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Open in new tab CUPE Pension and Bill 17 Webinar for Friday Dec 7 and Saturday Dec 8
Below is the link for 3 webinars on Pensions, Collective Bargaining, and Bill 17. These webinars are open to all members.
Voici ci dessous le lien vers 3 webinaires sur les pensions, les négociations collectives et le projet de loi 17.
Ces webinaires sont ouverts à tous les membres.
Dec 8, 2023 05:00 PM
Dec 9, 2023 10:00 AM
Dec 9, 2023 05:00 PM
https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/62257529391?pwd=VmFaUmhZYk5WOTkyT1k5c0wyZnBEQT09
Passcode: 926942
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Webinar ID: 622 5752 9391
Passcode: 926942
Membership Update – December 5
Legislature Tuesday – update to members on Bill 17 and our most recent “fact or fiction” document.
Dec 1 – Memo to Members
Update on Bill 17 – the attack on our right to free collective bargaining. Below you will find the memo and the list of New Brunswick PC MLAs.
Education Sector: GNB Threatens to Break Signed Collective Agreements
Fredericton, NB – CUPE Local 1253, which represents 2800 school district bus drivers, custodians and trade workers, along with CUPE Local 2745, representing 4400 educational support staff, held a press conference today to denounce the provincial government’s threats to free collective bargaining.
Last week, the provincial government delivered a message to the two education locals, signaling the provinces’ intent to breach the contract that concluded the 2021 public sector strike. They issued an ultimatum to the locals: abandon the hard-fought agreement on pensions established in November 2021 and March 2022, or face the imposition of a new pension plan through legislation this week.
In response to this unwarranted threat, CUPE Locals 2745 and 1253 took a firm stand and sent a stern response to the government this Monday. “We will not negotiate under threat. We have a fair pension plan agreement in place for our members, and the government’s attempt to change the rules of the game is unacceptable,” said Theresa McAllister, President of CUPE 2745.
Iris Lloyd, President of CUPE 1253, added, “The introduction of a new law would constitute a breach of our collective agreement, a contract that Premier Higgs himself advocated for. It is a betrayal of the very process he championed.”
Approximately 20,000 New Brunswickers endured a 16-day strike, resulting in hardships for tens of thousands of families, all in pursuit of a fair agreement. The Premier and his Cabinet’s decision to disregard this hard-won compromise has broader implications for the entire province. CUPE sounds the alarm for all entities with contracts under the Higgs government — unions, communities, First Nations, businesses, etc. Theresa McAllister warned, “If the government can break its promise to us, what’s to stop them from breaking other promises? There must be consequences for reneging on agreements.”
“As New Brunswickers, we take promises seriously. Signed contracts, negotiated in good faith, are the foundation of modern labour relations,” said Iris Lloyd. “If the government tests this foundation, the ground will shake around them,” added Lloyd.
CUPE Locals 2745 and 1253 call on all MLAs to support and protect free collective bargaining. “It is crucial for the government to follow the established processes laid out in the signed contracts. Both locals assert their readiness to proceed with the agreed-upon steps, and the ball is now in the government’s court,” concluded McAllister.
City of Fredericton Contracts Out Para-Transit Services to Western Canadian Company
CUPE Local 1783, representing municipal transit workers in Fredericton, denounces the City’s recent move to privatize Para-Transit services. Para-Transit is a public service funded and operated by the Transit Division of the City, which provides transportation for citizens with disabilities within the geographical limits of Fredericton.
“CUPE has been made aware that the City will contract out this service as of January 2024,” said CUPE Servicing Representative Ralph McBride. The employer conveyed this decision to the union, stating that the City had been actively working on this process since last spring. Todd English, President of Local 1783, expressed his disappointment: “They did not even discuss this with the workers until it was a done deal, and they were doing this during our bargaining negotiations, without bringing it to our attention,” said English.
Todd English noted: “The City’s initial intent was to enhance services for residents by introducing Sunday bus services, a proposal that the union membership readily supported and made possible through changes to our collective agreement. However, the City’s new decision to relinquish control of services for those with disabilities to an external company has left us baffled,” said English.
