January 25, 2017
Local 2157 President Lise Comeau and
Vice President Karli Matthews sit to talk at
Keyano College for mental health awareness day.
Young Workers
Health and Safety Award
Do you know a member who has made a significant contribution in the area of health and safety in Alberta? If so, we would like to hear from you!
Closing date for nominations: December 31, 2016
Dear Local Executive and CUPE Members,
Re: Relief FUND for CUPE Alberta members
In light of the devastation caused by wild fires in the Fort McMurray area, CUPE Alberta is creating a Relief Fund to assist CUPE members in Alberta who are affected by this 2016 fire.
All monies collected will go directly to CUPE members, the funds will be split amongst CUPE Alberta members who have lost their homes or who will have to be relocated for an extended period of time.
We are asking locals to donate to the Relief Fund to assist our members in rebuilding their lives and homes, and restore hope for the future.
We are hoping to have all donations into the CUPE Alberta Office asap. This will enable us to distribute the funds to the affected CUPE members.
Please forward your donation to:
CUPE Alberta Treasurer
ATTN: Relief Fund – Fire
300 – 10235 124 Street
Edmonton AB T5N 1P9
In solidarity,
Marle Roberts
President, CUPE Alberta
Important information for drivers
Renewing Your Provincial Driver’s Licence
As of April 1, 2016 the Province of Alberta will no longer be mailing out reminders to your home to renew your provincial driver’s licence.
Employees operating employer fleet vehicles or equipment are required to have a valid provincial driver’s licence, as well as an operator’s permit.
It is the responsibility of employees to ensure that you renew your provincial driver’s licence prior to your birthday expiration date.
Please click the link below to sign up for your free renewal notification via email or text message.
Visit www.e-registry.ca to request a renewal reminder email or text message.
April 28 – Day of Mourning
Every day, workers around the world are injured and killed while trying to earn a living. In Alberta, workplace deaths number in the hundreds per year.
On April 28th we pause to remember those injured and killed while working, and re-commit to improving conditions so further deaths will not occur.
The last year has sadly seen its share of workplace deaths and injuries. However, there is some good news. Alberta has joined other provinces in Canada in protecting agricultural workers under labour and health and safety laws. In the first three months of 2016, WCB Alberta has approved 159 applications for compensation from farmworkers – applications that would have been denied last year.
There is still much more to be done. Workplace deaths are preventable. Please keep working to make our jobs safer.
Click here to find out about April 28 events in your area.
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December 6 – National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women
On December 6, 1989 at École Polytechnique (a post secondary school in Montreal) a shooter went on a rampage. After separating women from men, the shooter killed fourteen women and injured ten others.
Since then, December 6th has been named “White Ribbon Day” as a day to remember those women, and all others who experience violence.
While massacres like the one in 1989 are thankfully rare, the statistics around Canadian violence against women are shocking:
- Half of all women in Canada have experienced at least one incident of physical or sexual violence after the age of 16.
- On average, every six days a woman in Canada is killed by her intimate partner.
- On any given day in Canada, more than 3,300 women (along with their 3,000 children) are forced to sleep in an emergency shelter to escape domestic violence. Every night, about 200 women are turned away because the shelters are full.
- Each year, over 40,000 arrests result from domestic violence—that’s about 12% of all violent crime in Canada. Since only 22% of all incidents are reported to the police, the real number is much higher.
December 6th event in Edmonton
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CUPE Alberta’s pre-budget submissions
Greetings Sisters and Brothers,
I am pleased to share with you CUPE Alberta’s pre-budget submissions for the historic 2015 provincial budget, the first to be brought down by the new NDP government.
In the few short months that Premier Rachel Notley and the NDP have been in power, they have already brought forward substantial and progressive legislation. We commend them for moving so quickly to enact real change that brings more fairness in Alberta’s highly regressive taxation system, increases the minimum wage and reduces user fees for public services. We applaud these and other swift changes that show the NDP government understands and values the importance of dignity in all workplaces.
Still, there is much more to be done during these difficult economic times. CUPE Alberta’s position is that the government can deal with its deficit while still having room to increase investment in quality public services. Specifically, our budget recommendations include:
- Implementing major initiatives from the NDP platform, including a greater public investment in child care and increasing supports to the Family and Community Support Services. This is also a good time to call a commission to look at how to phase-out coal-generated electricity while investing more in green energy. CUPE specifically recommends the commission include the principle of Just Transition, to make sure workers and communities dependent on these legacy industries are treated properly.
- Create jobs by investing in government services, infrastructure, child care and public education.
- Adopt buy-local policies for procurement around infrastructure development and maintenance, and adopt an Alberta First policy for purchase of government supplies and food.
- Invest in infrastructure renewal across towns and cities in the province suffering from years of deferred maintenance under previous governments.
- Renew the province’s rural broadband strategy, audit the current Public-Private Partnership infrastructure programs and engage in a comprehensive review of tax expenditures and loopholes.
Please read our full submissions and recommendations below.
https://alberta.cupe.ca/files/2015/09/CUPE-Alberta-Pre-Budget-Submission-2015.pdf
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vt cope#491
Meet Alberta Youth Delegates to CUPE Young Workers Strategy Session
Montreal
August 19-21, 2013
Crystal Chan and Cesar Agudelo will both be attending All-in, Our union, Our future, a young workers strategy session, on behalf of their Local 4731. The strategy session will bring together members and staff aged 30 and younger to develop a vision for CUPE to defend and enhance the rights of the next generation of workers.
Both Crystal and Cesar work at the Calgary Workers’ Resource Centre, a charitable, non-profit organization that provides representation and advocacy for workers who have employment related issues including Employment Insurance, Employment Standards, Human Rights, Workers’ Compensation, and Canada Pension Plan Disability. Crystal works as a Case Worker and Cesar as the Intake Coordinator.
Meet Alberta Youth Delegates to CUPE Young Workers Strategy Session
Montreal
August 19-21, 2013
Crystal Chan and Cesar Agudelo will both be attending All-in, Our union, Our future, a young workers strategy session, on behalf of their Local 4731. The strategy session will bring together members and staff aged 30 and younger to develop a vision for CUPE to defend and enhance the rights of the next generation of workers. … Read more…