Dear Brothers and Sisters:

Thanks to a fortunate mix of hard work, patience, front-line efforts, geography and a pinch of luck, PEI and NB are both experiencing below average progression rates of COVID-19.

Despite this relatively enviable position in our country, the Federal government has not indicated when they will seriously consider loosening public health restrictions to reopen the domestic economy. This will be likely done in phases with some regions and industries starting sooner than others. It is too early to say what will happen.

Members are doing important work across both provinces in our region during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the public is noticing. This is good news for us, as before this crisis, too many front-line workers were forgotten or underappreciated by government. Keep up the good work!

The CUPE Maritimes staff is doing phenomenal work and I want to recognize their efforts. They have been “behind the scenes” working long hours ensuring CUPE members are having their rights respected and that information that members need is being shared. We have daily staff calls to share information and work collaboratively and this united and consistent approach is working very well in our region.

Bargaining Paused Until May 11th

As you were already aware of the bargaining talks being paused, I wanted to let you that there will be no bargaining at least until May 11th, 2020. On that day, we will reassess the situation and inform members. For the moment, government and employer negotiators cannot meet, as there is still not enough safety to permit gatherings or hold in person talks.

Meeting virtually and doing union business in a new way

As you were already aware of the bargaining talks being paused, I wanted to let you that there will be no bargaining at least until May 11th, 2020. On that day, we will reassess the situation and inform members. For the moment, government and employer negotiators cannot meet, as there is still not enough safety to permit gatherings or hold in person talks.

ass gatherings will likely not be feasible until restrictions are lifted in many, many months from here. Therefore, every local should do all they can to have the capacity to conduct all necessary business according to their bylaws. This means adopting new technologies and online meeting tools. Talk to your servicing reps on electronic voting tools and the best way to keep conducting union business.

REMINDER: Every CUPE member must register online so that we can have emergency communication lines and electronic voting capacity. Please ask your local union rep for the registration link.

It is very important that you add your current local number in the form. If you do not know your local number, please clearly indicate the employer you work for (where you work) in the box titled “Name of Employer”.
Personal cellphone numbers (not work cellphones) are needed to ensure mass member emergency texting. To keep our lists as “clean” as possible, we ask that you do not post the links on social media.

Updates on the Canada Emergency Response Benefit (CERB) and EI Emergency Response Benefit (EI-ERB)

CERB has been expanded and made more flexible. The federal government is making changes to aid seasonal workers without jobs and those whose hours have been drastically cut but who still have some income. The changes will also allow people who are making up to $1,000 a month to qualify for the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, as well as those whose employment insurance benefits have run out since the start of the calendar year.

For those doing jobs deemed essential and making less than $2,500 a month, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the federal government will top up their pay to encourage them to keep going into work during the health and economic crisis.

To apply to the CERB, visit : https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application.html

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Servicing Representative.

In Soldarity,

Sandy Harding
Maritimes Regional Director

Hello all,

Thank you to all CUPE PEI members for their hard work and dedication during this COVID-19 pandemic. Here at CUPE PEI, we have been working on several things over this past week. This week, we recorded a radio ad that everyone should start hearing shortly thanking all CUPE members and all essential workers for their work during this difficult time. We are also currently putting together a COVID-19 webpage for information for membership during this time and it should be ready very soon. More details on that to come.

The National Executive Board continues to have weekly phone conference calls to deal with issues. They have waived all CUPE National initiation fees (one-time fee for new members or any members that were not in good standing) until December 31, 2020.The National Presidents office is giving Locals some extended time to arrange how Local business will continue, if you need clarity or if you have any questions please contact your servicing representative.

The Canadian Emergency Response Benefit applications started this week, and applicants should shortly start to see those payments. CUPE National is working with the Federal government to ensure the benefits applies to more workers, including seasonal workers and students who have been unable to secure employment due to the pandemic. Please remember that this benefit will be included in taxable income for the year 2020.

The Chief Health Office has begun to increase the amount of testing for COVID-19. We are hearing from them that we need to continue the self isolating and social distancing. We are doing good, but we are not done with COVID-19 yet.

CUPE PEI is planning the when and where our AGM will take place we will have more information on this next week. We are sure this past month has reminded everyone just how important public services are and, as people, we sometimes take these services for granted. Lets ensure we all take some time this Easter Weekend to thank the people providing services to us and those who are in need during these difficult times.

Happy Easter, Stay Safe

Leonard Gallant

Good Afternoon

This is unprecedented times as everyone is saying but it truly is uncharted waters as we have never seen before. CUPE PEI want to assure you that we have been working with all levels of Government to help navigate us through this difficult time. The Provincial Government has been doing a good job keeping up with the ongoing changes as directed by the Chief Health Officer.

The National Executive Board is meeting via Conference Call on a regular basis, we have been discussing discussion what to do as a National union and through those discussions Mark and Charles have been taking our direction.

We have talked to a number of Provincial Ministers and those were very good discussions around front line workers and the great work they are doing as well as the importance that our members be afforded the proper PPE to ensure their safety in the workplace.

We also have been having discussions abut ensuring that our members, as well as public servants, will continue to be at work and not face lay offs. Minister MacKay committed to CUPE PEI that this Government had no plans of laying off public servants and were also encouraging private sector employers to keep as many staff on the payroll as possible.

