Cupe Staffing Timelines

Below are the Cupe Staffing Timelines for June 2019. Please read over the following carefully and make certain that you have updated your resume with NVCI, First Aid and any other information pertinent when applying for positions. 

The estimated timelines below provide key information to assist you in planning for CUPE staffing for the
2019-2020 school year. All dates are subject to change.

June 5 (4pm) Deadline for Principals to distribute Notice of Redundancy to impacted staff
June 11 (4pm) Round 1 postings go liveJune 16 (4pm) Round 1 postings close
June 21 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 1 on myHRCE
June 21 (4pm) Round 2 postings go live
June 24 (4pm) Round 2 postings close
July 2 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 2 on myHRCE
July 3 (4pm) Round 3 postings go live
July 7 (4pm) Round 3 postings close
July 12 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 3 on myHRCE
August 21 (4pm) Weekly term postings resume

Redundancies
Permanent EPAs who have been declared redundant will be advised by receiving a Notice of Redundancy.
Principals must distribute the written notices to employees by June 5, 2019 at 4:00 pm.

Layoff
Permanent EPAs who have been declared redundant in June and remain redundant by any amount at the
end of the Third Round of Job Postings will be issued a layoff notice in accordance with Article 12 of the
Collective Agreement and will be placed on recall. Please note that the layoff period will end for all
employees on September 20, 2019

Application and Resume
All applications must be submitted online clearly stating qualifications and competencies for the position.
Only the information on the resume will be considered. All applications must be received by the deadline
to be considered.
How to Apply for and Rank Positions
All vacant positions (permanent and term) will be posted on Careers. Permanent employees who were
awarded a position in the First Round of Job Postings may apply for positions in the Second and/or Third
Round of Job Postings. Permanent employees who were awarded a position in the Second Round of Job
Postings may apply for positions in the Third Round of Job Postings. If you secure your first permanent
position in one of the three rounds, your permanent status is effective August 1, 2019.
Instructions on How to Rank Positions:
Select the “Job Postings” icon on the main page of Careers at HRCE (accessed from the myHRCE dropdown
menu).
Select the category of jobs you are interested in (ex: Educational Program Assistant). A list of current job
postings will appear.
Click on the competition number for the job that you are applying for and the details of the position will
appear.
Click on the “Apply” icon to apply for the job.
From the dropdown menu on the right choose the resume and cover letter you wish to use for your
application and then select “Apply”.
If the position is ‘rankable’ and you have applied for more than one rankable position, a table including the rankable positions will appear.
Specify which position you would like to obtain the most toward the top of the list, and which you prefer
less toward the bottom by clicking the blue arrows beside each position.
Positions can be re-ranked until the job posting closes.
Positions will appear in order of those most recently applied for at the top of the table.
Successful Applicants
Successful applicants will be posted once the positions have been filled by HR, on the Successful Applicants
dropdown menu on myHRCE, by the dates listed in the timeline above. If there are no successful applicants
for a position for Round 1, the position will be re-posted in the subsequent posting round. If there are no
successful applicants for Round 2 and 3, the applicant list will be released to the principal/supervisor to consider term and external applicants.
Applicants who are applying to a position outside their current classification may be required to
participate in an interview in order to determine qualifications and competencies for the position. For
example, this would apply to an EPA applying for a Student Support Worker position.

