It is with great pleasure that I accept my nomination to the COPE Negotiating Committee.

In order to fulfill my role and responsibilities as regional vice-president, COPE 491 for the Maritimes Region, I have completed the Basic Steward’s Training Part I and Part II (Grievance & Arbitration) through COPE Ontario.  I would find it very beneficial to be part of the Negotiations Committee in order to fully understand, interpret and implement our Collective Agreement to the utmost of my abilities, for you, the member. Our Collective Agreement is the most important benefit we have as COPE members and knowledge is the key to open and clear communications with the Employer. I look forward to the challenges ahead if elected.

I would like to take this opportunity to sincerely thank you for your support.

In Solidarity,

Sheila Bourque

Régional Vice-President

COPE 491

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Il me fait plaisir d’accepter ma nomination au Comité de négociations du SEPB.

Dans le but de remplir mes fonctions comme vice-présidente régionale du SEPB 491, Région des Maritimes, j’ai complété la formation Basic Steward’s Training Part I and Part II (Grievance & Arbitration) par l’entremise du SEPB Ontario.  Je serai très reconnaissante de siéger à ce comité pour mieux comprendre, interpréter et mettre en pratique notre convention collective, qui est l’outil le plus important pour vous comme membre. Une connaissance approfondie est la clé pour une communication respectueuse et ouverte dans les discussions avec l’Employeur. Un autre point important que je souhaite soulever est la réalité des membres francophones de notre région. Une représentation d’une dirigeante francophone à la table de négociations assurerait que les préoccupations propres à notre situation soient bien comprises et bien transmises. Si élue, il me fera plaisir d’accepter ces défis.

Je vous remercie sincèrement de votre appui.

Sheila Bourque

Vice-présidente régionale

SEPB 491

Région des Maritimes

Hi,

My name is Karri Patterson and I am a Secretary working out of the Atlantic Regional Office in Dartmouth, NS, as well I am the RVP for the Atlantic Region and the COPE Representative of our JOHS Committee.  I have been employed with CUPE for 3½ years.  I’m married and have a daughter.  I have taken many educational courses such as bargaining skills, financial officers and steward learning series to name a few.  From my other work experiences I have a broad understanding of Employee/Employer relations and I believe this would bring a fresh perspective to the bargaining committee.  My main goal would be to make sure we strengthen our Collective Agreement for all members.  Effective communication is essential to the strong functioning of this union, and I’d be honored to contribute my skills and experience to this position.

Thank you.

Elections will be held between August 12 to August 18, 2013 to elect the Negotiating Team member from the:

     West (Regions 1 BC, 2 Alberta, 3 Saskatchewan and 4 Manitoba)

     Ontario (Regions 5A Ontario Area and 5B Regional Office)

     East (Regions 7 Maritimes and 8 Atlantic)

National (Region 6A, 6B and 6C) – Debbie Rebeiro is acclaimed.  Congratulations Sister Rebeiro!

The email link to the Ballot will be sent to the personal email address on August 12, 2013.

The candidates list can be located on our website at:  www.new.cope491.ca under NEWS (Elections)

The candidates are now extended the opportunity to have an article included in the electronic voting system, and posted on our website.  Any articles for inclusion into the system and for posting to the website, will be held until August 9, 2013 and posted all at the same time.  Any late submissions will be posted, as received, thereafter.

Please contact me if you have any questions.

Fraternally,

Fran Robertson, Returning Officer

COPE 491

Negotiating Committee Member (Regions) 

The following members have accepted nomination for the position of Negotiating Committee Member (Regions).  Nominations close July 22, 2013.

West 

–          Eva McKaeff

–          Leanne Strang

–          Karina Sheardown

Ontario

–          Angela Coleman

–          Margaret Lewis

–          Lindsay Mills

National 

–          Debbie Rebeiro

East

–          Sheila Bourque

–          Kelli Lawrence

–          Stacey Moore

–          Karri Patterson

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I’m asking for your support for Bargaining Committee Member.

I have been the National Vice President of COPE 491 for the last 4 years.  I currently sit on the Grievance Committee, the Joint CUPE/COPE Reclassification Committee, the Joint CUPE/CSU/COPE LTD Committee and I was also a Bargaining Committee member. I have no problem taking on the Employer, providing arguments, doing research and making things right for our members.

The last round of bargaining was long and drawn out but we made some great improvements to our language regarding the Grievance Procedure, LTD Benefits and Temporary Employees.  I believe it’s important that the National Vice President be a member of the COPE 491 Bargaining Committee as they are the person responsible for preparing and presenting grievances to the Employer, working with the collective agreement on a daily basis and has a thorough knowledge of it.  As NVP I have an understanding of where our collective agreement language is lacking and what changes we need to make.  I also have heard what the Employer’s interpretation is and it’s usually quite a bit different than the Union’s.

On a personal note, I have been working in the Prince Albert, Saskatchewan Area Office over the last 11 years (7 years permanent and 4 years prior as a temp clerical).

Prior to working for CUPE, I was actively involved as a CUPE member.  I held the position of president of Local 4195 Saskatchewan Rivers School Division for 7 years, as well as sitting on the provincial Education Workers Steering Committee and on the CUPE SK Education Committee.

 As president of CUPE Local 4195, I was an integral part on the bargaining committee that merged six locals and four agreements into one.  It was a long process that included job action but we succeeded.  This was the first merged local in the province and became a footprint for the rest of the province to follow. We represented approximately 450 members and merged once again in 2006 with four more locals bringing the membership up to about 650.  We faced many challenges and came out on top when getting the employer to follow the new agreement.  I truly enjoyed my time as an activist and loved the challenges it provided.

In closing, I’m looking forward to putting my knowledge that I’ve acquired as a CUPE member and as a COPE member to work for the COPE Bargaining Committee.  If you have anything specific to discuss please feel free to contact me via email at klcarle@hotmail.com

Thank you in advance for your support!

In solidarity,

Karen