CUPE Local 30 Filing Grievance After 60 Members Get Hit With Wage Cutting Job Reclassifications

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With the holiday season right around the corner, sixty CUPE Local 30 members employed by EPCOR received unexpected and alarming job reclassifications resulting in wage reductions of up to $6 per hour for some, effective immediately. The employer sprung the news on members employed in EPCOR’s Wastewater Collection and Construction Services branch the afternoon of Wednesday, November 6th in a meeting with all 60 employees and their union.

CUPE Local 30 reacted swiftly to the move and is filing a grievance alleging it is a blatant violation of the collective agreement.

Eric Lewis, President of CUPE Local 30, pointed out that these severe cuts to wages are completely unnecessary as the company just posted a $193 million dollar increase to shareholder dividends.

“EPCOR shareholders will continue to get rich, while workers – who create shareholder value in the first place – are punished with wage decreases,” said Lewis.

The CUPE Local 30 president is also concerned that wages could be cut in other areas. “There is no telling how far EPCOR’s greed could penetrate the organization,” Lewis added.

Affected members have been advised by their union to participate in the grievance process within the necessary timelines.

CUPE Alberta president Rory Gill noted this is part of a pattern of pushing down workers at a time when wages aren’t keeping up with the cost of living. “When we have a provincial government watering down labour legislation, trying to weaken unions, and suppressing wages, it’s not surprising that corporations are emboldened to take every opportunity to put their profit above their people. That’s why, as the largest union in the country, we fight back.”

Contact
Jocelyn Johnson
Communications Representative
Phone #: 780-700-5592

CUPE Supports Safety and Dignity of Trans Youth as UCP Pushes Misguided Legislation

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The union representing many of the Alberta’s education and health-care workers is calling for Danielle Smith and the UCP government to withdraw Bill 26, Bill 27 and Bill 29, and end their harmful attacks on trans youth.

CUPE has always fought for human rights in the workplace and beyond. All CUPE members and the Albertans they work with in schools and in the community have a right to dignity and safety. Requiring education workers to deny the identity of students and putting them in a position of ethical conflict creates unsafe conditions for both students and support staff.

The UCP government is failing Albertans with this legislation. Most Albertans are trying to meet their basic needs, find health care, and access important supports in their schools and communities. “This government has a lot of work to do to fulfill its responsibilities to Albertans. The extent they will go to distract from their failures and use the identities and lives of Alberta citizens to sow political division is heartbreaking and disturbing,” said Rory Gill, President of CUPE Alberta.

Parents, youth, teachers, and health professionals are saying this legislation is not only wrong-headed, it’s also potentially devastating for some of the most vulnerable young people and families in the province. “Hard-working Albertans and their families need a government focused on solving problems, not creating them. Bill 26, Bill 27, and Bill 29 need to be withdrawn in the interest of the dignity and safety of every Albertan,” said Gill.

Bill 26, Bill 27, and Bill 29 are part of a disturbing nation-wide rise in anti-trans policies. CUPE stands in solidarity with trans people and will help resist threats to their rights and safety.

“Hate and misinformation have no place in our workplaces or communities. These bills take the bullying of vulnerable young people to new lows as Danielle Smith tries to score political points while ignoring the needs of working people,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock.

“Our union has the backs of trans youth and the CUPE members who help them learn, get health care, and live their lives. Trans rights are human rights and we will show up whenever workers or their families are under attack anywhere across this country,” said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick.

Contact
Jocelyn Johnson
Communications Representative
Phone #: 780-700-5592

Fort McMurray Education Support Staff Set to Vote on Dispute Inquiry Board Recommendations

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Fort McMurray Catholic and public education support workers in CUPE Locals 2545 and 2559 will vote on recommendations proposed by the Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB), from Friday, November 1st until 4pm Monday, November 4th, through an electronic ballot.  The Alberta Labour Relations Board will announce the official results on Tuesday, November 5th. If the recommendations are voted down, 72 hours’ strike notice could be served immediately by the Local.

“The DIB recommendations do not address the needs of our members. We have not had a raise in almost ten years, and a $175.00 annual honorarium proposed by the DIB does not make up for a lack of meaningful wage increases,” explains Lynn Fleet, President of CUPE Local 2545. “We did not negotiate this settlement. If we do not fight back now for our right to bargain freely and fairly, we will continue to be pushed around. We urge members to vote ‘no’ on this offer,” says Fleet.