Term Rehire
Term employees who apply for permanent positions in the Second and Third Round of Postings must be
given preference for hire over external candidates. This applies to an employee who held a term position
during the school year; the term employee will be given preference until July 31, 2019. If you are a term
employee and apply for a permanent position in the Second or Third Round of postings, you may be
contacted by the principal/supervisor for an interview. Term employees are hired on the basis of merit
and, only where term employees are relatively equal, will the term employee with the longest period of
consecutive term service be awarded the position.
A term employee who is awarded a permanent position in the Second or Third Round of Postings is not
able to move into a different permanent position in subsequent posting rounds.
Posting Rounds
All postings go live at 4:00pm on the first day of the round and close at 4:00pm on the last day of the
round.
Round 1 (June 11-16): Open to Permanent CUPE members
Round 2 (June 21-24): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates
Round 3 (July 3 -July 7): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates
Educational Program Assistant (EPA) Positions
If you are applying for an EPA position, you must complete the EPA specific questionnaire on your resume.
You must hold valid first aid and NVCI certificates. If you do not have NVCI, or it has expired, you are
required to complete NVCI certification at the earliest opportunity in the upcoming school year.
All EPA positions posted after Round 3 are posted as term positions.
The rules for movement following Round 3 are outlined below:

EPA – Permanent With Recall Rights
You may apply for positions up to the
percentage from which you were
reduced at any site. As an example if
you were reduced from 80% to 50%,
you have recall rights to an 80%
position.

EPA – Permanent No Recall Rights

You may apply for term positions at a
different site as long as it is an
increase in percentage and the term
extends until the end of the school
year.

EPA – Term

You may apply for
positions which begin
after your current
term has ended.

Special Note for Positions Requiring American Sign Language
If you apply and are being considered for an EPA position that requires American Sign Language (ASL) and
you do not have the required ASL training, you will be contacted by Human Resource Services staff about completing the training in order to be awarded a position for which you have applied. You will have one
(1) hour to provide a decision to Human Resource Services staff on whether or not you are willing to
complete the required training. Please note that should you agree to complete the required ASL training,
you are required to pay for the cost. Course costs may be reimbursed through the CUPE PD guidelines,
available on myHRCE. It is recommended that you review the reimbursement guidelines prior to applying
for positions that require ASL if you do not already have the training.

Library Support Specialist Positions
Permanent and term Library Support Specialist (LSS) positions will be posted in accordance with the
timelines noted above. Please note, however, that permanent and term Library Support Specialist (LSS)
positions can be posted at any point during the school year.
If you are currently an LSS, you are considered qualified for positions in your current classification. (i.e., if
you are a School-Based LSS you are considered qualified for School-Based LSS positions; if you are BoardBased LSS you are considered qualified for Board-Based LSS positions). Applicants to positions outside
their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie. through an interview process, etc.)
and not by seniority.

Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Lead and Support Positions
Permanent and term ECE (Lead and Support) positions will be posted in accordance with the timelines
noted above. Please note, however, that permanent and term ECE (Lead and Support) positions can be
posted at any point during the school year.
If you are currently an ECE Lead or Support, you are considered qualified for positions in your current
classification (i.e. if you are an ECE Support you are considered qualified for ECE Support positions; if you
are an ECE Lead you are considered qualified for ECE Lead positions). Positions will be filled in seniority
order within classification. For example, if you are an ECE Support applying to an ECE Support position,
you will be considered qualified and awarded the position based on your seniority related to the seniority
of other qualified ECE Support applicants.
Applicants to positions outside their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie.
through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority. In order to be considered for an interview, you
must demonstrate in your resume that you meet the qualifications in the job description. If you are not
currently working in an ECE (Lead or Support) position (for example, you are an EPA who is qualified as an
ECE based on the job description), you are eligible to apply for ECE (Lead and Support) positions and will
be considered for positions through a merit-based process, not by seniority.

Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker Positions
Permanent and term Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker positions will be posted
in accordance with the timelines noted above. Please note, however, that permanent and term
Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker positions can be posted at any point during
the school year.
If you are currently a Community Outreach Worker or Student Support Worker, you are considered
qualified for positions in your current classification. (i.e., if you are a Student Support Worker you are considered qualified for Student Support Worker positions; if you are a Community Outreach Worker you are considered qualified for Community Outreach Worker positions). Applicants to positions outside their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority.

Questions
Please direct all questions to hrhelp@hrce.ca.

 

Resolutions Being Submitted to CUPE Nova Scotia’s Convention May 2019

Please see the following Resolutions being submitted to the upcoming CUPE Nova Scotia Convention in May 2019.

