(I, Laura Snow, acknowledge that I am writing this greeting from my home which is on the unceded territories of the Katzie, Semiahmoo and Kwantlen First Nations.)

Happy Holidays to our CEU Membership!

2025 is coming to a close and it has certainly been full of ups and downs.

The CEU wrapped the year with our work at home arbitration which saw our team, consisting of: our legal council; Kristy; and, me representing the Membership –  standing up for language bargained and signed in 2022.  You will be proud to hear that we presented a strong case with consistent evidence and testimony.  We clearly laid out the facts of the Collective Agreement violations, some of which were supported by documentation from the Membership. Thank you to everyone that contributed to this case.  The case was made stronger with your help and put us in a position of strength. We are hoping to have a decision back from the Arbitrator by March or so, but it is now out of our hands and in the hands of the Arbitrator.

Thank you to those of you who took the time to fill out your bargaining surveys so that we can continue to build a CEU Collective Agreement that reflects your needs and wants. We draw directly from your voices in the survey to know where you want us to put our time and effort (as well as any money that may be available to increase monetary provisions in the Agreement).

We are continuing to prepare to head to the bargaining table in January and have planned on the assumption that we won’t likely have a decision on the LOUB22 Work at Home grievance before bargaining.  We have meetings set up with the larger Negotiating Committee first to elect the table team, as well as, to identify and discuss the priorities you have indicated in your survey and how you want us to proceed. Language has already been drafted and stats collected.  Negotiating at the table is very much just the visible portion of all the foundation you don’t see.  The months of research, drafting, discussing etc. is the invisible portion of work that supports us at the table and I can say with certainty we are ready for bargaining.

The CEU Staff and Executive Committee have had an exciting year, too. Some of the highlight’s worth noting are:

• • We held a Shop Steward Educational Seminar in the Spring and a Members’ Conference in the Fall.  And, we hope that some from the Members’ Conference may even come around and join the call for Shop Stewards happening soon!
  • We have been hosting regular, virtual Townhall sessions for CEU Members this past year and will continue to do so in the new year.
  • ‘The CEU Voice’ newsletter continues to be published, moving to a bi-monthly distribution cycle to bring key issues to CEU Members’ attention and to link readers to the website www.ceu.ca.
  • The annual Treasurer’s Report summarized the yearly audit reflecting a healthy and strong financial portfolio.
  • We attended CLC Winter School, CEU Strategic Planning, a NUPGE Conference in Fredericton, as well as, various BC Federation of Labour and BCGEU events.
  • We supported our BCGEU and PEA families while on strike to get a higher government GWI (general wage increase).
  • In 2025, CEU Vice President, Shane Campbell didn’t run in anticipation of retirement. Director, Ashley Bjurman, left her role (for a great reason – to travel the world!) and our Shop Steward Chair, Chelle Wright, completed her term.  I want to sincerely thank these three for the hard work and time and dedication on behalf of the CEU Membership. These losses were filled with some amazing people:

§                                      Howard Lin stepped down as a Director and successfully ran for Vice-President, replacing Shane in the role;

§                                      James Morrison is back as a Director;

§                                      Kim Stubbs joins the Executive as a first-time Director; and,

§                                      Kelly Belleza was elected by her Shop Stewards to be the Chair of Shop Stewards and be their voice at the Executive table.

• A CEU Constitutional Amendment was introduced and discussed at our AGM in October, and was subsequently passed by the Membership in November. We hope that this change will ensure more diversity of voices at the CEU Executive table. We know there is a lot of work to be done to prepare for this and even more work to continue to ensure our CEU Executive better reflects the Membership we represent.

I thank you for the confidence you have shown in the CEU Executive Committee and through your votes in favour of proposed CEU Constitution and Bylaw changes.

After such a roller coaster of a year be aware of your mental health, especially during the holiday season because it can be a tough time for many people. Support is available whenever you need it. Leave the EFAP number 1-844-880-9142 and website address www.workhealthlife.com on the fridge for the rest of your family, too, and please take advantage of the $3600 available for Counselling Services each year under your extended benefits. And remember, under 34.11 of your Collective Agreement, you can use sick bank hours to attend counselling in 1 hour increments each month. Take some time to look at all of your benefits in your Collective Agreement – there may be more there than you realize.

In closing, I want to extend my sincere thanks and appreciation to all CEU Members, Shop Stewards, the CEU Staff and the CEU Executive Committee for the enthusiasm and dedication you bring to your work!

In solidarity,

Laura Snow, CEU President