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Based on previous communications from the employer, we understood from the the CM leave carry over limit of 400 hours (before cash-outs) would be delayed until March 31, 2022. The employer has now advised they miscommunicated this in their bulletins. The delay in automatic payouts for PSE leave is not affected by this error.

There will be automatic cash-outs for any CM vacation leave that exceeds 400 hours on March 31, 2021. However, if any CM wishes to carry over more than 400 hours, they can exercise the exemption clause of the leave carry over policy. We have already discussed this with the employer and we expect full support at all levels should any of you wish to carry over any excess leave over 400 hours to the next fiscal year.

You, our members had an exceptionally tough year. Most of us could not take leave when we wanted or needed to and many of us went into the workplace as essential/critical services while most of the public service and much of the RCMP were able to work from home. COVID-19 affected our families and we still went to the workplace and found ways to manage things at home, which was not easy. We had leave restrictions imposed on us and we even had approved leave taken away from us. We were asked to take leave on sporadic days that we normally would not have requested, just to be able to get a day or two off.

The pandemic has made the nature of the work we do even more challenging as there are more precautions for us all to take and the nature of the calls and the volume seems to have become more intense which we know affects our mental health. We need rest and relaxation from work now more than ever.

If you are a CM and wish to carry over your vacation leave in excess of 400 hours this fiscal year (March 31, 2021), please contact your Local Steward or Regional Chairperson. They will provide you with the form that is required to be filled out and submitted to your supervisor. If you are denied or experience any issues then please advise your Regional Chairperson immediately.

This change does not affect PSEs. PSEs will not have their leave cashed out this fiscal year (March 31, 2021) which is due to the Phoenix pay issues. PSE have an extra year (until March 31, 2022) to reduce their leave below the carry over limit of 262.5 hours.

Attention Public Service Employees: Tier 3 of Phoenix Damages Agreement has been launched. Please see link below.

(https://www.canada.ca/en/treasury-board-secretariat/news/2021/01/government-of-canada-launches-new-claims-process-to-compensate-employees-for-severe-personal-or-financial-impacts-due-to-phoenix-pay-system.html?fbclid=IwAR3ZgumRroADiEDt6yVURIhAZ6Sxy6yAn7NKDCM3O57ICOaWYaWz9LRZDiU)

This is the Notice of an Election for the following positions:

President

Recording Secretary

Western Region TO Chair

Western Region IM Chair

Central Region TO Chair

Central Region IM Chair

Eastern Region IM Chair

Eastern Region TO Chair

on the Local 104 Executive Board, in accordance with our bylaws.

Key Dates:

Nominations: Jan 18-25

Voting: Feb 1-7

Results: Feb 16

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 2021-01-25.

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. This email will come from Simply Voting; remember to check your junk / spam folders. Voting will start on 2021-02-01 and remain open for seven (7) days. Results will be communicated on or before 2021-02-16.

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 Vice President April Hallock, Trustee Michelle Boyko & Trustee Sadhana Kumar. You can contact your Steward, Regional Chairperson, or the Elections Committee with any questions.

In Solidarity,

CUPE Local 104 Elections Committee

2021-01-09

CUPE 104 members are reminded that vacation leave balances will not be automatically cashed out this fiscal year if in excess of the annual carry-over limit (per the CHRO update issued 2020-06-04) and as per the rest of the Federal Public Service.  Employees now have until March 31^st, 2022 to reduce their excess leave balances to under the carry-over limit (400hrs for Civilian Members and 262.5hrs for Public Service Employees).

Please contact your steward or regional chair if your manager attempts to put on you a leave action plan for this fiscal year with the goal of bringing you under the leave carry-over limits by March 31^st, 2021 as that shouldn’t be happening.

2020-12-05

It goes without saying that this year has been a year like no other.  COVID-19 continues to challenge us and our communities in every respect including our health, child/elder parent care-giving responsibilities, economy, mental health, workplaces, and the list goes on.  I cannot be prouder to represent a most incredible group of people who continue to be heroes that are instrumental to Public and Officer safety.

