Award deadlines are approaching
Did you write a great feature this year? Did you take an amazing photograph? Is your website easy to navigate? Does your newsletter have clean and appealing layout? Nominations are now open for CUPE’s Communication Awards. DEADLINE: June 30th.
Do you know a CUPE member or group of members who champion workplace literacy and clear language? Nominations are now open for CUPE’s Literacy Awards. DEADLINE: August 24th.
Do you know someone who has made a significant health and safety contribution? Nominations are now open for CUPE’s Health and Safety Awards. DEADLINE: August 24th.
Know a CUPE sister who’s done outstanding work on women’s issues in our union? Has your local been breaking ground in the struggle for equity and social justice for women? Nominations are now open for the Biennial Grace Hartman Award. DEADLINE: September 1st.
For nomination forms and more information see: http://www.cupe.ca/convention07.
Supreme Court rules on Bill 29
In a nearly unanimous decision, the court held that freedom of association as guaranteed by Section A 2(d) of the Charter includes a procedural right to collective bargaining. In doing so, the court has overturned previous decisions which rejected any protection for collective bargaining.
Bill 29, the Health and Social Services Delivery Improvement Act, is the controversial 2002 legislation that removed or rewrote contracting out, seniority and other provisions of health care and community social services collective agreements.
The legislation restricts free collective bargaining on many of these issues. Bill 29 also excluded health care and community social services workers from the successorship provisions of the B.C. Labour Code.
CUPE National to Lower Mainland employers: No concessions acceptable
The strength and solidarity of 560,000 members, 140 delegates from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta and BC – as well as guests from Ontario – was felt at the 11th annual CUPE Western Municipal Conference in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Attendees pledged their full support to the 12,000 CUPE members in BC’s Lower Mainland who are battling concessions from employers throughout this densely populated belt of British Columbia. The delegates passed an emergency resolution confirming that pledge.
Paul Moist was clear: “Lower Mainland employers need to know that Canada’s largest union will support fully, the 12,000 Lower Mainland civic employees in their fight for concession free agreements that improve wages and working conditions.”
MP’s pass motion to ban bulk water exports
A motion on preventing bulk water exports that was brought to the House of Commons (as a result of the NDP hearings on deep integration at the Standing Committee on International Trade) passed this week in Parliament by a vote of 134 to 108, with all Conservatives voting against and with a couple of dozen Liberal MPs either absent or abstaining. All New Democrats voted in favour of this motion.
“This is great news”, said CUPE National President Paul Moist. “CUPE, the Council of Canadians, the New Democratic Party, and many environmental groups have been working very hard to protect water from commodification, and this is a definite step in the right direction.”
Quebecor back in Superior Court over strike banner
Once again the Quebec Superior Court has rejected a request by Quebecor management for a provisional injunction against its employees. The banner that the locked out workers hung on their trailer last week upset management. The trailer is parked in the CUPE parking lot, located at 5050 des Gradins Boulevard. The court will have another hearing at a later date.
Quebecor locked out its workers on April 22nd. Press workers voted 97% in favour of immediate strike action in solidarity with the editorial and advertising workers that had been locked out. Prior to the lockout none of the three Journal de Québec unions had sought a strike mandate from their members. Since the 24th of April, the locked out workers and striking press workers have been publishing and distributing the new free daily MediaMatin Québec.
Peel Catholic School Board support staff vote to strike
Clerical, secretarial and technical staff with the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board (DPCDSB) last night voted 99.9 per cent in support of strike action.
A key issue for CUPE 2026 in these negotiations is achieving a better staff-to-student ratio. Based on comparisons with other school boards, there are fewer secretaries and other administrative staff at the Dufferin-Peel Catholic Board per pupil. In addition, school secretaries and library technicians are called on to supervise students because the provincial Liberals did not provide adequate funding to school boards to meet new framework agreements on preparation time with teachers.
BC Flood Watch
BC’s civic workers are on the front line of flood watch and preparation. The next few days and weeks are critical as plans kick into overdrive. CUPE civic workers from Smithers to Delta to the Fraser Valley, where dykes span 300 km from Delta/Surrey to Agassiz are deployed in your community to do flood patrols, building up and reinforcing dykes, sandbagging, staffing 24-hour emergency flood lines, preparing to carry out evacuation plans, cooperating with neighbouring municipalities for staff redeployment, monitoring flood gages, and building emergency lines of communication.Community Living Sarnia workers begin strike countdown
Workers at Community Living Sarnia are beginning strike preparations after negotiations for a new collective agreement broke down yesterday afternoon.
The union has requested a no-board report, which would put it in a legal strike/lockout position by the last week of June, joining CUPE members at Community Living Durham North who could also take job action in late June. CUPE has 46 community living bargaining units in negotiations this year.
June Special Days!
- Clean Air Day - June 6th
- National Child Care Conference - June 15th to 17th (Halifax)
- National Aboriginal Day - June 21st