Vancouver civic workers vote yes for fairness
Civic workers at Vancouver city hall, the Park Board, Ray-Cam Cooperative Association and Britannia Community Service Centre Society voted 93.5 per cent in favour of strike action, if necessary, to get a fair contract. With 12,000 civic workers throughout the Lower Mainland, CUPE 15 launched a public campaign (www.fairnessforcivicworkers.ca) to promote fairness and prevent a disruption of civic services in Vancouver and throughout the region. The public is encouraged to visit the site to send an e-mail message to every member of their Mayor and Council to urge them to remove concessions, return to the bargaining table and respect civic workers with a fair contract.Hansen statements on TILMA inaccurate, says Gould
Statements made by Economic Development Minister Colin Hansen about the Trade, Investment, and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) between B.C. and Alberta are inaccurate and misleading, according to trade consultant Ellen Gould. Gould, who wrote a report on TILMA released in February by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, pointed that the agreement has an unprecedented provision - Article 3. This article prohibits governments from implementing regulations or providing programs if they are obstacles to investment.McGuinty should use new funding to strengthen all developmental services
The McGuinty government must ensure that new funding announced today for developmental services is used to strengthen the whole sector and not just to adjust wages of the lowest of the low-paid. It has been seven years since the first study commissioned by employers showed a 25% wage gap that’s only been growing in the intervening years. Meanwhile, the job of developmental services worker has lost much of its appeal because it has come to mean working part-time, often for two or more employers just to make ends meet. The Ministry of Community and Social Services must recognize that the wage gap applies to the whole community living sector and not just some so-called low-wage agencies in order to put the whole sector on a solid foundation and secure supports available for persons with a developmental disability.Newfoundland/Labrador convention raises $7,400 for Daniel’s Harbour
Known for their generosity, delegates to the CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador Division convention in Gander this week raised $7,460 for residents of Daniel’s Harbour.
The tiny community on the province’s Northern Peninsula shot into national prominence last week when images of homes and buildings sliding down cliffs and into the ocean were aired on national TV networks.
CUPE National President Paul Moist committed $5,000 to the relief effort.
Don’t let the BC Liberals kill Bill M210
CUPE BC is endorsing a piece of Opposition legislation that could save up to 13,000 student lives in B.C. but which the Campbell government has so far shown no signs of supporting. Bill M210, The Anaphylactic Student Protection Act, was introduced by NDP Education Critic David Cubberley (Saanich South) on March 28th. It would require every school board in the province “to establish and maintain an anaphylactic policy setting out risk reduction strategies, a communications plan and a mandatory regular training program…”. It would also require every school principal “to maintain a file and individual plan for each anaphylactic student” and allow school board employees “to administer or supervise student administration of medication in response to an anaphylactic reaction.”Special Days:
- Asian History Month: Month of May
- Tommy Douglas Vision for Medicare National Conference - Regina, Saskatchewan:
May 3 - 4, 2007 - Québec Division Convention:
May 7 – 11, 2007 - Canadian Association of Labour Communicators Conference - Halifax, Nova Scotia:
May 11 – 13, 2007 - British Columbia Division Conventions: May 9 – 12, 2007
- Prince Edward Island Division Convention:
May 17 – 18, 2007 - International Day Against Homophobia:
May 17, 2007 - Ontario Division Convention:
May 23 – 26, 2007