Who is MoveUP?

MoveUP is the union representing non-faculty and non-management workers at Capilano University. MoveUP comprises DDAs, custodial workers, and groundskeepers; they are our colleagues who perform administrative work in departments and faculties throughout CapU. 

On May 15, our colleagues in MoveUP started their job action with the employer. On June 6 they created a picket line at three Capilano University campuses. On June 6 the CFA recommended that all Capilano University faculty honour the picket line in support of our MoveUP co-workers. Faculty honour the line by not doing any CapU.

Why is MoveUP on strike?

The strike is mainly about a single issue: a fair appeal process when the administration denies telecommuting arrangements. This is not about staff claiming a right to choose when to work from home. It is about our staff colleagues being able to bring unreasonable decisions to a labour arbitrator chosen mutually by the administration and union.

More recently, the University bargaining team, unlike other public sector employers, has taken the position that staff wage increases won’t be retroactive. This is not the norm and would need to be addressed before pickets are lifted. These are the main outstanding issues.

MoveUP negotiations are at impasse. See the CFA’s recent bulletins supporting MoveUP for updates on negotiations.

Misinformation & Facts

Two significant myths have circulated about the MoveUP proposal. Neither are true.

  • MoveUP is seeking only a reasonable process for disagreements about when and how staff can do some of their work remotely. This is their proposal:

    Telecommuting arrangements shall not be unreasonably denied or rescinded by the University

    The CapU administrators have rejected this outright. However, “Shall make the decision reasonably” language is common in collective agreements. It appears in more than half a dozen clauses in the Capilano faculty collective agreement.

  • Other post-secondary institutions have already agreed on a similar “reasonableness” rule for remote work.

    At least three post-secondaries in B.C. already have this in their signed agreements: UBC, UVic, and the Justice Institute. See as example: UBC’s support staff union, CUPE 2950's collective agreement section 28.02 D “Hybrid work arrangements” (p. 46).

It is the CFA’s opinion that this is the wrong time for the employer to walk away from the negotiating table. Our democratic society is based on communication. Part of this democracy is knowing when to meet and when to walk away from the talks.

The employer’s unwillingness to address this critical issue in the labour negotiation shows lack of insight into the lives of their employees, the world-wide current communication methods, and fails to acknowledge the issue of equitable treatment for CapU workers. They could have worked with MoveUP to create industry-leading language. Instead, they are entrenched in their desire to avoid this important topic.