CUPE 2745 Bargaining Committee marched on the New Brunswick Legislature today at the end of a five-day hunger strike to support their bargaining demands. They were joined by more than 200 labor activists.
“This five-day hunger strike is only one of many actions we will be undertaking over the summer months to get our message to the government: we want fairness and respect from our employer”, said Sandy Harding, President of CUPE 2745.
Harding says drastic situations call for drastic measures. “We are hungry for fairness and respect. This week-long protest shows the seriousness of the situation and what this team is prepared to do to make the government take notice.”
“The government is deliberately maintaining a group of 3,300 women in poverty. For years now, the government has refused to give us guaranteed hours of work. We work on average 28 hours a week for 39 weeks a year.”
“Not only are we living below the national poverty line, but when we retire, we will be even poorer because our members don’t work enough hours to qualify for the full-time defined benefit pension plan,” explained Harding.
“We received tremendous support during this week. This action has strengthened our determination to achieve fairness for our members,” said Harding.
CUPE 2745 represents nearly 3,300 members who are educational support staff in New Brunswick schools and school district offices for the Department of Education.