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Fredericton – On this International Women’s Day, CUPE New Brunswick calls for coordinated action to address women’s inequality in New Brunswick.

“Women are better educated and more active in the paid workforce than ever before, but are still not on equal footing with men,” said Marilyn MacCormack, Chair of the CUPE NB Women’s Committee. “Women experience disadvantages that are interconnected, from lower earnings and higher risk of poverty to bigger share of unpaid care giving and limited access to political power. Then there’s the terrible vulnerability to violence at the hands of men.”

“There are many roadblocks to women’s full participation in economic, social and political life,” explained MacCormack. “Entrenched sexist attitudes show up in the undervaluation of jobs traditionally done by women, not to mention the way things work in career advancement and electoral politics.  Far too many men still view women as possessions to be controlled through verbal, physical and sexual abuse. We need public policies and practices that address all aspects of women’s lives,” she concluded.

“Our provincial government should integrate gender-based analysis in all its work and invite input from the members of the Voices of New Brunswick Women Consensus-Building Forum,” said CUPE NB President Daniel Légère.  “Appointments to this new body were announced just last month by the Minister Responsible for Women’s Equality.”

“We are concerned that some voices may be missing at the table. Where are the organizations representing immigrant women and Aboriginal women living in First Nations communities?  Organized labour was also left out, even though nearly one in three New Brunswick women workers are union members,” added Légère.

“Will the Forum have the independence and the resources necessary to work for change? The Advisory Council on the Status of Women was a rallying force until it was axed three years ago by the Alward government. Critical distance from government is a must, especially given women’s chronic underrepresentation in our Legislative Assembly.  In this election year, candidates and parties will be questioned about their commitment to action on women’s equality concerns,” he concluded.

Fredericton – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) demands government intervention to ensure that crisis housing services for women and children victims of violence be guaranteed around the clock in the province.

“For the past year, service interruptions have been happening on and off at the transition house in the Chaleur region. Women fleeing situations of family violence who show up at the Maison de Passage in Bathurst could find the doors locked. A woman in distress also runs a very high risk of having to leave a message on an answering machine when she calls the transition house’s crisis line” said Vicky Smith, CUPE Union Representative.

“Unfortunately, the board of directors has decided to reduce the hours of service when there are no residents in the house. This situation is simply unacceptable for the workers and for the women and children in need of a roof over their heads.”

“This week, many events are organized to celebrate International Women Day.  It is difficult to celebrate when women and children victims of violence can’t access the services they need.

“We have brought the problem to the attention of both the Minister of Women’s Equality and the Minister of Social Development who share responsibility for violence programming and service funding. The Bathurst transition house situation shows that women still have a long way to go to achieve true economic and social equality.”

“The recent discovery near Moncton of the body of a murdered young Inuk woman, Loretta Saunders, reminds us that violence affects women of all ages and origins.   Once more, we are asking the government when these vital services will be restored for vulnerable women in the region?” concluded Smith.

FREDERICTON:  Employees at the Bon Accord Elite Seed Potato Centre in Perth Andover, a provincial-owned facility, have been given their pink slip this morning.

“The workers were called in and informed that as of Friday this week, they will be out of a job”, said Andy Hardy, President of CUPE Local 1190 which represents the workers at the centre.

The centre employed on a regular basis 10 workers, and during potato planting and harvesting season, an additional 30 workers.

The farm is a completely self-contained elite seed production unit which produces 35 variety of potato seeds for about 20 seed producers in the province.

“Premier David Alward is doing exactly what his predecessor Shawn Graham tried to do with NB Power, sell public assets without  any mandate”, added Hardy.

“This centre in operation since the 1960s is worth millions of dollars.  Bon Accord housed a greenhouse, 300 hectares of cultivated fields, a climate potato warehouse and various pieces of equipment,” said Hardy.

“The government is selling the Centre to Potatoes New Brunswick.  We would like to know how much the government will get from that sale.”

“Having an agricultural background and being a former minister of Agriculture, Premier Alward should know how important it is to have a public seed potato growing facility which guarantees a disease-free and affordable crop to the farmers.

“Even worst, this latest decision from the Alward Government is another blow to rural New Brunswick; once more, rural communities are losing some good paying jobs.”

Saint John: The city of Saint John might lose another Special Care Home at the end of the month because of the lack of provincial funding.

The Union representing the workers at the Salvation Army Centre of Hope, CUPE local 4780, was informed last week that the four days of negotiation scheduled, were being postponed until further notice.

‘The employees of the Salvation Army were told that the building housing the Home and other services such as the homeless shelter, is in need of important repairs and that the facility would close at the end of February if they did not receive financial help from the provincial government’, explained Marcos Salib, CUPE Servicing Representative for Local 4780.