Mr. McBride emphasized, “What should concern taxpayers is that the City contracted out all the way to Western Canada. In my opinion, once the contract is signed, the City loses control over the service.” CUPE is also concerned about the quality of service for residents with disabilities. “Contracting out means residents have little to no say in operational hours, rate setting, or fees. These companies don’t take on these contracts without aiming for profit, and as long as they adhere to the terms of the agreement, the City will have no say,” added McBride.
This move by the City of Fredericton raises concerns as it contradicts the City’s promotion of itself as a place to live and support local businesses. “By outsourcing an already well-established public service to a private company from Western Canada with zero ties to the community, the City’s commitment to its residents is called into question,” said English.
CUPE Local 1783 urges all citizens and taxpayers of Fredericton to reach out to their local council representatives and request an immediate reversal of this decision.
CUPE Local 1783 represents more than 45 municipal transit workers in Fredericton.
Two years ago today: Massive CUPE strike rally at the NB Legislature
NB Media Co-op – November 2, 2023
Two years ago today, on the fifth day of the CUPE strike in New Brunswick, workers and allies from across the province assembled in front of the New Brunswick Legislature.
In the introduction to the book, Bargaining Forward: The story of the 2021 CUPE strike in New Brunswick, labour historian David Frank writes:
It was the biggest strike in Canada that year. On a sunny Tuesday afternoon in early November 2021, thousands of people marched through the streets of Fredericton. Stopping traffic, waving banners, sounding noisemakers, and chanting slogans, they made up one of the largest and most high-spirited demonstrations ever to take place in the New Brunswick capital.
When they reached the provincial legislature grounds, the crowd easily exceeded 5,000 people. Surrounding streets were blocked off for several hours as they cheered speakers, exchanged news about the progress of their strike, and welcomed supporters and members from other unions. In communities around the province, pickets walked up and down the sidewalks at major intersections and in front of shopping malls, holding up signs and waving to passing drivers who honked their approval.
The strike by 22,000 workers, members of ten province-wide locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), lasted sixteen days, but these events were in the making for months, even years.
The Bargaining Forward book was written by two NB Media Co-op journalists: Susan O’Donnell and David Gordon Koch. O’Donnell was part of the crowd at the Legislature that day in 2021 and she vividly recalls the mood and excitement. “It was electric. People were playing music, dancing, and singing and of course, waving the big yellow fists and fuschia CUPE flags. The sun was out, it was a beautiful day, and everyone was smiling and excited. The camaraderie and solidarity was powerful. There was a strong shared feeling that CUPE was going to win this one.”
One of the book chapters is devoted to that rally two years ago at the Legislature. A number of CUPE members are quoted, along with CUPE NB President Steve Drost:
Standing on the steps of the legislature holding a microphone, Steve Drost kicked off the rally with the kind of land acknowledgement the Attorney General had recently banned among civil servants. As the crowd cheered, he declared: “I give thanks and I recognize that we are on the unceded and unsurrendered territories of the Mi’kmaq, the Maliseet and the Passamaquoddy.
“I just want to tell you how proud I am to be a member of CUPE NB today,” he continued. “Your leaders have heard you loud and clear. For too many years you have been attacked. For too many years they have not paid you your worth. And you have given us a very strong message. You know your value. You know your worth. And we’re here to stand with you.
The NB Media Co-op covered the lead up to the strike and the strike itself extensively. After 16 days, the strike ended with a win for CUPE members, and afterwards, the union invited the NB Media Co-op to write a book to capture the story. Under the guidance of David Frank, the book tells the story in 10 chapters and dozens of photos, with the first chapter starting more than four years before the strike when a fateful decision was made at a CUPE convention.
CUPE NB President Steve Drost and CUPE Regional Director Sandy Harding write in a concluding chapter:
In 2021, workers fought and won. To onlookers, our province-wide strike might have seemed like a spontaneous event, or something planned just a few months ahead. In fact, it took us more than three-and-a-half years of hard work and planning with the Bargaining Forward campaign. Our victory was not an easy one, but it was well earned. CUPE’s 2021 strike was one of the largest successful acts of resistance in New Brunswick’s recent history. We hope it can serve as an inspiring example for working people facing hostile and powerful adversaries.
The book was launched in Moncton in January this year. Copies are available to purchase from CUPE at this link.