Job Action
CMBC and TransLink – CUPE 4500 Picket Notice
January 18, 2024
To: All MoveUP Members at CMBC and TransLink
Earlier today, your Union Representative Shawn Lakusta and Vice President Christy Slusarenko joined the CUPE 4500 bargaining committee for their announcement to escalate their job action by setting picket lines Monday January 22nd at 3:00am, for a period of 48 hours.
What does this mean for MoveUP members?
First and formally if there is a picket line DO NOT cross.
Tomorrow your Job Action Committee will be meeting to prep our action plans to fully support CUPE 4500. We will be establishing a team of picket captains for all locations that will see picket lines. We have been told only work sites that have CUPE 4500 members will be targeted. All members who work out of these locations will be expected to report to their home locations and report for picket duty. Your JAC will decide upon the requirement of hours for MoveUP members to receive picket pay, for example in past job actions, we have asked members to picket in 4-hour shifts for a maximum of 20 hours per week.
JAC will also create the schedule for each of the locations and they will do their best to ensure your picket shift will fall within your normal working hours or workdays. To best support your picket captains and JAC we will limit shift changes to be decided on a one-to-one basis, and any member who is unable to physically be on a picket line must reach out to the JAC for accommodation needs.
We will provide a FAQ bulletin tomorrow with more information to address your questions and concerns you may all have.
In the meanwhile, we ask members to prepare themselves with winter clothing needs, members will be expected to be on the line for the majority of their scheduled shift. You should also gather any items you will need from your workspace as once a line is in place you will not be able to enter the building.
We will closely monitor the situation and advise as soon as possible if there are any changes or updates.
On behalf of your union leadership, we want to thank you all in advance for supporting CUPE 4500. We will continue our efforts to ask the employer to return to the bargaining table with a reasonable offer so that our members and those who rely on the public transit system will not see any impact in this dispute and can continue as they normally would.
In solidarity
Shawn Lakusta, Union Representative
Christy Slusarenko, Vice President Combined Units