‘The employees were shocked when they were told they could be out of a job in two weeks, if the Salvation Army didn’t receive funding that would enable them to operate the Group Home for the next three years’, explained Salib.

‘With the closure of the Special Care Home not only 35 employees would lose their job, but it would leave 34 residents without a roof over their heads. The saddest part is that 12 homeless persons won’t have a place to sleep at night, in the middle of the winter. In addition to the 40 beds reserved for the special care home, the Centre of Hope also house a 27-bed shelter for the homeless’, explained Salib.

‘This situation at the Centre of Hope illustrates once more the need for a strong financial commitment from the government for community services such as; group homes, homeless shelters, special care homes, and transition houses. The workers who provide those community services are receiving low wages and practically no benefits; because the operation of those services is stretched with money they receive from the province, they do not know if they will have a job from year to year.’

‘These agencies provide a home for adults in our community that struggle with mental illness, other disabilities and social problems. For those people, the community residences, group homes, special care home and shelters are their homes and it’s time for Government to made a financial commitment to help the most vulnerable of our society’, concluded Salib.

In a post-hoc effort to stem ongoing criticism of his pension policy, Premier Alward sent inscribed copies of Jim Leech & Jacquie McNish’s recent book, The Third Rail: Confronting Our Pension Failures to every MLA in the legislature.
In moderate-sounding language, the authors of The Third Rail argue that we should be “redefining” defined benefit plans rather than abandoning them. Pension plans should be made “more flexible” because “fully guaranteed benefits are no longer possible.” Plan members should simply “share” more risk with employers.
On its surface, this language sounds as if the authors are calling for pension plans to be tinkered with rather than dismantled entirely. They appear to be calling for halfway measures and fair compromises that may seem reasonable to many readers.
It’s hardly surprising that Alward was so taken with the book: his government used a similar language of moderation in the public debate over the forced conversion of the defined-benefit public sector plan (PSSA) to a “Shared Risk” pension plan. The government said that pensions weren’t being abandoned in its new “Shared Risk” plans – instead, they claimed to be taking these steps to protect pensions. They claimed that, in this new model, “risk and rewards are shared between retirees, active members and government.” The New Brunswick media echoed this middle-of-the-road messaging almost verbatim, repeatedly reporting the false notion that under these new plans, employers and employees “split the costs when the plan performs poorly.”
However, simply calling a plan “Shared Risk” does not mean that risk is actually shared between employers and members in this new model. The plan documents reveal that active and retired members will bear nearly all of the risk in a Shared Risk plan. Employers, on the other hand, are largely shielded from risk.
If a Shared Risk plan is underfunded, the only risk faced by employers is a very modest, and capped, increase in their contribution rate. Plan members face this same risk.
All additional funding pressure, if any exists, is relieved by automatic and unrestricted reduction of pension benefits, including potentially suspending cost-of-living increases for retirees, or even reductions of base pension benefits.
This is hardly a system that “splits the cost.” Employers face a limited risk of paying a bit more in contributions. Plan members face that same risk, but they also solely bear the more serious and open-ended risk of receiving a lot less. This is a complete upending of traditional defined-benefit plans – a point obscured by the moderate tone of The Third Rail and the NB government. While employers previously recorded pension liabilities on their balance sheets in DB plans, they will record no liabilities under the Shared Risk model, and many may try to completely write off their existing liabilities when converting to Shared Risk.
Government has repeatedly obscured this crucial point. As they sold a pension model that shifts risk to plan members, they told plan members that conversion somehow made their pensions “more secure” and that “Shared Risk” provides “much stronger protection” of pensions.
The government did nothing to correct the oft-repeated references in the media that the Shared Risk model features guaranteed base benefits, that only cost-of-living increases had been made conditional and that deficits are shared equally between workers and employers. In fact, there are no benefit guarantees (even for base benefits) going forward and risk is primarily borne by workers.
A recent report from the NB Auditor General revealed what we believe is the government’s real goal in this conversion. The AG reports that the province has been pushing for a liability-free accounting treatment for the Shared Risk plans since, according to the province, “the risks inherent in the plans are largely borne by the employees.” When the government met with CUPE representatives, they revealed their intention to, with the stroke-of-a-pen, eliminate nearly $5 billion of accrued PSSA pension liabilities from their books, and ensure that no pension liabilities of any kind will appear going forward. Yet members are told this somehow makes their pensions “more secure”
This is not a fix arrived at through moderate tinkering: this is the wholesale abandonment of the defined benefit model. CUPE was—and still is—fully prepared to sit down with government to look at different ways to address the government’s concerns about pension plan costs that do not involve completely walking away from the defined benefit model. Where necessary, CUPE members across the country have demonstrated a real willingness to make difficult decisions in pension bargaining – to actually “share risk.” However, government denied our request to explore alternatives, invoked closure, and rushed to legislate the unprecedented conversion of the PSSA.
It’s odd that The Third Rail claims to want to save defined benefit plans by promoting alternatives like “Shared Risk” that actually have no defined benefits. It’s equally odd that Alward says plan members’ benefits are made “more secure” as significant risks are forcibly shifted from employers to members.
It’s little wonder that The Third Rail is a favourite of Alward’s. The book, like his government, uses moderate-sounding rhetoric to effectively obscure the truly significant and utterly unprecedented upending of pension plan commitments to past, current and future workers.

