CUPE members from across Canada open their wallets to help DEVCO workers

Forty-three CUPE DEVCO workers who are losing their jobs have received a huge financial pledge from delegates and staff attending the union’s national convention in Vancouver this week.

The members of Local 2046 received over $14,000 in cash from the convention floor, and CUPE National will match this amount. Locals and divisions pledged an additional $97,000, for a total of $128,000 in donations.

The 1500 CUPE members from Canada 3000, who have also recently lost their jobs, became the heroes of the day when they graciously declined pledges of financial support, insisting it all go to the DEVCO workers.

CUPE had been heavily involved in a fight for pension fairness for the workers with the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), a government-run mining company.

We were able to negotiate some minor improvements to the original layoff package, which was only providing pensions to workers over age 50. This was despite the fact that some members who were under 50 had worked at the mine for 25 years plus.

In a bitter strike at the mine in January, 2000, more than 100 RCMP officers were called in to escort coal shipments at the request of Nova Scotia Power, which claimed the strike was causing a shortage.