Even though the pandemic highlighted the importance of public services in keeping Canadians healthy and safe, cash-strapped employers may be vulnerable to a sales pitch for contracting out, or public-private partnerships (P3s).

If you spot a warning sign of privatization, or an opportunity to contract in work during the COVID-19 recovery, spread the word. Talk to your steward and your local executive. Your executive will contact the CUPE staff rep.  They’ll help assess the threat and connect with CUPE staff in education, communications, and research to develop a plan.

Be alert

Budgetary problems

An employer in financial difficulty may consider privatizing because of misguided desperation, even though privatization costs more and delivers less.

• Does your employer have increased expenses related to COVID-19?
• Have your employer’s revenue sources decreased because of COVID-19?
• Was your employer having financial difficulty before the pandemic?
• Are there options for financial support available to your employer?

Layoffs or redeployments

Reduced or frozen staff could set the stage for privatization

• Has your employer laid off members because of the pandemic? If yes, did these layoffs affect part-time, temporary workers or seasonal workers?
• Have workers been redeployed to other service areas?
• These questions also apply to hiring freezes.

Cuts to public services

Public services cuts could lead to privatization

• Have public services been cut, suspended, or canceled in response to COVID-19?
• Which types of services have been affected?
• How will this affect the public?

Emergency legislation and by-laws

Changes to procurement rules or collective agreement protections as a result of emergency legislation could set the stage for privatization

• What has emergency legislation changed for your employer (e.g. workforce redeployment, public service levels, collective agreement protections)?
• Has emergency legislation suspended collective agreement protections against contracting out?
• Has your employer hired additional staff during the pandemic to do bargaining unit work?

Contracting in

If workers are laid off, are there opportunities to bring contracted out work back in house?

• Is your employer putting out tenders for newly contracted out work? Could this work be done by workers who are laid off or by hiring additional workers?
• Is there a possibility for your employer to cancel private contracts and redeploy workers instead of laying them off, bringing work back in house?
• Has COVID-19 highlighted any problems with contracted-out services? Could there be an opportunity to contract in work such as landscaping, cleaning, food services, or IT?

For more information on being prepared or taking action, visit https://cupe.ca/checklist-protecting-public-services-during-pandemic-and-beyond

For more information on privatization, visit

• https://cupe.ca/privatization
• https://cupe.ca/privatization-p3-sib-asdhuh

Together, we can stop privatization before it starts.

Tuesday, Sept. 15.

The meeting will open at 4:30 to read the minutes.

All positions are available for eligible members in good standing.   If you are running for an executive position, ensure you have someone nominate you.
Your meeting link will be sent to your personal email in September. Please use your personal device to join the meeting.
It is recommended you join the meeting before it starts in case you have any problems. It is not recommended to connect twice, or you will experience an echo.

Tuesday, Aug 18, 2020, 4:45 pm.

Meeting will open at 4:30 to read minutes.
Members, your meeting link has been sent to your personal email. Please use your personal device to join the meeting.  This meeting will be recorded for Quality Control and not for distribution.
It is recommended you join the meeting before it starts in case you have any problems or need to set up a Zoom account. It is not recommended to connect twice or you will experience an echo.

Zoom help -Setting up Zoom account- go to https://zoom.us/freesignup/ click sign up, it’s free. Sign up with a personal email (not work account).

CUPE Ontario is excited to share that this August CUPE Ontario is launching a new, interactive webseries, CUPE Connects!, featuring diverse topics and speakers on the issues that matter most to CUPE members.

In keeping with the interactive format, CUPE Ontario is inviting CUPE members to vote on the first topic the webseries will tackle.

Click here to cast your vote for the first webisode! 

Tue, July 21.   The meeting will open at 4:30 for the reading of the minutes.

Invitation details were sent to your personal email.   It is recommended you try joining the meeting before it starts in case you have any problems.
Do you have a question you wish to ask your executive? Please send any questions prior to the meeting to 1882exec@gmail.com.

Every year on April 28 we pay our respects to, and remember, the thousands of workers who have been killed, injured, or suffered illness as a result of work-related incidents. The Waterloo Regional Labour Council and Canada’s unions continue to call for better enforcement of related legislation. They also call on employers and governments to do more to prevent such fatalities from happening in the first place.

April 9, 2020

Celebrate #SpringFromHome with community decorating contest

We may be staying inside more but we can still celebrate spring! From now until Sunday, Apr. 19, we’re challenging the community to show off their creative skills with a window and sidewalk decorating contest. Let’s start a new tradition and #SpringFromHome Cambridge!

With items found only around your house (do not go out for new supplies!), decorate a spring-themed window or grab some chalk and draw a spring picture in your driveway or sidewalk. Then share your creation to our Facebook and Twitter pages for everyone to see any enjoy!

We’ll be picking three winners for the challenge:

• Most creative
• Most inspirational
• Funniest

Mayor Kathryn McGarry will announce the winners on Monday, Apr. 20 and we’ll feature all the submissions in a video on our social channels. The winning submissions will also receive a City gift card to use post-quarantine.

Don’t forget! All participants must continue to practice physical distancing and are not to work on this challenge in groups.

Ready to #SpringFromHome? Get started today and tag us at:

Facebook: @thecityofcambridge

Twitter: @cityofcambridge

We can’t wait to see what you come up with! Good luck, stay safe, and have fun!

For additional fun, find free spring colouring printouts and more activities at www.cambridge.ca/recfromhome.

Members,

We hope that you and your family are well. We are coming to the end of our 3rd week in quarantine – thank you for doing your part to help flatten the curve on COVID-19.

Our employer has extended facility closures until May 4th. To you, as a Local 1882 member, this means it is status quo until otherwise notified (continue working from home, coming into the office or waiting at home for call back or redeployment).

LATEST NEWS FROM EMPLOYER:
Part-time non-union staff and summer temp positions (roughly effecting 440 people), will be laid off effective April 13th.  The federal government has put funding in place to help those affected by this pandemic which these staff will have access to (CERB or EI).

GENERAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING:
April membership meeting is cancelled. Given the current environment, all CUPE Education, Conferences and Conventions are cancelled until the end of May. There have been no Employee Relations meetings since December, and the current deadlines for the 2020 Job Evaluation Maintenance Cycle (Corporate Enterprise and Office of the City Manager) are postponed with no new date given for JAQ submission. All events that the Executive was going to participate in or sponsor have been cancelled, or will be rescheduled.  Current grievance timelines are suspended and grievance procedures are paused for now.

BARGAINING UPDATE:
Negotiations scheduled for March and April were cancelled, however, the Bargaining Team has been successful in bargaining and have moved to the next phase with the exchange of the monetary proposals. Your Bargaining team is still working hard on this front to continue the process.

Your Union Executive understands the stress and struggles that you are going through, whether in self-isolation, working from home without the usual comforts of the office environment and trying to look after kids, or caring for a sick or loved one who is affected by COVID 19 as we too as experiencing the same things.

As an employee of the City of Cambridge, there are tools that you can access if you need help to cope with the stresses that you and/or family may be experiencing:
https://cupe.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=5f31a995858622d85bee1f00f&id=2c6c5acad6&e=b4c2fda8d3

Lastly, Your Union is here for you, so please reach out if you have any questions or concerns. Stay safe and be well!

In Solidarity