The newsletter of CUPE Local 15, Vancouver Municipal Education and Community Workers

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Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to:CUPE Local 15545 W. 10th Ave.Vancouver, BCV5Z 1K9

The Members’voice

General Membership MeetingFEBRUARY

Date & Time: Wednesday, Feb. 23, 5:30 p.m.

Location: Italian Cultural Centre3075 Slocan St. Vancouver, Room 5Under

Discussion: • Vancouver School Board, Langara College, Emily Carr, Vancouver Coastal Health bargaining updates

• Delegate election for 2011 CUPE BC Convention• Review of recent union advocacy• Executive Board By-election: College/University Rep

General Meetings provide all members with an opportunity to participate in decisions that affect the union. (Childcare assistance and Interpretation available upon request.)

2011

Notice of By-electon – College/University Sector Representative:There is a vacancy for College/University Sector Representative (balance of a two year term ending in May 2011).

Election for this position will take place at the General Membership Meeting on February 23, 2011. Only members from the College/University Sector are eligible to vote.

notices

Our entire Union says thank you Steve! By Paul Faoro, President

It’s very difficult to express in words the required level of gratitude to Steve Baker for all the amazing work, dedication and solidarity he has given to our union over the last 35 years. In all of those years Steve was active in many, many capacities within our union including Shop Steward, occupational health & safety, job evaluation, workplace committees, the Executive Board and on staff.

At the end of February Steve will be retiring from his Staff Representative position he has held with CUPE 15 for the last 22 years.

In all of those years working at our union office Steve has represented members in just about all of our 18 contracts helping so many members along the way with

workplace matters. Whether it’s being our Chief Negotiator for many rounds of bargaining, developing and servicing job evaluation plans, grievance handling, Labour Board appeals or helping build our union, Steve has done it all for us.

From the time I first met Steve back in the mid 80s he always had a built in quality for advocating for social justice, equality and fairness which I still admire today. I can remember working with Steve on many campaigns and fights our union took on with employers over the years and he always put our membership first which is why I say our entire union needs to say thank you to him.

On behalf of our Executive Board, staff and 5500 members I want to wish Steve all the best in his retirement and future endeavors. I suspect we will see him sometime soon carrying on with his advocacy for people and helping to make Vancouver an even better place.

Join us to say thanks to Steve: Thursday, February 24th, 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. CUPE 15 Boardroom, 545 West 10th Avenue, Vancouver Light appetizers and refreshments will be served.

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That’s a quote from David Aisenstat, Chairperson of the Vancouver Art Gallery that was printed in the February 3, 2011 Vancouver Sun newspaper. He

was responding to my request to Vancouver City Council to require the Art Gallery to become more financially transparent. This certainly wasn’t the response I was hoping to hear from Mr. Aisenstat, given that the Vancouver Art Gallery receives over $4 million dollars each

year in public funding and now also wants the City to give them a two acre piece of land in downtown Vancouver for free for a new gallery.

Over the last several years our union has

become more concerned with the financial operation of the VAG in light of the fact that our

members working at the gallery have suffered through significant layoffs and reductions in hours. Gallery management instituted a significant round of layoffs in the fall of 2009. Positions in all departments (including Curatorial, Collections and Registrations, Visitor Services, etc.) were either reduced from full time to part time or further reduced in hours if the position had been originally part time.

In addition to our members being impacted the general public has felt the financial woes of the VAG as the Gallery also reduced their general operational hours during this same period; late closings on Thursdays (9:00 p.m.) were eliminated and the Gallery’s general operating hours and the Gallery Store’s hours were reduced by one half hour.

The VAG’s 2008-2009 annual report shows that its operating expenses of $14.9 million were $800,000 higher than its revenues and had to cover the shortfall with a million dollars taken from their building fund. Yet at the same time exempt staff at the Gallery are increasing and spending is over $1 million on Administration

and Finance. In addition, according to a Revenue Canada document that I obtained, one employee of the VAG appears to be earning between $250,000 and $300,000 per year.

Revenue Canada also reports that the VAG in 2010 spent $176,000 in travel and vehicle expenses and $443,989 in professional and consulting fees. Good luck trying to find out details of these and other expenditures, which is why I believe the VAG should comply with the British Columbia Financial Information Act. This Act, in place since the late 1980s, requires public sector agencies to disclose the total remuneration of employees earning more than $75,000 a year including salary, bonuses, and overtime, and further requires public sector agencies to disclose payments to suppliers of goods and services during the fiscal year. I say this is fundamental for good governance.

