Appeal Process Policy
a) In the event of the Grievance Committee deciding to not move forward with a member’s grievance, the member can appeal the decision to the Executive Board. To do so the member must notify the Local in writing within 7 (seven) days of receiving the decision. The Local will then have the matter placed on the agenda of the next Executive meeting. If the next scheduled Executive meeting is more than 7 (seven) days after the notice of appeal has been received, a special Executive meeting for the appeal shall be arranged with at least 7 (seven) days’ notice of meeting. A minimum quorum of the Executive who are not members of the Grievance Committee shall then meet to determine the status of a grievance. Members who voted on the grievance shall not have a vote on the appeal.
b) The Business Manager/Agent will take any and all necessary steps with the employer to ensure the matter is not lost due to the wait for an appeal violating any timelines outlined in the grievance procedure of the collective agreement.
c). At the appeal meeting, the Business Manager/Agent will have up to 30 minutes to state the Grievance Committee’s reasons for not advancing the matter to grievance or arbitration, present the case (including the National Representative’s opinion), and answer questions from the Executive Board.
d) The Member will have 30 minutes to present their case and reasons for advancing the matter as well as to answer questions from the Executive Board. Should the member not be able to attend the scheduled meeting, they must make their submission to the Board in writing at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. If the member does not attend the meeting, their appeal shall be dismissed. Should the member be unable to attend due to reasonable unforeseen circumstances, their appeals meeting will be rescheduled at a mutually agreed upon date.
e) The member will then be excused from the meeting and the Executive will then discuss the arguments and conduct a secret ballot vote on whether or not to advance the matter.
f) The member will be notified of the decision by the President.
g) The decision of the Executive is final unless new and cogent evidence arises.
(Approved by the Executive April 14, 2021)
Cell Phone Policy
In some circumstances, the Joint Executive may authorize a personal cell phone cost reimbursement for Executive or Committee members doing extraordinary work (e.g. bargaining). In all cases, authorization must be given in writing by the Joint Executive or the Finance Committee, and must include a stated time frame (which can be renewed or extended) and state a maximum amount eligible for reimbursement. Regular reimbursements should not exceed the cost of providing the member with a dedicated union phone. Receipts showing the share of the phone bill incurred for union business must be provided for remuneration.
(approved by the Joint Executive, May 9, 2012 )
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 Meeting Remote Attendance Policy
If a person is unable to attend in person due to a medical or disability issue, they will be accommodated if possible and appropriate.
(approved by the Joint Executive, February 3, 2010)
Executive Out of Pocket Expenses
General and component meetings shall not be included in the calculation of Executives’ out of pocket expenses.
(approved by the Joint Executive, October 26, 2012)
Grievance decision appeal process policy
The person(s) affected by a decision of the Grievance Committee may appeal the decision of proceeding or not with a grievance. The CUPE4163 Executive shall form the appeal body. With at least one week’s notice of meeting, a minimum quorum of the Executive shall meet to determine the status of a grievance. Members who voted on the grievance shall not have a vote on the appeal.
(approved by the Membership, November 3 , 2016 )
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)
Appropriate Use of Member Contact Information Policy
From time to time it may be practical to provide Component 1 Departmental Stewards with the contact information for the Component 1 members in their home department, or in a department that the Steward is responsible for. This policy governs appropriate use of said contact information if and when it is made available.
- All communications must be in accordance with the privacy act.
- All members shall be blind carbon copied (bcc) at all times and on all correspondence.
- Stewards will copy CUPE 4163 Staff on all correspondence with members.
- Upon completion of their duties as Shop Steward the Shop Steward shall destroy any record of member contact information.
- The Membership list information shall be used only for the following purposes:
- Communication with members in regards to their Collective Agreement rights and responsibilities as vetted by staff.
- Communication with members about the timing and location of Union meetings.
- Communication of bargaining information, as approved by the office.
- Any other communications expressly approved by the CUPE 4163 Executive for distribution to members.
- The Membership list information shall not be used for any purposes related to, but not limited to:
- Solicitation or promotion of goods or services;
- Social interaction;
- Other
(approved by Executive 2015)
Per Diem Policy
$10 per day for union business where meals are provided; otherwise, $18 for breakfast, $21 for lunch, and $32 for dinner.” Receipts are not required for the per diem.
(approved by the Joint Executive, May 9, 2012, but members may want to retain receipts for tax purposes.)
Sharing contact information with elected officials
For the purposes of union business, members’ contact information will be provided by the staff to CUPE 4163 elected officials as follows:
1. Each vice-president will receive, upon request, the Union’s membership contact information for the members in their component.
2. All communications must be in accordance with the privacy act.
(approved by the Executive December 6, 2012)
Social Justice Fund Policy
Members wishing to make nominations for Social Justice Fund recipients must have a member to serve as spokesperson at the general meeting. Nomination speeches will be limited to two minutes. Members of the executive can not serve as the spokesperson.
Social Justice funding shall be calculated as follows: the AGM funds will be taken from the members’ August to January pay deductions and the SAGM funds will be taken from the February to members’ July pay deductions.
(approved by the Executive December 5, 2013; amended by the Executive April 14, 2021)
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)
Transferring Funds Between Bank Accounts Policy
The Treasurer has the authority to transfer money from regular chequing to defense chequing with approval of someone with signing authority (presidents).
(approved by the Joint Executive, July 26, 2011)
Transportation Policy
Parking costs are reimbursed when receipt provided and on CUPE 4163 business. taxi or airport shuttle costs from airport to hotel to meeting place are reimbursed upon submission of receipts. Members should make every reasonable effort to carpool and travel together.
(approved by the Joint Executive, May 9, 2012 )
Travel accommodation policy
When staying out of town on Union business, members will stay in unionized hotels unless none are available.
(approved by the Executive, December 5, 2013 )
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)