 will be announced shortly.

In Solidarity,

Kat Poch, Organizing Director

SAYS NO! TO SSD

NO! to our routes getting longer and longer

NO! to changing Router assignments on a whim

NO! to the erasure of sortation values from the 075 form

NO! to disconnecting carriers from their case strips

NO! to management’s band-aid solutions

Postal Workers say NO! to Separate Sort From Delivery.

It DOES NOT  save floor space or money – but it costs us the time values that we have agreed upon for over 50 years. It costs our backs, our knees, our bodies.

In 2018, Canada Post rammed through it’s first SSD restructure on the west coast at North Fraser Depot. At first, there were 10 routers. Now, despite the rapid expansion of Metrotown and The River District, there are now only 9 routers at North Fraser! How many will your station get under SSD? We don’t know. We don’t know because management has never told us what system they use to determine what an 8 hour work day is for routers, nor how they determine what routers will sort what routes. There has NEVER been consultation at the National, Regional or Local level. Management takes the position that routers are Letter Carrier Assistants, therefore their assignments can be changed at any time with no oversight or input from the Union.

read more here

Hello All,                                                                                                    July 13th,2023

We wanted to provide an update on the consultations Vancouver local and the employer had on June 21^st, June 28^th and on July 6^th. Vancouver local was represented by your 2^nd VP Raylene Marshall, VP 3 Bryan Schuck, President Anju Parmar along with PPC Executive Shop Stewards Zenaida Garcia, Helen De Guzman and Yogesh Sharma.

On July 6, 2023 Vancouver local had a final consult regarding the Canada Posts proposed mini bid for PPC.  In our first consult Canada Post had proposed drastic staffing cuts in shift 2 due to “changes in the business mode”.  FROM THE INITIAL CONSULT CUPW OBJECTED AND DISAGREED WITH ANY NEGATIVE CHANGES TO THE NUMBER OF POSITIONS ON SHIFT 2. After having many discussions with the employer, it was very clear that the Employer was not willing to keep the schedule status quo, Vancouver Local gave multiple suggestions to find a way to reduce the impact on our members.  The employer came back with 3 different proposals and the one they are using we felt minimized the impact on our members, Including casuals. We want to ensure members that VANCOUVER LOCAL ALWAYS OBJECTED TO ANY CHANGES TO THE CURRENT ROSTER.  We believe in a work\life balance and want our members to have a stable schedule to rely on.  We never want members moving mid-year, unless it is done by our members on volition. Union will always fight for our work in group1 to be pushed to day shift in group 1.  We will always demand that the employer adhere to the Collective Agreement and move as much work as possible to day shift. If more positions are needed in any shift we ask the employer to create positions, instead of moving them.

25 positions will be displaced from VEO and It is very Important for those who will be DISPLACED to bid in monthly bid to OBTAIN the permanent position.

<!–more read more here->

Union will be visiting the work floors next week. If you have any questions, please free to contact   your Executive Shop Steward on the floor or call the office at (604) 685-6581.

In Solidarity,

 Bryan Schuck                            Raylene Marshall                  Anju Parmar

 3^rd Vice President                     2^nd Vice President                 President

May Day is upon us again! May 1^st is the day to celebrate major wins for unions as a whole. Take a second to appreciate the 8-hour workday, weekends, maternity/paternity leave, and any other privileges we’ve fought for collectively!

This is also an open invitation to attend the Vancouver District Labour Council May Day Rally.

May Day Rally

May 01, 2023 at
5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PST

Vancouver City Hall

453 West 12th Avenue

Vancouver, BCV5Y 1V4

Join us for a rally at Vancouver City Hall on May 1st, International Workers’ Day!

In Solidarity,

Katie Poch, Organizing Director

With contract negotiations at an impasse and a resolution unlikely before tomorrow evening, more than 100,000 members of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) are set to strike beginning Wednesday, April 19.

These are workers from across the public service; cleaners and cooks on military bases, clerks and maintenance workers, tradespeople, Coast Guard search and rescue teams, teachers, firefighters, and workers who process employment insurance, passport applications and immigration documents. In essence, without these workers, Canada does not work.

The employer, the Treasury Board of Canada, has yet to come up with offers that are suitable to the union’s demands. PSAC wants wage increases that keep up with inflation, increased job security, an end to systemic racism in the workplace, enshrining work from home, and no more contracting out and privatizing of public service work.

The PSAC Strike and CUPW

Why should CUPW members care?

The federal government is Canada’s largest employer, with more than 330,000 employees. The standards set at the federal level are a gravitational field that lift or drop the offers of every other employer in the country.

Since the pandemic, wages have not kept pace with inflation, and the only sectors seeing real wage growth are retail and food services, almost entirely low paying and non-union jobs. With 35,000 Canada Revenue Agency employees also ready to strike as tax filings are due, the time is ripe to pressure the feds and for workers to make real gains.

What Can you Do?