With the VAG getting $4 million in public funds each year Mr. Aisenstat may be correct in saying “it’s not my f---ing business” knowing where the VAG spends its money”. It’s actually the citizens of Vancouver’s business.

“It’s not his f---ing business”by Paul Faoro

Update from your Executive

Paul Faoro, President

by Leanne Toderian, Secretary Treasurer

I am writing to you from the CLC Winter School where five members, including myself, are taking week long advanced labour courses. The CLC Winter School is a

well respected school for the labour movement in British Columbia. All unions affiliated with the CLC are eligible to send their members to this

school. Ferry workers, school teachers, iron workers, bakers, long shoremen, plumbers, and private and public sector unions are among the participants. Other than course content we quickly

learn we share common goals and challenges; attendance management, surveillance, auxiliary issues, postings, pay equity, contracting out, etc. The list is lengthy.

Another popular topic here at the school is politics. We as activists have come to understand the direct link to union involvement in local, provincial, and federal politics has on our members’ livelihoods. Unions and activists are aware there are still some of our members who struggle to understand why unions get involved in campaigns; thinking that our participation is simply an effort to elect progressive employers. We want employers, who while balancing budgets and delivering services to their citizens,

also understand and value their employees and the contributions they make.

In coming months we hope to shed more light on the importance of union members getting involved in elections. A final thought on that is the particularly humorous accusation leveled by right wingers is using the term “greedy union bosses.” I can tell you if a union is able to secure a raise or benefit for its members, those benefits go directly into members’ pockets. There is no such thing as a bonus for a union “boss”. A concept so foreign to CEOs they quickly jump to conclusions. I don’t think the rank and file employees of big business ever see in the light of day the monies saved in corporate tax cuts; a country club membership, or luxury car upgrade to the CEO, maybe.

On to other news.

I was pleased to monitor the ratification vote with Sister Caroline Mewis the last week of January, on a tentative agreement for members in the Health Science Professionals’ Bargaining Association. Turnout has been very impressive to date and to that end, more times to vote were added. The members fully understood, due to concessions asked by the employers’ bargaining association, why the union is recommending voting no on this contract offer.

Elsewhere, Langara College and Vancouver School Board members are well under way in bargaining. The Provincial Government’s mandate of Net-Zero continues to challenge the bargaining committee’s ability to realize any comprehensive and much needed improvements to the members’ working conditions and

quality of life, both at work and at home. Both bargaining teams are dedicated to doing their best to bring back a good contract to the members.

I was also pleased to represent Local 15, with Brother Warren Williams from the K-12 Sector, at a meeting at the Vancouver School Board to discuss the future of Aboriginal education in our school system. This was very informative and our members have a real desire and commitment to deliver good services to these members of their school and community. More on that in coming months.

At home, our Education Committee continues to plan what has become an annual opportunity to host steward training over a weekend. This year it is being held in-town in the hopes it will be more accessible to members wanting to attend. The theme is “Roots” because we feel it is time to revisit the roots of our labour movement; to refresh our memories of the struggles and even lives lost in battle our fathers and mothers fought before us. We hope to inspire new and young workers with stories of the past in hopes of not repeating them.

A final thought from Labour School. One facilitator shared a favourite saying when remembering why union members enjoy benefits we sometimes now take for granted: “this was not handed down from above, but fought for, from below”.

Winter School helpful to union activists

Leanne Toderian Secretary Treasurer

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Letters, Notices, & Updates

I would like to thank the CUPE 15 Education Committee for allowing me to attend the 2011 CLC Winter School at Harrison. The week long union counselling (level 1) course had provided me with many valuable skills to assist our members. The course has shown me the importance of union counselling for our members.

Union counselling is a confidential service for co-workers. It is a voluntary program providing an opportunity to meet with a trained union counsellor. A trained counsellor knows what services are available from the union and the employer within our collective agreement. They also have knowledge of services within the community that will benefit the union member. The union counsellor is someone who can listen to your concerns, provide guidance, be a helping hand, and if necessary direct you to resources that can provide further assistance.

