International Workers’ Day – Webinar

May 1st is marked throughout the world as May Day or International Workers’ Day. This is the day when the workers of the world take to the streets in major cities around the globe demanding justice, fairness, and dignity for all.

We are inviting members to join us for a webinar on Monday, May 1st at 6:30pm to celebrate International Workers’ Day, and to learn more about how workers in Alberta are connected to global struggles in the Philippines, Palestine and elsewhere.

To register for this event please email Clay Gordon, President CUPE Local 40 at: cupe40president@gmail.com

RALLY FOR PUBLIC HEALTH CARE – MAY 14

 

On May 14, join the Alberta Federation of Labour (AFL) and show your support for public health care and the health care workers who are keeping it together despite UCP underfunding and dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic!

Edmonton
Alberta Legislature Building
1:00 PM
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/eljMCltXs

Calgary
South Health Campus – U of C Hospital, Seton Hall off of Front Street, south side main entrance
1:00 PM
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1Kyou51HW

Red Deer
City Hall
1:00 PM
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1Pb0TpJmS

Lethbridge
City Hall
12:00 PM (NOON)
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1AIMTlGmk

Medicine Hat
Regional Hospital, 5th Street Side
11:00 AM
Facebook Event: https://fb.me/e/1vVAHKfyo

 

 

 

 

United Nurses of Alberta – Day of Action

 

The United Nurses of Alberta (UNA), are currently negotiating a new contract with Alberta Health Services and have been presented with a series of outrageous and devastating demands for concessions from the employer, including a retroactive pay rollback of three percent.

Our friends, sisters and brothers in UNA are standing strong in the face of this unprecedented attack and have called for a Day of Action on Wednesday, August 11, 2021, to show their strength and solidarity and demonstrate through rallies and information pickets that they will not be intimidated by Jason Kenney and the UCP.

CUPE Alberta is supporting this Day of Action and we are asking local unions in the province to promote these important events to their members and encourage them to attend if they are able. A list of actions across Alberta with times and locations are shown below.

Jason Kenney and the UCP are attacking the public sector at all levels in our province, and we need to come together to fight back and protect the people we serve each and every day.

CALGARY

Local 1 (Peter Lougheed Centre)

When: August 11 from 1400 to 1600
Where: Outside the Peter Lougheed Centre (3500 26 Ave NE, Calgary) on 26th Avenue outside of the Emergency Department.
Contact: local1exec@una.ca

Local 115 (Foothills Medical Centre)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1330
Where: Outside the Foothills Medical Centre (1403 29 St NW, Calgary) along 29 Street.
Contact: Kevin Champagne at local115exec@una.ca

Local 121 (Rockyview General Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1100 to 1300
Where: Outside the Rockyview General Hospital (7007 14 St SW, Calgary) on the green space along 14 Street.
Contact: Marie Aitken at maitken@una.ca

Local 415 (South Health Campus)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1330
Where: Outside of South Health Campus
Contact: local415exec@una.ca

 

EDMONTON

Local 11 (Misericordia Community Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1300
Where: Outside the Misercordia Community Hospital (16940 87 Ave NW, Edmonton)
Contact: local11exec@una.ca

Local 33 (Royal Alexandra Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1000 to 1400, speakers at 1200
Where: Outside the Royal Alexandra Hospital (10240 Kingsway NW, Edmonton) along Kingsway Avenue.
Contact: Lonee Rousseau at lrousseau@una.ca

Local 79 (Grey Nuns Community Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1330
Where: Outside the Grey Nuns Community Hospital (1100 Youville Drive NW, Edmonton)
Contact: local79exec@una.ca

Local 183 (Alberta Hospital Edmonton)

When: August 11 from 1200 to 1600
Where: Outside of Alberta Hospital Edmonton (17480 Fort Rd NW, Edmonton)
Contact: local183exec@una.ca

Local 301 (University Hospital, Stollery Children’s Hospital, Mazankowski Alberta Heart Institute)

When: August 11 from 1100 to 1500
Where: Outside the University of Alberta Hospital (8440 112 St NW, Edmonton) along 112 Street.
Contact: local301exec@una.ca

 

FORT MCMURRAY

Local 96 (Northern Lights Regional Health Center)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1300
Where: Outside of the Northern Lights Regional Health Center on 7 Hospital Street in Fort McMurray, from there they will be marching down Franklin Ave to MLA Tany Yao’s constituency office.
Contact: local96exec@una.ca

 

HIGH LEVEL

Local 162 (Northwestern Regional Health Authority – High Level (Community Nurses)/Fort Vermillion-High Level)

When: August 11 from 800 to 1630
Where: In front of the Northwest Health Centre (11202 100 Ave, High Level)
Contact: Robyn Dwyer at 780-841-3228

 