What happens with this strike will set a precedent for other federal workers, including us at CUPW. Stand in solidarity with striking PSAC workers and show support by showing up to a picket line. Use the map in the link below to find one nearest you (note that you cannot attend picket lines during your work hours).https://workerscantwait.ca/

In Solidarity,

Roland Schmidt
3rd National Vice-President

Ryan Lum
Union Representative, External Organizing

2019 – 2023 / Bulletin no 450
/es cope 225

The National Day of Mourning, held annually on April 28, is dedicated to remembering those who have lost their lives or suffered injury or illness at work. This annual event was initiated by the labour movement 38 years ago to increase awareness of on-the-job injuries and fatal workplace accidents. This day of remembrance was officially recognized by the federal government in 1991, more than six years after it was launched by the Canadian Labour Congress in 1985. This year’s theme is “Workers’ Resources, Rights and Victories”.

Although the National Day of Mourning is now recognized in more than 100 countries, including Canada there is still a lot to accomplish in order to improve the safety of workers. In 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available, 1,081 workers were fatally injured at work. The vast majority of them (1,009) were men. In addition to these fatalities, 277,217 lost time claims were granted in Canada.

In 2021, the latest year for which statistics are available, 1,081 workers were fatally injured at work. The vast majority of them (1,009) were men. In addition to these fatalities, 277,217 lost time claims were granted in Canada.

After the last three years during which it was difficult to gather, we finally have a chance to gather in person and reflect together across the country.

For more information on the events across the country, please contact your provincial federation of labour or visit the Canadian Labour Congress webpage:http://www.canadianlabour.ca/

As in previous years, we have asked the Corporation to fly the Canadian flag at half-mast and observe a minute of silence during every shift on April 28. CPC has agreed to this request and has advised us that a national communication regarding the Day of Mourning will be sent shortly to all managers across the country.

On this National Day of Mourning, it is important that, wherever we are, we take the time to remember our brothers, sisters and friends who died, suffered injuries or became disabled at work. We must all commit to continuing the struggle to force employers and governments to fulfill their obligation to make every workplace a safe and healthy one. We must also continue seeking stronger health and safety standards and protection, and better enforcement in our workplaces.

AN INJURY TO ONE IS AN INJURY TO ALL!

In solidarity,

Marc Roussel
National Union Representative
Health and Safety

MR/fc- sepb 225 /scfp1979

April is a busy month for all those who observe a variety of religious holidays. During this month, members of Sikh faith celebrate Vaisakhi (April 13^th), members of Muslim faith celebrate Ramadan (March 22^nd – April 20^th), and members who are Catholics are celebrating Easter (April 9^th).

This month is also known as Sikh Heritage Month. The government of Canada was the first country to officially recognize Sikh Heritage Month in 2019.

  We wish you all a   Happy Easter

 Happy Ramadan,  Happy Vaisakhi 

   In Solidarity,

Anju Parmar, President

lb/CUPE-3338

During this election campaign, there have been a number of rumours, inaccuracies and misconceptions about our local and how it operates. Having heard some of these rumours, the Vancouver Local Executive would like to set the record straight so that members are basing their decisions on accurate information.

Rumour: Officers are able to campaign on union paid time

Fact: Officers running for another term are campaigning on their personal time. All of their time off is documented and reviewed by the trustee’s committee.

Rumour: There is only one sole legal representative of CUPW

Fact: CUPW Executives and advocates are the only authorized representatives of the membership. CUPW will also contract outside legal services at a National and Regional level for interpretations of matters relating to the Canada Labour Code, Federal legislation, and other matters of concern to working conditions of Postal Workers

Rumour: The Local is misappropriating funds from the budget

Fact: Local finances are reviewed quarterly by the trustee’s committee, and the finances are audited annually by an outside chartered accountant, Culver & Co. The reports of the trustees and the auditor are shared at the General Membership Meeting for all members to review and ask questions before voting to approve the reports.
Article 9.30 of the National Constitution states-
9.30: The National Office shall prepare and supply an appropriate form for submission of an annual financial report by all Locals, except those using the services of a chartered accountant firm to audit their accounts and submit an annual financial statement.

read more here

The CUPW National Constitution sets the basic dues rate for Urban Operations workers at 300% of the maximum hourly rate for the lowest classification within the bargaining unit.

RSMC dues have been set at 1.71% of the wage portion received by each member, to a monthly maximum equal to the dues for Urban Operation members.

With the current collective agreements, there is a 2% wage increase for the RSMC and Urban Operations bargaining units.

The new maximum monthly deduction for union dues for members of the RSMC bargaining unit effective January 1, 2023 is $90.61.

The Urban Operations new monthly deduction for union dues is $90.61, effective February 1, 2023.

The new monthly deduction for union dues will be collected on pay period 3.
However, since the union dues increase for RSMC was not done on January 1st, union dues arrears will be collected on pay period 6. This is the month when you have 3 pays.

However, since the union dues increase for RSMC was not done on January 1st, union dues arrears will be collected on pay period 6. This is the month when you have 3 pays.

Attached is a chart showing the 2023 basic dues rates as well as the exceptions for those Locals with local assessments.

I trust this information will assist in answering members’ questions about the monthly union dues deduction, which members will observe on their pay statements.

In solidarity,
Beverly Collins National Secretary-Treasurer
2019-2023/ Bulletin no 428
cope 225

LOCAL 846

MEMBER ENGAGEMENT SURVEY

A survey for you!

Please give the QR code above a scan and participate in a survey created by your Executive Committee to serve you better.

All information collected in this survey is kept confidential and anonymous.

   lb/CUPW-3338

Due to weather this event has been cancelled

In Solidarity,

Katie Poch, Organizing Director

lb/CUPE-3338

Click for more information