Presently CUPE Local 15 does not offer a union counselling program. The introduction of trained union counsellors for CUPE 15 is an achievable goal that I hope we can reach in the near future.

Education is so important for all CUPE 15 members. Thank you again for this opportunity.

Craig HopkinsShop Steward, K-12 Sector

Call for donations for WISHSubmitted by Diane Brown, City Sector Executive Representative

I will be taking a trip to WISH (Women in Safe Haven) to drop off donations of women’s clothing, toiletries, jewelry, footwear, and new or gently used cosmetics and samples after the February membership meeting.

If you have items you would like to donate please bring them to me at the meeting at the Italian Cultural Centre on February 23rd and I will deliver them to WISH.

WISH is a nonprofit organization that provides services and advocates for women working in the survival sex trade in Vancouver. They provide meals, advocacy, and distribute clothing and other donated items at the centre.

For more information on WISH go to www.wish-vancouver.net.

Food hamper donation thanksOn behalf of the Evelyne Saller Centre and its volunteers, I would like to take this opportunity to express our gratitude for your generous donation of $200 to our Christmas Hamper Program.

Every year during the Christmas season we put together food hampers for our volunteers in recognition of the time they commit to helping out at the centre and in the community.

Our volunteers, who live in the Downtown Eastside, have very few resources and your donation helped the centre to provide 20 substantial food hampers. From all the volunteers and staff at the Evelyne Saller Centre, thank you again for your support. It certainly made a difference. All the best in 2011.

In solidarity,Jacques MasséA/Assistant Manager, Evelyne Saller Centre

Thanks CUPE 15, for supporting educationDear CUPE 15 members,

Thanks to you, a student who may not have otherwise had a chance to attend university will have a world of opportunities at their doorstep and a lifetime of promise ahead of them. How do the words “thank you” adequately express the appreciation for this kind of support?

As the saying goes: “If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.” While it is just two simple sentences, I am reminded of its many layers of meaning each time I meet a student who has just received an award to help him or her make their educational dreams a reality. Your gift, the gift of education, acknowledges that each person, regardless of circumstance, has the right to learn and the opportunity to achieve lifetime success. Your gift of $500 will be directed toward the CUPE Local 15 Vancouver Municipal, Education & Community Workers Society Award.

On behalf of Kwantlen Polytechnic University, please accept my sincere gratitude for your continued support and, most importantly, for the life changing affect your gifts are having on the recipients.

Sincerely,Debbie MellengerAdvancement Officer, Kwantlen Polytechnic University

Thank you for winter school admission!

Bursary ThanksDear CUPE 15 Members:

I am writing to acknowledge, with thanks, your recent cheque in the amount of $500 to provide externally administered award funding. You generous support of students at UBC is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your investment in higher education at UBC.

Heather McCawAssociate Vice President – DevelopmentUniversity of British Columbia

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News

Vancouver School Board CUPE 15 commenced negotiations with the Vancouver School Board on January 24, 2011. A bargaining protocol agreement was worked out and bargaining proposals were exchanged. Future meeting dates have been set. Our Bargaining Committee is Craig Hopkins (Chairperson), Warren Williams (Vice Chair), Miriam Pulsifer (1st Vice President), Kenny Brett, Paul Hayes and Carley Romas. CUPE National Representative, Tina Meadows is our chief spokesperson.

CUPE 15 and other stakeholder groups at the VSB have begun discussions regarding the 2011-2012 school calendar. The purpose of the discussions is to determine if the VSB should revert back to the standard current school calendar or continue with the modified model which was implemented as a cost saving measure.

CUPE 15 has requested a detailed report from the VSB outlining all costs saved by the implementation of the modified school calendar for 2010-2011. A special membership meeting will be called for members to vote on a preferred system.

Vancouver Art GalleryCUPE 15 President Paul Faoro made a presentation to Vancouver City Council on February 1st regarding the potential relocation of the Vancouver Art Gallery. President Faoro offered conditional support for the relocation if the Vancouver Art Gallery does the following: becomes financially transparent, remains a public facility and is not privatized, provides a business plan for proper staffing levels in a new gallery and keeps gallery admission fees accessible for all residents in the city.