Daniel Légère
CUPE NB President

Dear Sisters and Brothers,
On December 6^th, 1989, a man armed with a hunting rifle entered the University of Montréal’s engineering faculty and opened fire on women, claiming he was fighting feminism.  He murdered 14 women, mostly young engineering students, before killing himself. The only non-student, Maryse Laganière, was a CUPE member who worked at the faculty.

As we mark the anniversary of that horrific event, we remember the many women who to this day are injured or killed throughout Canada, often at the hands of their intimate partners.  “First mourn. Then work for change.”  That is the call to action inscribed on the December 6^th monument in Riverview.

Women in our province, like women throughout the country, continue to flee abusive homes, often with young children, and take refuge in shelters. Sometimes their violent partner finds  them in their workplaces.  Poverty and discrimination still trap far too many women in violent relationships. The current austerity climate has had a devastating impact on Canadian workers, including many women who have lost jobs and who have difficulty in accessing Employment Insurance benefits.

Aboriginal women are much more likely to suffer from violence than other women. The Native Women’s Association of Canada has identified more than 600 missing and murdered Aboriginal women and girls across Canada, and the violence continues. At the 2013 CUPE NB Convention, members adopted a resolution demanding that the federal government establish a national public inquiry and an action plan to address this tragic situation.

Government action is urgently needed to address the root causes of violence, part of the bigger picture of women’s inequality. The New Brunswick government provides some funding for front-line victims services and awareness-raising initiatives, but lacks a master plan for achieving true economic and social equality for women.  With no national action plan in place to end violence against women, the federal government continues to defund advocacy organizations that have provided a voice for women and the most vulnerable in Canada.

What can you do to end violence against women?  Ask your MLA and MP what actions are underway to improve the situation of women and girls and how they will track progress on gender equality. Stand up and speak out against verbal and physical abuse wherever it happens. Treating others with respect sends a powerful message, particularly if you are male. Support anti-violence campaigns and groups working in your communities. Participate in the national survey on the impacts of violence against women, on workers, and the workplace that will be launched by the Canadian Labour Congress in December 2013.

Everyone is welcome to participate in the December 6^th events organized across New Brunswick:

Shippagan :  Commemorative Walk, Kiosks, Christmas Lunch, etc. – December 4^th; Kiosks from 10 a.m. at the Shippagan campus of the Université de Moncton;  Walk from 12:20 to 1 p.m. (leaves from main entrance of the campus). For more information, contact Karen Lanteigne, phone (506) 395-7632.

Bathurst: Commemorative Walk & Action To End Violence – December 6^th, noon. From Holy Family Church parking lot to Bathurst Youth Center.  For more information, contact Soleil Thériault, phone (506) 545-8952.

Miramichi: Commemorative ceremony –  December 6^th, 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.,  NBCC Miramichi, 80 University Ave.  For more information, contact Patty Michaud, Domestic Violence Outreach Services, phone (506) 778-6496.

Fredericton:

Candlelighting Ceremony –  December 6^th, 8 a.m. – 8:30 a.m., , Chancery Place, 675 King St.  Organized by the Women’s Equality Branch, Government of NB.

Commemorative Ceremony – December 6^th, starting at noon at the University of New Brunswick – Fredericton, upstairs in the Student Union Ballroom.

Riverview: December 6^th, beginning at 6:30 p.m., gathering at Father Dan Bohan Centre, 5 Fatima Drive, next to Riverview Town Hall, followed by a candlelight vigil and laying of roses at the monument at Caseley Park. Organized by the December 6th Committee of Moncton and District Labour Council. For more information, phone (506) 852-9609.

St. Andrews: An Hour of Remembrance and Hope – December 6^th, from 7 p.m., Wesley United Church, 77 William St., St. Andrews. Organized by the Charlotte County Abuse Prevention Network. For further information, phone Charlotte County Community Outreach at (506) 469-5544.

MONCTON: The Union representing Health Care workers in New Brunswick, CUPE Local 1252, is worried about the impact of the recent budget cuts and what the next round of budget restriction will have on the delivery of health care in the province.

“We have been informed that the Health Authorities will slash another 1% from their budgets in the coming year.  How deep do the cuts have to be before the citizens of New Brunswick realize they need to speak out to save healthcare?” asked Norma Robinson, the President of the New Brunswick Council of Hospitals Unions, CUPE Local 1252.