We want to ensure members that CUPE PEI is here for them and we will continue to work to ensure that this pandemic has as little impact on our members as possible. CUPE PEI will now be having weekly conference calls to deal with any issues that may arise and need to be dealt with. We will continue giving daily updates as much as possible from the Chief Health Officer and any other information that we receive.

We will get through this we have to continue social distancing and self isolating where directed. Please remember to reach out to family, friends, neighbours who may just want to have a conversation to know they are not forgotten. My cell number is 902 315 0525 please feel free to call if you need my assistance or if you have suggestions on things you would like us to do as a Union. Stay Safe.

In Solidarity,

Leonard Gallant
President
CUPE PEI

Sisters, Brothers and Friends: The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, with public health agencies providing updates and new guidelines and restrictions almost daily. All regions are now recommending social distancing measures, including restricting public gatherings. CUPE locals, councils, and divisions should follow directives from the public health authorities in their region. These recommended measures will impact our regular activities, and in most cases will require locals to postpone or alter meetings. In these extraordinary times it is important to maintain good governance, accountability and transparency. With this in mind, I am providing the following guidelines to help address questions of compliance with local bylaws and CUPE’s National Constitution. Teleconferencing and Video Conferencing If necessary, where feasible, and until further notice, meetings may be conducted electronically via conference calls, telephone town halls or videoconferencing. We advise locals to explore available electronic meeting platforms. Electronic Voting Where adopting motions to conduct the regular business of the union, such as for decisions of the executive board or executive committee, voting can be done via email. Where voting must be secret, such as ratifications or job action mandates, and where votes cannot be delayed, locals can explore the possibility of using a secure and reliable electronic voting platform. Remember that some votes are also governed by labour legislation. Nominations and Elections Wherever possible, local elections should occur within the same timeframe as laid out in local bylaws. Nominations that might normally occur at a membership meeting can be done by email, and elections can be conducted electronically using a secure platform. If maintaining the existing timeframe is not feasible, the elections process can be delayed by up to one month. Postponing Meetings Where it is not possible to hold a meeting and remote solutions are not feasible, local meetings may be postponed for a period of one month. Applicable timelines in the bylaws will be extended accordingly. We will be monitoring the situation across the country and will provide updates on this timeline if necessary. Opportunities While there are many other issues facing our union right now, we encourage you to consider the challenges you might be having communicating with your members outside of the workplace. Consider using this opportunity to collect and compile personal contact information for your members. This may also be a good time to review your local’s decision making and election processes and note possible future bylaw changes. Other Issues and Exemptions Bylaws vary widely from one local to the next, and these guidelines will not address every variable. For issues not contemplated here, for questions related to council and division meetings and conventions, or to discuss possible additional exemptions, please contact your National Representative. In solidarity, MARK HANCOCK National President

What is COVID-19?

COVID-19 is caused by a virus from the same family as the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) coronavirus. According to Health Canada, coronaviruses (CoV) are a large family of viruses that can cause illness ranging from the common cold to more severe diseases.

Those who are infected with COVID-19 may have little to no symptoms. You may not know you have symptoms of COVID-19 because they are similar to a cold or flu.

Symptoms may include:

• Fever
• Cough
• Difficulty breathing
• Pneumonia in both lungs

Transmission

Though it has been determined that the virus can spread from person to person, how exactly the virus is transmitted remains unclear. There continues to be a debate over whether or not COVID-19 transmission is “airborne”. However, it is the position of CUPE that in the absence of a definitive proof, a conclusion that COVID-19 is “not airborne” is not appropriate and the precautionary principle should apply.

For CUPE members that are working with infected (or potentially infected people), we recommend the use of a fit-tested N95 mask and eye protection like a face shield. This includes front-line health care workers, acute care providers, paramedics, and flight attendants who deal with symptomatic passengers, just to name a few. Additional precautions should be implemented for health care workers doing patient care that requires aerosol generating procedures (such as intubation, airway suction etc.), which require higher levels of protection.

What we learned from SARS – follow the “precautionary principle”

In the aftermath of the SARS outbreak, Ontario established a commission to look at the introduction and spread of SARS.  In its final report, Commissioner Justice Archie Campbell wrote that “we cannot wait for scientific certainty before we take reasonable steps to reduce risk”.

Campbell’s report identified the precautionary principle as an approach for protecting workers in circumstances of scientific uncertainty. This reflects the need to take prudent action in the face of potentially serious viruses without having to wait for complete scientific proof that a course of action is necessary. This means that unless we know with certainty that the virus is not spread through the air, we must conduct ourselves as if it were.

Common practices still hold

To help reduce the likelihood of becoming infected by any viral infection, common practices still hold:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Practice physical distancing where possible.

Occupational safety

When new viruses are identified, employers, in consultation with their health and safety committees or worker representatives, should follow an appropriate hazard-assessment methodology that looks at the virus and considers if existing controls are appropriate. The goal of a prevention plan must be to eliminate exposure to the infectious virus as much as possible. The selection of controls should be guided by a hierarchy of controls and include both engineering and administrative controls. More information is provided in the general COVID guideline (found below).

Note: The use of surgical-type masks does not provide adequate protection from viral exposure. N95 respirators usually grant minimal protection. All workers who are fit-tested with N95 respirators must carry identification indicating the type and size of their respirator. Additionally, workers need to receive training on all aspects of personal protective equipment (putting on, wearing, removal, disposal, etc.).

What’s next?

CUPE will continue to monitor and advise our members when there are any significant changes. Please review the document below for additional information and check back frequently for updates.

COVID Employee FAQs March 18_2