President's Report - December 2019
December already? Time is flying! It looks like the cold has arrived, along with some wetness too.
This time of year, we must be careful when working in the elements, due to the wetness and the frozen ground. Let’s all do our best to avoid slips and falls. Speaking of bad weather, the employer has changed the snow day protocol. Expect to see the new protocol coming out soon.
New Job postings are coming out. If you are considering a new position or location for work, please check for new postings often because they are coming out fast and frequently.
We are still waiting for the employer to sign off on our new contract. I don't have an answer as to why this process takes so long. I expect they will complete the sign off soon.
On another note, please remember to get along with each other. One of the best things about being in a union is that we can all work together to create a happy and friendly environment. When we give each other respect and understanding we receive respect and understanding in turn. I know that our extreme work loads are creating a lot of stress, but it's important that you don’t let that stress affect your work relationships.
Still, all around the district, people are starting early and working through breaks. We can not be doing this! If it is a struggle to complete your workload, please inform your foreman. If you were to start work early, without authorization from your supervisor, and you got injured, you would not be covered by WorkSafe. I would hate to see that happen to anyone.
The December Winter Dance is nearly here. Tickets are selling quickly, and we have a limited number available. If you haven’t purchased your ticket yet you better act fast!
General elections will be held in January of 2020. More information will be coming forward soon.
Our general meeting will be December 14th, 2019, at Eagle View School, at 10:00am, I hope to see you there, come join us for some information, a coffee and a treat.
Thank You
Fred Schmidt
President's Report November 2019
Time flies! It seems like I just wrote October’s report. We’ve been lucky so far. As we come into the Winter season, the weather has been quite nice, so on we go with our usual work.
We are excited to welcome the New Secretary Treasurer to the district, Kim Morris. She has a wealth of experience as the Secretary Treasure in other school districts, and we are excited to work with her soon. Welcome aboard Kim!
Progress has begun on the Apprentice Training Centre, behind Tolmie building. We should see the building being erected in the not to distant future.
Regarding workloads, I hear you loud and clear! Many, many of you talk about the incredible amount of work that has been put on us. And it is true, there is a tremendous amount of work put on us. I will continue to work on this issue wherever I can. The most important thing you can do is to have conversations with your Foreman, and the Union, and your Manager about it. Also please remember (I will keep harping on this) to take your breaks! At the end of the day, if you can't complete your task, then it must be left incomplete, unless of course the employer offers you overtime to complete your task.
I hope you’re feeling festive. Because the CUPE382 Winter Dance is coming up soon! It is scheduled for December 7th at the Croatian Cultural Centre. I always have a blast at our dance! More information will be coming shortly.
We will be electing Shop Stewards at the next General Assembly. We are interested in having new people step up to fill Shop Steward positions. If you’re interested in how the union operates, and want to get to know your fellow workers, becoming a Shop Steward is the way to go! More information on that will be coming shortly.
There has been concern about the lack of attendance at our General Assemblies. Not a lot of people are showing up for the information sessions. I’d love to start seeing new faces, old faces, all your faces. We want to hear your ideas about how we can improve attendance at the General Assemblies and how we can improve the Union in general.
Our general meeting will be November 16th, 2019, at Eagle View School, at 10:00am. I hope to see you there, come join us for a coffee and a treat.
Thank You
Fred Schmidt
President's Report September
Well here we are summer break is over, and back to the grind we go. Top of the list of many are of course layoffs, in order for the employer to institute all evening staff going to full time eight hour shifts, the employer had to make another restructure of custodial runs, I do understand how this is not helping to solidify the attractiveness of working as a custodian in this district. But as we go forward we all have full time work, here on out.
Bargaining is complete, and I can comfortably say we took no concessions and gained, full time work all around, yes I understand there is a lot of areas out there that require a lot of work, and when it comes to trying to complete your nightly or daily routine, you must take your breaks, and on that, if the task is too cumbersome that day, and you are not able to complete, contact your foreman.
There are a lot of projects on the go, I know a lot of you are running around from site to site trying to complete all these many many, tasks that have been put on us, as usual I know we will accomplish and complete what is necessary to have our schools ready for the first day. It is the staff of facilities and operations, that get our schools ready for the occupants of our buildings, and I will say if we were not as dedicated and proud as we are, this task would not get completed, so Thank you to all members of this union that have the knowledge, and and the fortitude, to complete the ridiculous amount of labor put on all of us to get this tremendous job completed.
Our general meeting will be September 14 2019, at Eagle View School, at 10:00am, I hope to see you there, come join us for a coffee and a treat.
Thank You
Fred Schmidt