CUPE 391 Special Meeting May 23rd 6.00 P.M.

Special Meeting May 23rd – Alma Van Dusen 6.00 p.m.

CUPE 391 Special Meeting
May 23, 6.00 p.m
Alma Van Dusen Room
PIZZA and Refreshments served
*Dependent care covered – please save receipts
CUPE 391 will be making every effort to promote solidarity for the members of the Bindery. We encourage all members to attend this meeting. We will be sharing initiatives to promote the meeting and asking members to participate. Management has indicated that members should consult with supervisors regarding availability to attend the May 30 Board meeting regarding the Bindery. We understand supervisors are to be flexible.
The Board meeting is being held at 4.30 p.m. to accommodate two board members. One of the board trustees is in Scotland and will be teleconferencing at 1.00 a.m. Another is double-booked for meetings that day but chose to agree to the May 30th date as it worked for the other trustees.
As Management has disallowed branch visits to build support for attendance at the Board meeting, this might seem like a further measure to sabotage attendance at the meeting. This is not the case. It is, however, the first time in the thirteen years that I have worked at VPL that a request for worksite visits has been turned down.
But we are a strong union and committed to supporting union jobs. If the work of the 5.8 positions at stake in the Bindery is contracted out, it will affect technical services also. The Bindery staff pretreat much of the new material among their other conservation duties. This kind of work determines how collection development and maintenance decisions are made. The work of the acquisitions and cataloguing units becomes vulnerable without the Bindery. We are already seeing that librarians no longer necessarily participate in choosing materials for library communities; profile ordering is becoming the flavour of the month. Invisible work units are in more danger of having their work outsourced than public service units. Yet if the public does not see the work the public service worker they might not realise the significance of their work.
We are all responsible in protecting our work and educating the public about the importance of it. Come to the Alma Van Dusen 6.00 p.m on Wednesday May 23 and share ideas.
The Bargaining Committee also needs to discuss the status of bargaining with members. CUPE Local 454 (City of Delta) recently sought and received a strike vote (89%) from their members as they were forced into early mediation by their employer.  If you remember, a union does not want to be required to attend a mediation for bargaining without a strike vote behind it.
We have not met with the Employer since April. There are three meetings coming up: June 1, 6, and 12. There has been no interest on the part of the GVRD to move on any issues. The concessions they are asking for impractical and outrageous. We are not asking for a strike vote after only three meetings as that would be bargaining in bad faith. We are asking that members come to the special meeting on May 23rd to hear the bargaining report and to learn how to support us in achieving an excellent contract. Come out and build solidarity. A show of strength will carry the day, but apathy will send its own message.