CUPE 4207

CUPE 4207 is happy to be connecting with Brock Human Rights and Equity to ensure that you are supported with proper resources, safe spaces and friendly faces. They have a lot of amazing sessions, workshops, and events happening!

Peer Support Drop-In: Every Week

Come drop in anytime during the session to chat. Our Peer 2 Peer staff is here to greet you and listen if you have any questions about consent, relationships, racism, accessibility, 2SLGBTQIA+ issues, or just need someone to talk to. We can also help get you the resources and information you need if you want further support surrounding sexual violence, safe accommodations, mental health, physical health, or spiritual support.

Additionally, every Wednesday 12-3 PM we have BIPOC specific Drop-in and every Thursday 5-7 PM we have our Queer Peer Drop-in open for our diverse student population.

Schedule:

Tuesday: 9am-7pm (Online)

Wednesday: 12pm-7pm (Online), BIPOC specific Drop-in 12pm-3pm

Thursday: 12pm-7pm (Online), Queer Peer Drop-in 5pm-7pm

Join here online: https://brocku.ca/human-rights/p2p-drop-in/ For alternative support options, please email svsec@brocku.ca or visit our website, linked here.

Gender & Sexual Violence Support Certificate – Every Week, Tuesday and Thursday

Receive a Certificate in Gender & Sexual Violence Support! Join us for our interactive 1-hour workshops to learn about how gender & sexual violence effects multiple populations, and how people heal from it. Attend 5 to receive our standard certificate, and 10 to receive an advanced one. To register and for our complete schedule, visit our website: https://brocku.ca/human-rights/events-and-actions/#gsvcertificate

BIPOC Perspectives – Thursday, Feb 3 @ 5-6pm Register here: https://experiencebu.brocku.ca/event/197057

Sexual violence IS a union issue…

Dear Members,

A gentle reminder – as per directions from CUPE National, to be able to attend Union meetings, participate on Committees, and stand for elections, you must sign a Member in Good Standing card – your Union Card!

Please fill out the form and either take a photo/scan and email (info@cupe4207.org), print/drop it at the office (MCC 402) when we return in January, or mail it to us: CUPE 4207 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, MCC 402, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1.

DOWNLOAD the Application Here

A Message from Your Health & Safety Officer

WSIB Worker Exposure Incident Form

Labour Confronts the Climate Crisis | OFL

When it comes to the climate crisis what’s at stake? What’s the science? Where do pensions fit in?

Join the Ontario Federation of Labour for this free virtual conference that will address the role of pensions in working towards environmental justice​.

At our last GMM, Outreach Officer – Tracy Kennedy – gave a talk called: “CUPE 4207 & the Indigenization of Post-Secondary Education“.

Tracy offered her insights and experiences that tackled questions such as: What role do academic labour unions play in reconciliation with Indigenous, Métis, and Inuit Peoples? How can CUPE 4207 members incorporate Calls to Action into their work practices –  lectures, assignments, seminars, lab demonstrations, office spaces and student interactions?

Here are the PDF slides for Tracy’s talk:

CUPE 4207 & the Indigenization of Post-Secondary Education

You can listen to the recording of Tracy’s talk here:

Many thanks to everyone who joined us!

Recognition of Territory:

On behalf of CUPE 4207, we acknowledge and honour the ancestors of those on whose traditional lands we gather today. Brock University is located on the traditional beaver hunting grounds; a shared territory of the Anishnaabe (Aw-nishi-naw-bay), Haudenosaunee (Haw-den-oh-show-nee), and other nations. We welcome and acknowledge all Indigenous Peoples who have joined us including First Nation, Métis, and Inuit, and we also welcome members of settler society.

Tuesday, September 28 – 6pm, Eastern

Truth and reconciliation: conversations for CUPE members

How can CUPE members contribute to truth and reconciliation with Indigenous people? What can we learn from Indigenous CUPE members and their experiences and activism? And how can we support the fight for justice for today’s generation of Indigenous children and youth?

These and other questions will be addressed at a free, national webinar hosted by CUPE’s Human Rights Branch, in collaboration with Union Education.

What:            A Conversation about Truth and Reconciliation for CUPE members

When:            Tuesday, September 28, 6:00 PM, Eastern

Register in advance here.

Who:

• Debra Merrier, Diversity Vice-President for Indigenous Workers, CUPE National Executive Board
• John Brady McDonald, Senator, CUPE Saskatchewan Indigenous Council Committee
• Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair, Assistant Professor, University of Manitoba
• Mark Hancock, National President, and Charles Fleury, National Secretary-Treasurer, will provide opening remarks and introduce Elder Thomas Louttit.
• Moderator: Dana Wesley, Senior Officer (Indigenous Issues), CUPE Human Rights Branch

Event details:

• The webinar will be followed by moderated Q&A sessions
• ASL and live captioning will be provided
• Registration required. All welcome
• Register here

Background

For years, Indigenous people have been organizing and educating Canadians on the legacies and impacts of the country’s residential school system. Since 2013, advocates have organized awareness campaigns to coincide with September 30, calling it “Orange Shirt Day”.

Orange Shirt Day has become a national rallying point to support Indigenous people’s calls for justice and healing for all those affected by the residential school system. The day also acknowledges the pressing need for justice for Indigenous children and youth today. Indigenous children continue to endure sub-standard health, housing, education and social supports compared to all other Canadian children.

This past June, the federal government passed legislation that made September 30 the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called for such a day to “honour survivors, their families, and communities, and ensure that public commemoration of the history and legacy of residential schools remains a vital component of the reconciliation process”.

CUPE is honouring this year’s National Day with two webinars for CUPE members, one in French and one in English. (For information on the French webinar, click here.)

