New Brunswick should follow the federal Liberal’s lead and move away from P3 infrastructures

FREDERICTON – The New Brunswick Liberal Government should reassess its endorsement of public-private partnership (P3) infrastructure constructions now that its federal counterpart has signaled a move away from a P3 funding model for large infrastructure projects.

“It seems the federal government will no longer require provinces and cities to consider P3 arrangement for projects over $100 million. This is a positive move and we urge the New Brunswick government to follow the same path”, says Daniel Légère, president of the New Brunswick Division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees.Read More

Define Benefit Pension plans vs Target Plan

CUPE NB and CUPE National remain committed to Define Benefit Pension plans. Since the Legislated  conversion of the PSSA DB plan ,CUPE commissioned PBI to review the assumptions and that report is attached . Since the Legislation to a  we have Lobbied and tried to hold the Gallant Governments to its commitment to reviewing the need to have converted the PSSA plan from a DB plan to a target pension plan.

CUPE is also exploring several options including a legal challenge.

More layoff and service reduction in health care

FREDERICTON: The Horizon Health Network will reduce or completely close the cafeteria services as of next month in all its hospitals.

The Union representing the cafeteria workers, CUPE Local 1252, was notified this morning of the coming reduction of services.

“We were informed that 13 full-time equivalent positions are impacted by the decision which will affect 25 workers”, said CUPE Local 1252 president Norma Robinson.Read More

Mark Hancock elected national president of CUPE

Vancouver – Mark Hancock has been elected the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Over 2,100 delegates, representing CUPE locals from across the country, elected Hancock to lead Canada’s largest union. The vote took place at CUPE’s 27th biennial national convention taking place this week in Vancouver.

“I will do my best each and every day for all our members across this great country. I am so honoured to be your national president,” said Hancock to convention delegates, after being elected. Hancock, who has been president of CUPE’s British Columbia division since 2013, won on the first ballot, defeating Fred Hahn, currently president of CUPE Ontario.Read More

CUPE leaders in Atlantic Canada endorse NDP plan to reverse EI cuts

FREDERICTON – The presidents of CUPE in New Brunswick, PEI, Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador are all endorsing the federal NDP’s plans to scrap Stephen Harper’s unfair changes to Employment Insurance (EI).

CUPE NB President Danny Legere, CUPE PEI President Lori MacKay, CUPE NS President Danny Cavanagh and CUPE NL President Wayne Lucas have all given the NDP plan a big thumbs up, saying the Harper government changes were an attack on unemployed Canadians and seasonal workers in particular.

CUPE says the NDP plan will ensure Canadians who pay EI premiums will be able to get those benefits when they need them, and will go a long way to reversing the damage done by past Liberal and Conservative governments.

The CUPE presidents say the NDP plan will support regional economies and workers in seasonal industries by providing a maximum of five extra weeks of benefits in regions where unemployment is high and work is hard to come by.

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Privatization in Health Care: Pay More, Get Less

DSC_0009FREDERICTON: The New Brunswick Council of Hospital Unions – CUPE Local 1252 which represents hospital workers, released a report today that portrays a poor picture of the situation that prevailed in hospitals and other institutions where food and cleaning services have been privatized. “We are very concerned that the Liberal government is negotiating with a private firm to take over the management of food and cleaning services in the Province’s hospitals” explained Norma Robinson, president of CUPE Local 1252.

“This report has been prepared for Health Minister Victor Boudreau and since the Minister doesn’t seem interested in meeting with us, we decided to release it to inform the public. We believe it is important for New Brunswickers to understand the impact of such a move, especially when it comes to the cleanliness of a building which the public relies on everyday.”

“Our research into the three companies being considered to take over those services, Sodexo, Aramark and Compass, shows a very troubling picture of the quality of the services provided. All over the world, all three competitors have shown very poor track records when it comes to cleaning and food preparation. The latest being in Ontario’s Niagara Health Region where the Hospital Board ended that relationship with Aramark after a major outbreak of C. difficile that caused the death of 37 patients.”

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Paul Moist, Tom Mulcair Join CUPE NB Members in Campbellton

From Left to right: CUPE NB President, Daniel Légère; NDP Leader, Tom Mulcair; Madawaska-Restigouche NDP Candidate, Rosaire L'Italien; CUPE National President, Paul Moist; and Acadie-Bathurst NDP MP, Yvon Godin.

From Left to right: CUPE NB President, Daniel Légère; NDP Leader, Tom Mulcair; Madawaska-Restigouche NDP Candidate, Rosaire L’Italien; CUPE National President, Paul Moist; and Acadie-Bathurst NDP MP, Yvon Godin.

Paul Moist, National President of CUPE joined members of CUPE NB on a hot and sunny day in a Campbellton park for a barbeque and discussion about CUPE’s stance in the election. He took the opportunity to thank members in the province for all of their hard work, saying that CUPE members make their communities the places that they are, and the work they do every day is what makes New Brunswick great.

Paul Moist and CUPE were joined by special guest Tom Mulcair, Leader of the NDP. Mulcair pointed out CUPE NB President Danny Légère’s t-shirt to the crowd, which bore the logos of the NDP and CUPE side by side and read “our party, our voice.” “Every time Paul Moist talks about the NDP he talks about ‘our party’, and that’s the best possible signal that we could send,” said Mulcair.

Paul Moist addressed the assembled crowd, saying “wouldn’t it be nice to have a Canada that talked about a job strategy for all regions, that talked about living wages, that talked about retirement security for all Canadians, that talked about affordable, accessible childcare for all Canadians. Under Tom Mulcair’s leadership we have watched this grow over the last three years. We stand on the shoulders of giants; of Tommy Douglas, of Ed Broadbent, of Jack Layton. This is leadership that all Canadians can believe in.”

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CUPE Holding Premier to Campaign Promises

At a press conference today, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) called upon Premier Brian Gallant to honour his campaign promises to sit down at the table with groups representing civil servants and retirees to look at alternatives to the previous Conservative government’s pension reforms.

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