The DIB recommendations would put wages at a rate that still falls short of a livable income, leaving many members below the poverty line. “We’re hearing loud and clear from our membership that they won’t accept a deal that doesn’t address the inflated cost of living, and we strongly support every member’s decision to vote ‘no’,” adds Danielle Danis, President CUPE Local 2559.

CUPE Locals 2545 and 2559 represent more than 1,000 educational assistants, librarians, IT workers, custodians, and maintenance workers at Fort McMurray’s public and Catholic schools.

Contact
Alanna King
Communications Representative
Phone #:780-381-0809

CUPE Local 4625 Education Support Workers in Sturgeon Public Vote to Take Strike Action

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Sturgeon Public School Division education support workers in CUPE Local 4625 held a strike vote on Friday, October 25th. The membership of roughly 250 includes educational assistants, cafeteria clerks, office clerks, library clerks, therapy assistants, library technicians, cafeteria technicians, accounts clerks, vocational assistants, divisional administrative assistants, and licenced practical nurses. The result was a decisive strike vote with 93% of the membership turning out to vote and 94% in favour of taking strike action. After confirmation of the final results by the Alberta Labour Board, the Local is now in a position to give 72-hour notice to strike.

President of CUPE Local 4625 Kelly Salisbury said she heard consistent themes about understaffing and severe difficulty making ends meet on low wages from members leading into the vote and anticipated this strong result. “We’ve tolerated 8 years of zeroes, doing our best to support the kids we care deeply about. We just can’t make it work anymore. Students are our absolute main priority, but an inability to pay the bills is affecting members at home, making the job unsustainable,” said Salisbury.

Along with CUPE Local 4625, CUPE Local 474 members also recently held a strike vote with 97% of members voting yes to strike. The two Locals join CUPE Locals 3550, 2559, and 2545 with strike mandates, however these three other Locals were forced into a Dispute Inquiry Board process by the provincial government just before they took strike action.

“We are very determined to achieve a fair collective bargaining agreement,” said Salisbury. “We know that if we don’t stand up for fair pay for these important services, the ones who will suffer most will be our students and their families.”

Contact: Jocelyn Johnson
Communications Representative
Phone #: 780-700-5592

Education Support Workers Refuse to Submit to Province’s Intimidation Tactics

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CUPE 3550 members are collectively participating in a political protest today October 24th in resistance to the provincial government’s low wage mandates and interference in collective bargaining.

“Members did not come to this lightly. They do not feel this government is hearing their pleas to help instead of hinder. They need a fair agreement for themselves and for the students they serve.”

This member-driven decision came after several townhall-style meetings and long conversations within the membership. The members say this is about the integrity and sustainability of Alberta’s education system. It’s also about being able to feed their own family after giving everything they’ve got to supporting the children of families in their community at school.

As the president of the Local, and an educational assistant herself, Mandy Lamoureux knows very well that this will have an impact on students and families. “Members did not come to this lightly. They do not feel this government is hearing their pleas to help instead of hinder. They need a fair agreement for themselves and for the students they serve,” stated Lamoureux.

Lamoureux said, “Members have to do what is right in their heart and for the vast majority of them that means standing up for themselves and their students. It’s not fair for those students least able to advocate for themselves to be the victims of funding shortfalls. We can’t keep watching public education fall apart.”

The local was set to begin their strike on October 24th when the province jumped in on October 22nd with the appointment of a Dispute Inquiry Board to force the Local into mediation all over again. This same process was imposed in Fort McMurray with two CUPE education support Locals resulting in nothing more than delays and employer attempts to demoralize and discourage the membership.

“These members voted to be on strike. This is how this stage of bargaining works. But their government is blocking them. Their own government is working doggedly against them. It’s cruel and wrong from representatives who are supposed to be serving the best interests of these everyday working people of Alberta,” said Rory Gill, President of CUPE Alberta.

 

Contact

Jocelyn Johnson
Communications Representative
780-700-5592

 

CUPE Local 474 Edmonton Public School Support Workers Vote in Favour of Strike

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October 21st and 22nd, 2024

Edmonton Public School custodial staff in CUPE Local 474 held a strike vote in person over two days on October 17th and 20th. The membership of roughly 900 voted decisively in favour of taking strike action by 97%. After confirmation of the final results by the Alberta Labour Board, the Local is now in a position to give 72-hour strike notice.

President of CUPE Local 474 Barry Benoit said, he had anticipated this strong result, having heard consistently from the membership that “issues around respect, wages, and benefits have to be addressed for an agreement to be acceptable.”

