Welcome to the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 378 Cope 378 Welcome 2014.

Welcome

to the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union

Local 378

Cope 378 Welcome 2014

We Are All The Union

As a COPE 378 member, you’re joining 12,000 people like you employed in public and private sector jobs in finance, transportation, Crown corporations, security and other office and professional sectors.

Unions are democratic. As members, you’re entitled to vote for the union’s elected leadership and to have a say in developing policy and managing the union’s finances – your dues.

The union is not a third party; it is made up of its members, who elect their peers to direct the affairs of the organization.

Cope 378 Welcome 2014 2

We each bring different experience


Why Unions?

A union represents and provides security in the workplace, dignity on the job, and provides the means to create a better life.

This is achieved through our collective strength.As the saying goes:united we stand, divided we fall.


Member Services

COPE 378 provides many services to members. Some of the key ones are:

•Representation & help resolving workplace issues•Member education and scholarships•Quarterly magazine and other communications•Social & recreational events

For more info, visit cope378.ca/member-services


Social Objectives of Unions

Cope 378 Welcome 2014

Unions strive to help communities and improve working conditions, not just for themselves but for all workers.

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A few of the rights we enjoy today that were spearheaded by trade unionists are: parental leave, minimum wage, worker’s compensation, the eight-hour workday, and universal health care.

A key principle of social unionism is “what we wish for ourselves, we desire for all.”

Collective AgreementJohn P. Sanderson, in the book The Art of Collective Bargaining, wrote:

“In a general sense, a collective agreement is a collection of commitments in writing by an employer, a union, and group of employees to do certain things and not to do other certain things. More importantly, it is a living record of the continuing relationship between an employer, a union, and a group of employees, binding on them all, to be respected or reviled but, in any event, to govern the relationship of the parties and to provide a code of conduct for them to follow and enforce against each other”.


Collective Bargaining

Both sides, union and employer, enter the process with definite goals they want to accomplish.

The contest comes from the fact that labour and management have clearly opposing interests, and different points of view.

Each collective agreement has a specified term (usually 1, 2, or 3 years) and must be renegotiated each time it expires.

A member of the full-time staff usually leads negotiations, assisted by a committee elected by, and from among, the Stewards and Executive Officers of your bargaining unit.


How Your Union Works


Structure of COPE 378


Executive CouncilThis is the senior policy-making body of the union. It meets five times per year. One Executive Councillor is elected per 80-100 members

Council is responsible for policy, the annual budget and all major financial decisions.

Your Councillors bring forward suggestions from stewards and members on how the union can improve policies and member services. Councillors also act as Chief Job Stewards, recruiting and advising job stewards in the workplaces they represent.

The Executive Board

The Executive Board is made up of 20 members representing various COPE 378 sectors and workplaces.

•Executive management body of the union. •Meets monthly to discuss administrative and operational issues.•Reports to council on policy and financial issues.•Board members must represent the interest of all members in their respective workplaces•Also sit on the union negotiating committee during bargaining


President

The President assigns all staff responsibilities, manages the union office, chairs meetings and acts as the union's representative to all outside organizations


Table Officers

The President, the three Vice-Presidents and Secretary Treasurer are the Table Officers. They represent the interests of all union members in discussions at Executive Board and Council meetings on matters regarding administration, policies and financial decisions of the union.

Pictured above President David Black and Vice President of Combined Units Heather Lee

StaffUnion Representatives

Full-time employees in the union office who provide technical advice to stewards and Councillors and teach new stewards how to handle complaints and stage one grievances. Reps handle more complex grievances, keep members up-to-date on grievance status, take members' cases to arbitration and act as coordinators of bargaining teams during contract negotiations.

Administrative Support Staff

Responsible for ensuring membership, steward and councillor address and phone lists are up-to-date, recording information on grievance files, advising members about meetings, ensuring that union officers have appropriate forms, bulletins and union booklets to perform their duties.


Your Representatives

Vice-President [insert name and email]

Union Rep [insert name and email]

Executive Board Members [insert name and email]

Your Bargaining Committee Members[insert names if applicable]


Members Powering the Union


Committees


COPE 378 has several union standing committees that work in specialized areas to make policy recommendations, engage members, organize events, strengthen the union and protect members’ rights in the workplace.

If you are interested in more information or in participating on one of the following standing committees, please contact the union office.

COPE 378 members in the Community


COPE 378 Women’s Rights Committee members joined 200 others at the 2014 Summer Institute for Union Women

Youth Action Committee members at Camp Jubilee

COPE 378 Human Rights Sub-Committee representatives from QUILTBAG at Vancouver Pride

COPE 378’s dragon boat team, organized by the Multicultural and Social Committees.

Just Cause

Just cause is the proof the employer must produce that discipline is warranted and necessary. The onus is on the employer to make their case, not on the employee to prove s/he is not guilty. By contrast, if a non-union employee is terminated without just cause, they are only entitled to notice and occasionally minimal severance pay; they have no possibility of getting their job back.


Key Terms You Should Know

SenioritySeniority is the length of continued service within a bargaining unit as a member in good standing of COPE 378. Unions fought for seniority as a way to place a check on management favouritism and ensure fairness in things like shift signups, holidays, and opportunities for advancement.

Every collective agreement has a grievance procedure to address violations of the agreement. Whenever you become aware of a violation of your contract, notify your job steward as soon as possible, as some violations may have time limits for grieving.


Grievance Procedure

Dues

When you were hired you should have signed a dues authorization form which allows 1.5% union dues to be deducted from your paycheque and submitted to the COPE office. Our dues are relatively low in comparison to other unions and are fully tax-deductible.

Dues are the primary source of income that allow our union to run its office, employ union representatives and other staff, fight grievances if you’re being treated unfairly at work, and support members financially during strikes.

Stewards are here to help!

One role of a job steward is to act as a bridge between members in your workplace and our Union Rep.

Any questions or concerns to do with your employment; wages, promotions, overtimes, benefits, discipline, etc.? See your Job Steward.

Your stewards have training, insight, techniques, and the skills to be effective advocates in our workplace.


stew·ard·ship

stü-ərd-ship, styü-; st(y)rd-\ : the activity or job of protecting and being responsible for something

Contacts


If you have any questions, contact any of your stewards:[Insert Councillor/Steward Names]

You can find COPE 378 on Facebook, we have a very active twitter feed at https://twitter.com/COPE378 and our

website is http://www.cope378.ca/

https://twitter.com/COPE378

https://twitter.com/COPE378

http://www.cope378.ca/



Welcome to the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 378 Cope 378 Welcome 2014.

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