CUPE members at Valley View Villa concerned with lack of oversight by provincial government

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing workers at Valley View Villa in Stellarton, is concerned that the Nova Scotia Department of Health was unaware of the problems that existed at the facility. The union is calling on the Minister of Health to explain what action the provincial government will take to protect other workplaces from this type of upheaval and risk to patient care. Last month, the current administration at Valley View Villa contacted CUPE representatives, asking to discuss financial issues at the long term care home. The union was informed that the previous administration had staffed to a level that is not completely funded by the provincial government and this has created a‎ deficit that continued to grow over time. The employer announced that restructuring was necessary to get down to appropriate staffing levels that fall within the funding mandate. CUPE representatives have since met with the … Read more…

Turning my back on NS Liberals CUPE 8920

Member update on health care bargaining – October 13, 2017

After 22 days of negotiations, multiple pieces of Liberal legislation attacking workers’ rights, and employers who are attempting to take away key benefits from health care workers, talks have finally broken down between the Nova Scotia Council of Health Care Unions, the Nova Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) and IWK Hospital. Without any pressure to do so, the employers (NSHA and IWK) have requested the assistance of a conciliator from the Department of Labour to assist the parties. Employer negotiators have shown no interest in bargaining in good faith and still refuse to table their proposed changes to sick leave benefits for health care workers. As a result, there is nothing more we can accomplish at the table without the aid of a conciliator. It is expected conciliation will begin sometime in the next two months and is likely to last for many weeks due to the complexity of the task. … Read more…

Delegates hold up voting cards at the CUPE National Convention

Convention 2017 – Moving Forward Together

Dear Sisters, Brothers, and Friends: We’d like to thank the 2,200 delegates who took the time out of their lives to attend our National Convention in Toronto last week. We know it’s not easy, and we appreciate your commitment to our union, and the honesty and civility with which you engaged in debates around our union’s priorities, policies and structure. We accomplished a lot together, and we wanted to share some of the key decisions that were made. Strike Pay Delegates approved a resolution to begin pay for eligible members of striking locals on the first day of a strike, instead of the fifth, as is currently the case. This move will strengthen the position of locals who encounter obstinate and unreasonable demands from employers at the bargaining table. This change to strike pay is effective immediately. Coupled with the union’s renewed bargaining policy, which rejects all attempts by employers … Read more…