Langara CollegeCUPE 15 has applied to the B.C. Labour Relations Board for a Mediator to be appointed to assist with the current negotiations with Langara College. Nearly a dozen non-monetary items remain unresolved and every union monetary proposal remains on the table. Our Bargaining Committee is Bob Loitz, Brian McGibney, Chrissy Poulos, Jim Wong, Ken Schmunk, Reba Noel, Zeljka Loncaric and Emma Somers (College Sector Representative). Steve Baker, Staff Representative, is our chief spokesperson.

CUPE 15 CUPE 15 has implemented a new membership communication service called cupe15online that delivers news and information to members via email. Members who have provided the CUPE 15 office with a non-employer email address are enrolled in the cupe15online service. CUPE 15 plans to send approximately 2-4 emails per month containing various updates and announcements. Please call our union office at 604-879-4671 or email us at email@cupe15.org to update your email address.

Newsbytes

CUPE 15 Members Invited to Help Shape Greenest CityBy Peter Stary, City Member Curious what it’s going to take to become the Greenest City in the world by 2020? Find out what thousands of people have said by checking out the draft Greenest City 2020 Action Plans at http://talkgreenvancouver.ca. It’s going to take actions – small and large – to achieve this vision of a bright green future for our city and our planet. As union members, and residents of Vancouver, we all have a role to play.

There are many ways you can get involved and help shape the final Action Plan. · Visit the website (http://talkgreenvancouver.ca) and read the draft Greenest

City 2020 Action Plans, watch the videos, comment on the strategies and prioritize the actions.

· Come out to a Greenest City event (click the Event tab on the home page for a listing)

· Co-host a 1-3 hour workshop with the City of Vancouver and your organization (email greenestcity@vancouver.ca to arrange)

· Host your own workshops by downloading the DIY Kitchen Table Conversations kit (click the Get Started tab on the home page)

· Join the online conversation on talkgreenvancouver.ca, twitter and facebook.

newsbytes focus

Education CornerSubmitted by Michele Alexander on behalf of the Union Education Committee

Happy February!February is Black History Month and February 25th is Stop Bullying Day. Remember to wear pink on the 25th to take a stand against all types of bullying.

While the Education Committee has requested many different courses, they are not guaranteed and we let the membership know the dates as soon as we hear from CUPE.

An Introduction to Stewarding is offered on February 4 to 5 at Local 402 in Surrey. So far, that it for February but we hope to have more information for the membership soon.

Remember union education makes us all stronger and also helps us develop the tools we need to defend the rights of the membership.

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News

by Caroline Mewis, HSPBA Executive Sector Representative This delightful movie is a must for all union members. It depicts the grit and determination of 128 women who changed their workplace politics and ultimately spread the change to many countries regarding equal pay.

It is set in a town in England where Ford has a factory and most of the town’s residents work there.

The company decides that the work that the women do (making seat covers) will be downgraded from semi skilled to unskilled work.

Thanks to the grit and determination of the

women, supported by the union steward, they stand fast and ultimately go on strike. Since their work is not completed the men cannot do further work so are locked out. The financial implications and strained family relationships are depicted very well.

One young mother is reluctantly pushed to become the spokesperson. She becomes passionate about the issue and speaks up at the meetings with top managers from Ford and senior union personnel, much to their surprise.

It is a great example of how we can all be effective within the union for change to better our working conditions and wages especially as our union leaders today are a lot more supportive than they were back then.

It is a well acted, feel good movie that is highly recommended especially as International Women’s Day is coming in March. It is playing at the Fifth Avenue Cinemas.

More info, go to:http://www.paramountpicturesintl.com/intl/uk/madeindagenham/

REVIEW: Made in Dagenham

Canada’s best-paid CEOs ‘recession-proof’: study saysBy CCPA

Canada’s best-paid 100 CEOs breezed through the worst of the recession with earnings 155 times higher than the average Canadian income earner, says a new study by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA).

The study, Recession-Proof, looks at 2009 compensation levels for Canada’s best paid 100 CEOs and finds they pocketed an average of $6.6 million during the darkest period of the recession – a stark contrast from the total average Canadian income of $42,988.

“At this rate of reward, this handful of elite CEOs pocket the equivalent of the average Canadian wage by 2:30 pm on January 3 – the first working day of the year,” says the study’s author and CCPA Research Associate Hugh Mackenzie.

