Personal protective equipment (PPE) exists to create a barrier between you and a patient/resident/client to prevent spread of a contaminant such as the virus that
causes COVID-19 to either you or the patient. It exists to help protect your skin, airways, mucous membranes, and/or clothing. This fact sheet summarizes use and care of gloves, gowns, masks, and eye protection. PDF:PPE Use and Care
Fredericton, NB – March 31, 2020 – As we begin a second week under the “State of emergency “, CUPE Local 1252, the union representing 10 000 healthcare workers in New Brunswick, wants to remind government of the importance of all healthcare workers.
“It’s more than doctors and nurses putting their lives on the line each and every day to fight this terrible virus. There are many unsung heroes in healthcare, particularly those in-patient service-like licensed practical nurses, personal care attendants, paramedics and dispatchers. Also, we can’t forget maintenance workers, food service employees, clerical staff and environmental service workers, “said Norma Robinson, president of CUPE Local 1252.
Currently, Local 1252 is in continuous discussions with the Health Department so all front-line workers’ safety is not taken lightly.
“Workers need proper safety equipment and adequate resources and time to follow all the sanitation protocols. As a union, we want to make sure the employees can work but also return home after a stressful day and not worry about spreading it to their families as well,” said Ralph McBride, CUPE National Servicing Representative.
“Social distancing, or physical distancing as we are now saying, means no gatherings. In Quebec, the government had to put a ban on public gatherings of 3 or more. This might happen here too if people are not doing what they must,” added Robinson. “This is vital not only to you but also the system and workers as well. “As much as possible, please stay home and don’t frequent public areas,” concluded Robinson.
Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Thank you to all locals and members for your extraordinary work during this unprecedented time. Members are doing important work across both provinces in our region during the COVID-19 pandemic. We always appreciate and value everything that you do, especially during this crisis.
Members Contracting COVID-19
Currently, we have no reports of CUPE members in our region contracting COVID-19. In order to help everyone stay safe, we would like to track our members who contract COVID-19 and would appreciate that you forward this information to us as you receive it. Basic information is required: local number, occupation of the member and information if this was a workplace transmission. For obvious privacy concerns, we are not asking for the names of the individuals.
If you have been laid off due to COVID-19, please notify your local’s executive.
Provincial COVID-19 Information Websites
New Brunswick: https://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/ocmoh/cdc/content/respiratory_diseases/coronavirus.html
Prince Edward Island: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/topic/covid-19
PEI & NB Emergency Child Care Services
Emergency childcare services are reserved for children of essential service workers who have no other alternatives. Please complete the form linked below only if you require childcare services during this time and are an essential service worker.
PEI: https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/service/emergency-child-care-services
NB: https://www.nbed.nb.ca/parentportal/en/
EI Benefits
Federal government announced laid-off workers who have applied for EI due to coronavirus-related job losses should be eligible for a $2,000 benefit for up to four months. After this period, they will be switched over to standard EI if they are still out of work. To apply for EI benefits, you can do it online: https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-sickness/apply.html
Afterwards, you can apply to have the one-week waiting period waived by calling the government’s toll-free number at 1-833-381-2725. Applicants usually need a medical certificate along with records of employment, though the new rules allow quarantined workers to apply without the former. We have also included below the Canada Emergency Response Benefit Q & A: https://cupe.ca/canada-emergency-response-benefit-qa
State of Emergency in NB, PEI and the rest of Canada
State of emergency laws mean many closures and restrictions are now required to be followed by law. There are still too many people not abiding by the restrictions and recommendations from chief medical officer of health. All non-essential retail businesses must cease all operations immediately. Gatherings of 10 or more people are now not permitted.
CUPE Taskforce on Virtual Work and Member Registration
Virtual tools and phone work permit us to coordinate and carry out our union duties. Thus, we set up a CUPE Maritimes staff taskforce to find the best tools and actions to take on those challenges we face. Our goal is to get information and power to you, but we need your help. Every CUPE member must register so that we can have emergency communication lines and electronic voting capacity. Please consult your union emails or your executive for registration info.
Mass member registration is necessary to build lists for all locals. The provisions to engage in social distancing (i.e. staying home as much as possible, keeping 2m apart when you have to go out) could remain in force for many more weeks and possibly longer. All locals must gain the ability to conduct virtual meetings, ratification votes, sharing of meeting minutes, etc. Personal cellphone numbers (not work cellphones) are needed to ensure mass member emergency texting.
