Donations and Gifts Policy
1: The CUPE 4163 Donations Review Committee shall review donation requests on a monthly basis and make donation recommendations to the Joint Executive at monthly meetings.
2: The Donations Review Committee will be comprised of the Communications Representatives
3. The review committee adopts and processes donation based on the following set of priorities and with the following monetary stipulations as guidelines:
1. Individual member requests for sponsorship of issues , events for which they volunteer, etc. Limit $200 per event/issue.
2. Direct CUPE 4163 interests (labour related). Suggested limit $100.
3. Larger Victoria community. Suggested limit $100.
4. Mass mailing requests. Not to be given out to the same group more than once per year; suggested limit of $50.
5. Emergency situations (disaster relief, etc.). Suggested limit $150.
4: The Donations Review Committee shall keep a record and file of all donations approved and denied by the Joint Executive.
(approved by the Joint Executive, June 20, 2011( (pt 3 – May 9, 2012)
Executive Board Honorarium Policy
Executive board members receive a yearly honorarium, as laid out in Bylaw 11 (5).
Half of the executive honorarium shall be paid out in the last week of October, and the other half shall be paid out in the third week of April.
As executive officers are elected as representatives of their components and the membership at large, it is important that they attend executive board meetings in order to provide that representation. With this in mind, they are expected to attend all board and general meetings in order to receive their honoraria.
If a board member misses more than 2 meetings per half year without a good reason such as
- work, academic, family, or vacation commitments
- any situation that would require a leave, such as illness or a death in the family,
they shall receive only ½ the honorarium amount for that ½ year.
(approved by the Executive April 12, 2024; amended July 7, 2024)
Membership List Sharing Policy
CUPE 4163 membership lists may be used for ‘information’ purposes (e.g., the Public Employee Magazine, campaign literature, etc.). They should not be used for solicitation purposes (e.g., the CUPE credit card).
(note: CUPE BC receives updated mailing lists every semester. CUPE 4163 members are members of CUPE BC and they pay for the services that CUPE BC provides (such as communications).)
(approved by the Executive December 6, 2012)
PRIVACY POLICY FOR MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
1. Commitment to the Protection of Privacy
CUPE 4163 is committed to protecting the privacy, accuracy and security of members’ personal information.
2. Purpose and Scope
This policy relates to the collection and management of all members’ personal information during the course of interactions with their union.
It outlines CUPE 4163’s general practices concerning the collection, use, disclosure and retention of personal information and is consistent with the requirements of applicable legislation.
This policy provides guidelines which balance members’ reasonable expectation of privacy with CUPE 4163’s need to collect and use personal information for representation purposes, to further members’ interests and/or as authorized or required by law.
3. Definitions
Personal Information: means information about an individual. It includes data such as an individual’s name, home address and personal e-mail address. However, it does not include an individual’s employment contact information or work product.
Privacy Officer: means the individual responsible for ensuring that CUPE 4163 complies with this policy and applicable legislation. As of the effective date of this policy, the CUPE 4163 Privacy Officer is the Member Advocate.
4. Collection, Use and Disclosure of Personal Information
CUPE 4163 has implied consent to collect, use and disclose as appropriate members’ personal information necessary to discharge its duty to represent members with respect to their employment, which includes obligations enshrined in its Constitution and/or imposed by applicable labour laws. For example, information may be used for:
- union education and organizing drives;
- collective bargaining – including strike/ratification votes;
- grievances and arbitrations;
- membership communications;
- advocacy for members and other workers in the workplace and/or in the broader political arena; and
- receiving and sharing information with an employer as required under a collective
5. Safeguarding and Retention
CUPE 4163 shall provide for the secure storage of all personal information collected about members.
CUPE 4163 retains personal information where necessary or prudent to i) represent union members; ii) further the interests of members; and/or iii) where the retention of records is required by law.
6. Right to Access Personal Information and Accuracy
Members can gain access to their own personal information contained in CUPE 4163 files and are encouraged to ensure that records are updated to reflect accurate information.
CUPE 4163 shall make reasonable efforts to ensure the accuracy and completeness of any personal information collected, used, or disclosed by CUPE in the discharge of its duty to represent members.
In certain situations, further to privacy legislation, CUPE 4163 may not be able to provide access to certain personal information. For example, access may not be provided where:
- doing so may reveal personal information about another individual;
- information is subject to solicitor-client privilege; or
- doing so could reasonably be expected to harm the well-being of an
If access cannot be provided, CUPE 4163 will notify the individual making the request, in writing, of the reasons for the refusal. Where access has been provided and where the information is inaccurate or incomplete, CUPE 4163 will amend the information as required.
CUPE 4163 shall make every reasonable effort to respond to a request for access to personal information within thirty (30) business days.
