What a great way to kick off the holiday season by having members in local parades.
Thank you to all the members involved in getting the buses decked out, walking the parade routes to spread Holiday Cheer (and treats to the kids!) and the drivers of the buses.
Check out all the fun members had in the Bridgewater and Liverpool Holiday Parades.
UPDATE: NSSBCU Wage Harmonization
Since the ratification of collective agreements in May and June, we have begun the process of harmonizing wages across the province. The goal is to raise the hourly rate for education support staff up to the highest rate within each classification, where there is a reasonable comparator.
The joint union-employer committee has met six times since mid-June to review classifications of all support staff in the K-12 sector in Nova Scotia.
At our last meeting, on October 31, we discussed one classification from the Student Support group and the Student Supervision classifications.
To date, we have discussed 7 of the classification groupings:
We have not yet reviewed the cafeteria classifications.
We have agreement in principle on 8 different classifications in the Secretarial, Student Support and Library Services groups.
We may have agreement on another 6 classifications in the Student Supervision, Property Services and Technology groups, but there are some bigger issues that we will need to deal with before we can finalize these.
We have not been able to come to agreement on the bare rate— the rate that we use as the starting point for the comparison.(The datefor the bare rate is December1, 2022.)This will need to be decided through arbitration as it has an effect on the process.
We have agreed on the arbitrator who will hear the issue around the bare rate, and we will be working to set dates as soon as possible. As well, we hope to get confirmation of additional joint meeting dates to review the outstanding classifications shortly. We have provided availability to the employers for the 2nd and 3rd week of November to do this.
The committee continues to work very hard to get this important work completed. Thanks to all of the members for their continued support and patience.
:sm/cope 491
NSSBCU Update on Wage Harmonization
The collective agreements that were ratified in May and June for the Education sector included
a Memorandum of Agreement to harmonize wages across the province.
The goal is to bring the hourly wage rate for education support staff in each area of the province
up to the highest rate within each classification, as long as there is a reasonable comparator.
We began this process on June 16th, meeting with the employers as well as representatives
from the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development.
THE PROCESS
The classifications under review include all support staff in the K-12 sector in Nova Scotia. Both
union and non-unionized wage rates can be used in the comparison.
The wages being reviewed are the base hourly rates, with any benefits removed that are built
into the rate (e.g., an additional percentage in lieu of sick time). We are using the rate that was
in effect on December 1, 2022.
This is known as the “bare” rate.
To begin the comparison, we needed to collect all relevant information, including job
descriptions, wage rates and feedback from members on the work they do.
We also needed to gather information from the employers on non-union classifications and from
other unions that represent similar classifications.
Armed with this information, the union and employer committees started to compare our job
descriptions with other job descriptions where the responsibilities and duties are the “same or
substantially similar” to one another.
Some positions are more technical and complex in nature and present a challenge in finding
comparators. It can also be challenging to compare union jobs to non-union positions where the
work is organized differently.
THE CLASSIFICATIONS
We are using the eight groupings that emerged from the 2008 CUPE and employer
classification standardization process as a way to organize our analysis.
The eight groups or sub categories are:
o Property Services (Custodian, Janitor, Building Specialist etc.)
o Secretarial
o Student Support (ECE, EPA, Student Support Worker etc.)
o Cafeteria
o Technology
o Student Supervision (Lunch, Bus, Ground Monitor etc.)
o Transportation
o Library Support
THE COMMITTEE
The Joint Union/Employer Committee is comprised of one representative – the president or
designate – from each of the eight Education sector locals, as well as a representative from the
corresponding Centre of Education or CSAP.
PROGRESS TO DATE
We have met as a full committee five times so far, in addition to smaller meetings to review and
analyse information. It has been challenging to say the least. We are about half way through the
classifications, and the deadline to complete the process is October 31, 2023.
The problem we face is that the employer will not provide us with information on wages and job
descriptions for non-union positions in a timely manner, before the meetings.
We have been able to get wage rates and job descriptions from the other unions, but without the
information for the non-union positions, we have not been able to do full comparison prior to the
meetings. Thus, the meetings have been taken up with analysis that could have been done prior
to the meeting. This has been a frustrating experience, but we are persistent and determined
that the process will be done accurately and thoroughly.
We have discussed three of the eight groups so far: Secretarial, Student Support and Library
Services.
Of these three, we have agreement in principle on adjustments for two of the secretarial
classifications, five of the student support positions and two of the library services positions.
We are currently reviewing the Information Technology and Property Services classifications.
The committee is scheduled to meet one more day in October and there is an additional
tentative date as well. We will continue to work as quickly as possible in the hopes that we can
complete the review by the October 31st deadline.
If there are outstanding classifications yet to be reviewed by the deadline or any classifications
in dispute, there is a dispute resolution mechanism that we will employ, involving a third party, in
order to complete the process.
