CUPE Local 5047

In an effort to continue to connect and communicate with our members, your Local has been able to access an email platform (MailChimp) and we are ready to gather personal email contact so we can send out our regular updates.

We are asking all CUPE Local 5047 members to visit our webpage, https://5047.cupe.ca/ and look for the form where you can enter your name and personal email address so you can receive emails from the Local. The form will be on the right-hand side of our website if you are using a laptop/desktop computer. If accessing the website on your phone, the form most likely will be on the bottom of the page, just a few thumb scrolls down.  *please note – you must use your first and last name as it appears on your paystub and correspondence from the HRCE. As well, you must use a different email address from your HRCE email, as the platform used currently will not be HRCE addresses. * Once registered, the email account you provided will receive an email to confirm you provided the information, and will need to click acceptance to have emails sent to you. (Many thanks to those members who provided their email addresses previously for OH&S information, those will be added to a list for specific site based OH&S information. As well, we appreciate those who have sent forward their personal emails already, and attempts were made to add those to the list we generated from the HRCE, but without much success. Using the website to input your contact information will not result in you receiving the same information twice.)

To run our online services, such as web-based email, member surveys, events and newsletters, we need to be able to check to see that our users are who they say they are. That means collecting personal information like names, email addresses, classifications, etc. We acknowledge that this is important and personal information and we acknowledge the responsibility that comes with it. We take your privacy seriously. We will never sell, trade, rent or donate any information you give us. We will honour all unsubscribe requests, whether automatically or by email to cupe5047@outlook.com . None of our interactive services will display your email address publicly. We will contact you by email about CUPE 5047 news, announcements, meetings, member updates and events. During the unsettling times we are in, we wish to be able to broadcast again any and all verified information and best support our members.

Thank you for your understanding and help! Hopefully this will allow us to connect with all our members quickly and successfully!

In Solidarity,

Chris

Chris Melanson

Good Evening All,
As all Nova Scotians have heard by now, COVID 19 has crept into the Education System, as it has been reported there have been two cases in schools within the Halifax Regional Center for Education.

In an effort to support our members, we have reached out to CUPE National for some guidance. They have reminded us of the Department of Education’s Framework to responding to Outbreaks:

OUTBREAK MANAGEMENT

In the event that a single case of COVID-19 is confirmed to be connected to a school, Public Health will initiate a risk assessment and provide additional guidance on required actions including ensuring that appropriate supports are in place to coordinate the response. Public Health is responsible for case management and contact follow-up of all COVID-19 cases, and for determining the need for individual or public notifications regarding cases and outbreaks. Schools should maintain daily records of class/cohort lists including location of staff and essential visitors.

Public Health actions and directions may include, but are not limited to:

• Contact tracing, which involves identifying contacts of a positive case and contacting those individuals. This includes, but may not be limited to, members of that individual’s cohort if applicable.
• Requesting records that identify cohorts/groups and class attendance of staff, students and essential visitors in the school for a specified time frame.
• Directing need for testing and isolation of individuals that may have been exposed to a
positive case
• Assessing need for enhanced environmental cleaning
• Assessing need for school closure (full or partial) Schools are expected to work with Public Health to ensure a prompt response to cases of COVID-19 that may have been exposed in or may have attended a school setting.

 

Recognizing that there hasn’t be any information sent to all employees of the HRCE, CUPE has spoken with the Department of Education today, and we’ve been assured that advanced notice would come to CUPE in the future, ahead of it going to the media. It is our understanding that a Communication Checklist will be created, to make sure everyone gets the necessary information in a timely fashion. As for now, we are asking that any CUPE members who work in the recently named sites that have confirmed exposures forward any correspondence to the Executive email account cupe5047@outlook.com and to our Local’s Occupational Health and Safety Committee email account cupe5047ohs@outlook.com so we can best be prepared to assist with questions or concerns coming forward, and be able to see the responses that other sites may receive in advance of other clusters emerging.

*If you have concerns surrounding the safety of your work, especially those that work in the two identified sites, please do not hesitate to address them in writing with your Principal and School’s JOHSC Committee. As well you can send forward any questions to our Local’s OH&S Committee at cupe5047ohs@outlook.com
*If you are experiencing anxiety or concerns around the current state of the pandemic, please do not forget that you are not alone. There are resources we all can access during these times of struggle:
• Employee and Family Assistance Program (free for HRCE Employees) – visit https://www.workhealthlife.com/ or call 1-844-880-9137
• 211 Nova Scotia – An organization that operates 24/7 for finding services and programs offered by local community groups, non-profits and government departments – visit https://ns.211.ca/ or text 211
• Mental Health Crisis Support in Halifax – call 902-429-8167 or 1-888-429-8167 24/7

As always, should you have issues or concerns with directions given to you, or with the duties you have been assigned, you can reach out to a Shop Steward by visiting https://5047.cupe.ca/about-us/stewards/

We will make every effort to continue to provide verified information as we get it, and share it as quickly as possible.
On behalf of the Executive, our National Reps and our Shop Stewards we hope you stay stay and healthy,
In Solidarity,
Chris

Chris Melanson
President
CUPE Local 5047

The estimated timelines below provide key information to assist you in planning for CUPE staffing for the 2020-2021 school year. All dates are subject to change. Please review ALL SECTIONS of this memo to ensure you have complete information.
Please note that for ECE (Early Childhood Educator) Lead and Support positions, there will be separate posting rounds as noted below. As a result, the timelines portion of this memo is divided into two sections:
1. CUPE Postings for EPA (Educational Program Assistant), Student Support Worker, Community Outreach
Worker, Library Support Specialist positions (or “CUPE Regular Postings”); and
2. ECE (Early Childhood Educator) Lead & Support Posting (or “ECE Postings”).

