HORIZONS Newsletter of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1091, Website: www.cupelocal1091.com Phone: 604-940-8596 Dear Sisters and Brothers, As we approach this year’s Thanksgiving weekend I wanted to share with you some of the things that I am thankful for. I hope you find that at least some of these things resonate in your own lives. I am thankful for my children and grandchildren who bring love and happiness into my life each and every day and who support me in everything that I do. I am thankful for the many wonderful friends and colleagues who constantly remind me that each day is an adventure to be shared and enjoyed. I am thankful for my good health, especially as I get older. I am thankful to live and work in our wonderful community of Delta which has allowed me a long and rewarding career with our School District. I am thankful for the support of the 900+ members of Local 1091 who have helped me transition into my new position as president. And, I am thankful for really good red wine (which I enjoy making and drinking!). As Thanksgiving draws near, please keep in mind those who might be less fortunate and who may not enjoy the comforts of daily living as we are used to. If you have the opportunity, reach out to someone in need – a cup of coffee, a hot meal, a warm smile. The smallest of gestures goes a long way. I hope you all find something to be thankful for as you spend this long weekend with your own family and friends. Please attend our General Membership meeting on Saturday, October 18th, at 9:30 am in the library at North Delta Secondary. In Solidarity Patti Price President Local1091 The next General Membership Meeting will be held at North Delta Secondary on Saturday, October 18 th 2014 at 9:30 am sharp Please join us for goodies and a door prize. October 2014 #103 - 7311 Vantage Way, Delta, BC V4G 1C9 EXECUTIVE: President: Patti Price 1st Vice President: 2nd Vice President: 3rd Vice President: Secretary-Treasurer: Recording Secretary: cell: 604-312-7595 Eileen Penney Dan Egan Sarah Richman TRUSTEES: Irene Kitura Alexis MacPherson Emmet Tohill SERGEANT-AT-ARMS : Warren Letendre WEBSITE: Dan Egan NEWSLETTER: Dan Egan COUNSELLING SERVICES: Employee and Family Assistance Program–PPC Lower Mainland/Fraser Valley 604-431-8200 Emergency After Hours: 1-800-663-9099 HEALTH AND SAFETY COMMITTEE: Emmet Tohill (SA) 604-594-3474 UNIT CHAIRPERSONS: Clerical: Custodial: Dan Egan Maintenance: Jonathan McCune EA: Sheri Buss 604-596-7471 604-946-5088 604-940-8596 SHOP STEWARDS: Chief Shop Steward: Jonathan McCune Alexis MacPherson (POPARD) Diana Mercer (HY) - for EAs Irene Kitura (SD) - for EAs Elaine Collins (HA) Eileen Penney (SD) Roger Dormer (ND) Gord Fuller (MT) Kevin Berg-Iverson (MT) Emmet Tohill (SA) Jasbir Singh (GR) Dejene Lenjesa (ND) John Louangxay (MT) Dan Egan (ND) Mick Tennant (MT) 604-290-7375 604-946-3610 604-946-0218 604-943-7407 604-946-7601 604-943-7407 604-596-7471 604-946-5088 604-946-5088 604-721-8746 604-594-2474 604-596-7471 604-946-5088 604-596-7471 604-946-5088 Remember: It is your right to pick the shop steward of your choice if you so desire. C CO OM MFFO OR RT TC CO OM MM MIIT TT TE EE E:: If you know of someone who is away due to a lengthy illness or who has experienced the loss of a loved one, please contact the Union office at 604-940-8596. We would also like to report the “good news” from our members, including births, graduations, weddings, etc. Here is the latest report: BEREAVEMENT With heartfelt sympathy on your loss Shirley Dennis Pam Green Margaret Neal Jitendre Patel Zrinka Dragun EA EA EA Custodian Chef Assistant BR NG ND DE DE loss of Mother loss of Father in Law loss of Mother loss of Grand Mother loss of Mother ILLNESS Wishing you a speedy recovery Catharina Gould Vincent Lee Sympathy Bev Servai DE MTCE loss of Mother Thank you letters and cards from members since the last newsletter: Jitendre Patel - Thank you for the flowers sent for my Grand Mother. Remember you can always have the Horizons newsletter delivered to you electronically via emailed pdf, just email the Local’s office at [email protected] to subscribe. Please if you have moved or changed addresses in the last three years or so, please do provide the Local with your latest information; we rely on our members letting us know when they have made a change so that we can keep