FREDERICTON – The members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Local 1251, voted overwhelmingly in favor of a strike.
Last week, members of CUPE Local 1251 voted 90 per cent in favour of a strike action. CUPE Local 1251 represents over 500 members working as Correctional Officers, NB Housing and Community Colleges Custodians, Human Service Counsellors, Laboratory Assistants and Food Services Workers.
“Members of Local 1251 could be on strike as early as next Tuesday”, said Louis Arseneau, Interim President of CUPE Local 1251.
“Our collective agreement expired in June 2007. We had twenty-five (25) days of face-to-face negotiations and five (5) days of intensive negotiations with the help of a Commissioner. After our members rejected the Commissioner’s report, we went back for another five (5) days of negotiations with our employer, but all those attempts failed. In fact, the employer left the table.”
“If the New Brunswick Government is serious about its objective of self-sufficiency, it needs to focus on keeping workers in this province. They need to recognize the value of our members”, said Arseneau.
“How can the government justify that the custodians, who work in a Community College, earn $1 an hour less than custodians who do the same work in the public schools?” asked Arseneau.
“Our Correctional Officers are among the lowest paid in Canada. The Human Service Counsellors are in a similar situation, earning less than their provincial counterparts with comparable specializations”, concluded Arseneau.
For more information: Louis Arseneau, Interim President, CUPE Local 1251 - 506-544-5912; Clifford Hay, CUPE Representative - 506-458-8059