Committees
For a description of the roles and membership of each committee, please see the CUPE 951 By-Laws and/or the Collective Agreement where an article reference is noted.
Ad-hoc and Standing Committees are made up of only CUPE 951 members; Contract committees also include University (management) members.
Agreement Study Committee
The Agreement Study Committee will:
- study the Agreement and its practical applications;
- examine suggestions for improvements;
- study other similar agreements and be aware of any inequities;
- encourage submissions from other committees;
- report regularly to the membership, encouraging members to make their views known to the Committee;
- deliver its recommendations to the Negotiating Committee upon its election;
- assist the Negotiating Committee in special research and preparation for bargaining as may be required.
Contact Kirk Mercer, Committee Chair for more information
CUPE Scholarship Committee
A committee consisting of the Union’s representative on the Greater Victoria CUPE Scholarship Committee and members appointed by the Executive Board.
Contact Nykita Downie or click here for more information.
Career Development Fund Committee (Article 26)
A committee established to consider and deal with funding requests from members for their career development. The Union’s two representatives on the Joint Career Development Fund Committee will be elected at the General meeting in September of odd-numbered years.
Current members:
- Louise Peters, Co-Chair
- Angela Fornelli
Click here for more information.
Education Committee
A committee established to identify training priorities, educational opportunities, conferences and conventions of importance to the Local, and recommend actions to the Executive Board, consistent with the CUPE 951 Policies and Procedures.
Committee Members: Nykita Downie (Chair), Kirk Mercer, Michael Rheault.
Email Committee Chair Nykita Downie for further information.
Election Committee
Environment Committee
A committee established to provide members with information about environmental issues at UVic and beyond and work with other CUPE Environment Committees and community organizations on environmental concerns.
Committee Members are
Victoria Simpson
Erica Burns
Good and Welfare Committee
A committee established to promote the good of the Local Union within the University, consistent with the CUPE 951 Policies and Procedures.
Contact Kirk Mercer for further information.
Grievance Committee
A committee established to oversee the initiation and resolve of all grievances, following the process set out in the Collective Agreement. The committee has the authority to settle or withdraw a grievance at any stage or to advance a grievance to mediation and/or arbitration, and will ensure that all settlements and variances are documented by Letters of Agreement signed by the President and Head Steward (or their designates).
The CUPE National Representative will receive copies of all grievances not settled at the initial stage along with reports of the Grievance Committee.
Members are Kirk Mercer, Stephen Leckie, Page DeWolfe, Amy Issel, Andrea Roszmann, Nykita Downie
Health and Safety Committee (Article 29)
A committee established to maintain and improve safety in the workplace through the enforcement of the collective agreement provisions on safety and by making recommendations to the Union for improvements to the contract. Members are entitled to at least one working day of training per calendar year at the expense of the University (e.g. BCFed OHS training).
Current members:
Amy Issel | Electrical & Computer Engineering | 721-8614 | amyrowe@uvic.ca |
Nykita Downie | Graduate Admissions and Records | 721-8717 | souliere@uvic.ca |
Heidi Neeves | Office of the Registrar | 721-8130 | oregadmin2@uvic.ca |
Susie Dancer | Academic & Admin Services | 721-8991 | sdancer@uvic.ca |
Click here for further information.
IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) Committee
A committee established to represent the inclusion, diversity, equity, and accessibility needs of our members consistent with the collective agreement and work with community organizations to end discrimination and promote our Union’s involvement in social activism.
Click here for further information. Contact Sarah Rowland, IDEA Chair, for further information.
Current members: Sarah Rowland Chair, Johnesha Johnson Co-Chair, Gracie Chiu, Laurie Whyte, Page DeWolfe, Nykita Downie, Kirk Mercer
Communications Committee
A committee established to ensure effective communications between the Union and its members through a variety of means consistent with the CUPE 951 Policies and Procedures.
Contact Ranbir Prihar, Communications Chair, for further information.
Job Security Committee (Article 31)
A committee established to discuss and resolve all matters pertaining to job security.
Contact Stephen Leckie, Head Steward for further information.
