Presidents Blog: 2012-05-26T20:40:24Z Copyright (c) 2012, Alex Youngberg ExpressionEngine tag:,2012:05:25 tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.959 2012-05-25T18:44:00Z 2012-05-26T20:40:24Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Post-Secondary Education Bursaries CUPE policy supports a truly public post-secondary education system - one with no economic barriers to education. Until that happens, some CUPE locals have set up bursary programs for members and their children to help them attend a college or university. You will have to check with your steward or local executive to find out if your local offers any bursaries. CUPE BC offers bursaries to CUPE members or their children planning on entering post-secondary... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.957 2012-05-11T04:06:00Z 2012-05-11T05:19:23Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca We would like to 1. reacquaint our membership with our strong and diverse literary skills.  Also, we want the membership to 2. use the CUPE 391 e-mail system and regularly check our web site.  Thanks to Chris Jang and Erik Stainsby, this web site is generally considered top notch and coveted by other locals.  To serve these two goals we are going to start with a Month of May poetry contest. Any form of poetry is acceptable (except doggeral).  Subject area... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.956 2012-05-10T21:23:00Z 2012-05-10T23:37:13Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Librarians and library workers welcome readers attending Vancouver International Writers Festival “Incite” event featuring Linden MacIntyre and Vincent Lam! Welcome to Vancouver Public Library from your librarians, library technicians and information assistants! Unfortunately, we are outside this event tonight with bad news – Vancouver Public Library management has cut $500,000 from the operating budget. This means the loss of frontline library services for readers. And it means... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.955 2012-05-07T20:42:00Z 2012-05-07T21:45:34Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca CUPE BC Library Conference Location: Coast Plaza Hotel & Suites, Vancouver Date: Thursday, June 21, 2012 - 12:00am - Saturday, June 23, 2012 - 12:00am CUPE BC will be holding a Library Conference from June 21 – 23, 2012 at the Coast Plaza Hotel and Suites in Vancouver.  The theme of the conference is “Re-inventing Libraries:  Thinking Outside the Book”. The conference will open on the evening of June 21, 2012 at 7:00 pm with keynote speaker followed by a... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.954 2012-05-07T04:35:00Z 2012-05-07T06:02:05Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Thank you, CUPE 391!  You came out in droves in the biggest turnout for an AGM in years. 216 head count. Take that CUPE 15!  i was gobsmacked.  Sorry about the food and beverage shortage. Our annual general meeting had much to celebrate.  The numbers showed that Vancouver Public Library Workers are passionate about a number of changes currently underway at the library..  The entire executive has been confirmed to office tonight. CUPE 391 had the pleasure of having... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.953 2012-05-03T20:31:00Z 2012-05-03T21:41:42Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Members have been asking to see these guidelines posted again as Vancouver Public Library appears to be engaging CUPE Local 391 members in many strategic planning processes.  We seem to be starting another process before one is completed.  Evaluation of these processes occurs irregularly and sometimes two years later.  We are not against change, we just want to protect our jobs and public service.  Currently there is Project Management Charter for Technical... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.951 2012-05-02T04:02:00Z 2012-05-02T05:02:48Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Veteran librarians and workers at Vancouver Public Library lose their sick pay starting today after management slashes budget, dramatically reduces hours of work; some have 35 years of service VANCOUVER – Nearly a dozen veteran librarians and library workers will lose their access to sick leave starting today because the Vancouver Public Library has slashed its budget and dramatically reduced their hours of work, their union says. The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 391 says 11... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.950 2012-04-27T21:12:00Z 2012-04-27T22:14:00Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca The City of Vancouver, Surrey, Delta and Richmond all are currently in negotiations.  Their staffing budgets are significantly larger than Vancouver Public Library.  All chief negotiators for bargaining are city staff.  No outside counsel are being used. in solidarity Alex tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.945 2012-04-10T18:23:00Z 2012-04-13T19:07:08Z Chris Jang chris.jang@cupe391.ca On February 22, 2012 the Library Board voted to cut $405,000 from Reference and Information services at Central Library and $95,000 in cuts to Technical Services.  I am writing this report to keep you, our Employer, informed of the fallout from these decisions. Last month, our vice-president delivered a report to you on the plight of our part time staff.  For many of these employees the absence of a living wage, lack of access to hours and consequently scrambling for hours to get... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.942 2012-03-30T19:42:00Z 2012-03-30T20:51:32Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Toronto Public Library workers settle.  Great work by our CUPE 4948 members.  For the most part, they achieved a fair and equitable contract.  President Maureen O’Reilly says they kept most of the concessions that were in the Employers proposals.  Unfortunately the part time workers are in a vulnerable position with job security for the first fifteen years of their employment.  What this strike did do was give the library workers a much better contract than the... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.941 2012-03-27T17:22:00Z 2012-03-27T18:26:40Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca The Union Executive was invited to hear the results of Management’s deliberations on the $405,000 cuts to reference services at Central Library yesterday afternoon March 26th.  We were told that members would interviewed individually with a union representative present.  see e-mail. tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.940 2012-03-23T21:47:00Z 2012-03-23T22:48:27Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca By popular demand: I have asked for this workshop some time ago and just received the information today.  It is apparently of great interest to other locals so will fill up fast.  If you are a clerical supervisor or an assistant manager or branch head this may be of interest to you.  Please let me know as soon as possible if you are interested. It provides tips on how supervisors can carry out supervisory duties to reduce tensions with union members and how locals can ensue... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.932 2012-03-07T20:34:00Z 2012-03-07T22:26:23Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Dear Members If you needed any proof that something is rotten in out current province of British Columbia, take a look at Vaughn Palmer’s column in page 3 of today’s Vancouver Sun. (Vancouver Sun, March 7, 2012:3).  I have sent the column to your CUPE 391 account. Please try and join the BCTF and other labour groups in our demonstrations.  Today’s is at the Vancouver Art Gallery at 2.00 p.m.  See CUPE 391 web page. There is also a link to the BCTF page to... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.922 2012-02-23T04:33:00Z 2012-02-27T23:54:45Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Are you ready to speak to City Council to defend our public services?  Join me this Wednesday, February 29th, at 6 pm at City Hall, 2nd floor for a Special meeting on the 2012 operating budget.  Have your say on the value of public library service. Please attend this meeting and protect your jobs through attending and/or speaking at the City Council meeting.  Through participation and speaking up, you will make a difference.  There is something about looking at the faces... tag:,2012:/blogs/president/3.921 2012-02-22T21:03:00Z 2012-02-23T05:33:34Z Alex Youngberg president@cupe391.ca Hello CUPE 391 I am giving a report to the Library Board this evening at 5.30 p.m. re: the 2012 Operating Budget Cuts.  Gary Jarvis. our second vice-president, will be addressing the difficulties encountered by part-timers and auxiliary members.  The Board trustees meet in The Board Room on level seven on the the fourth Wednesday every month.  You are welcome to attend.  If you wish to speak about the library cuts, you must contact Chrysalyn Tolentino at 604-331-4003 or...