Joe Nunn’s family was instrumental in building the early Saanich school district, and Joe worked for many years in SD 63 as a custodian.

This $1000 award will be given annually to three eligible applicants. The award is open to all students, but preference will be given to those whose parents or guardians are current or past members of CUPE Local 441.

Application Deadline is April 30th.

Joe Nunn Award

Joe Nunn Award background information

Good afternoon everyone,

The Employment Equity Committee (EEC) was formed as a result of an agreement reached between CUPE 441 and the Saanich School District in the last round of bargaining. In the spirit of Truth and Reconciliation, it was the intention of the parties to collaboratively address the under-representation of CUPE 441support staff members with Indigenous Ancestry throughout the District. The committee included members of CUPE local 441, leaders of the District, and members of the Indigenous Education support staff team.  We met numerous times over the course of last year to discuss the ways we could increase equity of opportunity for Indigenous staff.  This agreement is in alignment with a similar agreement that the District signed with the STA during the last round of bargaining.

CUPE 441 and the Saanich School District first sought approval of a Special Program designation through the Human Rights Tribunal and in response, the Tribunal affirmed that “Indigenous peoples face historical and ongoing marginalization in Canada and continue to have lower education outcomes than the general population. Indigenous students need, and benefit from, role models of Indigenous ancestry who can facilitate learning that is consistent with Indigenous knowledge, culture, and traditions”.

We are now pleased to share that an agreement has been reached to proactively address employment barriers that have limited equity of opportunity. This commitment includes the preferential hiring of qualified candidates with Indigenous ancestry to support staff vacancies.

With respect,

DAVE EBERWEIN (he/him)
Superintendent & CEO, Saanich Schools

LOU – Employment Equity – September 2024 FINAL

Dear Members,

During our last round of bargaining, we recognized the under-representation of employees with Indigenous ancestry in our local compared to our community and student population. The Union and Employer took a significant step by reaching an agreement on a Letter of Understanding to establish a joint Employment Equity Committee with specific objectives. This agreement can be found in your Collective Agreement in LOU No. 18.

Over the last eighteen months, the joint committee has worked hard to fulfil its mandate. CUPE’s human rights and legal specialists have supported us to ensure we are building a process that, in the spirit of truth and reconciliation, will address the issue of under-representation in our workplace and protect the fundamental rights of all CUPE 441 members.

I am excited to inform you that we have now reached an agreement in principle on a new Employment Equity Agreement. We believe this will be a major step forward on this issue and fulfil the specific objective of LOU No. 18. This new agreement is the first of its kind not only in CUPE Locals in British Columbia but also across Canada and may set the stage for others to follow in our footsteps.

While the joint committee and the union executive are unanimous in support of this new agreement, we also believe in transparency and collaboration with the membership on this important issue. We want to answer your questions and hear your feedback before finalizing it.

Accordingly, we are holding two special meetings to present the new agreement on September 17, 2024. The first meeting will be at 1 p.m., and the second at 5 p.m. Both meetings will be held online via TEAMS. Further details about how to join these online meetings will be released soon. We will also present the agreement at the General Membership Meeting on Saturday, September 21st.

I hope you will be able to take some time on September 17th to learn more about the new agreement and share your feedback. I look forward to seeing you then.

Sincerely,

Candace Whitney and the Employment Equity Committee

CUPE Local 441

We acknowledge that we are located on the traditional territory of the W̱SÁNEĆ people. The W̱SÁNEĆ people have lived and worked on this land since time immemorial.