Association of Employees
Supporting Education Services

President’s Message – October 2024

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Greetings my fellow AESES members! Rob Parker here, your newly minted AESES President. It is both my honour and privilege to be serving you in this role for the current Board term.

I am keenly aware of the large shoes I have to fill, as our late president, leader, and friend Chris McCann’s influence and impact were far-reaching. Rest assured; I will do my very best not to let you down. Chris’ passing has affected us all in AESES quite profoundly, and grief can be a very lonely and isolating process. His memorial service was quite cathartic though, as it was so well attended that it became obvious that no one there was alone in their grief and sadness. We were all there for each other. This is precisely how Chris, and certainly I, feel about AESES.

We’re in this together. We are here for you. You are not alone.

With the arrival of fall comes a new term and a renewed energy on our campuses. This is no less the case with AESES, as we look for ways to connect with you. We have several Brown Bag Lunches planned over the coming months, as well as a recent New Members’ Meeting on October 2nd.

There is also no shortage of social and educational activities coming up. Everything from our Education Seminars (some which are already sold out and new ones have just opened!) to our legendary (and renamed), AESES 2024 Children’s Winter Holiday Extravaganza are on tap for the fall term. More exciting announcements and activities are to come. Please watch for communications and follow us on social media for further updates.

Of course, our primary mission is to ensure that your interests, concerns, and priorities are well-represented and protected as we navigate the peaks and valleys that come with being employed in post-secondary education. We all experience challenges and invariably have questions regarding what rights and protections we are afforded in the workplace. We also want to be sure that our best interests are represented when it’s time to bargain for a better, more equitable deal for us all. Always remember: We’re in this together. We are here for you. You are not alone.

I sincerely look forward to meeting and working with many of you over the coming months. Please feel free to reach out to me, your board rep, or anyone at the AESES Business Office should you have any questions or concerns, or should you need advice regarding workplace issues.

In solidarity

Rob

Members Events, Community Events and Initiatives

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

UM Winter Clothing Library – Donations Requested

The University of Manitoba International Centre’s Winter Clothing Library piloted last year to help provide international and exchange students access to gently used winter clothing. Due to overwhelming need, we are continuing the project this upcoming year and are eagerly hoping for donations of winter jackets, boots and cold weather accessories.Donate your items to the International Centre office, 541 UMSU University Centre (Fort Garry Campus) during business hours (Monday-Friday, 8:30-4:30 pm).

If there are any department offices or staff that would like to act as a drop-off location, the International Centre can pick up items as needed in various locations, and can provide promotional materials as necessary. Click here to review our donation instructions. For more information contact international@umanitoba.ca

Coldest Night of the Year Fundraising Walk 2025

Join us as we honour the legacy of our beloved former president, Chris McCann, by continuing the tradition he started: participating in the Coldest Night of the Year fundraising walk on Friday, February 22, 2025. Save the date – February 22, 2025

New Faces

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Welcome new members to AESES!

Visit our New Faces page to view the latest AESES hires for October 2024 at both universities, as reported to us by the University of Manitoba (UM) and The University of Winnipeg (UW). The lists include full-time, part-time, temporary, and seasonal employees.

AESES Volunteers’ Appreciation Banquet 2024

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Annually, AESES acknowledges, thanks, and celebrates its Board of Representatives and longstanding volunteers. This year’s event took place at the Viscount Gort Hotel in April. Chris McCann, AESES President presented the following pins and awards after supper:

Bronze Pin – 5 Years of Service
Tracey Clifton-Hanslip and Jennifer Holbrow

Silver Pin – 10 Years of Service
Glenn Bergen, Melissa Blonjeaux, Daniel Matthes, Funmi Owoade and Blair Zelinsky

Jennifer Holbrow, Melissa Blonjeaux and Blair Zelinsky

The Dedicated Service Award was presented to Meaghan Michaluk for her consistent and unwavering dedication to AESES, for which we are profoundly grateful. Meaghan started at The University of Winnipeg over ten years ago in Kinesiology, then took on further roles as an Academic Advisor, then the Faculty of Education. Meaghan made time for AESES, stepping up and serving in many important roles such as a member of the Classification, Finance and Diversity Committees, as a Board rep, and serving as Vice-President for UW.