WHAT HAPPENS NEXT
As we sign off on the classifications adjustments, wage increases are to go into effect the day of
the signing.
However, implementation of the wage adjustment will happen in two stages, as per the
Memorandum.
Fifty percent of the wage adjustment will be applied immediately, retroactive to the ratification
date of the Local agreement.
The other half of the increase will go into effect March 31, 2024, the last day of the current
agreement.
As more information is available, further updates will be provided.
In Solidarity,
Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions
Classification Committee
There was an amazing turn out at the AGM held at Hebbville School Oct 17th 2023.
Elections were held for the following:
2 Yr Term President – Jennifer Cox
2 Yr Term Secretary Treasurer – Floyd Seymour
1 Yr Term VP Lunenburg Co. – Terry Saulnier
Trustee – Tina Brown
Nancy Grant remains VP Queens Co with 1 yr left in her term
Jannette Saunders remains Recording Secretary with 1 yr left in her term
Thank you to everyone who attended and put their names forward for positions. It is great to see so many members interested in being active within our Local.
In Solidarity
Your Executive
Today, you will receive an email (if you are on the email list) that will invite you to take part in a survey.
This survey will provide members the chance to express what they personally would like to see go to the provincial bargaining table. Please take a few moments to complete the survey. The survey will be available for 2 weeks.
If you have any suggestions on what you would like to see at the local bargaining table, please send an email to any of your local executives.
Not on the email list? Want to be added? Please email local4682@gmail.com and our amazing Secretary, Jannette Saunders, will add you to the list. This is a great way to stay up to date on when meetings are and other important information regarding CUPE Local 4682
In Solidarity
Your executive
Thursday, August 10th 2023, your Bargaining Committee will be meeting with management to FINALLY sign our new contract!!
Once the contract is signed, members will receive the pay increases listed in the contract. As for retro pay, at this time we do not have a date when retro will be issued however, we will be asking for that information on Thursday.
Once we know, you will know.
In Solidarity,
Your Bargaining Committee
Dwayne Sarty, Nancy Grant, Jennifer Cox, Jannette Saunders and Terry Saulnier
August 1, 2023
Collective Agreement Update from the Nova Scotia School Board Council of Unions
We hope, despite the record-breaking heat and rain fall, that everyone is safe and enjoying their
summer. As we reach the midpoint of the summer, your bargaining team wanted to provide an
update.
Currently, we are working to prepare the now ratified collectives agreement for signing by all the
locals and the Employer. Once this takes place, the new collective agreement will officially come
into effect, covering April 1st, 2021-March 31st, 2024, except for Local 5047, which covers August
1st, 2020-March 31, 2024.
In anticipation of the signing, the process of harmonization across the province has already
begun, but it is still in the early stages. Once completed, all school support workers in the same
classifications within the NSSBCU, regardless of where they live or the school they work for, will
be paid the same.
Once the collective agreement is signed, the process of distributing retro pay will begin. The
Employer will have applied to the treasury for the funding, so this cannot happen before the
collective agreement is signed. You will receive another update once we have more information
regarding timelines of payment.
Your bargaining team is working tirelessly to complete this process and we appreciate your
continued support and patience.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please contact your local president for more information.
Chris Melanson
NSSBCU Chairperson
Halifax Regional Centre for Education, CUPE Local 5047
Lisa DeMolitor
NSSBCU Vice-Chairperson
Tri-County Regional Centre for Education, CUPE Local 964
Gerard Matthews
Strait Regional Centre for Education, CUPE 955
Aaron Pottier
Conseil scolaire acadian provincial, CUPE 2272
Cindy Courtney
Annapolis Valley Regional Centre for Education, CUPE 3876
Robert MacKay
Chignecto-Central Regional Centre for Education, CUPE 3890
Dwayne Sarty
South Shore Regional Centre for Education, CUPE 4682
Nelson Scott
Cape Breton-Victoria Regional Centre for Education, CUPE Local 5050
Hello Local 4682 Membership.
We have, as you all know by now, reached a tentative agreement to vote on in the coming weeks for our new Contract. Unfortunately I can’t share any details of this tentative agreement yet, mainly so it doesn’t go public before you hear it first.
At approx. 2:10AM on Wednesday April 19th 2023 after a long day/night of bargaining, NSSBCU and the Government reached a TENTATIVE AGREEMENT.
Thank you for all your hard work, stepping up to volunteer on the Strike Committee, Picket Captains and Phone Tree. Thank you for all the time you took to blast social media with the many posts and content your executive supplied.
Wednesday PINK DAYS, the RALLY and Picket Sign Party would not have been successful without you, our amazing members.
Keep wearing PINK everyday until a deal is finalized and signed off!
Stay tuned for an upcoming Special Meeting Memo. Once your executive has a date, you will be informed.
