ISSUE  4,  March,  2013  

PRESIDENT  AND  FULL  TIME  OFFICER  REPORT  

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Brothers and Sisters: Let me begin by

thanking all of you for your good

wishes and prayers during this

challenging time that I need to be

focused on my health.

Thank you also for your support of our

CUPE 1505 executive members, who

have stepped up as a team to act on

your behalf during my temporary

absence. Brother Tom Davis, the

Acting President, has taken my place at

meetings with RMWB senior

management and I have every faith in

his commitment and  capabilities.

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Sister Alice Lerchs has served in the

support position created at the

September General Membership

meeting and I am thankful for her

support of the Acting President and

fellow executive members as well.

It’s my understanding that the

executive has decided that it’s

necessary for the support role to

continue and that the executive

members will undertake those  

responsibilities  on  a  rotating  basis, which I fully endorse. I strongly

encourage each of you to empower our

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executive members to do the jobs that

need to be done during these

challenging times.

It is as important as ever that we stand

together in solidarity and treat each

other with the respect and

consideration that we expect ourselves.

I may be away at the moment, but my

heart and thoughts are with all of you.

Yours in Solidarity,

Della Kerfont

EMPLOYEE  BENEFITS  :    We  need  to  hear  from  you!  Would  all  CUPE  1505  employees  who    have  applied  for  short  term  disability  from  Sun  Life  and  who  has  been  denied,  for  any  reason,  please  contact  the  office  at  780.791.3411  or  email  cupeatyourservice@shaw.ca  .    

CUPE  1505    UPDATE  The  Canadian  Union  of  Public  Employees  and  the  Regional  Municipality  of  Wood  Buffalo  share  a  workplace  relationship  that  has  evolved  and  developed  from  one  

  Lorem  Ipsum  

WOOD  BUFFALO  CUPE  

ALERT  

CONTRACTING  OUT  

 

The  Fort  McMurray  Airport  Authority  management  revealed  in  January  that  the  Board  of  Directors  will  be  deciding  at  its  September  meeting  whether  to  contract  out  services  to  align  with  the  airport  expansion  in  April,  2014.      

This  Board  decision  will  affect  four  work  areas  and  approximately  one  half  of  the  CUPE  membership  currently  employed  at  the  airport.      

CUPE  1505  will  be  mounting  an  information  campaign  and  acting  in  the  members’  interests  in  the  coming  months.  

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To keep it short and sweet, I have

been running from dawn until dusk

attending management meetings,

speaking with members, gathering

information on various issues, building

our Steward ranks and, generally,

balancing 20 balls in the air

simultaneously.

We have a major concern with the

proposal of contracting out our

members’ services at the airport,

which will be a priority of mine

between now and September.

It has come to my attention that some

of our members are being denied

Weekly Indemnity, a CUPE-funded

and an employer-required premium

and benefit for employees. This is

another priority of mine.

A Stewardship meeting has been held

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and shall continue on the first Monday

of each month. Also there will be an

Introduction to Stewardship workshop

on April 12 and 13, a Friday and a

Saturday. If you attend the full

workshop, union recoverable wages

will be paid for the Friday. I encourage

you to register for this workshop,

which is limited to 15 participants, by

contacting Audrey Benoit, the

registrar, at either abenoit@cupe.ca

or by calling 743.2880 (a.m.) or

791.3411 (p.m.).