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Encourage divisions, councils, and locals to lobby provincial and municipal governments to promote the day of mourning by flying the CUPE National Health and Safety Day of Mourning Flag, at half mast, on April 28th of each year.

Because: It is important to remember and recognize those workers who have been killed or injured on the job.

It will bring awareness to the public workers and all workers in general.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Promote all divisions and locals to lobby provincial governments to have an active ceremony to recognize the Day of Mourning on April 28th of each year.

Because: It is important to remember and recognize those workers who have been killed or injured on the job.
It will bring awareness to the public workers and all workers in general.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Promote and educate all members on the 4 rights of health and safety.

Because:
Members should be made aware of, and educated on, the full scope of the 4 rights.

The 4th right (the right to no reprisals) has not been promoted and enforced by members properly.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Recognize that discrimination creates a health and safety risk and provide awareness that can be included through education.

Because:
Research demonstrates the marginalization increases the risk of violence for workers.

Recent governments have emboldened racists to act out.

Acts of racism are violent acts.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Continue to oppose random drug testing in the public sector. With the legalization of cannabis, the employer may use the opportunity to test for all substances or other medical conditions.

Because:
Substance abuse does not mean impairment.

Random drug testing is not an effective safety mechanism.

Fear of testing leads to a decrease in reporting.

Testing is inaccurate and a violation of privacy.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Lobby the government for paid leave for victims of domestic violence and assist locals in creating language for collective agreements to protect victims of domestic violence while at work.

Because:
Domestic violence is increasing in frequency.

Victims may not be focused at work due to stress and this may result in accidents.

Domestic violence can affect all other workers in a variety of ways that may affect their safety.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Lobby to audit current investments to determine which companies have good safety records and consider divestment from companies with poor safety records and encourage locals to do the same.

Because :
CUPE holds a high standard for safety and should not fund, or work with companies who do not hold the same values we do.

Keeping workers safe is our priority and that shall reach all areas of our investments and divestment’s.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Promote a multi sector campaign that will inform members about the importance of reporting all incidents, including violent incidents and near hits.

Because:
Near misses are really near hits

If incidents are not reported, the employer may not be aware of the incident/hazard.

Protecting workers is an employers obligation.

Near hits are hazards that can be addressed and prevented.

This will generate statistics for investigations.

We want to make sure all workers go home safe at the end of the day.

Gives insight to safe work practices and operating procedures.

Employees fear reprisals.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

CUPE Nova Scotia will :

Lobby the government to stop implementing, and continuing Attendance Management Programs.

Because:
These programs promote presenteeism.

This intimidates workers to attend work, creating an unsafe work environment for others.

They violate the Human Rights Charter by discriminating against sick and disabled workers.

President:____________________________________________________________________

Recording Secretary:____________________________________________________________

Date:_________________________________________________________________________

Update and Holiday Wishes

Good Day All,
With the Holiday Break approaching, the Executive of CUPE Local 5047 would like to send its warmest wishes to all our members for a safe and happy Holiday Season, and all the best for the New Year ahead.
While the holidays are a happy time for many of our members, we also want to be mindful that it is not the case for all. The Holiday Season often brings with it a dose of reality and responsibilities that can seem unbearable for many. HRCE has a great Employee and Family Assistance Program, please reach out when needed. ( Morneau Shepell – 1.800.387.4765 – workhealthlife.com )
A reminder – our next General Membership Meeting will be taking place on January 8, 2019 starting at 6:30pm in the Auditorium at Dartmouth High School. At this meeting we will be discussing affiliation to the Nova Scotia Council of CUPE School Board Unions after a presentation from our Regional Director Jacquie Bramwell, as well as having a discussion on the upcoming CUPE Nova Scotia Convention in May, CUPE National Bargaining Conference in March and our regular updates, reports and discussions. We are hoping for a good turn out so as people can help decide the direction of our Local. A detailed agenda will be sent out by January 3, 2019.
Keep an eye out at your site for the package being delivered for your school’s JOHSC Committee with items that coincide with CUPE’s National campaign surrounding Violence in the Workplace.
Again, on behalf of the Executive of CUPE Local 5047, it is our sincere hope you have a safe, healthy and happy holiday break and we are looking forward to seeing you in the new year!
In Solidarity,
Chris

Chris Melanson
President
CUPE Local 5047

Cupe 5047 Membership Meetings

Please take notice of the following dates for Cupe 5047 Membership Meetings for the 2018/2019 school year.

