Sector 3 Boards of Education and Cultural Institutions Executive held their final meeting before summer on May 7th and 8th at the Chelsea Hotel in Toronto.
The recent release of our Violence in the Workplace survey was the main topic. On May 4th, President Thomas emailed a survey to all Sector 3 Boards of Education members that have provided OPSEU with a secure email address. The purpose of the Violence in the Workplace Survey is to establish a precise and accurate picture of safety concerns in our workplaces across the province. Once we get the information from all the education locals that we represent, a specific plan will be developed to make our workplaces safe and respectful for all education members.
The deadline to complete the survey has been extended until June 29. Your input will give us a better idea of the work environments across the province. Once you complete the 20-minute survey at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/sector3survey, you will have the opportunity to order a “Sector 3 Education Workers Standing Together to End Workplace Violence” t-shirt at no cost to you!
Thank you to everyone that has already taken the time to complete the survey!
Due to the election, we decided to postpone our Queen’s Park Lobby Day. The greatest impact you can have on your work environment in the upcoming provincial election is to get out and vote on June 7th. Research the candidates in your riding, and make an informed decision.
Please visit OPSEU’s platform for the 2018 provincial election at https://opseu.org/votebetter.
Bill 148
Bill 148 continues to be a hot topic of discussion. We are starting to see how some of the changes in the Employment Standards Act are affecting our members, local collective agreements, and the many variations of responses from our employers when requests are made under the Act.
We are working with the OPSEU Research Department to review all collective agreements to determine compliance. Where changes are required a document with the changes and the applicable articles will be sent to the Negotiator and Staff Representatives.
Convention 2018
At the recent OPSEU Convention, delegates and members of Sector 3 Boards of Education and Cultural Institutions attended a caucus meeting on Thursday, April 19th. The discussion concentrated on the new Ontario Council of Educational Workers (OCEW) Benefit Plan. The sector executive would like to thank everyone who attended. It was great to enjoy refreshments and solidarity with sector members from across the province. We hope to continue this tradition at future Conventions and look forward to seeing you there at Convention 2019!
Local Updates
The Sector executive is committed to delivering quarterly meeting updates and information during the 2018/19 school year. We are trying to include updates from Sector 3 locals. Please provide a secure email for a contact/point person from your local that can commit to submitting a brief point-form update before upcoming meetings. The first scheduled meeting of the 2018/19 school year is October 1st-2nd. Contact information can be sent to Kelly Martin at [email protected]
Suggested topics: recent local issues, events in which you have participated, and upcoming local activities.
Please watch your email for a Meet and Greet save the date invitation.
Benefits Plan Update
All eligible employees who are currently enrolled in benefits should have received the OCEW Benefit Plan welcome packages from OTIP by email and mail.
Employees who are enrolled in their current benefit plan should submit all outstanding claims up to, and including May 31, 2018. We encourage everyone to enroll in the new OCEW plan as soon as possible to ensure seamless coverage.
Please visit https://opseu.org/news/ocew-benefits-plan-update for detailed information.
School Board Bargaining Conference
We are looking forward to our first School Board Bargaining Conference (SBBC) in early spring 2019. The Conference goals are to: educate division locals on the central and local bargaining process, examine bargaining trends, develop local and provincial themes to consider for demand setting meetings, identify priority issues, and to elect a Central Bargaining team to represent OPSEU at the Ontario Council of Educational Workers table.
Conference information will be provided as it becomes available.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Kelly Martin or any member of the sector executive at [email protected]
Wishing you a safe and restful summer break. We look forward to our continued work in the 2018/19 school year!
Bringing learning to life and life to communities!
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