The study shows executive compensation in Canada wasn’t always this rich. In 1998, the best paid 100 CEOs pocketed an average of 104 times more than the average Canadian wage earner, compared to 155 times more in 2009.

“Even that extraordinary number understates the real story,” says Mackenzie. “Thanks to a change in corporate reporting introduced in 2008, we only have a conservative statistical estimate of the stock options that make up about one third of CEOs’ 2009 pay. The public will never know how much most of these CEOs actually got paid in 2009.

“And that’s only half the story. These CEOs are sitting on $1.3 billion of stock options they haven’t yet cashed in. That’s about $2 in future income for every $1 they declared in 2009.”

When the CEOs decide to exercise those stock options, the study reveals Canadians will subsidize that bonus with an estimated average of $360 million in foregone taxes, since stock options are taxed at a lower rate, as if they are capital gains. Among Mackenzie’s recommendations: getting rid of that expensive and unfair loophole.

The study highlights the role that soaring executive compensation plays in the dramatic growth in income inequality in Canada identified in a recent CCPA study by Senior Economist Armine Yalnizyan. Yalnizyan found that fully one third of all income growth in Canada in the past 20 years went to the richest 1% of Canadians.

Harmonization of drug standards may put private profit before public healthBy CCPA

As Health Canada begins its final consultations on proposals to “modernize” standards on prescription drugs, a study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) finds Health Canada’s harmonizing initiatives to date, part of the modernization initiative, have been putting private profit ahead of public health.

According to the study, by Dr. Joel Lexchin, harmonizing standards on drug regulation among countries could bring important benefits to Canada—but only if harmonization is to the highest standards.

“The evidence to date suggests that we have been harmonizing down,” says Lexchin. “Regulatory harmonization needs to be

undertaken in the interests of public health, not private profit. To date that has not been happening.”

The study outlines how Health Canada has been deliberately ignoring harmonization efforts that would raise standards while working with the drug industry to lower drug safety standards and speed new drugs to market.

Proponents of harmonization argue that international regulatory cooperation can improve Canadians’ access to new drugs by speeding up the drug approval process. The study notes that breakthrough drugs represent less than 1% of all new drugs and there is highly suggestive research linking faster regulatory approval to increases in safety problems.

“While faster approvals get drugs to market

more quickly, they may also compromise safety—an important consideration as an increasing number of people are exposed to new drugs that ultimately are pulled from the market because of safety concerns,” Lexchin says.

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Interview with Shop Steward - Shelley Adam, Manitoba YardQ: Where do you work?I work at Manitoba Yard in the Records Department.

Q: How long have you been doing that now?

I have been with this department since it was created. I believe that was in 2001.

Q: Was this your first job With COV?No, I started working for the City in 1986 and I got two years off for good behaviour from 1992 to 1994.

Q: What made you decide to get involved and was stewarding your first involvement?

I got involved with the union many years ago as a site contact but became a steward when the threat of all the layoffs came, which I believe was around two years ago.

Q: What have you learned about yourself since you began stewarding?

I have learned that nothing moves fast with the City. Whatever the problem is, be patient.

Q: What was your most rewarding experience?

I have had several rewarding experiences with the union and the City in the last 24 years. (As a co-worker recently said to me - you can’t buy this kind of entertainment.) Seriously, every step comes with work, hard work, but the rewards are usually there.

Q: If there was some advice to give to someone who is contemplating becoming a steward what would that be?

My advice about becoming a shop steward would be to first get involved with the union and see that your values are shared by others. Don’t wait until it personally affects you as many

of our co-workers have no idea what to expect when they are called to task and just need an ear - one that can tell (and explain right from wrong) we are all human and deserve respect, not innuendos and threats.

Q: Tell us something about yourself that we would not otherwise know?

I share a wonderful life with my sons, siblings, parent, and friends. There is always

something on the horizon.

Steward Profile

By Paul Faoro, President

On behalf of the CUPE 15 Executive Board I am very pleased to introduce Kathie Currie who has been hired as a Staff Representative II with our local. Our Executive Board advertised nationally for this position and we believe we have found dedicated trade unionist with extensive experience in labour relations and governmental affairs to replace Steve Baker who is taking an early retirement commencing at the end of this month.