I am hearing wonderful stories of people supporting their fellow colleagues within our group.  Let’s keep being there for each other as this situation continues.  It is important to try reaching out for help if you are struggling and it is just as important to reach out to others to check-in on them as they may not realize or be able to say that they are in crisis.

Mental health of first responders is becoming more and more a topic that is in the news and is well known but sadly inclusion of Public Safety Communicators (PSCs) in the first responder references is not prevalent.  We have an opportunity to change that!

We as TOs and IMs are PSCs and PSCs are operational first responders.  Moreover, this pandemic has proven that we are essential and critical services.  PSCs need to be recognized formally as essential to public safety and as First Responders.  Police officers, fire fighters, correctional officers and the like have a formal designation that is recognized in legislation and we do not.

We need statistics and research to support our stance and experiences.  We need facts and figures to back us up if we want or say we need more mental health support, that we should have better compensation for what we do, that we shouldn’t work as many years as we do until retirement, etc.

There is research currently being done by a distinguished researcher out of Memorial University on PSCs and their mental health.  We have an opportunity here to make a difference.  I encourage everyone to consider doing this survey as the more info that is obtained the better.  Information and link to this survey is found on our webpage (https://104.cupe.ca/2020/12/01/mental-health-study-for-public-safety-communicators-please-consider-participating/) and Facebook page.

Formal negotiations with the employer have begun!  It will be a long process to get to our first collective agreement, but it is extremely exciting to say that it’s started.

Our Recording Secretary, affectionately known as Karen LK, has just stepped down from her CUPE 104 duties and has moved onwards and upwards from a very distinguished and long career with the Force.  She will still be in the Public Service and serving in a critical role that supports Union and management relations and growth.  Karen worked extremely hard for CUPE 104 from before its inception right until her very last day and was instrumental in getting us to where we are today.  A very heartfelt thank-you to Karen for everything she has done and will continue to do for us as well as the whole of the greater public service in her new role.

Dear Canadian public safety communicators,

APCO Canada and researchers from Memorial University have partnered together to deliver an anonymous survey designed to assess operational stress injuries (OSIs) among public safety communicators (e.g., 911, police, fire, and ambulance call-takers and dispatchers, emergency telecommunications). OSIs refer to many different clinically significant mental health symptoms of injury that are often called disorders (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety disorders, mood disorders, sleep disorders, substance abuse disorders).

This research will begin a communications-focused assessment of traumatic exposures, OSI symptoms and the associated impacts, on communicators and their families, as well as identifying individual differences in risk and resiliency that may serve as useful avenues for treatment.

For more reasons to participate or if you have any questions, feel free to contact the lead researcher for the study, Dr. Stephen Czarnuch (sczarnuch@mun.ca) 709.864.7850. He is happy to answer any questions.

Please remember that participation is confidential, and no identifying information will be shared with your employer or union or any person. The survey is voluntary and anonymous, so we cannot identify who participated, and your information will be protected. Participating (or choosing not to participate) will not, under any circumstances, impact your relationship with your employer, union, APCO Canada, or the researchers. The intention of this research is to try to understand how Canadian communicators can be best served, and how your needs can be met as we all work towards creating a healthier work environment.

This survey will take approximately 30 – 90 minutes to complete. You will be given a unique code when you first start the survey, and you can stop at any time and return to your survey where you stopped using this code. I encourage all communicators to participate via one of the links below:

Survey (English and French): (https://mun.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_aXfFrsQKdEqgamp)

Thank you!

Stephen Czarnuch, PhD, P.Eng.
Assistant Professor
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science /
Discipline of Emergency Medicine, Faculty of Medicine
Memorial University of Newfoundland

2020-11-18

The following are brief descriptions and links of to three (3) Class Actions that involve the RCMP.  Should you require more information you may contact the individual law firms whose contact information can be found on their webpages per the links below as CUPE Local 104 is not a party to these lawsuits.