Special Membership Meeting September 11, 2018 at the Cupe Atlantic Regional Office in Burnside. 271 Brownlow Avenue, Dartmouth, NS

October 9, 2018

November 13, 2018

January 8, 2019

February 12, 2019

April 9, 2019

May 14, 2019

June 11, 2019

 

Response to Attendance Support Program Letter

If you have received a letter from the HRCE in regards to attendance, and do not need any assistance from the employer, please feel free to copy and paste this response in return to that email:

“Thank you for your email. At this time I do not believe that I need any assistance from my employer, however I am aware of the program and benefits available to me, and will use them as necessary. I am also aware of the provisions of the Collective Agreement and will abide by the requirements within the agreement for medical certification should I ever meet the thresholds to warrant such documentation.”

CUPE Staffing Timelines 2018

Please review the CUPE staffing timelines below to make certain that you have completed all the necessary information including filling in the EPA Specific Questionnaire (if applying for an EPA position).

Before applying for any positions, make sure that your resume is updated with the necessary information.

Application and Resume: All applications must be submitted online clearly stating qualifications and competencies for the position. Only the information on the resume will be considered. All applications must be received by the deadline to be considered.

 

Timelines

The estimated timelines below provide key information to assist you in planning for CUPE staffing for the 2018-2019 school year. All dates are subject to change as a result of the budget process.

June 1 (end of day) EPA allocations sent to schools

June 4 (4pm) Principals distribute Notice of Redundancy to impacted staff

June 5 (4pm) EPA Assignment Description Forms submitted to HR

June 8 (4pm) Round 1 postings go live

June 13 (4pm) Round 1 postings close

June 20 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 1 on myHRSB

June 21 (4pm) Round 2 postings go live

June 24 (4pm) Round 2 postings close*

June 27 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 2 on myHRSB

June 28 (4pm) Round 3 postings go live

July 2 (4pm) Round 3 postings close

July 5 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 3 on myHRSB

August 22 (4pm) Weekly term postings resume

*NEW As a result of the recently ratified collective agreement, the length of time that positions are posted in Rounds 2 and 3 has been shortened.

Redundancies

Permanent EPAs who have been declared redundant will be advised by receiving a Notice of Redundancy. Copies of such notices will be forwarded to principals by end of day June 1, 2018. Principals must distribute the written notices to employees by June 4, 2018 at 4:00 pm.

Layoff

Permanent EPAs who have been declared redundant in June and remain redundant by any amount at the end of the Third Round of Job Postings will be issued a layoff notice in accordance with Article 12 of the Collective Agreement and will be placed on recall. Please note that the layoff period will end for all employees on September 20, 2018.

How to Apply for and Rank Positions

All vacant positions (permanent and term) will be posted on Careers. Permanent employees who were awarded a position in the First Round of Job Postings may apply for positions in the Second and/or Third Round of Job Postings. Permanent employees who were awarded a position in the Second Round of Job Postings may apply for positions in the Third Round of Job Postings. If you secure your first permanent position in one of the three rounds, your permanent status is effective August 1, 2018.

Instructions on How to Rank Positions:

Select the “Job Postings” icon on the main page of Careers at HRSB (accessed from the myHRSB dropdown menu).

Select the category of jobs you are interested in (ex: Educational Program Assistant). A list of current job postings will appear.

Click on the competition number for the job that you are applying for and the details of the position will appear.