Register here

Email education@cupe.ca for more information, or if you need help with registration.

Speaker Biographies

Debra Merrier is Cree, originally from Grouard, Alberta. She has been an active member of CUPE 728 in Surrey, British Columbia since 2004 and has held the position of Aboriginal youth care worker in the Surrey school district Aboriginal Department since 1996. Debra has dedicated herself to empowering Indigenous Peoples in Canada, fighting for justice for murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls, and initiatives including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Moose Hide Campaign, Orange Shirt Day, and Aboriginal Veterans Day. She believes in the power of sharing our history and our acknowledgement of our Peoples and Elders.

John Brady McDonald is a Nehiyawak-Metis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor, and activist born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak. The great-great-great grandson of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, as well as the grandson of famed Metis leader Jim Brady, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, as well as private and permanent collections and galleries around the world, including the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. John is one of the founding members of the P.A. Lowbrow art movement, and served as Vice-President of the Indigenous Peoples Artists Collective for nearly a decade. John also served a term as vice-chair of the Board of Directors for Spark Theatre, and as a Senator with the Indigenous Council Committee of CUPE Saskatchewan. John is the author of several books, and lives in Northern Saskatchewan.

Dr. Niigaanwewidam Sinclair is Anishinaabe (St. Peter’s/Little Peguis) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Manitoba. He is a regular commentator on Indigenous issues on CTV, CBC, and APTN, and his written work can be found in the pages of the Exile Edition of Native Canadian Fiction and Drama, newspapers like The Guardian, and online with CBC Books: Canada Writes. Niigaan is the co-editor of the award-winning Manitowapow: Aboriginal Writings from the Land of Water (Highwater Press, 2011) and Centering Anishinaabeg Studies: Understanding the World Through Stories (Michigan State University Press, 2013). He is also the Editorial Director of the Debwe Series with Portage and Main Press.

A message from CUPE 4207 President Nathan Cecckin regarding the Return to In-Person Learning

Hi all,

With the return to in-person learning happening this week, it is important to be clear of the policies that will be used for the Fall term so that we are all prepared. At the same time, it is important that epidemiologists and public health experts are highly critical in the return to in-person learning too soon, especially when all Brock community members will need is the first dose to be able to go onto campus until September 28^th.  With that noted, the Executive Committee and the Stewards have been working to keep member concerns on the table and to advance to protect the health and safety of members and students.

For the polices, here are important points at a glance. Please see this resource for all of the details that the Administration is putting out.

• Self-Screening

Staff will need to complete self-screening through the Brock Safety App or on the Brock website before attending campus. You will receive a report from the app, and will need to email that report to your immediate supervisor. They will then send that report to the chair of the department or the director of the center in which you work. If you are not feeling well, then the Administration is requesting that you stay home. There won’t be monitoring at entrances, but you could be asked to provide proof of completion.

• Community & Personal Protective Equipment

Anyone on campus will need to wear a mask, unless you have received an approved accommodation to not wear a mask. We are also working to ensure that members receive a list of students in your classes that have also received an accommodation. While it is recommended to use a medical mask, non-medical masks (cloth masks, for example) are also acceptable.

However, if you are not able to maintain at least 2 meters distance, and are working with someone who is not wearing a mask, then you also need to wear eye protection or a face shield. We have been informed that departments will provide this to members. Please contact the chair of your department for more information. If you request eye protection and are denied, please email us at info@cupe4207.org.

While there is a mask mandate, there isn’t a sense on how this will be enforced. Faculty and staff have been told that there is no expectation for us to enforce the mandate, and we are being discouraged from centering out students who are not wearing masks. Rather, we are to approach these students with compassion and understanding, although our members have not been receiving any of that. While it is true that students with accommodations should not face informal sanctions, members also have the right to work in a safe environment. We ask that you contact your immediate supervisor for a list of students who have received an accommodation to not wear a mask.

• Physical Distancing

The provincial government has given universities everything that they had asked for – there would be no physical distancing in instructional spaces. While some universities are still honouring physical distancing requirements, and others are limiting capacity, Brock University will be aiming for 100% capacity for spaces. This will only apply to instructional space, but there isn’t clarity in how physical distancing will be made for hallways or office spaces.

• Office Spaces

This has been a significant concern for members. In some departments, where we share office spaces, some of these spaces are used by a lot of members and the students who see us there. Initially, the Administration was committed to cleaning these spaces once per week. We have pushed hard, and Custodial Services have reassessed their position. Some departments are now being cleaned daily, especially where there is a higher volume of traffic. We are still trying to find out which departments are being cleaned more often, but it also appears that some departments are not being responsive. If you work in a department where you office is not being cleaned regularly, please email us.

In response, several departments are encouraging members to hold virtual office hours, as well. If you do not feel comfortable being in an office that may not be cleaned regularly, please ask your direct supervisor for permission to do virtual office hours. You do have the right to a safe working environment.

• Vaccination Policy

The policy adopted by the Administration is to require either to be fully vaccinated or to aim to be have received the second dose by September 28^th. Accommodations will be provided on bona fide grounds, and those receiving an accommodation would need to be tested twice per week. More details can be found in emails from Brock Communication and on the University’s website.

However, the Administration has noted that those who had signed contracts for in-person work and have chosen not to be vaccinated, then your contract would be cancelled. If you have had your contract cancelled, please email us at info@cupe4207.org. We want to ensure that your rights under the Collective Agreement are being protected.

If you have any concerns, please email us! We will also be re-opening our office on a limited capacity starting the week of September 13^th. Finally, our first General Membership Meeting will be held September 16^th at 5 pm.

In solidarity,
Nathan Cecckin