Update 5: Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination

2024-09-28

In our previous update, we explained that although our policy grievance on the invasive medical questionnaires and medical examinations was denied that we are committed to challenging this discriminatory, unjust, and intrusive policy. The employer should not be privy to any of our personal medical information. Your private medical information should be confidential between you and your medical providers.

Since then, we consulted extensively with our experts and received an external legal opinion about next steps to challenge the policy. As a result, our Executive referred the policy grievance to adjudication at the Federal Public Sector Labour Relations and Employment Board (FPSLREB) and we also filed for Judicial Review with the Federal Court.

As the Union, these are our recourse options (FPSLREB and Federal Court). Unfortunately, these processes are going to take time and, in the meantime, the RCMP continues to push forward with these evaluations as a requirement for our Public Service members. They have discontinued the biennial psychological appointments with psychologists, and they are continuing to threaten discipline for non-compliance. They have also been clear that they intend to expand this program to include Civilian Members.

We have had hearing and psychological standards for a long time and given the importance of our work, we should be subject to some medical evaluation and/or monitoring. However, we must be a part of determining how any new or updated evaluations are implemented so that we can ensure the process is fair and reasonable. We still do not know what the standards are, and we have never been consulted about this program.

We have tried every course of action to stop this from proceeding and yet the RCMP has decided to continue. While we wait for our cases to be heard and decided, you will need to make your own decision on how you want to proceed. If you are facing disciplinary action relating to this program, for choosing not to undergo these health evaluations by an employer-selected medical practitioner, immediately contact your CUPE 104 Regional Chairperson for guidance and assistance.

Please continue to share your experiences with us. These first-hand accounts are invaluable for us to be able to give real-life examples of how the implementation of this policy is affecting you.

 

In Solidarity,
Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

Advocacy Efforts and Working Conditions

2024-07-28

Dear Members of CUPE 104,

Amid the challenging conditions many of you are currently facing, we wish to acknowledge your resilience and perseverance. As we navigate through the demanding summer season, your safety, rights, and recognition remain steadfastly at the forefront of our priorities.

It is with a sense of urgency and deep concern that we write to you today. Recent interactions with the employer have underscored a significant disconnect between the recognition of the vital roles we play as Telecommunications Operators and Intercept Monitor Analysts, and the legislative actions that affect our working conditions and retirement planning.

Historical Discrimination Revisited:

In March 2023, our employer was found to have discriminated against us by refusing to grant a long-awaited pay raise, citing our decision to form a union as the reason. To date, there has been no apology or rectification of this injustice, which only compounds the current challenges and underscores the lack of respect and recognition we continually face.

Seasonal Challenges:

This time of year is particularly taxing for our members, with an increase in motor vehicle collisions and drownings, alongside a general rise in crime rates that often accompanies the warmer weather. Additionally, many of you are actively involved in managing the responses to ongoing wildfires and preparing for the upcoming hurricane season.

These critical tasks are devastating, and at times, you must remain as essential services, watching helplessly as your loved ones and communities evacuate. This duty places immense physical and mental stress on you, our frontline responders, exemplifying the critical yet often undervalued nature of our roles.

Frustrations and Challenges:

Our union has been actively advocating for the inclusion of our LES-PO members in the early retirement eligibility expansion. Despite your essential roles in managing not only the typical daily emergencies but also the added seasonal challenges, there appears to be a severe lack of understanding and appreciation from decision-makers. This oversight is especially disheartening as you continue to perform heroically, often under extreme conditions.

Recent Developments:

We recently requested an urgent meeting with the Treasury Board President to address these oversights. We highlighted the perilous and often overlooked conditions we face, the severe understaffing, and the inadequate legislative support for our well-being. Furthermore, we expressed our concern over the intrusive medical evaluations that have replaced our crucial biennial psychological evaluations, diminishing the quality of mental health support available and collecting information irrelevant to our work and unnecessary for the employer to know.

Gender Inequity:

It is important to note that the majority of our affected members are women (70.2%), who are disproportionately impacted by these policy gaps. The ongoing exclusion from the early retirement eligibility not only neglects the sacrifices you make but also perpetuates economic and gender inequalities.

Our Commitment:

Please rest assured that CUPE 104 is fully committed to advocating for your rights and well-being. We will continue to push for necessary changes and will not back down until your work and sacrifices are adequately recognized and supported by fair and equitable legislation and policies.

Moving Forward:

We understand the frustrations that come with being undervalued and we share in your disappointment. We are prepared to take all necessary steps to ensure your voices are heard, and your contributions are acknowledged. We urge each of you to stay informed and engaged as we navigate these challenges together.

