Dear Members,
Today management sent out a communication advising that North Vancouver RCMP dispatch services would be transitioning to Ecomm as of December 18th. The Union executive was advised of this change shortly before the communication was sent out and we did express that we were concerned these changes would further burden the staffing challenges we face every day. There is a particular concern we have with shutting down the Burnaby info desk which will result in a significant change to the workload of the Burnaby channels.
We encouraged the employer to create incentives to help bring more staff in on overtime or open up their availability in efforts to relieve the staffing issues we expect over the next 30 days. I was disappointed to hear they have no intention to do so. We will continue to work towards solutions that provide relief to our members who are once again inundated with urgent short notice callouts, denied breaks, and inadequate coverage. While this particular issue is primarily focused on dispatch we recognize that staffing solutions need to reach all members of our Local.
These changes are happening rapidly, much quicker than we could have anticipated. We will update regularly with any progress we make in working out solutions with the employer. I would encourage everybody to provide feedback of their experiences by contacting us. If you have any questions or concerns, don’t hesitate to email us at executive@ecpbc.ca or call 604-800-6088
In Solidarity,
Sheldon Miller
Vice President CUPE 8911