Bulletin
CUPE Local 454 – Thinking of you
April 1, 2020
To: All MoveUP Members at Cupe 454
The last few weeks have certainly been a trying, and unique time for all of us. Living in a state of uncertainty for our health, for the well-being of our loved ones here and around the globe, and with the stress of not knowing what will happen with our employment and economies, is bound to take a toll on all of us. Your union wants you to know we are here and we are listening to you all. We have received many emails and messages from job stewards and members sharing their fears, anxieties and worries for themselves, families, coworkers and neighbours. We share those same worries and concerns, and are doing all we can to forward your comments, concerns, or suggestions to the right people at each worksite.
We thank you each and every one of you for sharing your concerns with us. At the moment our office is being inundated with very legitimate questions and concerns relating to the rapid changes in our society due to COVID-19. We intend to return every call and email as soon as we can, but as you can imagine supporting close to 13,000 members, is creating a significant backlog of communications so it will take longer than normal to receive a response. We appreciate your patience, and understanding, we also hope that you are able to follow our social media sites as well as the MoveUP website, where we have created a dedicated page for all updates and resources relevant to our members, it can be found at www.moveuptogether.ca/flattenthecurve.
We have been sending regular updates and information bulletins to all of our members. If you know of someone that hasn’t been receiving the updates please ask them to contact membership at membership@moveuptogether.ca and ensure we have correct email address for them. At a time like this it is critical that we are able to communicate as things are happening very fast.
We are focused on maintaining direct contact with management as we navigate our way through the fast and ever changing issues arriving from COVID-19. Our message to all MoveUP employers is that these are extraordinary times, we are going to do whatever it takes to ensure our members are safe and that they find ways to continue members’ incomes through the various opportunities our government is offering. Nothing is off the table. We will look at every idea to make sure people are safely spaced and that they feel more secure. We know that right now many of you don’t feel that way.
Sadly, we have all heard of the hundreds of thousands of British Columbians, and millions of Canadians, who are now without work and therefore without income, literally overnight.
Some of our members will continue working while others will unfortunately be laid off. In any circumstance, we need to be more vigilant with safety and health precautions than ever before. We are depending on all of you to look after your own health and safety by following the guidance of our public health officials right now, to allow more access for those who need help during their dire circumstances.
We are relieved to say, that as of today we have not had any reported cases of COVID-19 within the MoveUP membership. We are still in early the stages of this pandemic, so we are aware we will eventually have members or their families touched by this devastating virus in more than just a financial way. We must be vigilant in keeping everyone safe, continue washing your hands regularly, stay home if you are sick, encourage your coworkers to stay home or leave work if they are unwell, and work with one another to find creative ways to have physical distancing wherever possible.
Please stay safe and take care of one another.
We are thinking of every single one of you and want everyone to be healthy, safe, and secure.
In solidarity,
Nathan Beausoleil, Union Representative
Christy Slusarenko, Vice-President of Combined Units