7. Questions or Concerns Regarding Privacy
An individual may direct their questions or concerns regarding CUPE 4163’s
compliance with this Policy to: Privacy Officer, CUPE 4163, advocate4163@uvic.ca.
CUPE 4163 will consider complaints in relation to this Policy received in writing.
If a complaint is found to be justified, CUPE 4163 will take appropriate measures to resolve the complaint including, if necessary, amending its policies and procedures. An individual will be informed in writing of the outcome of the investigation regarding their complaint.
(approved by the Executive December 11, 2023)
Appropriate Use of Member Contact Information Policy
When it is necessary to provide
a) union Stewards with the contact information for members in a department for which the steward is responsible, or
b) Vice-Presidents with the contact information for the members in their component,
1. All communications must be in accordance with the privacy act.
2. All members shall be blind carbon copied (bcc) at all times and on all correspondence.
3. Stewards will copy CUPE 4163 Staff on all correspondence with members.
4. Upon completion of their duties as Steward and Vice-Presidents shall destroy any record of member contact information.
5. The membership list information shall be used only for the following purposes:
a) Communication with members in regards to their Collective Agreement rights and responsibilities as vetted by staff.
b) Communication with members about the timing and location of Union meetings.
c) Communication of bargaining information, as approved by the office.
d) Any other communications expressly approved by the CUPE 4163 Executive for distribution to members.
6. The membership list information shall not be used for any purposes related to, but not limited to:
a) Solicitation or promotion of goods or services;
b) Social interaction;
c) Professional engagement.
(Approved by the Executive, January 18, 2024)
Support for Equal Access to Union Meetings Policy
CUPE 4163 recognizes that some members may face barriers to participating in membership meetings. These barriers may include disabilities and child or elder care responsibilities. As it is in the Local’s interest to have participation from as many members as possible, the Local will endeavor to help mitigate such barriers through financial assistance.
Childcare and elder care reimbursement
Members who must pay out of pocket for childcare or elder care in order to attend any 4163 union meeting may apply for reimbursement up to $45.00 by submitting to the union a completed Childcare Reimbursement Form along with supporting documentation (e.g. receipts). Forms must be received by the union within 7 calendar days after the general membership meeting. Members cannot request money to pay spouses, partners, or relatives for child or elder care.
Total cost of reimbursements shall not exceed $225.00 per meeting. Reimbursements will be approved by Finance committee.
Members with a disability support
CUPE 4163 will pay and arrange for sign language interpreters or captioning services at general or component meetings when requested by a member.
To further aid accessibility, documents will be made available in an accessible format (eg plain text) at least one day prior to the meeting, with the exception of confidential meetings dealing with sensitive information (eg bargaining).
Informing members
When the union gives notice of a general or component meeting, it will at the same time solicit requests for accessibility support from members who need it. CUPE 4163 will also send out a follow up email specifically about accessibility support for equal access to meetings. The union will also clearly advertise the availability of this support on both its webpage and social media accounts.
Policy review
Starting in 2023, this policy will be reviewed biennially by the Equity and Finance Committees. The Equity Committee will review this policy in the first half of the January semester to ensure that it is addressing accessibility concerns. The Committee will then present its findings to the Executive. After the Equity Committee has presented its review, the Finance Committee will review the policy in order to ensure that the policy remains financially viable. The Committee will then present its findings to the Executive prior to the AGM.
(Passed by the Executive December 15, 2020)
Using Technology to Support JE Member Participation Policy
CUPE 4163 is committed to supporting Joint Executive members to participate in Executive and Committee meetings’ discussions and decision making. CUPE 4163 tries to accommodate participation through adjustments of meeting times, providing child care support and monthly stipends to support participation. Recognizing that circumstances may arise to prevent JE members from coming to the UVic campus to attend meetings in person, CUPE 4163 is also committed to supporting participation-at-a-distance using available technology supports.
Technology options may include but is not limited to teleconferencing or using VOIP (Skype, Googletalk). Preferred options would be mechanisms that are readily available, have low or no cost, and allow for ease of communication.
It is assumed that members will make every effort to attend meetings in person. It is assumed that a JE member will only use this accommodation if circumstances absolutely prohibit attendance in person.
A member requiring to participate-at-a-distance should give as much notice as possible to staff to allow for making logistical arrangements.
A member participating remotely has the same rights and responsibilities of participating as in-person attendees. A member who is ill etc. should not feel obligated to participate. Some meetings (for example in camera meetings) may not be suitable for remote participation. These situations should be individually considered.
Workshop Attendance Policy
If someone misses a workshop without a valid reason, they will be put at the bottom of the list for the next workshop they apply for. Also, if it is a CUPE executive member, their stipend will be deducted to compensate for the costs of the workshop.
(approved by the Joint Executive, February 3, 2010)