Wear Pink on February 26
BURNABY–On Friday, February 26, CUPE members in British Columbia will join folks in communities across Canada by wearing pink as they participate in International Stop Bullying Day. By wearing pink, CUPE members will take a stand against bullying and bring awareness to this serious problem in schools, workplaces, and communities. “Bullying doesn’t stop as a […]
Fourth CUPE Local rejects tentative agreement
VANCOUVER – CUPE 3403-01 members voted on Thursday to reject the tentative Community Health agreement, the final of four locals to vote against the deal. Members were not impressed with the deal and were particularly concerned about the losses of LTD benefits, voting 82 per cent against ratifying the agreement. CUPE 3403-01 represents workers at […]
Creston library workers get ‘solid’ first agreement
CRESTON— The 13 members of CUPE 4959 who work at Creston Public Library look forward to serving the public in a healthy working environment, thanks to a first collective agreement that includes wage increases, job security provisions and a new RRSP benefit. “This is a solid new agreement that really recognizes the concerns that our […]
New pension plan for community social services
BURNABY—On April 1, CUPE’s community social services workers become eligible to join the Municipal Pension Plan (MPP). The ability to join the MPP was a major gain made in the 2006 round of bargaining. And as April 1 is fast approaching there are some good sources of information about the benefits of the plan and […]
Supporters rally to defend Insite from Feds
VANCOUVER – More than 150 people rallied on Wednesday in support of Insite, North America’s only supervised injection site. The crowd included members of CUPE 1004 and CUPE 15, community residents, patients, and the general public who sent a message to Stephen Harper that “Insite saves lives.” The impromptu rally was called to protest the […]
O’Neill addresses hundreds on “local first”
COMOX—The school gymnasium at Highland Senior Secondary School was filled to the bleachers on Monday for CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill’s address on the importance of local investment policies that strengthen communities. Nearly 350 K-12 support staff workers were in attendance to hear O’Neill’s speech, “Investing in Local Economies,” which touched on themes the CUPE […]
Tentative agreement for health care workers
BURNABY—A tentative agreement covering more than 48,000 hospital and long-term care workers has been reached between the multi-union Facilities Bargaining Association and B.C.’s health employers. The two-year agreement protects wages and extended health benefits, expands options for workers affected by restructuring and privatization, and provides for compensation increases for targeted job categories. The agreement was […]
Jargon-laden Throne Speech hints at mass privatization
BURNABY— This year’s Speech from the Throne leaves no doubt that the BC Liberal government has completely ignored all expert evidence to date about the folly of public-private partnerships (P3s) and intends to push ahead with a misguided agenda of mass privatization, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees. “As usual, the Throne Speech is […]
UVic rally for public services, free collective bargaining
VICTORIA—Whistles blew, sirens wailed and hundreds of leaflets were handed out at a rally at UVic on February 8. CUPE members from six BC universities joined allies in Victoria to raise awareness about threats to public services. The rally occurred in the wake of more privatization threats at the University of Victoria and anger about […]
Penticton rallies for collective bargaining
PENTICTON – More than 50 boisterous union activists and supporters gathered outside Liberal MLA Bill Barisoff’s office Saturday to protest his support of Bill 21. Accompanied by two ambulances, the marchers waved flags, wore signs and handed out buttons to pedestrians, while motorists honked their horns in support of free collective bargaining for paramedics. BC’s […]