Without the presence of our President

and Full Time Officer, we are moving

forward as effectively as we can as

your executive to serve you, our

members. If you have any questions,

please contact the CUPE 1505 office

at 780.791.3411 or by email at

cupe1505@shaw.ca. Tom Davis

ACTING  PRESIDENT,  VICE  PRESIDENT  AND  CHIEF  SHOP  STEWARD  REPORT  

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FINANCIAL OFFICER REPORT

Dear Members, My time as support for the local is coming to an end. When I think back over the past five months, not all memories have been good. I am grateful to have been given the opportunity, but I am relieved to return to my position at the WWTP. During my term I experienced first hand what our President Della has gone through over these past four years. Being on the executive is a very thankless job. The expectation is there without the appreciation. There are some happy moments and many not so happy. You the members need to fully understand what a member of the executive commits themselves to when taking the oath. Your life changes. You are expected to work a full time job and do union work on your own time. No time is given by the union to do your duties. You are expected to sit on committees and attend meetings on your own time. Let’s not forget the free trips out of town to do more work on your own time. And when you can't complete a report you must face the membership and face judgment. Yes, I am angry right now and rather than point fingers at the executive and accuse us of doing nothing, its not worth it for a mere $350 a month. Something needs to change here! But we do it because we are passionate. We need to be more active and step up and be aware of what’s going on within our local. The airport is on the verge of loosing 28 positions because there are plans to contract out custodial, security, ground service and shuttle drivers. This is disturbing and we can't allow it to happen. Will you support us and stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters? So next time you are sitting in a general membership meeting give thought for one second what we are fighting for. Give us your support and help us fight. We are doing this for you, the members of 1505. Alice Lerchs

RECORDING  OFFICER  REPORT  

The hours have been adding up and most evenings are filled with union work and doing reports. I've been moving forward with digitizing out documents while working on our file structure and backing everything up weekly. There have been a lot of meetings in which the minutes have gotten longer but I think in these times of great change the more detail and better planned out the better. My next plan is to get feedback via an online survey from the membership as to what they want to see from the union, how we can help you want to come to the membership meetings, and the problems in work areas.

Come out to the March 13th meeting to get my update on the bargaining conference, health safety and benefits committee, and much bigger issues we can only discuss behind closed doors! Rob Peebles 7807424312 - mobile 7805983339 - work mobile Robert.peebles@woodbuffalo.ab.ca Rjpeeb@me.com  

CUPE  1505  UPDATE                                                                    

 

 

 

CUPE  1505  UPDATE                                                                      

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COMMUNICATION  OFFICER  REPORT  This is the first UPDATE newsletter in some time because, since October, I have focused on a

health issue and, in fact, I just returned to work this week. During many trips to Edmonton for

medical treatments, through snow storms and highway closures, I kept reminding myself that

attitude determines whether one goes on an adventure or suffers through an ordeal. My

experience since my diagnosis has truly been an adventure since I have met many courageous

women, many dedicated health professionals and many new friends. Not only that, but I have

received a great deal of support from my supervisor and fellow employees and CUPE members

and I just want to say ‘Thank You’ to those of you who wished me well.

As of March 4, I have rotated into the CUPE 1505 office position in support of our Acting President Tom Davis. I’m looking

forward to being able to find out the answers to members’ questions, representing the members’ interests and advocating on their

behalf.

My priorities over the coming months are, firstly, to support the membership who contact our office and to ensure that our Acting

President has timely, accurate and necessary information in order to effectively represent our members. Secondly, to continue to

build and update the Wood Buffalo CUPE website. Thirdly, to initiate a public awareness campaign to counter the prospect of

contracting out the services of the Fort McMurray Airport Authority.

And, last but certainly not least, I hope to hear from members who are interested in joining the Bylaw Committee; changes to our

Local’s bylaws must be endorsed by the executive prior to going to the membership for approval and new bylaws must also then be

approved by Paul Moist, our National President, before they are enacted. With the growth of the municipality and our new

memberships and with the various reorganizations and so many new developments, bylaw revisions have been on hold. But to

move forward and grow as a local, we need to place revised and updated bylaws in place to facilitate change and improvement.

See you at the March 13th general membership meeting at the Golden Years Society facility… Myra “Ross

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Fort  McMurray  is  the  host  city  for  the  2013  CUPE  

Alberta    Convention,  at  the  Sawridge,  March  20-­‐22.  

More  information  at  the  March  13th    

CUPE  1505  meeting!