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CFNU to BC nurses: stop raiding

The Canadian Federation of Nurses’ Unions has told its BC affiliate to stop raiding other health unions.

CLC President Ken Georgetti has already suspended the BC Nurses’ Union from labour councils, the B.C. Federation of Labour and the Canadian Labour Congress because of its campaign to sign up HEU and other unionized licensed practical nurses as ‘associate members’.

CFNU President Linda Silas wrote to the BCNU Aug. 5, directing them to immediately cease their associate membership campaign.

Lanark ACL silent on CUPE proposals

Negotiators for CUPE 1521.02 spent all day Aug. 11 giving management different proposals without a single written response.

The first day of bargaining in five weeks made no progress in resolving the strike at Lanark Association for Community Living, which began Jul. 4.

Meanwhile management has hired a third party consultant to manage replacement workers. One replacement worker told the union they were hired on a twelve week contract.

Video on Haida Gwaii garbage campaign

CUPE has produced a four minute video on the campaign to keep solid waste and recycling service public in Haida Gwaii in March 2008.

The video, by Vancouver videographer and CUPE 391 member James Gemmill features an interview with Thor Collison, a CUPE 105 member who has worked at the landfill site for over 10 years.

Directors of the Skeena Queen Charlotte Regional District voted Feb. 20, 2008 to continue to run the solid waste and recycling service despite calling earlier for private contractors to bid on it.

See the video at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESmougBTtYY

Lifeguards showcase skills in Langley competition

CUPE 403 sponsored a province-wide competition for lifeguards in British Columbia this week.

CUPE 403 member Kari Britton says competing in this event “is a great way to hone and practice your skills and have fun at the same time.”

The competition is set up to be as real as possible. Actors who feign various problems including bleeding from the face, lumbar injury, lost child, etc. are mixed in with the public who are using the pool.

Lifeguard teams are expected to scan and find all the injuries, and help the victims.

CUPE launches campaign to stop library cuts

CUPE BC is part of a province-wide campaign to stop cuts to libraries anticipated in the Sept. 1 provincial budget.

As part of the campaign, CUPE BC has launched a web page and will soon be holding a phone campaign urging British Columbians to write to their MLAs in opposition to the funding cuts.

Visit: cupe.bc.ca/libraries/

CLC signs tri-national statement on NAFTA

As Stephen Harper joined Barack Obama and Felipe Calderon at their annual meeting, CLC President Ken Georgetti was having another kind of meeting with his union counterparts in the US and Mexico.

The three national labour federation leaders called on the NAFTA governments to fix the problems with the treaty that reduce wages and living standards in a written declaration.

The declaration calls for changes to the NAFTA sidebar agreement on labour standards, the North American Agreement on Labor Cooperation.

Paramedics sit-in on Campbell River landmark

CUPE 873 members held a 24-hour sit-in this week at the landmark 30-foot high big rock outside of Campbell River BC to draw attention to their strike.

Event organizer Steve Bremer, an ambulance paramedic from Courtenay, said “It was a little cold and the three brave souls who volunteered to stay overnight went home to get some sleep at around six o’clock Sunday morning. Thanks to all paramedics who participated, this was a great event.”

The strike - which began April 1 - is over chronic understaffing and long response times.

Paramedics continue to work under essential services legislation.

:mlb/cope491