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Fredericton, Feb 4, 2022– The fight for retirement security remains a top priority for CUPE New Brunswick. CUPE and CUPE locals 946, 963, 1190, 1418, 1866, 1251, 2745, 3339, and 5026 continue to be added party plaintiffs to the constitutional challenge in PIPSC v. Province of New Brunswick; a case about upholding the Charter-protected right to free collective bargaining.

When Blaine Higgs was Finance Minister under Alward, he transformed the defined-benefit pension plan for thousands of public front-line workers into a more volatile and riskier “shared risk” plan. “The imposition of the shared risk plan means members pay more in contributions and must now retire at a more advanced age. On top of that, there is a loss of guaranteed indexing and a reduction in base pension amounts,” denounces Steve Drost, President of CUPE NB.

“The legislation unilaterally converted existing defined-benefit plans, and worst of all, it prohibited the union from trying to negotiate improvements through collective bargaining,” he added.

CUPE NB notes how this pension plan model shifted the risk of bearing financial market volatility almost entirely onto plan members and eliminated the promise that our earned pensions can’t be retroactively reduced. “By imposing this on Locals, we firmly believe the Government of New Brunswick has violated our right to free collective bargaining, and we will continue to pursue justice for our affected members,” said Drost.

“In addition to the PIPSC legal challenge, we will continue to support CUPE 1253, CUPE 2745 and the New Brunswick Council of Nursing Homes, whose defined benefit pension plans have been systematically underfunded by the Government of New Brunswick,” said Drost.

After a career in public service, CUPE members in all sectors can unfortunately only expect a very modest pension in retirement. “We know that having an adequate and secure workplace pension plan is what separates seniors with financial security from those experiencing poverty. Whether in the courts or in the streets, CUPE will always fight for workers to have a secure, adequate, and predictable retirement income,” concluded Drost.

– Earlier this week, Social Development Minister Bruce Fitch announced a 2-month (8 weeks) wage top-up for the community care workers who provide services to vulnerable residents and who earn less than $18 per hour.

“The $3 dollar wage top-up will help folks like me pay for groceries and heating, but it should be made permanent,” said Laurie Anderson, President of the New Brunswick Community Service Unions (NBCSU)

Today, the average wage for home support, special care home, and transition-house workers is around $15.50 an hour.

“There are thousands of workers, mostly women, who do underpaid essential work, and they need long-term support,” said Steve Drost, President of CUPE NB.

“Employers and Government must ensure that these top-ups go to the front lines, and are not rolled into general operating costs. During the previous adjustment, too many employers used the extra funding to avoid bargaining wage improvements,” denounced Drost.

In a press release, Minister Fitch said the top-up was an emergency measure, which should end on March 14^th. “I share the Coalition for Pay Equity’s hope on the matter: we need to see a permanent solution inscribed in the March provincial budget,” concluded Anderson.

The NBCSU represents over 500 workers in the community care sector throughout New Brunswick. This includes workers in home support, group homes, special care homes, transition houses, and more. 

January 12, 2022 -As a cold snap is hitting New Brunswick, residents learned the NB Government had just cut the New Brunswick Home Energy Assistance rebate program.

“While far from enough, the rebate for low-income families was about the only help the provincial government provided to folks during winter,” said Steve Drost, President of CUPE NB.

In times where the cost of living is going up, the government should be doing more to help the working poor, not less.  “The fact that over 33 000 New Brunswickers had to rely on the meager $100 energy rebate is frightening: power and heating costs have only gone up from when the rebate program was started in 2016,” added Drost.

Since the pandemic began, housing supports have been neglected by the Higgs Government. For example, there have been more and more residents denouncing their rents going up by 30 to 60 percent. “We know that these stories are not isolated. It has been years of outrageous and unaffordable rent increases, and yet the government has ignored calls for rent control – the only thing that will control rents,” said Drost.

“Instead, we have a Cabinet that has no remorse in cutting the few programs workers have and prefers giving away more than a hundred million dollars in power subsidies to pulp and paper mills,” said Drost.

CUPE NB calls on the NB Provincial Government to enact real housing protection laws to help workers. “If New Brunswick had real tenant protections and recognized housing as a human right, residents would not be in the tough position of relying on the energy rebate program,” said Drost.  

