Month: August 2018

Labour Day is more than just the last long weekend of summer before the kids head back to school. It is an important day of the year to reflect and celebrate the gains and achievements made on behalf of our workers.

In Alberta, CUPE members have diligently stood together to improve conditions for working Albertans. Today we have higher wages and better benefits, as well as vastly safer and healthier work places. It is every worker’s right to a safe and healthy workplace.

This hasn’t always been the case. These have been hard-fought gains made over years of battle.

But when CUPE raises its collective voice to stand up for workers’ rights and a better life for everyone, it resonates in workplaces and communities across Alberta and Canada. We are the country’s largest labour union, and we are committed to our fight for a fairer and more equal world.

Around the world, a wave of right-wing governments threaten to legislate away the rights of workers, privatize public services and fundamentally redefine how governments serve their people. That threat can be found right here in Alberta in Jason Kenney and his United Conservative Party of Alberta. A provincial election will be held by next spring and CUPE Alberta will do everything it can to re-elect the NDP, whose labour-friendly policies improve conditions for Alberta workers and support a more equal and inclusive society.

Thank you to all CUPE activists, leaders, and staff across Alberta, who fight tirelessly to make our jobs and our communities better. You show up and make a difference.

On behalf of CUPE Alberta, we wish you a very safe and happy Labour Day.

In Solidarity,

Marle Roberts
President, CUPE Alberta

 

Labour Day celebrations are happening across Alberta on Monday, September 3rd. Here is a list of some of those events:

Edmonton:

• Edmonton District Labour Council barbecue, live entertainment and family activities. 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Giovanni Caboto Park, 95 Street and 109 Ave,

Lethbridge

• Lethbridge District Labour Council barbecue, bouncy castles, face painting and live entertainment, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kinsmen Park, 1009 – 9^th Avenue South.

Medicine Hat

• Medicine Hat Labour Council barbecue, 11 m. to 1 p.m., Riverside Park, across the street from CityHall (1^st Street SE)

Red Deer

• Red Deer District Labour Council barbecue, live entertainment, Rosie the Clown, crafts and Sidewalk chalk; 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., 51 Street between 49 Avenue and 50 Avenue

Calgary

• Calgary District Labour Council barbecue, live music, free food, family event, book give-away. 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Olympic Plaza, 228 8 Ave SE

Fort McMurray

• Wood Buffalo District Labour Council barbecue and rubber duck race. 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Snye Point Park, Fort McMurray

 

Alejandro Pachon | CUPE Research

Over the last year, the Alberta New Democrat government has introduced numerous reforms to the province’s labour legislation.

The reforms have included changes to the Labour Relations Code; the Employment Standards Code; the Occupational Health and Safety Act; and the Workers Compensation Act. The government has overhauled and modernized the legal framework for labour relations in Alberta, after decades of neglect by previous conservative governments.

Many of these changes directly affect the rights and benefits of workers under provincial jurisdiction. For instance, the Fair and Family-Friendly Workplaces Act (June 7, 2017) made 37 changes and 16 additions to the Employment Standards Code. These include an increase in the minimum wage to $15 per hour, improvements to leave eligibility, parental leave and compassionate care leave, as well as new entitlements to leaves for bereavement, domestic violence, critical illness of a child, and long-term illness and injury.

The same act also made 13 changes and 10 additions to the Labour Relations Code, including classifying all continuing care facilities and healthcare laboratories as essential services requiring essential service agreements to ensure continuous operations during potential strikes.

It’s an impressive list of positive changes, and CUPE locals need to integrate these improvements into their collective agreement. The rapid pace of legislative reform means CUPE locals may find themselves with a lengthy list of items to negotiate at the bargaining table.

To the extent possible, locals should try to include all the new standards as part of their collective agreements, with specific language for each of the improvements obtained through legislation.

Backing up legislation with bargaining improvements also helps defend gains if the government changes. In Alberta, members of the United Conservative Party (UCP) have declared their intention to roll back these gains and even push for “right-to-work” legislation. If the improved standards were to be rolled back, clear and specific language in our collective agreements would protect CUPE members from losing newly acquired entitlements and leaves.

Employers, however, may resist the introduction of this language if they believe that a future Conservative government would remove many of the new employer obligations. If a collective agreement does not contain specific language for domestic violence leave, for example, a change in legislation would leave the employer off the hook and would constitute a loss for the workers.

Even in the face of employer resistance, CUPE locals should make every effort to negotiate new standards into their collective agreements in any jurisdiction where gains are realized.

Find out more about how you can bargain new standards into your contracts. Connect with your CUPE staff representatives to create a plan.

In light of major revisions to its Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) Act, the Alberta Government has partnered with the Canadian Centre of Occupational Health and Safety to develop and deliver a free e‑learning course for provincial residents. The revised OHS regulations, which came into effect June 1, include the right of workers to refuse unsafe work, the right to know about potential safety hazards, and the right to participate in safety discussions.

The CUPE Health and Safety Department would like to encourage all members in Alberta to take advantage of this free course, to start learning about the sweeping changes to the legislation, and to support committee co‑chairs and representatives in their roles and responsibilities.

Register for the e‑course today: https://www.ccohs.ca/distributors/alberta/

Get involved in health and safety discussions in your workplace! Contact your local to find out about other training opportunities through CUPE’s Health and Safety Learning Series.