This is the second CUPE Local in Edmonton Public to take a strike vote, following CUPE Local 3550’s strike vote on October 16th. This is the first time in the history of both locals that members are overwhelmingly willing to take strike action. “We are very determined to achieve a fair collective bargaining agreement,” said Benoit. “We are, as we have always been, open to getting back to the table to consider an offer we can recommend to members if it properly addresses the issues.”

Contact: Jocelyn Johnson
Communications Representative
Phone #: 780-700-5592

 

The Province is using the Alberta Labour Code to Hammer Down Already Struggling Workers

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The Alberta Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade is, again, using an obscure piece of the Alberta Labour Code to restrict the right of education support workers to take job action by imposing a Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB) on CUPE Local 3550. A DIB is not a neutral third party with authority to prescribe a fair deal. As long as the Alberta government continues to impose a low wage mandate on the school board, this delay tactic will not be helpful in reaching a deal.

Mandy Lamoureux, President of CUPE Local 3550 said “The province’s bargaining directive on the board has precluded us from getting to a fair deal, and this shows they’re not interested in what’s fair. They’re putting their foot on the scale instead of just their thumb. They are leaving no room to negotiate.”

“This impasse created by the Government of Alberta’s inference in collective bargaining is not going to be fixed by them further interfering in collective bargaining,” said President of CUPE Alberta, Rory Gill.

The bargaining process is intended to be about finding a fair balance between the needs of the workers and the needs of the employer. In this case, both sides are stuck with the province in the middle setting the terms. “The province claims not to be involved in bargaining with CUPE, but they are exactly the problem,” said Gill.

“We know this government recognizes the crisis in education; they’re making announcements about new schools and staff. The reality is, though, that we aren’t going to be able to get those skilled workers and keep them if they have to work short-staffed for poverty wages,” said Lamoureux.

CUPE Alberta President Tells Province To Avoid Bullying Education Workers Set To Strike

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CUPE Local 3550 members are set to go on strike on October 24th, but their employer, Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB), has advised they intend to make a request to the Alberta government to impose a Disputes Inquiry Board (DIB).

CUPE Alberta President Rory Gill sent a letter to Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade Matt Jones asking the Alberta government to respect the bargaining process by removing provincial wage directives and letting the parties negotiate in good faith. Gill states in the letter, “there are no outstanding issues between EPSB and CUPE Local 3550 that could be resolved by a DIB as long as the government’s wage mandate remains in place.”

This provincial stall tactic was used recently against education support staff in Fort MacMurray to prevent members of CUPE Locals 2545 and 2559 from being able to begin their strike. The DIB resulted in no movement or alternate proposals and simply prolonged the impasse for educational support workers in Fort McMurray. “We see imposing a DIB while maintaining wage directives as an attempt to bully CUPE members into taking the government’s wage mandate,” the letter states.

Gill urged the minister not to interfere with the constitutional right to strike, stating that if the government imposes a DIB at the request of EPSB “it will be obvious that the government is acting in bad faith and has no respect for free collective bargaining.”

Click here to read the letter to Minister Jones

Press Release

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CUPE Local 3550 Edmonton Public School Support Workers Set to Begin Strike on October 24th.

EDMONTON, Alberta – CUPE Local 3550’s strike will officially begin on Thursday, October 24th, 2024, from 7am-5pm for all work sites at Edmonton Public schools.

“This result shows incredible strength in the membership’s resolve to achieve a fair collective bargaining agreement.”

The Local held their strike vote on October 16th, 2024 resulting in 92% of eligible voting members turning out to vote with 97% voting in favour of taking strike action.

“This result shows incredible strength in the membership’s resolve to achieve a fair collective bargaining agreement,” said CUPE Local 3550 President Mandy Lamoureux.

Strike notice was served on October 18th, following the Local’s strike vote receiving confirmation from the Alberta Labour Board.

With the prospect of 3000 support staff off the job, Lamoureux hopes the provincial government will recognize their mandated wage caps are the major problem getting in the way of being able to settle a deal. “Shortfalls in public education funding and mandated low wages have to stop. This is not sustainable. Poverty wages will not help recruit and retain the skilled professionals we need in our schools,” she said.

The Local has seen an outpouring of support from the public, Lamoureux added. “Education support staff know how much our work means to students and families, and we’re deeply grateful for the advocacy from the community alongside us to stand up for an education system that’s properly funded and properly supported.”

Contact

Jocelyn Johnson
780-700-5592