CUPE Local 2745 has donated $35,000 to food programs for the schoolchildren of New Brunswick.

“As Educational support staff workers, we are very concerned by the high rates of child poverty in our province. That’s why we donated $5,000 to each of the seven school districts in New Brunswick for food programs,” said Theresa McAllister, President of CUPE Local 2745.

Nearly 21.7% of children in New Brunswick live in poverty, compared to the Canadian average of 17.6%. According to the Hunger Count 2021, in New Brunswick, a total of 20,408 visits to food banks were reported, with 6,544 of those visits involving children.

Education workers see the effects of poverty and crisis on kids and families every day at work. The donation was the first decision taken immediately by the Local once it formally signed a new 5-year collective agreement with the government.

“Before and during the lockout, parents supported us because they knew how CUPE workers fight for fairness and for a stronger New Brunswick. What we do today is just another way of giving back to the communities and to the children we care for every day,” said Theresa McAllister.

We hope our donations will make a difference and incite the provincial government to take more ambitious measures to end child poverty,” concluded McAllister.

CUPE Local 2745 represents more than 4500 members such as Educational Assistants, School Administrative assistants & School Clerks, School Library Workers, District Administrative Support Workers, School Intervention Workers, Speech Therapy Assistants, and Student Attendants.

Fredericton November 19, 2021 – Members of 10 CUPE Provincial Locals have a ratified new collective agreement with the NB Government. Locals 963, 1190, 1251, 1252, 1418, 1840, 1866, 2745, 5017 & 5026 have ratified the tentative agreement presented to them this week. Local 1253, representing more than 1900 school district custodians, bus drivers, maintenance, and trades workers rejected their tentative agreement.

“The new five-year contract is the result of a long struggle, culminating in mass strikes, for wages that go above the cost of living,” said Stephen Drost, President of CUPE NB. “Nothing in this deal was given to us kindly, it was earned through the members’ mobilization and their resolve on the picket lines,” he added.

In this deal, members will see a general economic increase of 2% and a 25 cents per hour adjustment at the start of every year of the contract. As the average CUPE member in NB makes $21.50 an hour, the 25 cents an hour represents more than 1% for every year of the contract. “The overall agreement stands above a 15% adjustment over 5 years and stands at 17.9% for the lowest-paid classifications,” said Drost.

Casual workers who were unjustly receiving less than 80% of the pay of what a full-time worker earned for the same work, will now get 100% of the pay.

Back in December 2020, Higgs wanted to impose a wage freeze, followed by 3 years of 1%. When Centralized Bargaining began in August 2021, he moved to 8.5% over 5 years. “Through public pressure and mobilization, Higgs had to adjust,” said Drost.

Local 1253 leadership hopes to return to the bargaining table to settle the issue of pensions which was at the heart of the matter when members voted down the tentative agreement.

“CUPE NB and all provincial CUPE Locals support Local 1253 members in their efforts to achieve a better contract. I hope they can get a satisfactory resolve at the bargaining table in the coming days,” concluded Drost.

November 14, 2021 – Last night, a tentative agreement was reached between the 11 CUPE Locals part of the Centralized Bargaining Team and the NB Government. All workers are to return to work immediately as strike activities are held off pending ratification from the general membership.

CUPE Locals 1190, 1251, 1252, 1253, 1418, 1840, 1866, 2745, 5017 & 5026, had been on strike since October 29, 2021. CUPE Local 963, representing Alcool NB Liquor (ANBL) workers joined the Centralized Bargaining Team after conducting successful strike votes last week. They also reached a tentative agreement this Saturday.

“Most workers had been without a contract for over three, four years, so I am pleased they have an agreement they can vote on in the coming days,” said Stephen Drost, President of CUPE NB.

Late in 2020, Premier Blaine Higgs had announced his intentions to impose a wage freeze on all public sector workers. “Despite the pandemic pressure, the recruitment and retention crisis, despite CUPE’s repeated appeals to reason, Higgs did not want to offer fair wages to workers,” said Drost. What is in today’s tentative agreement has only been possible through collective action, perseverance, and determination of all union members,” said Drost.

