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Charlottetown wastewater workers settle

Five members of CUPE 501 have settled their 27 day old dispute with the City of Charlottetown at its wastewater treatment plant.

CUPE National Representative Bill McKinnon said the contract “achieves all the objectives” the workers had for their new contract.

Included in the agreement:

• full stand-by pay adjustment and double time for Saturdays, retroactive to January 1st, 2007;
• 2% “technological adjustment”;
• wage adjustments of three, three and three per cent during the life of the contract;
• maximum work period and rest period language; and
• improvements in bereavement leave language.


Moist in Northern NL for rep vote

Paul Moist lent his support to two CUPE health care locals facing representation votes in Newfoundland and Labrador next week.

Moist visited CUPE 1644 in St. Anthony, on the northwest tip of Newfoundland’s Great Northern Peninsula, and CUPE 1581 in Labrador City.

About 720 CUPE, NAPE and non-union health services workers will be choosing which union they want to represent them.  Voting takes place Monday, November 17 through to Friday, November 21.


Students and unions back CUPE 3903

York University student and campus unions threw their full support behind the 3,400 striking faculty, teaching and graduate assistants of CUPE 3903 at a solidarity rally and joint news conference this week.

A group of undergraduate students demonstrated at the university’s main gate, and joined the picket lines.

By noon, picket lines had grown to ten times their normal size as faculty, clerical staff, security guards and other workers on campus came down to lend support.

The strike began November 6.


Colombian sugar workers end 56 day strike in victory

A 56 day strike by 18,000 Colombian sugar cane workers ended in victory November 10 after companies employing some 75% of the workers agreed to their major demands.

SINALCORTEROS, the union which led Colombia’s longest, toughest, and highest profile strike in recent memory expects the remaining employers will follow the pattern.


Bill 29 compensation cheques to arrive before Christmas

Health care workers in BC who lost their jobs six years under Bill 29 will finally get some compensation - in time for Christmas.

More than 7,000 will be getting anywhere from $800.00 to more than $17,000.00.  The average will be $9,500.00.

Arbitrator Vince Ready ordered the payments late last week as part negotiations between health unions and government to settle the Bill 29 Supreme Court case.

HEU Secretary-Business Manager Judy Darcy says the compensation payouts - though welcome - will never make up for the damage Bill 29 caused.


Saskatchewan government cools to P3 schools

CUPE pressure for public schools is paying off in Saskatchewan, where the government appears to be backing away from plans for P3 schools.

Earlier this year the Saskatchewan Party government – which is “open” to P3 proposals – said it was working on a P3 school policy for the province.

The Saskatoon Public School Board told the government it was “actively exploring” the idea of a P3 school for the city.

Yesterday however, Education Minister Ken Krawetz sounded a note of caution about the schemes.

CUPE has been urging both the Saskatoon school board and the provincial government to learn from other province’s mistakes and keep the new school public.

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