(Yarmouth) – Danny Cavanagh, a municipal outside worker from Truro, has been re-elected as president of CUPE Nova Scotia.
This is Cavanagh’s second, two-year term as president of the 16,000-member union.
Cavanagh says, “One of our union’s top priorities for the coming year is the exodus of workers from our province,” which he describes as scary.
“Nova Scotia lost nearly 4,000 people in 2006 through the outmigration of workers, mainly to Alberta,” says Cavanagh.
He says, “Despite this, the recent provincial budget lacked any substantive human resource strategy to deal with the recruitment and retention of workers. Young people won’t stay in Nova Scotia and work 20 hours a week in low-paying jobs with no benefits and no pension when they can head west,” says Cavanagh.
“Major employers in our region – like Sobey’s and Irving – need to re-examine the ‘low-wage’ model that they have traditionally relied on. Workers simply won’t hang around if wages aren’t competitive,” he says.
CUPE’s 44th annual provincial convention was held in Yarmouth this year.
(ATTENTION ASSIGNMENT/PHOTO EDITORS: Danny Cavanagh will be speaking at the ‘Day of Mourning’ ceremonies on April 28 at 6:00 pm at Steel Town Park in New Glasgow.)
For information:
Danny Cavanagh John McCracken
President, CUPE Nova Scotia CUPE Communications Representative
(902) 957-0822 (Cell) (902) 455-4180 (o)
cope 491