Warning message

Please note that this page is from our archives. There may be more up-to-date content about this topic on our website. Use our search engine to find out.

(Halifax) Contract talks between St. Josephs Early Childhood Centres and its unionized employees have broken off, and the union has applied for conciliation.

CUPE Local 3845, which represents some 45 teachers, cooks and maintenance staff at five municipal day care centers across the city, says the centres offer of a 1.5% wage increase is an insult.

Local 3845 President Alison Wallace says, Weve been listening to our employers message about fiscal austerity for 10 years now. These workers were promised that if they made sacrifices it would pay off in the long run. Well, the long run has arrived, says Wallace.

When inflation is factored in, the child care workers wages have actually decreased over the ten-year period.

We are looking for wage parity with all of the other non-profit child care centers in Halifax. The highest annual salary of our toddler and preschool teachers is lower than the lowest annual salary of our counterparts, she says.

For information:

Alison Wallace, President, CUPE Local 3845
(902) 455-6039 (h)
John McCracken, CUPE Communications Representative
(902) 455-4180 (o)