Bulletin
CMBC TransLink Cyber Update – December 22
December 22, 2020
To: MoveUP Members at CMBC and TransLink
As the cyber attack continues to cause massive disruption to the work, payroll, and scheduling of MoveUP members at CMBC and TransLink, MoveUP has stayed in constant communication with members and management. A conference call this morning with MoveUP Executive Councillors and MoveUP’s senior staff representatives set out the broad scope of the impact of the cyber attack and priorities for your union.
That conversation generated four priority messages we want to share with members.
We are working with management to restore payroll. Management knows that accurate payroll has to be their priority and is engaging MoveUP early and often on how payroll is being managed and plans to restore it as soon as possible. As the MoveUP Executive Councillors pointed out, even getting the payroll system back online isn’t going to solve all the pay issues until the scheduling and other systems that feed payroll are back online as well. In the meantime, Translink and CMBC are stuck with federal tax regulations. Money you earn in 2020 but are paid in 2021 as a result of the cyber attack will be taxed in 2021. Your income tax, CPP and EI deductions will be taken off the corrected pay you will receive in 2021, even on pay adjustments for the 2020 payroll. MoveUP members may be able to manage the tax implications by taking advantage of the pay advances being offered by the employer until the end of the day today. Depending on your circumstance, the advance may ensure that 2020 wages are paid and taxed in 2020. Each MoveUP member needs to consider their own circumstance to decide if the advance is right for them.
Keep your own records. Document your work schedule and any changes in what you are doing, and do so in a way that will be easy to share if needed. Even under the best of circumstances, errors are likely to happen as online systems are restored and masses of data are entered after the fact. Keeping good, clear and shareable records will help ensure that your pay, benefits and employment rights are reconciled correctly.
Report health and safety issues, including abusive contact with the public and pandemic safety concerns. You have active MoveUP representatives on the Joint Occupational Health and Safety (JOHS) Committee. They make sure that the employer and the committee take the duty to investigate health and safety issues very seriously. Your union has been advocating with management about the increase in abusive calls to Customer Information and the failure of the systems to discourage and report abuse. Your union also is reminding the employer of the importance of maintaining pandemic safety protocols, particular as the cyber attack causes shifts in where and when employees are accessing the workplace. If you encounter safety problems, you should report them immediately to your manager. Your union JOHS representatives want to hear about it too.
MoveUP is asking the employer to help members prepare for the January 4 schedule changes. MoveUP Executive Councillors are looking ahead and see that the schedule change will multiply the chaos members are now experiencing. Many of the records that MoveUP members have relied upon and improvised to do their jobs since the cyber attack will immediately become irrelevant. More direction and support is needed for MoveUP members to manage this change. Your union will continue to advocate to keep a bad situation from getting worse.
Your union will continue to monitor the situation closely through the holiday period and support our members in trying circumstances. MoveUP Director, Operational Strategy Paul Reniers will be handling urgent matters and can be reached at preniers@moveuptogether.ca.
In the face of these tremendous challenges and the remarkable efforts being made by MoveUP members to keep transit operating, we wish you a healthy and happy holiday season.
In Solidarity,
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President, Combined Units
Paul Reniers, Director, Operational Strategy
Kevin Smyth, Senior Union Representative