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Elected CEU Representatives (Stewards and Executive Members) are paid by either the Employer or the Union when they take time off work to perform Union-related duties.

There are four Paid Leave categories, each with their own situations when the leave is considered Union-related.

The Paid Leave categories are:

1. Union Employer-Paid Leave (“UEP”).
2. Union Paid Leave (“UUP”).
3. Joint Committee Union Work (“UCP”), and,
4. President’s Salary

The minimum wage increase will help women and racialized workers who disproportionately work in low-wage sectors like the service and agricultural industries. Many of these low wage sectors were in the spotlight during the pandemic and it became clear how undervalued certain workers have been. As B.C. Federation of Labour (BCFED) President Laird Cronk stated, “Minimum wage workers, many working on the frontlines through COVID, make the profits for businesses and they deserve a dignified wage.”

Advocating for a living wage on behalf of all B.C. workers is the Living Wage for Families Campaign, a program that fights for equitable wages, encourages employers to pay a living wage and advocates for government policies that would help families make ends meet. Another initiative supporting living wages is the Fair Wages Commission which was established to advise the government on how to raise minimum wages with increases that are regular, measured, and predictable. To that end, the Fair Wages Commission has gathered input on closing the gap between living wages and the minimum wage in B.C. and is now compiling its report.

The Living Wages for Families Campaign calls on the government to execute the recommendations made by the Fair Wages Commission a call echoed by the BC Federation of Labour (BCFED) President Laird Cronk. The BCFED encourages the Fair Wages Commission to continue working with the government to develop plans to realize minimum wages that are living wages for all workers.

The Union has negotiated your right to be paid equitable wages which increase regularly, as per the current Collective Agreement and takes every bargaining opportunity to advance and maintain those rights. The Union believes in equitable wages for all British Columbians and support this belief by doing business with other organizations that share this view.

For example, the CEU has selected to bank with a financial institute that is certified as a Living Wage Employer that has implemented other sustainable practices. Also, to ensure your dues are invested ethically and responsibly, the Union hires a not-for-profit organization called S.H.A.R.E. to scrutinize Union investments ensuring they are invested in businesses that have ethical policies in place, such as paying a living wage to their employees and major contractors.

CEU President, Laura Snow, comments that the Union supports living wages for all B.C. workers and endorses campaigns and organizations with this goal in mind. The fight for a living wage aligns with the CEU’s values of Equity, Compassion, Respect, and Integrity and supports the view that paying living wages contributes to strong local economies, sustainable cities, and healthy neighbourhoods.

As one of the first in-person Summer festivals since COVID started, Vancouver Pride Society will bring the pandemic-friendly VanPrideFest to Jonathan Rogers Park in Mount Pleasant from July 30–August 1, 2021. The series of free open-air programming with community partners offers ten different time slots dedicated to the specificities of the local 2SLGBTQAI+ community.

“Recognition, Resilience, and Resolve” is the theme for Asian Heritage Month 2021. This theme represents the myriad of sentiments that peoples of Asian descent in Canada have experienced and honours their contributions and their diverse stories which are rooted in resilience and perseverance.

Asian Heritage Month presents Canadians an occasion to talk about the Asian diversity of cultures and peoples and to appreciate the extraordinary contributions that communities of Asian descent in Canada have made and continue to make to our country.

It is also an opportunity to raise awareness of the on-going challenges faced by Asian communities across Canada and to confront and denounce anti-Asian racism and discrimination in all its forms. Sadly, the Covid-19 pandemic has increased anti-Asian racism and discrimination, and Vancouver alone reports incidents of anti-Asian hate rose by over 700% in the past year!

The rise in hate crimes targeting Asian communities is a call to action for all Canadians to come together to combat all forms of anti-Asian racism and discrimination. Let us celebrate the incredible diversity that is our strength and be resolute in our stand against all forms of anti-Asian racism and discrimination.

Here are a few ways to demonstrate solidarity and support:

• If you are on Facebook, ask to join the new group Stand With Asians Coalition. Then, search for the event National Day of Action Against Anti-Asian Racism via Zoom. The online event features speakers Jenny Kwan, MP, Mathew Green MP and former MP Olivia Chow.
• Download a copy of one of the attached posters for your workplace.
• Watch Eyes Open – anti-Asian Racism video Written and narrated by Asian-Canadian artist Christopher Tse. The Eyes Open video was produced for Asian Heritage Month by an all-Asian and largely female creative team.

May 23rd marks forty-seven years since the Compensation Employees’ Union was certified as a Union. Since that time, we have grown in many ways. From membership numbers to office Staff and locations to budgets to the defense fund to the Collective Agreement – it has all grown to keep pace with a membership that started at 730 people and has increased by approximately 2000 since that time.

While we sometimes have a louder, in-person celebration with cake, we find ourselves at home again for this anniversary. I also know that some of you are struggling and it may not be the time for a party anyways. Still, I wanted to take the opportunity to reach out today and say happy anniversary on behalf of the entire executive and staff. We really have come a long way when you consider that while we were fighting to form a Union in 1974 the objectives were:

• (Obtaining) extended medical
• Fairness and consistency in administering annual vacation scheduling
• A bi-weekly pay period
• Enlarged and improved cafeteria
• Transfer of superannuation
• Sick Leave
• Substitution Pay
• (Obtaining) Dental Plan

After achieving these objectives, the CEU shifted to new goals to reflect the needs and requests of our members. Every round of bargaining we try to increase member rights and it was many years of these improvements that led to our current CA. As the membership you continue to shape future rounds of bargaining by participating in the bargaining survey or even running for a member at large position on the bargaining team.

Although we are working on many of your concerns with the employer on almost a daily basis, like workload and mental health, I want you to take a moment and remind you of the importance of the labour movement globally, nationally and locally. Things like safety and health at work, decent wages, medical, dental and other collective agreement gains have been hard fought for in order to establish a base of agreed to rights and benefits that you and every co-worker is aware of so everyone can play by the same rules. Affiliating with the BCGEU and participating actively with the BC Federation of Labour and other labour organizations like NUPGE has only amplified our CEU voice to larger tables. We continue to learn from our sister organizations so we can all beat the drum to the same rhythm and continue to work together for labour rights locally and around the world.

Happy anniversary

Laura Snow, CEU President