CUPE Regular Postings
This applies to EPA (Educational Program Assistant), Student Support Worker, Community Outreach Worker,
and Library Support Specialist positions.
Date EPA, SSW, COW, LSS Positions
June 2 (4pm) Deadline for Principals to distribute Notice of Redundancy to impacted staff

June 9 (4pm) Round 1 postings go live*

June 14 (4pm) Round 1 postings close

June 19 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 1 on myHRCE

Round 2 postings go live

June 22 (4pm) Round 2 postings close

June 25 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 2 on myHRCE

Round 3 postings go live

June 28 (4pm) Round 3 postings close

July 3 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 3 on myHRCE

August 26 (4pm) Weekly Term postings resume

ECE Postings
This applies to ECE (Early Childhood Educator) Lead and Support positions.
Date ECE (Lead & Support) Positions
May 14 (4pm) Round 1 postings go live*
May 20 (4pm) Round 1 postings close
May 26 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 1 on myHRCE
June 9 (4pm) Round 2 postings go live
June 14 (4pm) Round 2 postings close
June 19 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 2 on myHRCE
June 25 (4pm) Round 3 postings go live
June 28 (4pm) Round 3 postings close
July 3 (4pm) Successful Applicants from Round 3 on myHRCE
July 15 (4pm) Permanent and Term postings go live
August 4 (4pm) Permanent and Term postings close
August 6 (4pm) Permanent and Term Successful Applicants on myHRCE
August 19 (4pm) Permanent and Term Weekly postings resume
I. IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR ALL CUPE MEMBERS:
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.
*NEW: In the event that schools remain closed due to COVID-19, Permanent and Term CUPE members who are
interested in applying for positions in the permanent posting rounds but do not have access to the internet
MUST contact Human Resource Services at 902-464-2000, ext. 0 (leave a message including name, employee
number, position, current school) by 4pm on May 14, 2020 in order to make arrangements for applying.

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. 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.
If you secure your first permanent position in one of the three rounds, your permanent status is effective August 1, 2020.

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.”
 Once you have applied to the positions you are interested in click on Application History.
 Click on the button labelled ‘Click here to view or re-rank current rankable positions’.
 NOTE: Positions will appear in order of those most recently applied for at the top (before ranking).
 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.

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, 2020. 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.
ECE Postings:
Round 1 (May 14 – 20): Open to all Permanent CUPE members (if qualified as an ECE) **Please see below.
Round 2 (June 9 – 14): Open to all Permanent and Term CUPE members (if qualified as an ECE)
Open to external candidates, including those pre-qualified through the ECE Expressions
of Interest
Round 3 (June 25 – 28): Open to all Permanent and Term CUPE members (if qualified as an ECE)
Open to external candidates, including those pre-qualified through the ECE Expressions
of Interest

CUPE Regular Postings:
Round 1 (June 9 – 14): Open to Permanent CUPE members
Round 2 (June 19 – 22): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates
Round 3 (June 25 – 28): Open to Permanent and Term CUPE members; open to external candidates
II. EDUCATIONAL PROGRAM ASSISTANT (EPA) POSITIONS
Redundancies
Permanent EPAs who have been declared redundant will be advised by receiving a Notice of Redundancy via
email to their HRCE email account. Principals must distribute the written notices via email to employees by June 2, 2020 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, 2020.

EPA Specific Questionnaire
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.
EPA Rules for Movement to Positions following Round 3
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 positions which begin after your current term has ended
You may apply for term positions of any length at your site, provided it is an increase in percentage

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 Servicesstaff 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.

III. 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 a Permanent 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. 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.
As communicated by e-mail to all CUPE staff on March 2, 2020, if you are a permanent CUPE member who is
not already in a permanent ECE position (Lead or Support), and you plan to apply for permanent ECE positions, you are required to apply to one of the Expressions of Interest which close on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 4pm (this applies to both the Lead and Support Expressions of Interest) to be considered in the First Posting Round for ECE positions. We encourage you to apply in advance of the close date, as we are actively interviewing for these positions. If you are successful in the Expression of Interest hiring process, you will be eligible to apply in the First Posting Round for Permanent ECE positions (and will, at that time, be placed in seniority order).
If you are currently a term CUPE member, and you plan to apply for permanent or term ECE positions, you are required to apply to one of the Expressions of Interest which close on Friday, May 15, 2020 at 4pm (this applies to both the Lead and Support Expressions of Interest) and if successful, will be considered in the Second and Third Posting Rounds for ECE positions. Positions will be awarded to current Term members after Permanent CUPE members have been placed by seniority order.

IV. 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 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 (i.e. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority.

V. 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 (i.e. through an interview process, etc.) and not by seniority.

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