Postponement of AGMs
As social distancing rules and gathering restrictions remain at this point, no large union gatherings or AGMs can be held. Below are the cancellations that we have confirmed:
Please send us your intent to cancel your AGMs and we will add them to our list.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact your Servicing Representative or myself.
In Solidarity,
Sandy Harding
Maritimes Regional Director
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Allardville, March 20, 2020 –Despite a provincial State of Emergency, the Chaleur Regional Service Commission (CRSC) directors are still refusing to let the Red Pine landfill workers come back to work.
“On Tuesday, we asked the Employer to pause their lockout during the COVID-19 crisis. They refused,” said Serge Plourde, President of CUPE Local 4193.
The 23 workers are locked-out since February because CRSC management wants more power to deny sick leave to workers.
“They say doctors’ notes are required on the first day you call in sick. Top medical experts have all denounced such policies. Why? Because it seriously increases the number of employees working sick,” said Robert LeMoignan, CUPE Servicing Representative.
“The whole world is doing all it can to fight the pandemic. Meanwhile, the CRSC wants to force work policies that aggravate the crisis!” said LeMoignan.
After the province declared a State of Emergency on Thursday, CRSC management posted 6 new “scab” job openings online.
“At least 3 replacement workers (each paid over $15 an hour more than regular workers) are on site. The directors are also paying $300 an hour for the services of an anti-union lawyer from Fredericton,” said LeMoignan.
“They are noticing our members’ experience is necessary to run the site, but they still want to break us. We should be back at work during this crisis. It’s not a time to fool around,” said Plourde.
“These directors – Dayna Carroll and Jocelyne Hachey, have lost all credibility. Their refusal to pause the lockout, during a state of emergency, is making the Chaleur area mayors look like complete fools,” said LeMoignan.
Charlottetown (PEI) & Fredericton (NB), March 18, 2020 – In order to focus all resources to fight the COVID-19 crisis, CUPE is halting bargaining for all CUPE locals in both New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island.
“Collective agreement bargaining meetings, membership meeting, ratifications and strike votes will all be postponed until April 3, 2020, in both provinces,” said Simon Ouellette, CUPE Communications Representative for NB and PEI.
CUPE will reassess the situation and send information to members on April 4, 2020.
“We hope government will want to resume collective agreement negotiations when the situation is firmly under control,” said Ouellette.
CUPE takes the precautions required by the authorities seriously.
“We will act proactively to protect the health and safety of workers and the public,” concluded Ouellette.
Fredericton, March 17, 2020 – CUPE Locals have come to an agreement with the NB Provincial Government to improve coordination of our collective response to the COVID- 19 pandemic.
Provincial government is shutting down non-essential government services. All public sector workers who work in critical functions will remain on the job, while non-critical services employees could be redeployed and reassigned.
“Our Union leadership has agreed to suspend elements of collective agreement language on the mobility of employees. This will ensure rapid response and deployment of public sector employees,” said Simon Ouellette,” CUPE Communications Representative.
“CUPE members from public sector parts I, II, III and IV could be reassigned to other work locations during this situation,” confirmed Ouellette.
Twelve provincial CUPE Locals, representing close to 25 000 workers made a collective decision to take part in coordination of our public response:
Union leaders have vital, practical and current information on what goes on at the front lines. We are confident the Government will see the importance of having us participate in the response discussions.
“CUPE members are proud to serve the public and will lead by example in these tough times. Rest assured, this crisis only increases our resolve to fight and win this battle,” concluded Ouellette.
As front-line public sector workers, CUPE members in New Brunswick are an integral part of collective efforts to fight the COVID-19 pandemic.
Most healthcare workers in Canada are CUPE members. It goes without saying we have been closely monitoring the progression of COVID-19 across the country.
Pandemic response is a collective responsibility and we all must take action to minimize the spread of this virus. CUPE members play very critical roles in our communities providing services and infrastructure the public rely on, especially during an emergency.
We must take all possible steps to reduce the potential for COVID-19 to spread among our members and communities.
Please stay tuned for updates from CUPE NB. We hope to give you more information of the future dates for the provincial tour and convention by the end of March 2020.
