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Campbellton– CUPE Local 76 members who work for the City of Campbellton are on the picket lines this morning after being locked out by the municipal council.

“It is unfortunate the City council chose confrontation over negotiation,” said George Parker, president of CUPE Local 76.

“Last week, in a last ditch effort to reach a collective agreement, the Union requested the intervention of a mediator. The City sent a third party to the table with the mandate to get even more concession from its workers,” says Parker.

“The next day, the city contracted out the snow removal services.”

“When Mayor Bruce MacIntosh said talking about the lockout ‘they had very little choice’ — well they had the choice to sit down and negotiate with its workers, not try to bully their way through negotiation. Since we began this process, the city never altered its course.”

Only once in our history, we were unable to provide the service to the residents of Campbellton. We were locked out by the city more than 30 years ago!”

CUPE Local 76 represents 43 employees who work mainly in the water department, waste water, streets, recreation, workshop, inventory, fire department and police dispatch.

The collective agreement expired on December 31, 2013.

Campbellton: The union representing the City of Campbellton outside workers, CUPE Local 76, is asking the Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour to appoint a mediator in order to reach a collective agreement with its employer.

“Instead of threatening to lock us out and contracting out our jobs, we believe the City should return to the bargaining table to try to reach a collective agreement,” said George Parker, President of CUPE Local 76.

“We requested the appointment of a mediator last Friday and we hope the City will come back to the table instead of moving forward with a possible lock-out and contracting out of snow removal.”

“While we were in bargaining, in mid-September, the Employer published an invitation to tender for the snow removal. Ten days ago, the Mayor gave our union an ultimatum: accept the latest offer or snow removal will be contracted out for, not one, but three years and there could be a lock-out.”

“Our members were simply appalled by our Employer’s statement. It shows a total lack of respect for its employees. Why would the City pay a private contractor thousands of dollars for snow removal this winter when snow removal has always been done by city employees? We have all the equipment and the manpower.  Where is the saving there?”

Parker says, “It seems that the City’s rational for contracting out snow removal is that the service would be maintained if the outside workers go on strike. Our members have never been on strike and our intention is to not do so.  We have made that clear many times. Only once in our history, we were unable to provide the service to the residents of Campbellton.  We were locked-out by the city it was more than 30 years ago!”

The stumbling blocks at the bargaining table are wages, retirement allowance and job security. CUPE Local 76 has been without a collective agreement since December 2013.

Fredericton – Members of CUPE Local 508, the outside workers with the City of Fredericton gave their Union Executive, this evening, a strong strike mandate.
CUPE National Representative Ralph McBride says, “Based on the strong mandate we received from the membership we are asking the City to return to the bargaining table.”

McBride says, while the strike mandate they received is strong, no strike date has been set. Outstanding issues include wages and the Benefit Spending Allowance.

“In the 60 years history of this Local, the members have never been on strike. Bargaining is never easy but in the past, we have always been able to reach an agreement at the table,” explained Kevin Smallwood, CUPE 508’s President.

CUPE local 508 has been without a collective bargaining since December 2013. Outside workers in the city are responsible for services such as water and sewage, water treatment, pollution control centre, roads and streets maintenance and cleaning, mechanics, traffic and parks and trees.

CUPE NB asked the Leaders of the political parties questions on various issues such as Free Collective Bargaining and Pay Equity.
Click here to download their answers

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All members of the Canadian Union of Public Employee in New Brunswick and Canada would like to express their condolences to the family and friends of Mr. William Dwight Mallock of Seal Cove in Grand Manan Island, NB, who passed away while performing his duties as a Paramedic on Saturday August 16, 2014 at the Grand Manan Airport. William D. Mallock had been a paramedic with Ambulance New Brunswick for the last twenty years and a member of CUPE NB Local 4848.

http://www.ells.ca/obituaries/90707#.U_ExlWmZlM8.gmail

FREDERICTON – For the first time since the beginning of the celebrations of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Government publicly recognized the important contribution of its public services employees. During the celebrations of New Brunswick Day in Cocagne, on Monday August 4th, the Premier David Alward acknowledged the role of the public sector workers.
“In the last decade, it is the first time the leader of the Provincial Government has made the effort to say those words publicly during New Brunswick Day, which is notable”, said Daniel Légère, President of CUPE NB.
New Brunswick public sector workers in education, health care, social services, highway, and municipalities are on the front line everywhere every day delivering good services for all New Brunswickers, even during times of natural or unnatural disasters.
More than one hundred CUPE members and their families joined the celebrations in Cocagne, distributing brochures and promotional items, along with iced cold public water.

