| President Jackie's May 15th Letter to Julia MacRae
May 15, 2012
Ms Julie MacRae
Director of Education
Regina Public School Division
Dear Ms MacRae:
I am writing on behalf of the members of CUPE local 3766 who as you know represent Educational Assistants, Developmental Classroom Assistants and Structured Learning Classroom Assistants as well as others in the Regina Public School Division. I, along with many of my members, attended the Annual General Meeting of the Regina Public Board on May 8th and was in attendance at the meeting when you were questioned by a member of the public about the reduction of educational assistants in RBE. I have to say how shocked and disappointed I was to hear you defend the reduction of EAs in the classroom by stating that the school division had been “putting our most challenged children with our least prepared staff”.
You justified the reduction of educational assistants in favour of increased professional staff yet it is the educational assistants who are still in the classroom every day. To suggest that they are the “least prepared” does an injustice not only to your employees, but also and more importantly, to the children who rely on the educational assistants for support on a daily basis.
At the bargaining table with local 3766, the employer’s representatives proposed that the number of working days be revised by converting three working days per school year to unassigned, unpaid days, while maintaining the same annual salary. When questioned by the union where these days would come from, it was explained that they would be taken from the existing twelve professional development days and that the remaining nine days would be more than sufficient. If you believe that the educational assistants in the division are the” least prepared” then certainly the Board bears a responsibility to see that this is rectified not by proposing that the number of professional development days available to them be further reduced.
Many of our members hold certificates from SIAST, other diplomas and even university degrees in the education and human science fields. Our members, your employees, take pride in their work and ensure that the students with whom they work get the best support possible each and every day.
The fact remains that our EAs feel that they have been targeted as a classification that is expendable and with an employer who sees no value in their work. In closing, I would like to remind the Board of their mission statement, specifically “I belong, I respect”. I would hope that in future the board strives to ensure that all their employees feel included and valued for the work they do.
Sincerely,
Jackie Christianson, President, CUPE local 3766
C: Paula Hesselink, Superintendent of Human Resources and Workplace Diversity
Regina Public School Board Trustees
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Notice of Motion: Job Action/Strike Vote
ATTENTION ALL CUPE Local 3766 Members
JOB ACTION/STRIKE VOTE
May 22, 2012
4:30 – 7:00 PM
At the SGEU Office
1440 Broadway Ave.
Send a message to the Regina Board of Education about a fair wage offer.
Support your bargaining committee.
CUPE Local 3766
Updated: May 16, 2012
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Wow! What A Great Turnout At TheSpecial Negotiation Meeting!
Once again our members were out in great numbers with 128 members present for the Special Negotiation update meeting on Wednesday, May 16th, with 27 new members. Thank you to everyone for taking time out of their busy schedules.
After an update on negotiations to date, a review of the numerous efforts that our local, in co-operation with CUPE locals 650 and 4643, have made towards achieving a fair settlement, President Jackie opened the floor for discussion during which Darby Wild made the following motion: For CUPE 3766 to take a job action/strike vote on May 22nd, 2012 from 4:30 – 7:00 PM at the SGEU building on 1440 Broadway Avenue. The motion was seconded by Jason Hamilton and carried unanimously.
All 3766 members are encouraged send a message to the Regina Board of Education about a fair wage offer and support your bargaining committee.
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Thanks for Your Support at the Information Picket
Once again we had a great turn out for the information picket in advance of the Annual General Meeting of the School Board on Tuesday, May 8th! Approximately 250 people from locals 3766, 650, 4643, SUN, SGEU, SFL, Local 7, Local 1125, GSU, Real Renewal, family members, co-workers, community members, and several dogs, walked the information picket and enjoyed hot dogs and drinks. A special thanks to Bonnie, Tamara, Tamara's mom and their crew for organizing the food and drinks and to Pratt's for letting us use their parking lot. The media was out and thanks go to Jackie and Larry Hubic for handling the interviews!
Thanks again to everyone for their tremendous support. Watch the media for more coverage, I'll try to post links as they come available.
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CUPE Faces Off With School Board Article in the Leader-Post
Here'e the link to the article in the Leader-Post covering CUPE concerns at last night's Annual General Meeting of Regina Public School Board.
http://www.leaderpost.com/business/CUPE+faces+with+school+board/6589420/story.html
You may have to copy and paste this address if the link is not working.