Click on the “Apply” icon to apply for the job.

From the dropdown menu on the right choose the resume and cover letter you wish to use for your application and then select “Apply”.

If the position is ‘rankable’ and you have applied for more than one rankable position, a table including the rankable positions will appear.

Specify which position you would like to obtain the most towards the top of the list, and which ones you prefer less towards the bottom by clicking the blue arrows beside each position.

Positions can be re-ranked until the job posting closes.

Positions will appear in order of those most recently applied for at the top of the table.

Successful Applicants

Successful applicants will be posted once the positions have been filled by HR, on the Successful Applicants dropdown menu on myHRSB by the dates listed in the timeline above. If there are no successful applicants for a position for Round 1, the position will be re-posted in the subsequent posting round. If there are no successful applicants for Round 2 and 3 the applicant list will be released to the school principal to consider term and external applicants.

Applicants who are applying to a position outside their current classification may be required to participate in an interview in order to determine qualifications and competencies for the position. For example, this would apply to an EPA applying for a Student Support Worker position.

NEW Term Rehire

NEW As a result of the recently ratified collective agreement, term employees who apply for permanent positions in the Second and Third Round of Postings must be given preference for hire over external candidates. This applies to an employee who held a term position during the school year; the term employee will be given preference until July 31, 2018. If you are a term employee and apply for a permanent position in the Second or Third Round of postings, you may be contacted by the Principal for an interview. Term employees are hired on the basis of merit and, only where term employees are relatively equal, will the term employee with the longest period of consecutive term service be awarded the position.

NEW A term employee who is awarded a permanent position in the Second or Third Round of Postings is not able to move into a different permanent position in subsequent posting rounds.

Posting Rounds

All postings go live at 4:00pm on the first day of the round and close at 4:00pm on the last day of the round.

Round 1 (June 8-13): Open to Permanent CUPE members

Round 2 (June 21-24): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates

Round 3 (June 28-July 2): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates

Educational Program Assistant (EPA) Positions

If you are applying for an EPA position, you must complete the EPA specific questionnaire on your resume. You must hold valid first aid and NVCI certificates. If you do not have NVCI, or it has expired, you are required to complete NVCI certification at the earliest opportunity in the upcoming school year.

NEW As a result of the recently ratified collective agreement, EPA postings will now, where applicable, indicate “Behaviour Management Support” in the Job Requirement section of the posting. For clarity, Behaviour Management Support includes: Assist with implementation and tracking of behaviour targets, De-escalation strategies, Foster pro-social and conflict resolution skills, Implement calming strategies.

All EPA positions posted after Round 3 are posted as term positions.

The rules for movement following Round 3 are outlined in the table below: EPA – Permanent With Recall Rights EPA – Permanent No Recall Rights EPA – Term
You may apply for positions up to the percentage from which you were reduced at any site. As an example if you were reduced from 80% to 50%, you have recall rights to an 80% position You may apply for term positions at a different site as long as it is an increase in percentage and the term extends until the end of the school year

You may apply for term positions of any length at your site, provided it is an increase in percentage

 You may apply for positions which begin after your current term has ended

Special Note for Positions Requiring American Sign Language

If you apply and are being considered for an EPA position that requires American Sign Language (ASL) and you do not have the required ASL training, you will be contacted by Human Resource Service staff about completing the training in order to be awarded a position for which you have applied. You will have one (1) hour to provide a decision to Human Resource Services staff on whether or not you are willing to complete the required training. Please note that should you agree to complete the required ASL training, you are required to pay for the cost. Course costs may be reimbursed through the CUPE PD guidelines, available on myHRSB. It is recommended that you review the reimbursement guidelines prior to applying for positions that require ASL if you do not already have the training.

School-Based Library Support Specialist Positions

NEW As a result of allocation changes to School-Based LSS positions, permanent and term LSS positions will not be posted until all bumping has been completed. It is possible that these positions will not be posted in Round 1, 2, or 3 noted above. An email will be sent to all CUPE members when permanent and term School-Based LSS positions are posted.

