Moist rallies Windsor strikers
Paul Moist rallied city workers on strike against the City of Windsor, May 6.
CUPE 82’s 400 outside workers went on strike April 15. CUPE 543’s 1,400 outside workers joined them April 18.
Moist told a rally outside Windsor City Hall: “Your fight will have major repercussions with other locals and unions, and I can tell you that your local elected officers have 100% support from your national union.”
Moist was glad that the union and the employer were going back to the table Monday. “We are optimistic that we’ll be able to find some common ground on the issue of post-retirement benefits,” he said.
H1N1 flu virus and CUPE members
The (H1N1) Flu Virus (Human Swine Influenza) has been reported in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and at least twenty other countries around the world.
If in your work you are in frequent close contact with the public (one meter or less), consult with your joint health and safety committee or your health and safety representative.
Those who will be expected to work in close contact with people potentially ill from human swine influenza must be provided with suitable personal protective equipment, including fit-tested and NIOSH-approved N-95 respirators, gloves, gowns, and eye protection. All surfaces that have been potentially contaminated with respiratory secretions should be cleaned with an appropriate disinfectant.
For the complete bulletin, see:
http://cupe.ca/health-and-safety/swine-flu-precautions
Peel long term care workers get $1.6 million in pay equity
CUPE 966 members at two long term care homes in the Regional Municipality of Peel saw almost $1.6 million in pay equity settlements recently.
“We’ve been doing a lot of work on this,” said CUPE 966 President Mary-Jo Falle.
The payouts cover those who worked at Peel Manor and Sheridan Village between 1992 and 2003, and could amount to a few thousand dollars per employee.
The union has yet to resolve payments for those employed between 2003 and the present, as well as payments for two other long term care facilities the region opened after 2003.
Fix EI now
Is there any doubt EI needs a fix, now? Canada is going through the worst economic turmoil in a long time. More and more workers are being laid off.
Those workers and their families need access to employment insurance.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has done nothing but talk about the problem.
CUPE is joining other voices in calling upon Harper to listen to the opposition parties, and the many voices across the country who are calling for the immediate reform of employment insurance.
Gordon Campbell tosses striker a loonie. Ha ha ha!
BC Premier Gordon Campbell tossed a loonie at a picketing paramedic who asked him to settle their month-old strike, and quipped “Don’t spend it all in one place.”
BC’s health minister George Abbott phoned all concerned to insist it was all meant in good fun, but ambulance paramedics - on strike since April 1 - aren’t laughing.
“That the premier would joke about our pay like that shows the level of disrespect we’re getting from this government,” said CUPE 873 President John Strohmaier.
The ambulance paramedics have been pushing Abbott to appoint an independent mediator to get back to the bargaining table.
CUPE backs Abitibi workers
CUPE NL Division convention delegates joined AbitibiBowater employees at the company’s paper mill in Grand Falls-Windsor. They were protesting the company’s attempts to renege on pension and severance obligations.
The CEP won an important court case in Québec yesterday. A judge there ruled the company had to honour its pension commitments.
CUPE NL President Wayne Lucas says, “The first resolution on the floor of our convention dealt with the outrageous move by AbitibiBowater to try and avoid its responsibilities to these workers.”
Alberta cancels P3 high school plans
Alberta will pay for four new high schools publicly, cancelling privatized financing and upkeep plans.
The private financier involved in a first wave of 19 P3 schools in the province is on shaky financial footing.
Ten elementary and middle schools will still be built with private financing and major maintenance – a move that costs twice the price of public borrowing and upkeep.
Alberta’s infrastructure minister told the media the public approach was a “far better way” to meet the “special needs for programming”.
For a monthly email bulletin on privatization, send an email to: www.privatizationwatch-subscribe@lists.cupe.ca
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