Meaghan Michaluk and Chris McCann

The final presentation of the evening was for Laurie Morris, AESES Honourary Life Member – Past President. Until she retired from the Department of Philosophy in 2023, Laurie had worked at the University of Manitoba for 42 years. For AESES, she was a wonderful presence. Laurie joined the board in 1999 and served AESES is so many capacities. She was an organizing force for the Activities Committee, diving into Negotiations and being a leader at that bargaining table through four contract negotiations and serving on the Executive Board first as Secretary way back in 2008 and then Executive VP for four years and culminating with eight years as AESES President. Chris thanked Laurie for all the time and wisdom she provided over the years! Congratulations on this prestigious award.

Tom Moyle, Laurie Morris, Chris McCann

Can You Tell Me? Caregiving Leaves

Sunday, October 1st, 2023

Caregiving Leaves

Situations may arise where an employee needs time off work to care for a family member with a serious illness or injury. Leaves are available through the AESES Collective Agreements and the Employment Standards Code of Manitoba allowing members time off work to manage longer-term caregiving obligations.  

Members required to care for a family member facing a significant risk of death can take Compassionate Care Leave. As covered in Article 18.5 in the AESES-UM Collective Agreement and Article 16.5 in the AESES-UW Collective Agreement, Compassionate Care Leave provides eligible members with up to 28 weeks of unpaid leave. It can be taken in one or two periods, but each must be at least one week long.  

UM members are eligible for this leave once they have completed 30 calendar days of employment, and UW members are eligible once they have completed 90 calendar days of employment. When possible, UM members are to provide their supervisor with notice of at least one pay period, and UW members are to provide at least 10 working days’ notice. Members must also submit a medical note as soon as possible stating that the family member has a serious medical condition with a significant risk of death within 26 weeks and requires the care and support of one or more family members.

Compassionate Care Leaves in both the AESES-UM and AESES-UW Collective Agreements state that an eligible family member means a family member as defined by the Employment Standards Code of Manitoba. Family is defined very broadly in the Employment Standards Code. Children, stepchildren, parents, grandparents, spouses, common law spouses, brothers, sisters, step-brothers, step-sisters, aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews are all considered family members. The definition also includes those who are not related, but whom the employee considers to be like a close relative. 

If the family member is not at risk of death, another option available is Leave Related to Critical Illness provided under the provincial Employment Standards Code. Employees can take up to 37 weeks of Leave Related to Critical Illness within a 52-week period to provide care to a critically ill child under 18 years old, and up to 17 weeks within a 52-week period to provide care to a critically ill adult. It can be taken in one or more periods, however, each period must be at least one week long. Leave Related to Critical Illness is an unpaid leave. 

An employee caring for a critically ill child must have worked at least 30 days with the employer to be entitled to this leave. While an employee caring for a critically ill adult must have worked at least 90 days with the employer to be eligible. When possible, employees must give at least one pay period of notice before the leave and provide their employer with a medical note as soon as possible. Employees are still entitled to Leave Related to Critical Illness even if they are unable to give notice. 

Compassionate Care Leave and Leave Related to Critical Illness allow employees time off to deal with these obligations without the loss of their job, but they are unpaid leaves. AESES members may be eligible for the federal EI (Employment Insurance) special benefits for workers who take time off work due to caring for a critically ill or injured person or family member. To find out more, call Service Canada toll-free at 1 800 O-Canada (1-800-622-6232) or use their online Benefits Finder: canada.ca/en/services/benefits/finder.html   

If you need consultation on a caregiving situation, contact us at LabourTeam@aeses.ca. 

For info on short-term family care leave options, see the Can You Tell Me: Resources for Family Care article in the December 2023 insideAESES newsletter.