Delegates attending Sunday’s Emergency and Security Services Sector meeting learned from their counterparts across the country that workers in the sector—predominantly paramedics and dispatchers—face a number of common challenges, regardless of what province they’re in.
Chief among them were collective bargaining in a context where there is effectively no right to strike, post-traumatic stress disorder, and efforts from firefighters to establish so-called “fire medics.” Delegates shared strategies their locals are using to address these challenges. In addition to current CUPE members, delegates heard from a representative of RCMP civilian employees who are working with CUPE to organize their work places.