Joint Job Appeals Committee (Article 27)
A joint committee established to: (a) monitor the effectiveness of the Joint Job Evaluation Plan and make recommendations to the parties for improvements to the Plan; (b) conduct audits; (c) review the job evaluation ratings; (d) review any appeals of a job rating.
Click here for further information.
Current members: Susie Dancer, Nykita Downie, Erica Burns
Negotiating Committee
A committee established at least 9 months prior to the expiry date of the Local’s Collective Agreement and automatically disbanded when a new Collective Agreement has been ratified by the Local and signed.
The Negotiating Committee will:
- study the Agreement and its practical applications;
- examine suggestions for improvements, be aware of any inequities, examine other similar agreements and encourage the membership to make their views known to the Committee via surveys;
- formulate proposals which will be approved by the membership prior to negotiations;
- consult with the CUPE Representative assigned to the Local (who will be a non-voting additional member of the Committee) at all stages from formulating proposals, through negotiations, to contract ratification by the membership;
- communicate and coordinate with CUPE locals at other post-secondary institutions on common issues;
- bargain in good faith, acting upon directives from the membership;
- tender progress reports at the Local’s General meetings and call for Special meetings should the need arise;
- call a Special meeting when it has reached a tentative agreement or impasse;
- arrange for a ratification vote on the contract proposal consistent with Section 5D of the By-Laws.
Committee members:
Kirk Mercer, CUPE 951 President president@cupe951.ca 250-721-8245
Stephen Leckie, CUPE 951 Head Steward headsteward@cupe951.ca 250-721-7087
Amy Issel amyrowe@uvic.ca 250-721-8614
Page DeWolfe cdewolfe@uvic.ca 250-721-4971
Laurie Whyte lwhyte@uvic.ca 250-721- 7623
Teresa Dixon dixon.teresa@gmail.com
Rob Fillo robfillo@uvic.ca 250-472-4126
Kara White kmwhite@uvic.ca 250-721-8851
Personnel Benefits Committee (Article 28)
A committee established to review, discuss and make recommendations concerning improvements to the Personnel Benefits Plans in the Collective Agreement.
Current members:
- Michael Rheault
- Heidi Neeves
- Nykita Downie
Pensions Advisory Committee
This is a subset of the Personnel Benefits Committee represented by two of the three members.
Current members:
- Michael Rheault
- Nykita Downie
Click here for more information.
Political Action
A committee established to provide members with information about political choices and encourage them to participate in the political process. The committee will identify political issues of concern to the membership and ensure CUPE’s voice is heard at the Municipal, Provincial and Federal government levels.
Contact Kirk Mercer, President for more information.
Committee members: Kirk Mercer, Amy Issel, Nykita Downie, Teresa Dixon
Return to Work and Accommodation Committee (Articles 18.10, 23 & 33)
A committee established to assist members with their entitlements under the sick leave, return to work and accommodation provisions of the Collective Agreement and to consult and make recommendations regarding the development and maintenance of a consistent process that enables employees with disabilities to maintain their employment at the University.
Contact Laurie Whyte or click here for more information.
Sick Benefit Bank Committee (Article 23)
A committee established to assist in absences due to extended illness or disability.
The committee will meet regularly every month to consider carefully every application to the Bank. Four signatures will be required to authorize the payment of days to applicants whose applications meet the requirements of
the Sick Benefit Bank Policy. The committee will notify in writing all applicants to the Bank of the outcome of their claims. They will report regularly to the membership, make recommendations to the Executive Board for improvements to the Bank, and seek the membership’s approval for any amendments to the Sick Benefit Bank Policy.
Current members:
- Amy Issel, Committee Chair
- Heidi Neeves
- Nykita Downie
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Stephen Leckie
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Michael Rheault
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Andrea Roszmann
Technological and Organizational Change (Article 30)
A committee established to discuss and resolve all matters pertaining to proposed change, including discussion of alternatives to the change introduced by the University.
Contact Stephen Leckie, Head Steward for further information.
Committee membership is renewed every two years; if you do not see a contact or link for a specific committee, please contact the office at cupe951@uvic.ca or an executive member.