Editor:
It is with disappointment that I find myself writing this letter.
On Feb. 12, 2019, the Burnaby School District closed its doors for the first time in many years, for a snow day.
There were memos sent out stating that the closure was for the safety of students and staff, yet here I am days later still trying to figure out what my members faced.
I would like to start by pointing out that the grounds crew, custodians and trades have been plowing, shoveling paths and salting - some working long hours trying to make the district safe.
On Feb. 12, these members showed up to continue this important work with little consideration to their safety - others come first.
When a message came out that students would not be attending, there was no direction, or dare I state no consideration for, the CUPE staff, some of whom are solely responsible for the students that were told to stay home. Administrators and managers, in some situations, told CUPE staff that they shouldn’t come in.
In some of these situations, in a later follow-up communication, said they needed to book off gratuity or vacation. Some members were told by their supervisors that they would be paid, but to stay home.
Some were told they would not be able to use vacation or gratuity (contrary to the memo sent out), if they didn’t show up they wouldn’t be paid. Others made the trek into work, and then were sent home, due to safety reasons, only to be told later that they needed to log an absence for the rest of the day.
Some who made the decision that they were unable to make it to work fired up their emails and worked from home, sending out communications to other staff.
Unfortunately, there are many CUPE members that do not receive vacation days or do not have a bank of gratuity days, thus they lost pay. This makes me wonder if the decisions that were made were to save money off the backs of the most precarious workers in the school system, CUPE workers.
I will not go into the detail of collective agreement or possible grievances that are sure to come, but I will state that the language that might apply is ambiguous at best. Regardless of the outcome of this situation, it is once again with sadness that I feel the need to state that the CUPE members that I represent were treated with a different set of rules that ultimately led to confusion and a general sense of disregard to those that always put the students first, the hardworking dedicated members of CUPE 379.
In solidarity to the members of CUPE 379 and all the support staff that put themselves on the line to help the students within the provincial K-12 sector.
Paul Simpson, president, CUPE 379