“What will be the impact on patient care of these new cuts? What services will be impacted by those cuts.  What closures are we going to see?  New Brunswickers deserve to have these questions answered”, said Robinson.

“The employer has implemented a new nursing model on long term care units and is currently doing studies on the oncology and surgical units; these changes will be applied in early 2014. What will be the impact to patient care when these cuts happen?”

“All these changes have an effect on the workers who deliver the services.  We are currently seeing an increase in the Workers Compensation claims from injured employees who are forced to work alone due to staffing reductions.

“Furthermore, the Department of Health is currently looking at contracting out of Management of the Food Service; Environmental Services and Porters; what does this mean for the system?  Will we see more frozen food systems being implemented? Will those in hospital beds being served food which was frozen months before?  Is this the food New Brunswickers deserve when they are sick and dying in an hospital bed?”

“We have requested information from the Department of Health on the cost to deliver these services today and to date have not been provided this information; why has this not been provided?  Where is the cost savings to contract services to companies outside New Brunswick when we currently have individuals within the system who are trained to provide this service efficiently and effectively?”

“We need to keep health care services public; publically delivered health care is the most cost effective service”, concluded Robinson.

More than 100 members of CUPE Local 1252 are meeting in Moncton this week for their annual meeting.

Sisters and Brothers,

Doing mass membership meetings this fall was a commitment Brother Black and I made to our members when we went around the Province last year.

The two certainties at this point for the agenda are:

1) The unite for fairness campaign and the attacks organized Labour is facing from the Federal Conservative Government

2) The attacks at our bargaining table from our Provincial Conservative Government And our plan to deal with both. We committed to keeping the talking part of these meetings to 45 min. And then open the floor to the members.

Any Locals that have ongoing campaigns are encouraged to bring to these meetings and add to the distribution tables. Also a reminder to bring food bank items for the local area food banks.

Daniel Légère
President CUPE NB

List of Massmembership meeting

FREDERICTON: The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in New Brunswick is calling upon the Alward government to slow down the implementation of the “Shared Risk” model for the Public Service Superannuation Act (PSSA).

“Last week, we met with government officials and indicated to them that our members had concerns and questions about this new model that needs to be considered before it is legislated”, declared CUPE NB President Daniel Légère.

“CUPE simply wants the Alward government to take a pause in its legislation and discuss the many options available to preserve the defined benefit nature of the PSSA and improve its funding”, explained Légère.

“We strongly believe that Defined Benefit Pension Plans are the best and most efficient way to provide a decent, secure and predictable retirement income for the workers in New Brunswick and across Canada. However, CUPE recognizes that some pension plans are facing larger challenges then others.  The “Shared Risk” model was developed by a government task force working with other unions, including CUPE, to address critical problems with the province’s health care workers’ pension plan. CUPE, however, made it perfectly clear to the Alward government – this was not a one size fits all fix for tackling short-term pension challenges.”

“We have never said that the “status quo” is the only option for the PSSA plan. But we also can’t stand idly by as the Alward government tries to shed pension liabilities at the expense of public sector workers’ pensions.”

“We are fully prepared to work with the province in tackling the surmountable challenges facing the PSSA plan, and find options that don’t transfer all the risks onto workers and retirees”, concluded Légère.

MONCTON:  The Union representing health care workers, CUPE Local 1252, is asking the government to stop bleeding health care services in the province.

“Today, the laundry services at the Moncton Hospital and the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital

Norma Robinson during a press conference at the Moncton Hospital concerning the closure of the laundry services at the Moncton hospital and the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital.

are closing.  This is a very sad day for the long service employees in those two facilities,” said Norma Robinson, President of CUPE Local 1252, the New Brunswick Council of Hospital Unions.

“The laundry services in the Moncton Hospital have been operating for 70 years.   At that hospital, 22 employees are losing their jobs; all of them have at least 25 years of services.  Where do you get another job when you have been working for the same employer all your life?”

“The laundry services at the Tracadie-Sheila Hospital have been there for 50 years.  Eleven people are losing their jobs today; those are all long dedicated service employees.  What is going to happen to those families?  Are they expected to go work in laundry in Fort McMurray?”

“In September, other health care workers received their layoff notice; many of them worked in long-term care units. Now, the government is moving ahead with plans to privatize the management of non-clinical services in hospitals, such as food and cleaning operations.  If this plan goes ahead, more workers will lose their jobs and we will see decent paying jobs replaced by minimum wage jobs.”

“It’s time New Brunswickers send a strong message to this government that Health Care is an important service, especially with our aging population.  We need to protect the health services we have in rural communities as well as the urban centers. It’s time to stop the bleeding of health services”, concluded Robinson.