Read the CUPE Nova Scotia Newsletter online or download and print copies for your local. In this issue: A message from CUPE Nova Scotia President Nan McFadgen New discounts app for members Cold Weather Hazards Fact Sheet Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Convention Strike pay on day one How will wage losses affect your municipality? 2018 CUPE Nova Scotia Division Convention CUPE NS Health & Safety Facebook Group Download the November 2017 newsletter
The union representing support staff at the Halifax Regional School Board has applied for conciliation in contract negotiations that broke off on Wednesday, November 14, 2017. Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) National Representative Karen MacKenzie says the union hopes to meet with the conciliator as soon as possible since negotiations have dragged on for more than a year and a half. The union’s collective agreement expired on July 31, 2014. At this point, no further talks are scheduled. “We are not where we hoped to be,” says Chris Melanson, president of CUPE Local 5047. “We’ve had about a dozen face-to-face bargaining sessions and we feel that we have reached an impasse. We hope that the assistance of a conciliator will help to amicably reach an agreement.” “The Liberal government’s Bill 148, imposed on public sector workers in August, has impacted these negotiations,” says MacKenzie. “Since the bill was passed, … Read more…
The following letter was sent to Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development Zach Churchill by Michelle Lohnes on behalf of early childhood educators, members of CUPE 4745. The later was also published in the Chronicle Herald on November 11, 2017. Over the last few days, we have noticed that the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development has provided surveys to be completed by child-care centre directors, board members and parents, to gather information about the impact of pre-primary programs that began in September. The implementation of the pre-primary program has had a huge, negative impact on early childhood educators working in child-care centres across the province. Many of us are concerned about our future employment due to underfunding and the decline of enrolment in child-care centres. Our sector was already experiencing a recruitment and retention problem and these new programs have made a difficult situation even more challenging. The … Read more…