Your dedication under pressure does not go unnoticed by us. Together, we will strive towards more improvements that truly reflect the critical importance of our roles.

 

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

Update 4: Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination

2024-07-19

On June 5th, we presented our policy grievance on the Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination to the Treasury Board Secretariat (TBS). On July 16th, TBS denied our policy grievance. TBS’s opinion is that “The Employer acted appropriately and reasonably to protect the health and safety of employees as well as the individuals they serve and interact with.” Our stance is that this policy is discriminatory, unjust, and intrusive.

Given the nature and importance of our work, we should be subject to some medical evaluation and/or monitoring. We have had hearing and psychological standards for a long time. However, we must be a part of determining how any new or updated evaluations are implemented so that we can ensure the process is fair and reasonable and that your private medical information is kept confidential between you and your medical providers. The employer should not be privy to any of our personal medical information.

We are committed to challenging this discriminatory, unjust, and intrusive policy so that it is overturned. In addition to the legal and health and safety experts at CUPE National, we have engaged outside legal counsel, with expertise in the Federal Public Sector, to ensure we have the best information available to determine the most effective next steps. At this time, all individual grievances will remain in abeyance while we work on the next steps with our legal counsel.

Please continue to share your experiences with us. These first-hand accounts are invaluable for us to be able to give real-life examples of how the implementation of this policy is affecting you.

If you are facing disciplinary action relating to this program, for choosing not to undergo these health evaluations by an employer-selected medical practitioner, immediately contact your CUPE 104 Regional Chairperson for guidance and assistance.
In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

Notice of Election (By-Election)

2024-06-17

In accordance with our bylaws, here is the Notice of Election for the following positions within CUPE Local 104:

Recording Secretary (Full Job Description within CUPE104 Bylaws)

  • The Recording Secretary needs to bring great attention to detail
  • Be proficient in Excel, Word and database management
  • Have excellent organizational skills with regards to note taking, documents and lists
  • Be available to respond to inquiries and forwarding on concerns

Trustee (3 year Term) – (Full Job Description within CUPE104 Bylaws)

  • Act as an auditing committee on behalf of the members and audit the books and accounts of the Secretary-Treasurer, the Recording Secretary, and the committees at least once every calendar year.
  • Have great attention to detail

Key Dates:

  • Nominations: June 21-24, 2024
  • Voting: July 3-5, 2024
  • Results: July 8, 2024

Nomination forms are available online at https://104.cupe.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/820/2021/01/Nomination-Package-2021-01-15.pdf. They must be scanned and e-mailed to elections@cupe104.ca before the nomination period closes on 2024-06-24 at 2359hrs EST.

Campaigning may take place at any time and is the sole responsibility of the nominee(s). Shortly after the close of the nomination period, and at the request of the nominee(s), the Elections Committee will send one email to the membership including: nominees’ names, work locations, and one URL link, provided by the nominee, pointing to a website of their choosing.

Voting will be by electronic ballot sent to the email we have on file from your membership form. Voting will start on 2024-07-03 and remain open for three (3) days. Results will be communicated on or before 2024-07-08.

Please ensure you read the nomination guide attached to the nomination form carefully as it contains important information. You will receive confirmation from the Elections Committee that your nomination form was received within 24 hours of sending it in.

The Elections Committee is Alex Johnston, Randy McDonald, Andrew Wilkie and Shelly Lozinski. You can contact your Steward, Regional Chairperson, or the Elections Committee with any questions.

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Elections Committee

Update 3: Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination

2024-04-19

Many of our CUPE 104 Members (PSE only at this time) have now received requests for personal and medical details as part of the RCMP’s push to their new “health program” for our members. They are also warning our members that failure to comply will result in disciplinary action. We have an active policy grievance against the employer for this program. For more information, please refer to our previous communications about this Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination.

If you are facing disciplinary action relating to this program, for choosing not to undergo these health evaluations by an employer-selected medical practitioner, immediately contact your CUPE 104 Regional Chairperson for guidance and assistance.

We have also been advised by our members of some instances where the employer has sent personal information to the wrong person. We have submitted another policy grievance against the employer for these blatant breaches of your privacy.

If you suspect or know that your personal information has been mishandled, you should contact your CUPE 104 Regional Chairperson for guidance. We recommend filing an individual grievance against the employer and also filing a formal complaint with the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. This will ensure that the incident is recorded and investigated by a competent authority.

We will continue to pursue all available avenues to oppose the current version of this program and we will keep you informed of all developments and the actions we are taking. Please be sure to contact your Steward or CUPE 104 Regional Chairperson as soon as you think you may need assistance or guidance so that we can help you through the processes right from the start.

