Did You Know
The following outlines some basic facts about your Union and what your Union does for you. The purpose of your Union is to represent you, negotiate, administer and enforce your collective agreement (i.e. wages, hours of work, scheduling and other work terms and conditions).
Your Executive can be reached through the Union Office by telephone at 403-299-6700, Toll free 1-855-299-6700, by fax at 403-299-6710, by E-mail at [email protected], or by visiting the Union office at 420 – 35th Avenue NE. You can also visit our Facebook page at facebook.com/Your.UCCE,
The UCCE bulletin boards in each Centre will provide information concerning U.C.C.E. events, bulletins and other sources of information and Union awareness. Also on that bulletin board will be Union authorized information and communications documents like the News & Views newsletter, union information bulletins like “Did You Know” and other Union authorized information.
U.C.C.E. Stewards’ Network
We strive to have authorized Union representatives to communicate your issues and concerns to at each centre/location, if you don’t have an authorized Union representative to talk with, PLEASE call the U.C.C.E. Office with any issues and/or concerns you may have. The Union Steward is the U.C.C.E. on-the-job representative and is acknowledged by the Union and the Employer as the person most able to deal with Union matters at the work site. The Union Steward will provide you with advocacy, advice and counsel with respect to the application and interpretation of your collective agreement. Remember that it is always in your best interests to seek a second opinion.
A list of your present Centre Stewards is posted on the U.C.C.E. bulletin boards in your Centre’s and Head Office. The most regular contact members have with the Union is through the Steward.
When the Steward is effective, so is your Union. Nothing should happen at the work site without the knowledge, understanding, and agreement of the Union and the Steward.
Union Dues
Your Union dues are $13.00 per pay period, ($ 6.50 per week). The payment of Union dues is a condition of your employment. You may opt out of membership for religious reasons, but the payment of dues is mandatory. The principle is that because you receive direct benefits from a collective agreement applying to your work conditions, you are obligated to pay your share of the administration and negotiation of that collective agreement. You are paying for a service from your Union and every employee should access that service through attending meetings to stay informed or simply by asking questions.
Initiation Fees
You pay an initiation fee when you start with UCCE of $10.00 ($5.00 over two pay periods).
Quick Tips
- Article 8.04 Paid rest periods shall be 20 uninterrupted minutes. If you choose to combine your two 20 minutes breaks (with a manager’s approval), the break shall be 35 minutes instead of 40 minutes. This is because you are only traveling to and from your break once. We do not recommend you combining your breaks and losing 5 minutes of paid break.
- If you hold a position that permits access to Kronos, Do not edit yourself whatsoever! There used to be a time when supervisors were allowed to edit themselves when doing editing in Kronos, but not anymore. We have seen to many members get terminated for editing themselves in Kronos.
- Article 9.06 now reads that a “day shift” is any shift that ends by 6:00 p.m.
- Article 9.12 reads that A and B employees shall not have their guaranteed hours scheduled in more than 5 days in a row in any combinations of shifts.
- If your manager is going to change your posted schedule, he or she must give you 24 hours VERBALnotice in accordance with article 9.69. This does not include texting, e-mail, changing the schedule themselves without telling you or leaving a message on your phone.
If you have any questions or concerns, please give us a call at the Union Office. Our phone number is 403- 299-6700. If there is no answer, please leave your name, employee number and phone number and we will return your call.