Issues - 2010 Olympic & Paralympic Agreement

Salary, scheduling and union jurisdiction define the differences between the City of Vancouver and CUPE 15.

Peter Ladner, in the Monday September 07, 2007 Vancouver Sun, presents the city's case:

As for the 2010 Olympics Partnership Agreement, CUPE wants to limit opportunities for employees and volunteers to participate, and to claim exclusive union jurisdiction over all Olympic sites.

The City is arguing for flexibility during a special event while CUPE wishes to treat the Olympics as just another work day.

The rigidity of the CUPE proposal would inflate the costs of the 2010 games for the city and with CUPE proposing that each site be under union jurisdiction opportunities for volunteers would be greatly reduced.

The City proposes non-consecutive days off. That could be re-worked allowing individual employees to decide if they wished to work such a schedule.

CUPE requests that staff have the opportunity to observe / receive training by experts in specialized tasks "not commonplace in public venues." Ice making for curling, speed skating, Olympic level ice hockey and figure skating. It is a fair request and only increases the level of service offered to the public.

CUPE and the City differ on guaranteeing that Temporary Full Time staff "no loss of regular pay." The City makes a non-binding offer to this staff group while attempting to balance opportunities for volunteers.

Below is a point by point breakdown of the key conflicts concerning the 2101 games.

POINT by POINT

Designated Facilities and Sites

CUPE 15's offer differs from the Richmond Agreement where it requests:

• 2(d) The Employer agrees that CUPE Local 15 will have Union jurisdiction in all Olympic and Paralympics "Designated Facilities and Sites" during the exclusive use period.

Richmond's CUPE requests that any plaque(s) recognizing the games where CUPE members worked that CUPE Local 378 be recognized - 2 (d).

Vancouver's CUPE Local 15 has asked for recognition in presentations where City staff have been requested to make public appearances - 11(a).

Employees Working at the Facilities and Practice Facilities

• Richmond
  
• 3(a) No regular or temporary employee working at the "Designated Facilities and Sites" shall suffer loss of regular pay as a result of the Letter of Understanding

• CUPE
• 3 (a) No Regular Full Time, Temporary Full Time, or Regular Part Time employee shall suffer a loss of pay as a result of this Letter of Understanding.

• City of Vancouver
• 3(a) Regular Full-Time and Regular Part-Time Employees assigned to work at the "Designated Facilities and Sites" shall suffer no loss of regular pay as a result of this Partnership Agreement.

The City does propose in section 3(e):

the employer will endeavor to reassign Auxiliary and/or Temporary Full-Time Employees that normally work at the "Designated Facilities and Sites" during the "Exclusive Use Period" to other alternate work assignments in order to try to maintain employees anticipated hours of work.

The City then states that this does not guarantee typical work hours nor does it restrict the City from assigning

"such work to other non-bargaining unit employees, exempt staff, contractors or volunteers."

All Auxiliaries will be paid at $20.17/ hour but if asked to do a higher paid task the City has offered to offer a "special minimum hourly rate" of $23.04/hour to compensate auxiliary staff who "will not be performing their normal duties."

Working Hours

The City proposes that employees will work:

• 8 hours for a 40 hour work week
• Over time for the first 2 hours will be 1.5x
• Over time for the second 2 hours will be 2.0x

No staff person is to work over 12 hours.

CUPE's proposal wishes to maintain regular work shifts with regular over time provisions found in the collective agreement which is 7 hours for a 35 hour work week. Over time compensations is the same with the choice of payment or days off.

CUPE requests that staff receive 72 hours notice of shift changes and that CUPE receive written notice of the change.

Work Week

Where the City is on tenuous ground is it's change to the standard work week. The City would like to schedule staff with 2 non-consecutive days off each week.

Understandably the City also proposes

scheduled shift days and start and stop times for shifts may be varied to address the exigencies of the "Games" providing there is a minimum of 8 hours between assigned shifts or shifts extended due to overtime.

CUPE wants a standardized schedule regardless of the "Games" demands. They can argue the non-consecutive work week issue - but retaining a standard work schedule in the run up to and during the games demonstrates how little the bargaining team understands special events.

Uniforms

CUPE rightly requests that the Employer (VANOC or the City) bear costs of cleaning or maintaining uniforms.

CUPE also requests the right to wear a CUPE pin during the Games.

Direction of Employees.

CUPE wishes that a City excluded staff member be at each site and supervise how staff are directed by VANOC. - CUPE 7(a). The language is similar to Richmond's agreement. The City of Vancouver states that

"VANOC shall be entitled to exercise, through the Employer, any rights the Employer may have under the applicable Collective Agreement"

For all the malice directed towards excluded staff by CUPE during this strike, it is surprising that they trust excluded staff to referee between VANOC and CUPE.

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The 2010 Games are a challenge to CUPE's industrial age preconceptions on how the world operates. CUPE members, who pay the bills, are changing. They will not accept rollbacks as originally offered by the CITY but CUPE leadership is increasingly out of touch with its knowledge based staff.

Staff know this is a special event which requires flexibility in scheduling. Maybe CUPE needs to listen to it's grass roots.