To the members of CUPE 8911,
Summer is here and with it comes staffing issues that we all experience. While June 20th was the official start of summer, we have been feeling the pressure of low staffing as though summer has been here for months. Low staffing affects every one of us; it can lead to discomfort, fatigue, even injury and illness. Our quality of life at work deteriorates when we don’t have the coverage we need to do our jobs. The public suffers when we suffer.
It has become an annual occurrence for our Union Executive to bring the concerns you have raised to the employer leadership, to press upon them the necessity of action to bring you the relief you so desperately need. This year is no different. We met with the employer earlier in the spring in anticipation for what looked to be another summer of low staffing in hopes of finding solutions to those problems.
Unfortunately, as of yet the employer has not enacted any of the recommendations that came from that meeting, nor does it appear that those recommendations will be readily implemented in the immediate future. However, we are committed to continue working with them to improve conditions for our members immediately. While we recognize the need for careful consideration on any change to working conditions to ensure proper impact and equity, we have stressed upon the employer the need to enact necessary measures immediately.
These changes to work conditions aren’t finalized yet but they can take the form of alternative shift patterns, incentives to working less desirable shifts, and bettor comforts and resources available to our members while on shift. We hope to hear what actions they are going to bring forward soon. Both the employer and the union executives are open to ideas on what can be done to alleviate the staffing problems. While we may have a difference of opinion on what actions ought to be taken, we all recognize that indecision and procrastination are unacceptable.
Our members have done an outstanding job of keeping us informed of the issues that they face every day. We ask that you continue keeping us informed. If you are experiencing troubling conditions at work please reach out to our executive either through our stewards or directly at executive@ecpbc.ca. The more specifics you can provide on a situation the better, things like time and date of events, names of supervisors or managers involved, etc, all help in addressing problems in a timely manner.
We would also like to highlight the need for our members to look out for one another during stressful times like the summer months. With the severity of the workload and the lack of relief each one of us has an increased exposure to illness or injury. If you are experiencing negative effects to your health at work we need you to vocalize that so we can facilitate the necessary resources to you. Reach out to your supervisors, managers, or reach out to us in the union executive so we can get you the help you need. None of us should suffer an injury at work.
Thanks for your time in reading this update. We will provide more once we know what the employer is willing to enact. As always please reach out to the union executive if you have any questions or concerns.
In Solidarity,
Sheldon Miller
CUPE 8911 Vice President