Wage Protection is in effect

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This is a reminder that although facilities and departments have been facing staffing reductions since March 24th or earlier due to COVID-19, wages for scheduled shifts for CUPE 23 members must continue to be paid. Late on Friday an agreement was signed between CUPE 23 and City and the Library regarding a plan for layoffs. The document will be posted shortly and it will also show that wage protection continues until the stated date of May 26, 2020.

If any member has not been paid for scheduled shifts, even if they have been directed to not report for work, please contact the office ASAP. 604-298-0200 or admin@cupe23.ca

New Federal Government Economic Provisions Regarding COVID-19

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Download the March 18, 2020 press release from the Federal Government here.

Excerpt:

Temporary Income Support for Workers and Parents

For Canadians without paid sick leave (or similar workplace accommodation) who are sick, quarantined or forced to stay home to care for children, the Government is:

  • Waiving the one-week waiting period for those individuals in imposed quarantine that claim Employment Insurance (EI) sickness benefits. This temporary measure is in effect as of March 15, 2020.
  • Waiving the requirement to provide a medical certificate to access EI sickness benefits.
  • Introducing the Emergency Care Benefit providing up to $900 bi-weekly, for up to 15 weeks. This flat-payment Benefit would be administered through the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) and provide income support to:
    • Workers, including the self-employed, who are quarantined or sick with COVID-19 but do not qualify for EI sickness benefits.
    • Workers, including the self-employed, who are taking care of a family member who is sick with COVID-19, such as an elderly parent, but do not qualify for EI sickness benefits.
    • Parents with children who require care or supervision due to school closures, and are unable to earn employment income, irrespective of whether they qualify for EI or not.

Application for the Benefit will be available in April 2020, and require Canadians to attest that they meet the eligibility requirements. …read the rest here…

Update #2 on City Action Related to COVID-19

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In case you have not yet seen this via email or posted at your worksite:

 

To All Staff:

 

Effective Wednesday, March 18, all City of Burnaby public facilities including community centres, arenas, libraries, arts and cultural facilities, golf courses and restaurants (City) will be closed until further notice. All centre supervisors are bring notified of the upcoming closures.

 

The decision to close the facilities is guided by information and directive issued by the provincial and federal governments for the purposes of containing and mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 in the community. The closure will affect many Burnaby residents and their children and I am certain it is a decision not welcome by many. We are in a critical time and we must undertake drastic measures before it is too late to respond.

 

Although many Burnaby civic facilities will be closed, all staff that are scheduled to work at these facilities will continue to report for work at their assigned work location. They may be re-assigned to other duties or functions in order to respond to an anticipated high volume of calls from the public on the closure.

 

City administration and Communication are preparing FAQs for staff and the information will be available tomorrow for distribution. City web site and social media will be the source of information for latest update. If you have any specific questions on your work schedule affected by the closure or time off request to care for your family members, please contact your department manager or director for direction.

 

As always, I will make myself available as much as I can to address any concerns or suggestions you may have related to our plan of action. I also want to thank CUPE Local 23 and IAFF Local 323 in working with the City management team during this difficult period.

 

Lambert Chu, P. Eng.

City Manager

Direct: 604-294-7466
Fax: 604-294-7733

City of Burnaby  |  Office of the City Manager

4949 Canada Way  |  Burnaby, BC  V5G 1M2