Public sector workers must be protected so they can serve and protect the public.
In Solidarity,
The CUPE NB Executive
Fredericton – On Tuesday, March 10th, the New Brunswick PC-Alliance flaunted an election-flavoured budget.
“Premier Higgs made his ‘surplus’ by short-changing workers and repackaging federal transfer money,” said Brien Watson, CUPE NB President.
In December 2019, Ottawa had announced over $219 million more from the previous year’s federal support to support New Brunswick.
“Federal transfer exists for 2 main reasons. First, to ensure provinces still deliver and improve key public services that every Canadian deserves, and second, to improve the provinces’ fiscal capacity — that is growth and our ability to generate tax revenues,” said Watson.
“Higgs’ budget fails both of those objectives,” said Watson. CUPE NB notes Finance Minister Ernie Steeves failed to give any attention to public sector negotiations.
“The PCs sprinkle money around in debt repayment rather than growth initiatives. They sprinkle it in programs without even considering how to staff and compensate them,” said Watson.
“This budget fails to tackle public sector recruitment and retention crisis, and it ignores key crisis. Even nursing home workers, for example, were not mentioned once the entire budget speech,” noted Watson.
“Higgs somehow blew last year’s funds allocated for collective bargaining. Yet, since taking power, he has not settled a single collective agreement with any of the 26 public sector union groups. Did lawyers and consultants chew up what is owed to the 46 000 public sector workers?” asked Watson.
Allardville, March 4, 2020
– Workers at the solid waste landfill Red Pine site in Allardville are starting a massive door to door campaign in hopes of ending the lockout.
On February 13, 2020, management of the CRSC and the solid waste landfill site locked out its 23 workers. These workers were forced to return home without pay and their health benefits were cut.
“Citizens need to know what’s going on. Why are the mayors and municipal representatives of the Chaleur region maintaining this lockout? Why do they have it in for the Allardville workers?” wonders Serge Plourde, president of locked out CUPE Local 4193.
Thursday, the Local will start a radio campaign and will distribute brochures to residents.
“Board members of the CRSC must end this lockout. If they don’t have the courage to intervene and fix this situation, we are asking them to resign from the CRSC,” adds Plourde.
“This lockout by the employer was imposed on workers without transparency and without valid reason. Throwing these workers out in the middle of winter reveals poor management and contempt for the workers,” says Robert Le Moignan, CUPE representative.
“Directors, mayors and municipal representatives of the Chaleur region should treat the workers of the Red Pine site with respect and not like garbage,” concludes Plourde.
The Red Pine site is one of the largest solid waste management centres in the province. Nearly 90,000 tons of waste from northern and eastern NB, from Campbellton to Miramichi, are processed at the site. CUPE Local 4193 represents Scale workers, Secretary, Labourer, Equipment Operator, Maintenance workers, Security Guards and an Environment technologist.
Moncton, February 18, 2020 – The City of Moncton management hides a dirty secret. It has been exploiting employment contract language loopholes to penny pinch workers. Over 20% of all municipal outside workers are without ordinary benefits, job protection and wages all other City employees have.
The Union representing municipal outside workers is doing all it can to fix this injustice in contract bargaining talks. Yet, the City is outright refusing to recognize this as a problem.
“We have members getting paid 65% of what a full-time regular worker makes,” said Leo Melanson, President of CUPE Local 51.
CUPE’s Research Branch discovered that Moncton’s pay ratio for casuals is currently the lowest of any city in New Brunswick.
“We have members working here, who have been doing full-time work for 7 years, never been laid off, but are stuck in this ‘casual’ designation,” said Melanson. “Equal pay for equal work should be the goal here. I hope these workers will be recognized with full-time positions,” he added.
“The City is growing. It’s long overdue that workers, may they be casual, regular, seasonal or even summer students, got a fair wage adjustment,” said Marcos Salib, CUPE Servicing Representative.
Bargaining talks between the Union and the City are at a standstill. The Union requests many casual work positions should be reclassified as permanent positions. Management is not interested in fixing this problem or improving their below-than-inflation wage proposal.
“We want the City to return to the table. Why they left in the middle of conciliation talks is beyond me. We should be talking about better services for citizens,” concluded Salib.