Kathie comes to us from Manitoba where she has been working as a Special Assistant for the Government of Manitoba. In that role she provided strategic advice and direction on all media and communications as well as

liaising with central agencies, MLAs and the Premier’s office. Prior to this Kathie has worked for several unions including, UNITEHERE, Hotel Employees’ Union and COPE Local 378. With these unions she was responsible for negotiations, grievance handling, preparing and presenting Labour Board applications, organizing and union training. Mixed in to all of this she also was a Ministerial Assistant for the Government of British Columbia from 1999-2001 managing many key duties including Chief of Staff.

Kathie is currently working with Steve in order to ensure a smooth transition of all files and outstanding matters pertaining to her new assignment. Please extend a big CUPE 15 welcome when you get the opportunity to meet her.

New CUPE 15 Staff Representative

Have you moved? What’s your address?Please fill in this form and mail to our office or email us your new info to email@cupe15.org. You can always call us too, at 604-879-4671.

Name

Address

Home Email Phone

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In the Workplace

By Sally Bankiner, 2nd Vice President

Bullying has existed in one form or another for many years. However, since the early 90s the frequency and severity of workplace bullying has increased dramatically. “I felt sick to my stomach at the thought of facing another agonizing day at work” she wrote. “I never knew the job I loved so much could be so painful. What will today bring - more condescending nasty emails; will I be ignored one minute and yelled at the next? Every day started with the same thoughts” she continued; “will conversations stop when I enter the room and start again as I leave the room with my co-workers snickering at me? Or, will I be given more impossible deadlines and have parts of my job I really enjoy taken away and given some meaningless work to replace it? Every day something would happen that made it the most toxic and impossible environment I have ever been in. I even considered quitting the job I loved and had worked at diligently for the past 12 years; now they were attacking my integrity and work ethic. One of my co-workers even threw papers at me and pounded her desk when talking to me. I was constantly ridiculed and when I asked a question, all I received was a nasty look a shaking head and sarcasm in return. They even made themselves out to be the victims of an incompetent co-worker - me!”

Putting up with bullying is not a part of the job! Unions and progressive employers all over the world are working with each other on implementing both collective agreement language and comprehensive programs to

deal with mobbing, personal harassment, and bullying. It is imperative all parties understand bullies for what they are. It is vital that we work together and acknowledge what is happening in our workplaces and take action personally. There is a real and significant human impact not only on the target of the bully but on your work environment. The hostility bullies and their mobs create have real consequences for both parties which can be severe if not dealt with quickly and effectively.

There are many definitions of bullying and most identify and refer to schoolyard bullying behaviour that is transferred to the adult workplace. In most situations the target finds themselves isolated, alone, and working with colleagues who may have formerly been friendly and supportive, but now they feel like an

outcast. There are many reasons why colleagues may fail to come to the aid of someone they know is being targeted. Most bullies are master manipulators and can mimic normal behaviour of being confident, cooperative, supportive, and accommodating. Emotions are manipulated and exploited. Perceptions, atmospheres, and alliances are actively managed and the workplace becomes poisoned and toxic. Bullies often partake in mobbing using their influence and warning others against being your friend or ally by using implied threats and positional power thereby creating a climate of fear and intimidation if you don’t go along with the plan. Unintentionally some may become instruments of the bully - perhaps by remaining silent. “I don’t like them and I don’t want you to like them

either”; and the workplace is systematically and intentionally poisoned for everyone. Bystanders are often afraid to speak for fear of becoming targeted themselves or perhaps they really just don’t know what to do. The tactics or plan usually starts small and increases from the first incident to hundreds or thousands over a long period of time.

What should you do? First, educate yourself and your family as it impacts them also. Increase your understanding of bullying and the signs that may be right in front of you. Talk to someone you respect and trust; a Union Steward, your partner, a supervisor, or manager. Call it what it is and focus on the behaviour and the impact it is having on you and the workplace and not the person. Search out a remedy and come up with options. Find out what programs are available to assist you and research which one may work for your particular situation. Don’t let anyone dismiss your concerns as an “attitude problem” or “just a personal conflict you’re creating”. If you are one of those bystanders, speak up! Don’t allow yourself to be manipulated and used as a weapon by a workplace bully. Make it a point to just say hello or good morning to the one that is being isolated, perhaps invite them for coffee. Often the smallest thing can make a world of difference to someone being targeted. Remember, “he who passively accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it” (Martin Luther King).