If you are currently an LSS, you are considered qualified for positions in your current classification. (i.e., if you are a SchoolBased LSS you are considered qualified for School-Based LSS positions; if you are Board-Based LSS you are considered qualified for Board-Based LSS positions). Applicants to positions outside their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority.

Early Childhood Educator (ECE) Lead and Support Positions

Permanent and term ECE (Lead and Support) positions will be posted in accordance with the timelines noted above. Please note, however, that permanent and term ECE (Lead and Support) positions can be posted at any point during the school year.

If you are currently an ECE Lead or Support, you are considered qualified for positions in your current classification (i.e.: if you are an ECE Support you are considered qualified for ECE Support positions; if you are an ECE Lead you are considered qualified for ECE Lead positions). Positions will be filled in seniority order within classification. For example, if you are an ECE Support applying to an ECE Support position, you will be considered qualified and awarded the position based on your seniority related to the seniority of other qualified ECE Support applicants.

Applicants to positions outside their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority. In order to be considered for an interview, you must demonstrate in your resume that you meet the qualifications in the job description. If you are not currently working in an ECE (Lead or Support) position (for example, you are an EPA who is qualified as an ECE based on the job description), you are eligible to apply for ECE (Lead and Support) positions and will be considered for positions through a merit-based process, not by seniority.

Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker Positions

Permanent and term Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker positions will be posted in accordance with the timelines noted above. Please note, however, that permanent and term Community Outreach Worker and Student Support Worker positions can be posted at any point during the school year.

If you are currently a Community Outreach Worker or Student Support Worker, you are considered qualified for positions in your current classification. (i.e., if you are a Student Support Worker you are considered qualified for Student Support Worker positions; if you are a Community Outreach Worker you are considered qualified for Community Outreach Worker positions). Applicants to positions outside their current classification are awarded positions based on merit (ie. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority.

Questions: Please direct all questions to hrhelp@hrsb.ca.

 

New Collective Agreement Signed

The Tentative Agreement that the Membership of CUPE Local 5047 ratified to accept by 96% on February 10 and 11, 2018, and the Halifax Regional School Board ratified on February 28, 2018, has been signed both by CUPE Local 5047 and the HRSB yesterday, March 26, 2018. The new Collective Agreement comes into effect starting today. The HRSB is in the process of uploading the new CA to Document Depot, and you can also see the Agreement on our Local’s Webpage. https://5047.cupe.ca/ The HRSB is currently informing different departments of the changes to the contract in order to promote a smooth transition going forward.

As expected, the process to get this new Collective Agreement into effect took some time, as both parties respectfully had to go over all wording and notes to reflect exactly what was signed off on during both negotiations and conciliation.
Retroactivity was part of our negotiated new contract, and all should note a few details about the eventual payout of these wages:
-Retroactivity will be effective back to August 1, 2016.
-Applicable retroactive salary adjustments for current Employees are being processed now. This is a time-consuming process, as there are compounding increase equations to be inputted by the HRSB.
-More information will be shared with CUPE re: expected timelines when it is available from the HRSB. We, CUPE, will be sharing the expected date ASAP we are informed. *As well, we will broadcast the expected date our current rate of pay will increase.
-No current CUPE employee is required to contact HRSB to process a payment.
-As per Article 30.01 (d) of the Collective Agreement:
a) Former employees as noted in 30.01 (d) (i) have 30 days from March 26, 2018 to contact HRSB in writing to receive any retroactive wage increases. This contact can be made via e-mail to the cuperetro@hrsb.ca
b) Retirees as noted in 30.01 (d) (ii) will automatically receive any retroactive wage increases. They are not required to contact HRSB to process a payment.
-Though asked, the Retroactivity will not be paid out on a separate pay deposit. The current SAP Payroll system the Dept. of Education uses for all School Boards does not allow for additional pay periods or deposits.