CUPE leaders and activists from across New Brunswick gathered last week to plan strategy for coordinated bargaining and demonstrate their determination that no CUPE local will ever be alone when they are walking the line.
With province-wide bargaining underway for health care workers and other locals gearing up for a confrontation with the Lord government, CUPE is making concrete plans to put its solidarity pact into place including reaching out to other unions.
Calling on Premier Bernard Lord to listen to the message from last years election, National President Paul Moist took advantage of the bargaining conference to deliver a clear message to the premier: If any of our members are legislated back to work, we will take job action, up to and including a province-wide strike.
Lord has mused publicly about freezing public sector wages.
If the government continues down this path, we are going to have a major breakdown, says regional director Bob Davidson.