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Message from the President

Occupational Health and Safety

Occupational Health and Safety concerns were a very significant reason why workers decided to form Unions back when the Union movement was in it's infancy. The workers wanted a fair way to air their concerns about their places of work without the fear of intimidation or retaliation by the employer. And even today, that is one of the top reasons people choose to organize their places of work or apply for jobs in union shops.

Local 116 takes safety very seriously. We believe that everyone should have a safe place to work in so that they can go home to their families and loved ones in one piece. Barry Jones has been tasked with the safety portfolio for our Local. One of Barry's goals is to see that every department has a properly functioning joint safety committee that meets monthly. If you have any safety concerns in your workplace that aren't being addressed, don't hesitate to contact Barry by email: safety@cupe116.com or phone: 604-813-3004

April 28th - National Day of Mourning

Every April 28th, Unions take time to grieve the dead, but fight for the living. Our local has a memorial site on campus between the Rose Garden and the Chan Center. In 2008 we were honored to have the President of CUPE BC, Barry O'Neil come out to our memorial service and say a few words along with our Local President Colleen Garbe and the President of CUPE 2950, Natalie Lisik.

Brother O'Neil had some rather alarming stats about our own university. "This campus alone saw 300 work-related injuries last year, and that’s unacceptable. WorkSafe BC visited this employer every month to deal with inspections and orders for all kinds of hazards on campus." To put that 300 into perspective, imagine just about every Technician on campus getting injured in one year.

What Can You Do to Make a Difference?

It isn't as hard as you might think. There are some very basic steps you can take and rights that you have that you should know and use.

  1. Right to Refuse Unsafe Work - Commonly refered to as "The Right to Refuse". This is the most basic but most powerful right that you have. Section 23 in our Collective Agreement deals with Safety. Sec. 23.01(a) says:

    "An employee must not carry out or cause to be carried out any work process or operate or cause to be operated any tool, appliance or equipment if that employee has reasonable cause to believe that to do so would create an undue hazard to the health and safety of any person."

    So you can if you believe what you are being asked to do is unsafe, refuse to carry out that work. After you determine that the task is unsafe, you then follow the procedures in Sec. 23.01(b):

    "An employee who refuses to carry out a work process or operate a tool, appliance or equipment pursuant to subsection (a) must immediately report the circumstances of the unsafe condition to his/her supervisor outside of the bargaining unit. Temporary assignment to alternate work at no loss in pay to the employee until the matter is resolved is deemed not to constitute disciplinary action."

  2. Departmental Safety Committee - Get involved with the joint OH&S committee in your department. The purpose of joint OH&S committees is to examine safety issues in the workplace and then pass along corrective recomendations to the head of that department. The committee must not have more employer reps than employee reps. The reason for this is to ensure that the employer can't overload the committee ensuring that real issues aren't dealt with. The Workers Compensation Act of BC lays out the structure of joint OH&S Committees in Division 4 of the Act. Section 127 of the Act says:

    "A joint committee for a workplace must be established in accordance with the following: (a) it must have at least 4 members or, if a greater number of members is required by regulation, that greater number; (b) it must consist of worker representatives and employer representatives; (c) at least half the members must be worker representatives; (d) it must have 2 co-chairs, one selected by the worker representatives and the other selected by the employer representatives.".

    The Act also speaks to the fact that employee reps can't be employees that perform managerial functions and that the reps must be elected from within that department.

  3. Proper Training and Equipment - It is the EMPLOYERS responsibility to ensure that all employees are properly trained on any equipment that is to be used, that they have proper standard operating procedures (SOP's) and that proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is provided to the workers. It is also the employers responsibility to inform all workers of all the potential hazards in the area of their work. If you feel that you haven't been given the proper PPE for the job or the proper training, don't forget that you have the right to refuse. Educations is another big key to protecting yourself and your co-workers. Under BC law, workplaces with more than 20 employees are required to allow their workers up to eight hours paid training in occupational health and safety per year. It is your right under law...USE IT!

Safety Links

Listed below are some links to Occupational Health and Safety organizations and resources

CUPE Local 116
209-2150 Western Parkway
Vancouver, BC
V6T 1Z3

Phone: 604-222-0116
Fax: 604-222-0113 or 604-222-0119
Email: cupe116@cupe116.com
Facebook: CUPE Local 116 (UBC)