More than 20 000 CUPE members were involved in what has become New Brunswick’s biggest legal general strike.

From day one, the union’s goal at the bargaining table was always obtaining real wage improvements that go above the cost of living. “This is key to improve NB’s public services, services that we need now more than ever as we recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Drost.

Details of the agreement will not be released until members can see it first during ratification votes later this week.

PICKET LOCATIONS (7am to 6pm)

***REGION 1 – CAMPBELLTON***
Main: Corner of George Street and Roseberry avenue, near the Irving

REGION 2 – MIRAMICHI
Main: WALK UP AND DOWN THE ROAD FROM NEWCASTLE SHOPPERS TO MILLER AVENUE AND BACK
Overflow: WALK UP AND DOWN THE ROAD FROM MCDONALDS ON KING GEORGE UNTIL TIM HORTONS AND BACK
Overflow: WELLINGTON & UNIVERSITY

REGION 3 – MONCTON
Main: Mapleton/Trinity
Overflow: Champlain mall

REGION 4 – SUSSEX
Main: CORNER OF MAIN & MOFFETT
Overflow: CORNER OF LEONARD DRIVE & MAIN

REGION 5 – SAINT JOHN
Main: MCALLISTER DRIVE AREA
Overflow: LANDSDOWNE & MAIN

REGION 6 – FREDERICTON
Main: WALK UP AND DOWN THE ROAD FROM FREDERICTON INN TO ARNOLD STREET LIGHTS AND RETURN (SOUTH SIDE)
Overflow: WALK UP AND DOWN THE ROAD FROM WALLACE & MAIN TO FULTON & MAIN AND BACK (NORTH SIDE)

REGION 7 – WOODSTOCK
Main: CORNER OF DEAKIN/CONNELL TO EVERETT/CONNELL & BACK

***REGION 8 – ST. STEPHEN***
Main: Traffic circle by the highway.

REGION 9 – EDMUNDSTON
Main: CORNER OF BOULEVARD HÉBERT AND RUE DE L’ÉGLISE
Overflow: WALK UP AND DOWN VICTORIA STREET IN FRONT OF SUPERSTORE INTERSECTION

REGION 10 – PERTH
Main: CORNER OF TRIBE ROAD AND DOWN RTE 109

REGION 11 – BATHURST
Main: CORNER OF SAINT PETERS AND ROUTE 180
Overflow: CORNER OF ST-ANNE AND ST. PETERS TO SUPERSTORE AND BACK

REGION 12 – TRACADIE
Main: corner of rue Principal and Du Moulin

REGION 13 – SAINT QUENTIN
Main: 4 rue Saint-Camille, Kedgwick

REGION 14 – BOUCTOUCHE
Main: OVERPASS BETWEEN TIM HORTONS AND IRVING, AND BACK

SATELLITES

Salisbury
In front of Gold Medal Restaurant

Richibouctou
corner of route 134 and rue Cartier

Sackville
Corner of York & Main BUT closer to the Dollar Store side

Dalhousie
On the sidewalk in front of Irving to the Esso (Renfrew & Goderich)

Grand Falls
Madawaska & Broadway

Oromocto
Overflow: One Gateway drive (roundabout)

Harvey/McAdam 
Canada Post to WWE Smith General store, and back

Chipman/Minto
Corner Route 10 & Union Street

Caraquet 
Boulevard St-Pierre Ouest, between Tims & the mall, do not pass Tims

Shippigan
In front of the mall

Lamèque 
Intersection Pêcheur North and Rue Principale, do not pass the Coop

Grand Manan 
Corner of Pettes Cove Drive & Route 776 (up from ferry terminal)

Boiestown
On the sidewalk in front of Canada Post to the General Store and back

Hampton 
On the sidewalk in front of Canada Post Canada Post to Town Square and back

Nackawic
Corner of Landegger Drive and Route 105

Bath
Corner of Hospital and Route 105

Néguac 
Corner Egbert/Principale Rd (Close to Pub 981)

Quispamsis KV
Intersection of Campbell Drive / Hampton Road and Pettinghill Road
Overflow: Marr Road / Hampton Road and Clark Road