To the bullies: Watch out! You will become the target of a respectful, inclusive, and harassment free workplace.

“Bullying Happens Because It’s Allowed”

Bullying is increasingly being recognized as a serious problem in our schools, workplaces and in society. At work, personal harassment, bullying and mobbing undermine the self-esteem and dignity of individuals and creates a hostile or offensive work environment.

Besides being destructive to worker health, it also has a negative impact on our ability to provide quality public services. Many of you have identified that this is a problem in CUPE workplaces and the first step is awareness.

The campaign continues and we urge you to check this website often for campaign updates, resources and information that can help you and your local stop workplace bullying and eradicate it from our communities.

On June 1, 2004, Quebec became the first North American jurisdiction to include protection against psychological harassment of employees in its Act respecting Labour Standards. Bullying, known as psychological harassment is defined as:

“Any vexatious behaviour in the form of repeated and hostile or unwanted conduct, verbal comments, actions or gestures, that affect an employee’s dignity or psychological integrity and that results in a harmful work environment for the employee. A single serious incidence of such behaviour that has a lasting harmful effect on an employee may also constitute psychological harassment.”

A few common ways in which harassment is expressed:• Making rude, degrading or offensive remarks.

• Making gestures that seek to intimidate, engaging in reprisals.

• Discrediting the person: spreading rumors, ridiculing him, humiliating him, calling into question his convictions or his private life, shouting abuse at him or sexually harassing him.

• Belittling the person: forcing him to perform tasks that are belittling or below his skills, simulating professional misconduct.

• Preventing the person from expressing himself: yelling at him, threatening him, constantly interrupting him, prohibiting him from speaking to others.

• Isolating the person: no longer talking to him at all, denying his presence, distancing him from others.

• Destabilizing the person: making fun of his convictions, his tastes and his political choices.

Workplace Bullying Stops Here!

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Events & CreditsThe Members’voice

The Members’ Voice is published nine times a year for members of CUPE Local 15 - Vancouver Municipal, Education and Community Workers. The Deadline for submissions is 9:00 a.m. on the first Wednesday of each month. All submissions may be edited for brevity and clarity. Signed articles and letters do not necessarily reflect the views or policy of CUPE Local 15.

CUPE Local 15545 West 10th AvenueVancouver, BC V5Z 1K9Phone: 604-879-4671Fax: 604-879-7582Email: email@cupe15.orgWebsite: www.cupe15.org

Local 15 is a chartered affiliate of the Canadian Union of Public Employees and is also affiliated with the CUPE British Columbia Division, CUPE Metro District Council and the Vancouver & District Labour Council. CUPE 15 is a member of the Canadian Association of Labour Media (CALM).

CUPE Local 15 Executive Board

Table Officers:President: Paul Faoro

1st Vice President: Miriam Pulsifer

2nd Vice President: Sally Bankiner

Secretary Treasurer: Leanne Toderian

Sector Representatives:City: Santino Scardillo, Diane Brown

College/University: Emma Somers

Cultural: Matthew Quiring

Health/HSSCBA: Patricia Taylor

Health/HSPBA: Caroline Mewis

Parks: Anne-Marie McGee, Barb Dickinson

K-12: Peggy Wong, Warren Williams

Trustees:Joey Lau, Michelle Alexander, Arthur Lum

Staff Representatives:Kathie Currie, John Geppert, Keith Graham, Graeme Moore

Office & Administrative Staff:Mark Gloumeau, Accounting Coordinator Maureen Dorratt, Office Assistant Rosemary Matheson, Office Manager Barbara Simpson, Office Assistant

Building Maintenance:Jeff Zaharia

CUPE National Representatives:Justin Schmid, Tina Meadows, Matt Yun

Designed by talkingdog.ca

Join our Facebook group. Just search for CUPE 15

DOXA is presented by the Documentary Media Society, a Vancouver based non-profit, charitable society (incorporated in 1998) devoted to presenting

independent and innovative documentaries to Vancouver audiences. The society exists to educate the public about documentary film as an art form through DOXA — a curated and juried festival comprised of

public screenings, workshops, panel discussions, public forums and an educational component.

The 2011 DOXA Documentary Film Festival runs from May 6 to May 15

www.doxafestival.ca

In honour of Black History Month, DOXA is proud to present Charles Officer’s film Mighty Jerome.