Charlottetown waste water workers strike
Waste water workers in Charlottetown, PEI - CUPE 501 members - went on strike October 17.
Paul Moist walked the picket line with the five members of CUPE 501 October 24. The strikers have also had their line bolstered by the CUPE PEI executive.
The strikers have been without a contract since December 31, 2006. Negotiations began in February 2008.
“We met with City officials last Wednesday in a last ditch effort to come to an agreement, but our efforts were not successful. The City rejected the new wage proposal we presented,” said CUPE Representative Bill McKinnon.
Record number of activists meet in St. John’s for Health and Safety Conference
A record number of occupational health and safety activists were in St. John’s this week for CUPE’s 10th National Health and Safety Conference.
“Having 475 CUPE health and safety activists from across Canada come to St. John’s is pretty impressive,” said Paul Moist. “I believe this reflects the growing importance of health and safety issues to our members, and an increasing desire to tackle some of these challenges in their workplaces.”
Delegates heard leading OH&S speakers from Canada and the United States, exchanged information and developed strategies to improve workers’ health and safety.
US film academy recognizes Canada’s NFB
The U.S. Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences - the folks who hand out the
Oscars - held a tribute event for Canada’s National Film Board in Washington last week.
The tribute is well deserved, Paul Moist says.
The NFB has produced more than 12,000 films, earned 5,000 international prizes including 12 Oscars and more than 70 nominations in its 65 years.
“If the NFB did not exist, we would have to invent it,” said Moist.
CUPE represents some 260 employees and artists at the NFB.
Eleven CUPE activists elected in NS votes
Nova Scotians went to the polls October 18 in municipal and school board elections.
Of the 21 CUPE members and retirees who ran, 11 were successful.
CUPE Nova Scotia President Danny Cavanagh says, “It just goes to show you that with a lot of hard work, and support from their union, people can make a difference in the political arena.”
The list of winning candidates can be found at:
http://cupe.ca/municipalities/ns-municipal-vote-2008
Municipal workers in Rivière-Rouge choose CUPE
White and blue collar workers in the Laurentians town of Rivière-Rouge, Québec have voted to join CUPE.
The employees voted 29 to 23 for CUPE, over the CSN.
Union rep Michel Gratton congratulated all those who campaigned for CUPE.
The city of Rivière-Rouge was created when the villages of L’Annonciation, de La Macaza, de Marchand and de Sainte-Véronique merged in 2002.
CUPE represents about 70% of municipal workers in Québec.
New film exposes risk of airplane air
CUPE Airline members, health and safety activists, and air travellers in general should find a way to see Welcome Aboard Toxic Airlines, a ground breaking documentary on aircraft contaminated air.
The film premiered in Toronto October 26.
Passengers and crews have been breathing unfiltered air - taken directly from aircraft engines for nearly fifty years, the film argues, despite the fact that the air is believed to be contaminated with neurotoxins, carcinogens and other hazardous chemicals.
Sign up for the Women’s Bargaining Conference
CUPE members from across the country will gather in Montréal, Québec February 10-13, 2009 for the National Bargaining Women’s Equality Conference.
This is our opportunity to develop a Canada-wide bargaining agenda to move forward on raising women’s wages, obtaining and improving pensions for women, improving work-home life balance, bargaining secure jobs and protection from workplace violence.
Register online before January 11, 2009 at www.cupe.ca/forms/wbc.php.
:te/cope 491