President's message Week 18

Happy last Friday of January! Temporary Reassignment You may receive a call from HR asking you to either temporarily change your work location if you are already working at an open school or ask you to report in person when your school is currently not open. We understand this is stressful and unexpected, however, it does not violate the collective agreement and is within their management rights. When we return to regular in-person school you will return to your assignment. Unfortunately, calls from the SmartFind system are going unfilled leaving the open locations short on staff. If you are called by HR it is essential to identify specific issues immediately, the board should look at individual circumstances on a case by case basis. Flat out refusing could be considered insubordination and we do not want to see anyone disciplined. If you are unsure please reach out to us. Hopefully, this will be the last week in this situation.

Retro 1% and Bargaining

The retro 1% per year that was bargained in the spring has not been forgotten or missed. When it was bargained it wasn't to be paid until the local (the ESSP/ECE bargaining unit) bargained its own local collective agreement, that is the constraint, and there is no way around it. Our agreement has nothing to do with the teachers we work with, office staff, or CYW's; it only includes EAs and ECEs. We have dates for bargaining with our school board in February. If all goes well we should be bringing a collective agreement to you for ratification in March, fingers crossed. Once that agreement is ratified there will be a date determined for the retro pay. We will keep you posted!

If you have questions or concerns related to this information or anything else please send me an email or call me at 519-835-0031

In solidarity,

Cheryl

Upper Grand Employee Assistance Program

If you are finding yourself or a family member or a colleague is needing additional support or resources please refer to the board's employee and family assistance program. This service is free and confidential. The board is not given the names of members who are using the service. It has been a challenging year with COVID and many of us are dealing with other challenges unrelated to COVID. This resource may be of help to members who need it.

Access the Upper Grand District School Board’s Employee & Family Assistance Program 24/7 by phone, web or mobile app 1-800-387-4765 | www.workhealthlife.com