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You're Invited to the CUPE 3766 June Potluck Supper
When: Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Where: Regina Public School Board Office, Multi-cultural room
Time: 5:30 PM
If you plan to attend, please call Bonnie Rosin @ 523-3214 or email bonnie.rosin@rbe.sk.ca
to indicate your intention. Please include a serving utensil with your dish and remember to CLEARLY MARK your dishes and containers.
The following items will be provided by the social committee:
Paper plate, cups and cutlery, serviettes, pickles, cheese, margarine, buns, cold drinks, and salt & pepper
There will be door prizes!
Please confirm by June 1, 2012
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Education Support Workers in Regina Keep up the Pressure
Thanks to everyone who showed their support of the negoatiating committee by attending the latest information picket on Tuesday, April 24th. Check out this article on the CUPE National website at http://cupe.ca/education/education-support-workers-regina and all the photos at http://cupe.ca/gallery2/v/Regina+Public+School+Rally+April+24/
You can show your support of our negotiating commitee by attending the next information picket on Tuesday, May 8th. Save the date, watch for details to be announced, and help show the board that we deserve to be treated fairly!
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Negotiation Meeting Well Attended - Info Forthcoming via Shop Stewards
A special thank you to the over 60 CUPE 3766 members who attended the special negotiation update meeting at Martin collegiate on Wed. April 4th. The negotiation commitee shared valuable information with our members, bringing them up to date on the negotiation process, and explaining the direction our hard working negotiation will be taking in the coming weeks. If you were unable to attend and want to know what was discussed click http://www.cupe3766.com/components.php?comp=contentmanager&op=getfile&sop=45 for more information.
If you want to be 'in the know' with negotiations and other union matters, check the website regulary for dates and times of future meetings as much of the information can only be shared verbally due to confidentiality reasons. Also, time sensitive information such as future unscheduled special negotiation meetings will reach you first, via the website. Check it out, check it often!
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Email Communication with our Members
This CUPE 3766 Website was designed to improve communication with our members as previous email communication was hampered by inaccurate or outdated email addresses, emails being blocked by spam and other filters, and limits placed on email frequency and content. With this website we can provide a wealth of information with ease of access for all members. We hope that all members are checking the website regularly for updates. Contact information is also available on the website for shop stewards and the executive. Unfortunately we still have a number of members that are not receiving information in a timely manner. President Jackie frequently emails shop stewards information for them to pass on to our memebers. If you would like to be included in these emails directly, then you must send your personal email address to Jackie at jackiechristianson@myaccess.ca Don't forget to add her email address to your email contact list so hopefully her emails to you will not be blocked by your filters. Please remember that we cannot control your email service and that the most effective source for information is this website, so please check it regularly and encourage your fellow members to also check it out.
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Would You Like to Win a $25.00 Gift Certificate to Your Favourite Regina Restaurant?
All members attending the May 1st general membership meeting will be entered to win a $25 dollar restaurant gift certificate, with the draw taking place at the end of the meeting. The meeting starts at 7:00 pm at the board office, so grab a co-worker and a coffee, and come find out all the latest happenings in CUPE 3766.
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Great Information, Easily Accessible, Just a Click Away...
The CUPE Sask Education Workers Steering Committee (EWSC) has some great information for all education workers. Recent articles on their website include: "2011 Wage Rates", "It's The End of Education As We Know It", "What You Need to Know Before You Head Into Bargaining: Are You Heading Into Bargaining?, How Does Your Wage Compare to Other School Divisions?, Bargaining Benefits Kit" and the EWSC Newsletter "News for Education Workers". Check out all the info at http://www.saskedworkers.cupe.ca/
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Contacting Fellow Union Members
Many pages on this website provide email addresses for members to contact if you have questions or concerns.
PLEASE NOTE: when contacting fellow union members regarding union business, please use your PERSONAL E-MAIL AND COMPUTER. RBE has full access to any e-mails you send on their e-mail and computers, therefore, there is no privacy. ALSO: personal use of the RBE computers on the employer’s time could be grounds for discipline.
PLEASE USE YOUR PERSONAL EMAIL ACCOUNT AND COMPUTER FOR ALL UNION BUSINESS!
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Welcome to Cupe Local 3766
Welcome to the Cupe Local 3766 Website! Updates are always coming so check back often!
if you have any website ideas, suggestions, concerns: please click on the Contact Us info above.
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