A Message from President – Nathan Cecckin

Welcome back to the Fall Term!

With the provincial government’s decision to grant an exemption to Universities and Colleges from COVID restrictions, we will be returning to in-person learning for the Fall.  We are still discussing the interpretation of ‘instructional space.’ This would include lecture halls, seminar rooms, and labs. However, this would seemingly not include office spaces, hallways, and other non-instructional spaces. It is not clear how these spaces will be monitored. However, there are a few issues that members need to know with what to expect in the return.

First, the administration has adopted a mandatory vaccine policy as directed to do so by the provincial government. This would mean we need to have the first dose by September 1st and  the second dose by September 28th. Currently, vaccine receipts need to be uploaded here – https://brocku.ca/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccination/. You can also find the forms here if you are unable to be vaccinated due to grounds protected under human rights legislation. For those who do not have an exemption and have not been vaccinated, the Executive Committee is working to get protections for members.

Second, we had received a lot of concern over shared office spaces, particularly in relation to the Administration’s plan to have them cleaned once per week. As we are in the midst of a global pandemic, and modelling predicts that variations could lead to a greater number of cases, it is unconscionable to not clean these shared spaces that we use to meet with students more often. The Executive Committee has put pressure on the Administration to revisit this issue. As a result, the issue was revisited and Custodial Services is undertaking a review of shared office spaces on campus. While we are still waiting for a full report, it appears that some high-occupancy spaces that we use will be cleaned daily rather than weekly.

We will continue to seek protections for members. If you have a concern, please email us

Moving into the Fall, we will still be active! We will resume GMMs to be held virtually on the third Thursday of the month at 5 pm, committees will be meeting and planning events, and we are relaunching our calendar and you can order a calendar with the link in this email!

A Message from Your Exec Committee – Class Sizes

Thanks to Covid 19, we have all become acutely aware of the importance of our working environment in determining our safety and the safety of others. In the past, we have argued that class size is an important issue that affects our members and students. During several rounds of bargaining with the Employer, CUPE 4207 had asked that class sizes be stabilized and, in many cases, reduced. These requests have been rebuffed in favour of a status quo mentality, no doubt informed by the Employer’s desire to place revenue above the health and safety of its students, faculty, contract workers, and staff. It is clear that the reason for a return to 100% capacity is being motivated by financial considerations. After all, we had been told outright that any social distancing requirements would mean most courses would move online due to the costs of smaller class sizes. Today this issue has come to the forefront and is once again a chief concern of our members.

Science has told us that we will no doubt be living with CoVid (and its variants) for some time – does it make sense to keep our classrooms as they were before this pandemic so drastically affected our learning and living communities? Are we to ignore the responsibility placed before us and NOT act? CUPE 4207 calls upon the Administration of Brock University to listen to Public Health experts, to listen to their own faculty, staff, contract workers, and students, and make the responsible choice. Class sizes must come down if physical distancing is to be maintained.

A message from our CUPE National Representative.

Good afternoon,

Attached are links and resources I’m hoping will assist some members overcome vaccine hesitancy. I encourage people to get vaccinated, and further respect everyone’s decision to chose what is best for them. I’m hoping these materials may reduce any harmful impacts on members as they navigate this time.

www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/video/ask-experts-covid-19-vaccines.html

www.canada.ca/fr/sante-canada/services/video/demandez-experts-vaccins-covid-19.html

https://cupe.ca/covid-19-vaccines-frequently-asked-questions

https://scfp.ca/foire-aux-questions-sur-les-vaccins-contre-la-covid-19

If anyone needs assistance, has questions or needs further support please do not hesitate to reach me.

In Solidarity

Kyle Hoskin

He/Him

T/CUPE National Representative 

Niagara Office

110A Hannover Dr #101,

St. Catharines, ON L2W 1A3

Office (905) 641-3051

Email- khoskin@cupe.ca 

Impressive Solidarity shown by the entire Brock Community: BUFA faculty members, CUPE 4207 contract workers, administration, students, and community members came together. Congrats on being one step closer to a safe campus.

Brock will require COVID-19 vaccination for students, staff, faculty to access campus.

As Brock continues to prepare for a significant return to campus for the Fall 2021 term, the University will require COVID-19 vaccination for all students, faculty, staff and visitors who wish to access campus this fall. This is the latest in several measures the University is taking as part of its ongoing commitment to the health and safety of its community.

At least a first dose of a Health Canada-approved vaccine will be required by September 7, and a second dose will be required by October 15. Anyone who cannot be vaccinated, based on medical or other grounds recognized by the Ontario Human Rights Code, can request an accommodation. Those who have been fully vaccinated with a vaccine on the World Health Organization Emergency Use Listing are deemed to have met this requirement.

CUPE 4207 stands in support of BUFA, Staff, Admin, Students, and Community members calling for Brock University to adopt a vaccination mandate. It is imperative that we keep working to keep all members of the community safe. BUFA has started a petition in dissatisfaction of the Employer’s response, and are asking students, staff, faculty & community partners to please read the letter and add your name if you agree.

From BUFA:

Dear members and partners of the Brock University community, 

The letter included below was forwarded to University Leadership on August 4th, 2021. We now seek to accumulate additional support for this initiative from the broader Brock community. To add your name to the list, supporting the call for a vaccine mandate (with appropriate exemptions) to keep our community safe, please submit your signature using the google form linked below. The signatures in the table below will be updated periodically (not instantly).

Vaccine Mandate for on-campus activities (Signatures) – Google Docs

This is the read-only file. A link is provided in the document for a fillable form to sign the document.

Together we must fight Islamophobia and the rise of hatred

Click here to register for this webinar, which will take place over Zoom.

*CUPE 4207 members are always permitted and welcome to attend these CUPE Ontario events (In case you didn’t know!).*

On July 15 at 6:00 PM, CUPE Ontario is hosting a webinar to discuss ways of address islamophobia in our communities. We hope that you     will  join them for this important and urgent conversation.

July 15, 2021 @ 6:00 pm – 7:15 pm Virtual event (Zoom)

We recognize that while Muslims are a primary focus of hate today, it may one day turn to another group. As a result, we should strive to ensure social and legal protections for all Canadians, inspired by the sacrifices and ongoing struggles of numerous marginalized racial, ethnic and religious communities.