HIGH PRAIRIE

Local 17 (High Prairie Health Complex)

When: August 11 from 1100 to 1300
Where: The south side of the High Prairie Health Complex (5101 38 St, High Prairie)
Contact: Jan Robinson at 780-523-0765 or Rudy Valenzuela at 780-6050705

  

LETHBRIDGE

Local 120 (Chinook Regional Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1100 to 1300
Where: Outside the Chinook Regional Hospital (960 19 St S, Lethbridge) along 17 Street South
Contact: local120exec@una.ca

  

MEDICINE HAT

Local 70 (Medicine Hat Regional Hospital)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1330
Where: Along 6th Street outside the Medicine Hat Regional Hospital (666 5 St SW, Medicine Hat)
Contact: local70exec@una.ca

 

RED DEER

Local 2 (Red Deer Health Centre/Extendicare Michener) and Local 218 (Central Zone Community)

When: August 11 from 1130 to 1330
Where: Outside the Red Deer Regional hospital (3942 50a Ave, Red Deer)
Contact: local2exec@una.ca

 

ST. PAUL

Local 24 (St. Paul Health Centre)

When: August 11 from 1400 to 1800
Where: Outside the hospital (4713 48 Ave, St. Paul) and along main street in St. Paul.
Contact: Jillian Loe at 780-227-0313 or jillianloe@hotmail.ca

 

STONY PLAIN

Local 92 (WestView Health Centre)

When: August 11 from 800 to 1330
Where: Outside the WestView Health Centre (4405 S Park Dr, Stony Plain)
Contact: Heidi Kushnerek at hkushnerek@una.ca

 

PONOKA

Local 31 (Ponoka Hospital & Care Centre) and Local 222 (Centennial Centre for Mental Health and Brain Injury)

When: August 11 at 1600
Where: Park located across from the Rising Sun Clubhouse in Ponoka (5216 50 Street)
Contact: local31exec@una.ca

 

WESTLOCK

Local 73 (Westlock Health Care Centre and Westlock Continuing Care Centre)

When: August 10 starting at 1000
Where: Outside the east side of the Westlock Health Care Centre (10220 93 St, Westlock)
Contact: local73exec@una.ca

 

WHITECOURT

Local 149 (Whitecourt Healthcare Centre/Whitecourt Community)

When: August 11 from 1200 to 1400 and 1600 to 1800
Where: On the corner of Highway 43 and Hospital Road in Whitecourt.
Contact: local149exec@una.ca

 

CUPE Alberta Weeklong School- Red Deer College

Alberta Weeklong 2015 - Group photo

RED DEER — Over 100 CUPE members from across Alberta participated in the 2015 Weeklong School at Red Deer College May 25-29th.

Four workshops were provided this year: Collective Bargaining (facilitated by National Representatives Tony Miotti and Jennifer Chretien), Parliamentary procedures and Public Speaking (facilitated by National Representative Rachna Singh) and two Steward Learning Series courses facilitated by Rodger Oakley, Rosanne Pazuik, Aneen Albus and Stephanie Lustig.

Acting Education Representative Audrey Barr was enthusiastic about this year’s group of students. “It was a fantastic group who were completely engaged in learning to assist their Local members when they finished the week.”

Read more…

26 Fort McMurray airport workers lose jobs to privatization, temporary foreign workers

Twenty-six Fort McMurray airport custodial staff learned today that they are being fired, their jobs out-sourced to a company that recruits and hires temporary foreign workers.

“We’re in shock,” CUPE Local 1505 President Les Collins said. “Temporary foreign workers aren’t supposed to displace hard-working Canadians who want to keep their jobs.”

According to the Bill’s General Cleaning website, custodial staff will be paid only $14.50/hour, the equivalent of $30,160 per year before deductions. The Province of Alberta says the average cost of living in Fort McMurray is $65,000.

“Offering to pay workers considerably less than half of the cost of living is unconscionable,” Collins said. “This is simple exploitation.”

Bill’s General Cleaning has a sister company, which shares an office address and phone number, called Bill’s Recruiting. They specialize in recruiting and placement of temporary foreign workers (TFWs).

CUPE Alberta President Marle Roberts is calling on the federal Minister of Labour to demand an investigation into the use of TFWs in this case.

“We want to know why long-term employees are being put out of work, and TFWs being brought in,” Roberts said. “How does this support the Canadian economy?”

“Our workers went through intensive security screening in order to work at an airport,” Collins said. “Safety is a major concern. How can we be sure of the backgrounds of people who have been in Canada only a few days?”

CUPE members and supporters intend to picket the airport and to contact municipal, provincial, and federal politicians to reverse the privatization plan.

– 30 –

Contact: David Loan

o) 780-791-3411

c) 613-301-7468

DL/vt COPE #491