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

It’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week!

Cheers to our incredible CUPE 104 Members as we celebrate Public Safety Telecommunicator Week! Your dedication and hard work keep Canadians safe and connected in times of need.

Here’s to a week filled with appreciation and recognition for all that you do.

 

Notice for Special Membership Meeting

2024-03-28

This is a notice for a CUPE 104 Special Membership Meeting.

There are only two agenda items (see below). We hope that you can attend as we need to have quorum to proceed with the meeting.

Date: April 2, 2024
Time: 1900 Eastern Time
Location: Virtual via Zoom
Registration link: Link sent by e-mail

IMPORTANT: You must pre-register and use your full first and last name when registering and logging into the meeting to be admitted.

PLEASE REGISTER EARLY! We manually approve the registrations in advance so it may take some time to receive your personal link to the meeting after you register. Members who try to register on the day of the meeting may not get their link in time.

If you are unable to attend, we recommend that you ask another member to fill you in after the meeting.

Agenda Items

  1. Motion to approve one additional Executive Member for full-time book off on an ongoing basis.
    In accordance with our by-laws, we are seeking membership approval for another member of our Executive to be booked off for union duties on a full-time basis. Currently, only the President is booked off full-time. We strongly recommend that this motion be approved.
  2. Notice of intent to propose by-law amendments.
    In accordance with our by-laws and the CUPE Constitution, we are providing notice of our intent to propose updates to our Local’s Bylaws. This item is only to provide notice of intent. Once a draft with the proposed changes is completed, it will be presented to the membership for a vote at a meeting. There are some changes required to better align with CUPE Constitution updates and it is good practice to review and update our by-laws since we have been using them for a while now. If you have any suggestions, please reach out to your Regional Chairperson.

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

Update 2: Invasive Medical Questionnaire and Medical Examination

2024-03-20

The RCMP blindsided us and sent out a message to you and your managers this week stating that they are proceeding with their invasive medical questionnaire and medical examination, despite our active objections. We found out about this after they sent it out and only after we asked them about it. As far as we knew, the last update they gave us was that it was remaining “paused.”

The RCMP’s message says that they worked with us to clarify their new process, implying that we support it. This is not true. We have not been properly consulted, we are strongly against this new process, and we have an active policy grievance against them. To make matters worse, the RCMP is trying to frame this change as necessary for your health and safety. We are extremely disappointed at this shameful and heavy-handed approach that ignores your wellbeing. We are still actively fighting against this gross and unnecessary invasion of your privacy on all available legal and health and safety fronts. For more information, see our previous update.

We have been trying to work with the RCMP for years on updating the hearing and psychological health assessments and supports for our members. This additional medical testing is not necessary for our roles and is none of the employer’s business. This new “program” also removes and replaces the biennial psychological appointments. The current program is not great, but their new system is not even close to ok.

As we’ve said before, we urge you to respectfully share your opinions and concerns with your managers. They need to be informed of the effects on you so that they can share it up the chain with their senior managers. Your managers have been told that this new program is mandatory, and that they can use discipline to deal with non-compliance.

If you are contacted to participate in this unnecessary and invasive program, and you do not wish to participate, we recommend that you respond to your manager with your questions and concerns, seeking more information and an explanation. You should do this in writing. If you are then informed that you must participate, immediately contact your local Steward or Regional Chairperson for assistance with filing a grievance.

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive

Edmonton CSU 52 Strike

2024-03-13

It has come to our attention from our membership that the RCMP is canvassing CUPE 104 members about their willingness to be deployed to Edmonton Police Service to work as scabs during the anticipated strike action being taken by the Civil Service Union 52 (CSU 52). CSU 52 includes Emergency Communications Operators who are responsible for 9-1-1, police call taking, and police dispatching duties.

We stand in solidarity with our Brothers, Sisters, and Friends of CSU 52. We are outraged that the RCMP is considering using our hard-working CUPE 104 members as scabs to undermine CSU’s fight for a fair deal. CUPE 104 is firmly against the use of any CUPE 104 members to do the work of other Unionized workers.

It is our position that CUPE 104 members should NOT volunteer to work as scabs during CSU 52’s strike. Doing so would undermine CSU 52’s strike action and will negatively impact our own position in future rounds of bargaining. A fair deal for CSU 52 helps us get a fair deal in future rounds.

If you are being pressured, forced, or ordered to do the work of another Union, contact your local Steward or Regional Chairperson immediately for guidance.

In Solidarity,

Your CUPE Local 104 Executive