1) RCMP Sexual or gender based harassment or discrimination while employed in the RCMP

The Merlo Davidson class action sought financial compensation for female, current and former, living Regular Members, Civilian Members and Public Service Employees who worked within the RCMP from September 16, 1974 to May 30, 2017, and who experienced gender and/or sexual orientation based harassment and discrimination while working in the RCMP, and who have not opted out or are not deemed to have opted out of the Class Action.

** note this Class Action has already been heard and decided on. Individual claims are being submitted at this time. If this affects you, you may want to contact the law firm immediately, especially if you might need to put a claim in.

(https://merlodavidson.ca/en/rcmp-settlement/the-agreement/)

2) RCMP General Harassment Class Action

RCMP Members: including all Regular Members, Civilian Members, Special Constable, Special Constable Members, Supernumerary Special Constables, Reservists, and Recruits;

(http://www.complexlaw.ca/?fbclid=IwAR1Crrbrckv7IFu0MIG4txgGJPib0MHLwigSGeQL9Q69IHFZAVRPZQKj4Rk#FL-RCMP_General_Harrassment)

3) RCMP Operational Stress Injuries

The proposed class proceeding was filed on behalf of four Plaintiffs and seeks damages on behalf of themselves and a class of persons who are or have been enrolled as Officers and/or Members in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and who have been diagnosed with, or suffered from, an Operational Stress Injury.

(https://wagners.co/practice-areas/class-actions/rcmp-operational-stress-injuries/?%20fbclid=IwAR3QbJnqULoOWOWZbci5M1rVSy5RIA_MhhJQiClVsHXjNZF03YMLMoX6h-c)

2020-11-16

This is the Notice of an Election for the positions of Trustees (x3) on the Local 104 Executive Board, in accordance with our bylaws.

Key Dates:

• Nominations: Nov 18-25
• Voting: Dec 2-8
• Results: Dec 17

Nomination forms are available online at https://104.cupe.ca/wp-content/blogs.dir/820/2020/11/Nomination-Package-Trustee.pdf. They must be scanned and e-mailed to elections@cupe104.ca before the nomination period closes on 2020-11-25.

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. This email will come from Simply Voting; remember to check your junk / spam folders. Voting will start on 2020-12-02 and remain open for seven (7) days. Results will be communicated on or before 2020-12-17

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 Vice President April Hallock, Eastern Region IM Chair Marc-Étienne Proteau, Central Region TO Chairperson Myles Kirchner. You can contact your Steward, Regional Chairperson, or the Elections Committee with any questions.

In Solidarity,

CUPE Local 104 Elections Committee

2020-11-15

On October 16th, 2020, a landmark decision was rendered by the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) regarding members working in job-sharing situations and their ability to pay into their pension (Fraser v. Canada (Attorney General), 2020 SCC 28). Members who reduce their hours through job-sharing arrangements were previously denied the ability to buy back their lost pension time. However, members who work regular hours and take leave without pay (LWOP) can buy back their pension time to make up for the LWOP time. This decision allows members who reduced their hours through job-sharing the ability to buy back the lost time into their pensions.

In their decision, the SCC noted that job-sharing arrangements were shown to be most predominant among women with young children. Therefore, the SCC ruled that the inability for members to buy back pension time while in a job-sharing role was a clear violation of s. 15(1) of the Charter because of the disproportionate impact on women.

Immediately following the decision, we wrote to the RCMP CHRO, RCMP Director of Pensions Services, and the Acting Director General of National Compensation Services requesting information on how this decision will be implemented. We are awaiting their direction. We look forward to this injustice being corrected and how exactly this will impact employees job-sharing situations as well as those that have had to change to part-time work to assist with family obligations.

The full SCC decision of Fraser v. Canada (Attorney General, 2020 Scc 28 (CanLII) can be  viewed here:  https://www.canlii.org/en/ca/scc/doc/2020/2020scc28/2020scc28.html