About us

Executive and Stewards

Your CUPE 748 Executive Team

​These are the members who work hard and volunteer their time to help your Union thrive! All contact information for the executives can be found on your CUPE board at your work site. If your location does not have the numbers posted, you can email the Secretary at cupesec748@gmail.com. Due to privacy on the internet, some executives do not wish to have their numbers and emails posted on the webpage.

President:
Michelle Bennett
michelleb748@gmail.com
Cell: 250-505-2712

Vice President:
Rena Bens
bensrena@gmail.com

Treasurer:
Robin Sheppard
cupe748treasurer@outlook.com

Secretary:
Anne Cavicchi
cupesec748@gmail.com

Lead Steward:
Vacant

Shop Stewards:
Stacey Finley
stacefinley@gmail.com

Area Reps:

Nelson - Kathy Centrone
Kaslo - vacant
Slocan Valley - Cindy Martin
Crawford Bay - Shelby Sanford
Creston - Vacant
Salmo - Vacant

Safety Reps: Ken Kusnir, Rena Bens

Membership Officers:

Colleen Kuny

Trustees:

 

What do we do?

President - 2 year term
Duties:

  • Involved with CUPE National, Local Unions, and Executive Boards
  • Bargaining
  • Sub-Locals
  • Attend various meetings when needed both locally and provincially
  • Preside at all membership and executive meetings
  • Decide points of order and procedure
  • Have signing authority and be bonded
  • Oversee all other executives

Vice President - 2 year term
Duties:

  • Assist the President
  • Assist other executives
  • Attend various committee meetings and council meetings
  • Represent the Local when necessary, locally and provincially
  • Attend meetings

Secretary - 2 year term
Duties:

  • ​Minutes at executive and member meetings
  • Record and keep Correspondence
  • Website
  • Duties as needed by President and VP's
  • By-laws
  • Bursaries - Circulation, collection and notices
  • Signing Authority

Treasurer - 2 year term
Duties:

  • Receive all revenue, initiation fees, dues, and assessments
  • Ensure that the Local funds are used only as authorized or directed by the bylaws, budget, or motion passed by the membership
  • Be responsible for maintaining all financial records of the local
  • Make a full financial report to meetings of the Local Executive Board
  • Make a written financial report to each regular membership meeting
  • Be responsible for payment of bills

Shop Stewards (10 positions: 8 area stewards, 2 EA stewards) - 1 year term
Duties:

  • Assist in the grievance process
  • Be knowledgeable of the Collective Agreement
  • Membership engagement
  • Promote your union
  • Attend select committee meetings
  • Communicate with other Executives
  • Provide written reports

Lead Shop Steward (1 position: voted from the 10 stewards) - 1 year term
Duties:

  • Assist the Shop Stewards
  • Report Grievances
  • Attend Meeting
  • Provide necessary reports

​​Area Reps 6 - 1 year term
​Duties:

  • Represent your area
  • Attend meetings
  • Attend appointed meetings
  • Communicate with PAC in your area
  • Be a member of the By-law and Policy Committee
  • Communicate between executive board and membership
  • Ensure communication during strike/lockout
  • Present reports
  • Assist Executive when necessary
  • Communicate with other union members / promote the union
  • Sit on committees as directed by the executive
  • Forward news pertaining to the Union or SD8 news to the Secretary

Trustees - 4 positions - 1, 2, and 3 year terms
Duties:

  • Audit books of Treasure
  • Make a written report of their findings and recommendations and/or concerns

 

 

Committees

Social Committee:
If anyone would like to join the Social Committee please let Robin know! After a couple years of confinement, I think we need some things to look forward to!
If you're interested in being part of this crew, or just want to toss out some ideas for things you'd like to see happen, e-mail Robin Sheppard at cupe748treasurer@outlook.com

Publicity Committee: 
We want to increase awareness of current issues that are currently affecting our union while promoting the positive change needed to
implement fair wages and safe work environments for current and future generations. Our goal is to mobilize our community and membership to increase positive public support and keep high quality services in place for CUPE 748, SD8, Creston Recreation Centre, Creston Public Library and our communities.
The Publicity Committee works under the close supervision of the Executive and CUPE National. It is responsible for the preparation and distribution of information to both the Local's membership and to the general public.
Our first goal is to strike a committee to work on our publicity and to give back to the community.
For more information, please contact:
Michelle Bennett, CUPE 748 President michelleb748@gmail.com

 

What We Do

CUPE 748 represents the support staff of The Kootenay Lake School District #8 (SD8) as well as the employees of the Creston and District Community Complex and the Creston Public Library.

CUPE is Canada’s largest union, with over 700,000 members across the country. CUPE represents workers across a broad range of sectors including health care, emergency services, primary, secondary and post-secondary education, early learning and child care, municipalities, social services, libraries, utilities, transportation and airlines.

  • More than 60 per cent of our members are women
  • More than 70 per cent of CUPE’s 3,946 collective agreements are with locals of 100 members or less
  • CUPE has more than 2,363 locals and chartered organizations across the country, ranging in size from 20 to 20,000 members
  • CUPE membership’s collective payroll is over $21.8 billion
  • CUPE is a founding union of the Canadian Labour Congress, the umbrella organization for the Canadian labour movement. With dozens of affiliated Canadian and International unions, as well as provincial federations of labour and regional labour councils, the CLC represents the interests of more than three million workers in every imaginable occupation from coast to coast to coast.

Globally, CUPE is a proud and active affiliate of Public Service International. As the global federation of public sector unions, PSI represents 650 affiliated trade unions in 148 countries and territories worldwide, uniting more than 20 million public sector workers.

 

Equality statement

Union solidarity is based on the principle that union members are equal and deserve mutual respect at all levels. Any behaviour that creates conflict prevents us from working together to strengthen our union.

As unionists, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding are our goals. We should neither condone nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Discriminatory speech or conduct which is racist, sexist, transphobic or homophobic hurts and thereby divides us. So too, does discrimination on the basis of ability, age, class, religion, language and ethnic origin.

Sometimes discrimination takes the form of harassment. Harassment means using real or perceived power to abuse, devalue or humiliate. Harassment should not be treated as a joke. The uneasiness and resentment that it creates are not feelings that help us grow as a union.

Discrimination and harassment focus on characteristics that make us different; and they reduce our capacity to work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our union.

CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all persons deserve dignity, equality and respect.