our records up to date. “Our labor unions are not narrow, self-seeking groups. They have raised wages, shortened hours and provided supplemental benefits. Through collective bargaining and grievance procedures, they have brought justice and democracy to the shop floor. ” JOHN F. KENNEDY, speech, Aug. 30, 1960 From the National Sector Conference National President Paul Moist opened CUPE’s first ever National Sector Council Conference by focusing on the union’s strength, declaring: “We win when we work together.” Moist saluted the more than 1,200 participants from over 400 locals who came to Toronto, eager to learn from each other, brainstorm strategies to protect members, and make a stronger movement. The key issues for these discussions will be collective bargaining, pensions, fair minimum pay, and pushing back against the cuts coming from governments’ austerity budgets. Participants will focus their discussion on how to make gains for workers in a tough bargaining environment. Stressing the importance of looking beyond this conference, Moist emphasized the need to get active politically, as well as at the bargaining table. Calling our current political reality a “tipping point,” he urged participants to take inspiration from previous generations who built the union from nothing by sticking together, and to pay it forward by defending quality public services and good jobs for future generations. “We owe it to our future members, Canada’s children and grandchildren to fight to defend quality public services and protect and establish quality jobs,” said Moist. I believe profoundly in our union and the power of collective action.” Sharply critical of Prime Minister Harper, whose nine years of dogmatic government he said have changed the fabric of the country, Moist reminded participants that by working together and with other progressives, they can achieve their vision of a fair and equitable Canada. To learn more about what came forward form the Nation Sector Conference please visit, https://cupe.ca/cupe-president-tells-conference-delegates-we-win-when-we-work-together to see the available information and fact sheets. Happy Halloween 1091! In light of the recent Sectorial Conference just held in Toronto, we thought it was appropriate to run this information one more time, expect to see a lot more about the “Unite for Fairness” campaign in the weeks and months ahead. When workers get together and stand up for fairness, they get results. Together, working people have won decent wages, safer workplaces, fair treatment and benefits like paid vacation time, job training, and insurance coverage for things like glasses, dental care, and medicine that keep them healthy and productive. They didn’t stop there. What they got at work, they got for everybody else by standing together and demanding more from the people they elected to boards, councils and legislatures. That’s how we all got some of the things most of us take for granted today – minimum wages, statutory holidays, paid vacation time, public health insurance, public pensions, weekends, etc. Together, working people built Canada’s middle class and created a country with fairness as one of its fundamental values. To learn more about the Unite for Fairness campaign, please see one of the following websites… CUPE National - https://cupe.ca/unite-fairness-project Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - http://www.canadianlabour.ca/action-center/together-fairness-works www. standupforfairness.ca Openings in the Units The Clerical unit still has an opening for a Unit Chair, and Shop Stewards; please contact Patti Price for more information about this opportunity to serve the membership and the Local. As well, there still remains one opening for a Education Assistants Shop Steward. Please contact Sherri Buss for more information. Remember, you can find out more about your union by…….. Visiting us at http://www.cupelocal1091.com Following us on Facebook @ http://www.facebook.com/Local1091 Tweet with us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/Local1091 Thank you to all the members who come out to our regular monthly meetings. This is your Local and we all need to work together The next General Membership Meeting will be held at North Delta Secondary on Saturday, October 18th, 2014 at 9:30 AM sharp. Join us for goodies and a door prize