SECTION 1: TERMS OF SERVICE AND LEGAL DISCLAIMER
Welcome to cusw-bc.ca (the “Website”), the official online platform for the British Columbia membership, locals, and committees of the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers (CUSW-BC). By accessing or using this Website, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree, please exit the Website immediately.
1. Union Communication and Informational Purposes Only (Not Advice)
All content published on this Website—including Collective Agreements, dispatch rules, health and safety updates, benefit and pension summaries, apprenticeship requirements, union dispatches, and member announcements—is provided strictly for informational and educational purposes to support our membership and the broader labour community.
No Professional, Legal, or Financial Advice: While this Website contains summaries of health benefits, pension structures, and employment standards, nothing on this platform constitutes formal legal, financial, investment, or tax advice. Members should consult directly with their CUSW Training Trust, Benefits Administrators, or Union Representatives for official, case-specific guidance.
No Reliance: While CUSW-BC makes every effort to ensure that the descriptions of collective agreements, wage schedules, and workplace regulations are accurate, the official signed legal documents take precedence in all matters. Your reliance on information found on this Website is strictly at your own risk.
2. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable Canadian and British Columbia law, the Canadian Union of Skilled Workers (CUSW), CUSW-BC, its executives, dispatchers, trustees, and operators shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, or inability to access, this Website. This includes, but is not limited to, dispatch system downtime, loss of member portal data, reporting errors, or omissions in the posted job boards and training schedules.
3. Member Portal, Comments, and User Content
If you log into the member portal, participate in union forums, post comments, or submit documentation through the Website:
You represent and warrant that your content is accurate, complies with the CUSW Constitution and Bylaws, and does not violate any third-party copyrights or privacy rights.
You acknowledge that certain union communication tools are intended solely for active membership business and democratic union participation.
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to monitor, edit, or delete any user content, comments, or portal entries that we deem defamatory, unprocedural, unlawful, or otherwise violating the union’s code of conduct or mutual respect policies, without prior notice.
4. Third-Party Links
Our member resources, training modules, and benefit updates frequently link to external platforms, including corporate benefit administrators, provincial safety authorities (such as WorkSafeBC), the Industry Training Authority (ITA), or federal labour programs. We do not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for the content, security, or privacy practices of any third-party websites.
5. Governing Law
These Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of British Columbia and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, including applicable provincial and federal labour relations frameworks. Any legal actions involving this platform or regional division must be brought exclusively in the appropriate legal or arbitral forums located in British Columbia.
6. Modifications
We reserve the right to update or change these terms at any time without prior notice to reflect adjustments in union governance, legal statutes, or web portal infrastructure. Your continued use of the Website constitutes acceptance of the modified terms.
7. Security and Member Data Protection
We implement reasonable administrative, technical, and organizational safeguards designed to protect personal membership information, dispatch registrations, dues documentation, and internal portal files against unauthorized access, disclosure, misuse, alteration, or destruction. However, no method of digital transmission or storage over the internet is completely secure, and we cannot guarantee the absolute security of your information.
SECTION 2: PRIVACY POLICY
Designed to comply with applicable privacy laws, including PIPA (BC) and PIPEDA where applicable
Effective Date: May 23, 2026
At CUSW-BC, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting the personal data of our members, retirees, apprentices, and applicants. This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, and safeguard your personal information, in compliance with the British Columbia Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) and the Canadian federal Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA).
1. Information We Collect
Voluntary Information: We collect personal data such as your name, address, phone number, email address, Social Insurance Number (SIN), trade qualifications, apprenticeship status, dues records, and employment history when you apply for membership, register for the dispatch list, log into the member portal, or submit training and benefit requests.
Automated Information: We automatically collect standard internet log data, including your IP address, browser type, and portal activity logs, via cookies and analytical tools to maintain security, verify membership logins, and optimize our digital dispatch and reporting systems.
2. Legal Basis for Processing and Consent
CUSW-BC collects and processes personal information strictly for the purposes of carrying out its legal duties as a certified bargaining agent, managing collective agreement compliance, administering union operations, and providing member services. By submitting your information, applying for membership, or utilizing the member portal, you consent to the collection, use, and disclosure of your personal data as outlined in this policy.
3. How We Use Your Information
We use your personal information solely to:
Manage union membership registries, process union dues, and track work history.
Administer the job dispatch system, verify safety certifications, and notify members of employment opportunities.
Coordinate with the CUSW Training Trust and benefit plan administrators to deliver health, welfare, pension, and apprenticeship programs.
Communicate vital union business, bargaining updates, meeting notices, and regional election information.
We will never sell, rent, or trade your personal information or contact lists to external third parties for commercial or marketing purposes.
4. Third-Party Services and Labour Data Transfers
To effectively run union operations, your personal data may be shared with authorized third parties, including benefit plan administrators, financial institutions processing union dues, and joint training committees. Your data may be stored on secure cloud servers located within Canada. We ensure that all third-party administrators maintain rigorous technical and legal safeguards that match or exceed provincial data protection standards.
5. Your Personal Data Rights
Under British Columbia’s PIPA, you have the following rights regarding your personal information:
The Right to Access: You can request a copy of the personal membership and employment data we hold in your file.
The Right to Correction: You can request that we update or correct inaccurate, outdated, or incomplete contact details, training tickets, or trade qualifications.
The Right to Withdraw Consent: You may withdraw consent to the use of your information for optional union communications (such as non-mandatory newsletters), subject to restrictions required for mandatory collective bargaining and representation duties.
We retain personal information only as long as necessary to fulfill the purposes of representation, legal compliance, pension administration, and historical union archives.
6. Cookies
We use cookies to keep you securely logged into your member portal profile, automate password retrieval verification, and monitor site usage. You can choose to turn off cookies through your browser settings, though doing so may limit your ability to access the secure member dispatch area.
7. Contact Us
To exercise your privacy rights, update your member file, or communicate with the CUSW-BC Privacy Officer, please contact us at [email protected].
SECTION 3: EXTERNAL LINKS & LABOUR COPYRIGHT DISCLAIMERS
1. External Links Disclaimer
The Website (cusw-bc.ca) contains links to external employers, contractor associations, provincial training resources, and benefit administrators that are not provided, maintained by, or in any way affiliated with CUSW-BC. Please note that we do not guarantee the accuracy, relevance, or completeness of any information on these external platforms. Under no circumstances shall the union be held liable for any loss, scheduling error, or employment conflict caused by your reliance on information obtained through external links.
2. Copyright and Fair Dealing Notice
The CUSW-BC platform publishes labour news, trade guides, health and safety instructions, and collective bargaining updates. Content on this site may contain copyrighted material—such as industrial blueprints, regulatory charts, safety diagrams, or excerpts from provincial industry standards—the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner.
We make such material available entirely in a non-profit, educational, and union-representation capacity to advance worker safety, trade competency, and the socioeconomic well-being of skilled tradespeople. We believe this constitutes a “fair dealing” of any such copyrighted material as provided for under Section 29 of the Copyright Act of Canada (which covers research, private study, criticism, review, and education).
If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes that go beyond fair dealing, you must obtain permission directly from the copyright owner.
If you are a copyright owner or partner organisation and believe your workplace materials or logos have been used inappropriately on this Website, please contact the CUSW-BC administrative team immediately so we can address your concerns.