FREDERICTON – During the special one-day session of the New Brunswick legislature held Tuesday, July 29th in Fredericton, the Liberal Party made a commitment to binding arbitration for correctional officers in New Brunswick. The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1251, which represents 500 Provincial Correctional Officers, Human Services Councillors and Custodians, is pleased to hear such a commitment from the Official Opposition. The Union is now calling on the Conservative Government to do the same.

“It has been more than 3 years now that we have been without a contract. Our officers are the lowest paid in Canada, and because of that we have a serious retention issue. In the last five years, we have had hundreds of our workers leave our provincial correction institutions”, said Everett Godfrey, President of CUPE Local 1251.

“We have some of the lowest amount of officers per inmate ratios in Atlantic Canada working in our jails designed with an inmate ratio of up to 30 inmates to 1 officer and no protective barrier.”

According to Liberal MLA Bernard leBlanc, the issue “needs to be addressed immediately”.

“Over a year at the negotiating table and four rounds of conciliation, the provincial government failed to negotiate an essential Public Safety contract. This contract needs to be sent to binding arbitration for safety reasons”, concluded the President.

Everett Godfrey, President of CUPE 1251.

FREDERICTON: Hundreds of CUPE members from across the province gathered in front of the Legislative Assembly this morning to support Provincial Correctional Officers, Human Service Councillors and Custodians.

CUPE Local 1251 members have been without a collective agreement for almost 3 years.

“We demand a fair collective agreement for our members”, said Everett Godfrey, President of CUPE 1251.

“So far, negotiations with the government have been difficult. The major stumbling block is wage parity. We have a retention issue, our correction officers in New Brunswick are the lowest paid in Canada and our goal is to bring our wages in-line with our counterpart in the Atlantic province,” added Godfrey.

“Another important issue at the table is the right of casuals; we want to protect the right that the casual employees currently have under our collective agreement. All casuals are to be treated the same.”

“Today, we are calling upon the government to negotiate in good faith. Correctional officers put their lives on the line every day to protect society from convicted criminals and work in dangerous environment. Violent incidents happen on regular bases in prisons and correctional officers want some respect from our employer,” concluded Godfrey.

Delegates at the CUPE convention will vote later this week on an emergency resolution calling upon all CUPE New Brunswick to support CUPE 1251 in its efforts to defend free collective bargaining and resist concession on casual rights.

Saint John – The Canadian Blood Services workers, members of CUPE Local 1655, have ratified a new collective agreement last week.

“CUPE Local 1655 reached a tentative agreement with the help of a special mediator that addressed the rates of pay and the issue of the hours of work which were the stumbling blocks during this round of bargaining”, explained Mike Davidson, CUPE Representative.

“Last month, members of CUPE Local 1655 rejected the Canadian Blood Services’ offer and voted for a strike action but agreed to return to the bargaining table in a last effort to conclude a collective agreement.”

The workers received 4% in retroactive wage and the Canadian Blood Services agreed to complete a Joint Job Evaluation by December 31, 2015.

CUPE Local 1655 represents almost 40 phlebotomists, clinic assistants and drivers.

The new collective agreement expires December 31, 2015.

ROTHESAY: Members of CUPE Local 1252, the New Brunswick Council of Hospital Unions (NBCHU), rallied in front of the office of the Minister of Health, Ted Flemming, calling upon the Alward government to continue to push its federal counterpart for the renewal of the Health Accord.

“This week the 10-year Health Accord came to an end and we believe the effect will be devastating for healthcare delivery in this province”, said the President of the NBCHU, Norma Robinson.

“New Brunswick relies heavily on federal funding to offer healthcare services throughout the province. With the refusal of the Federal Government to renew the Accord, the province stands to lose hundreds of millions of dollars in the coming years.”

“Increasing transfer payments to the provinces by six per cent a year for the next three years like Ottawa intends to do is not going to cut it, especially for a province like New Brunswick.”

“Already, the healthcare system is being stretched to the limit in the province. Over the years, hospitals have been closed, communities in rural areas lost health services, and the level of services has been reduced. Without the renewal of the Health Accord, we will probably see more hospitals and beds closure and further reduction of services and staff, especially in smaller communities. With an aging population, this is a very scary scenario.”

“Premier Alward said that him along with other premiers stood up against the federal government’s decision. We are asking Premier Alward and Minister Flemming today to make the renewal of the Health Accord the number one priority for this government. New Brunswickers can’t afford to receive less health services”, concluded Robinson.