Logo: CUPE 4963. Two stick figure people, over a multi-colour heart that looks like a jigsaw puzzle

Workers at Queens Association for Supported Living take strike vote

CUPE 4963 members employed by Queens Association for Supported Living in Liverpool Nova Scotia voted 92 per cent in favour of strike action yesterday. With no significant progress being made in bargaining to reach a fair collective agreement, the membership renewed their union’s mandate to go on strike if necessary. CUPE 4963 members are asking for the community’s help to reach an agreement with their employer. “These workers need the public’s assistance and hope people in the area will contact Minister Kelly Regan to help end the impasse,” says CUPE National Representative Chris Sutton. “They have tried many times to resolve the pension issue with their employer and want to avoid a disruption of services that will be caused by a lockout or strike, which could happen as soon as Monday, December 14.” Union representatives are hoping that a final meeting today with the employer and a conciliation officer appointed … Read more…

CUPE Nova Scotia opposes pension clawback tabled by government trustees

CUPE Nova Scotia is disappointed to learn that board members of the Public Service Superannuation Plan Trustee Inc. (PSSPTI) are considering cuts to public service pension plan benefits. “The changes that the trustee board are considering would effectively cancel the much-needed Canada Pension Plan (CPP) enhancement for thousands of workers, including CUPE members, who are members of the pension plan,” says CUPE Nova Scotia President Nan McFadgen. “CUPE Nova Scotia represents a number of local unions within the PSSP and we strongly object to these potential clawbacks from our members’ pensions,” says McFadgen. The trustee board recently made a call for submissions, asking whether or not adjustments should be made to the PSSP in response to CPP increases that are being phased in by the federal government until 2025. “All public service workers should be concerned about these cuts to their pension,” says McFadgen. “We only learned about the call … Read more…

Black and white close-up photo of a woman with three other women in the background. Text: Together, we can make the world a safer place for women.

December 6: Remember and Work for Change

CUPE Nova Scotia and the CUPE Nova Scotia Women’s Committee is marking December 6, the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence against Women, by calling on CUPE members, and all Nova Scotians, to stand up and fight for change. This year, December 6 marks the 31st anniversary of the 1989 École Polytechique Massacre when 14 women were murdered because of their gender. One of the women, Maryse Laganière, was a CUPE member working at the engineering school. Gender based violence has long been at catastrophic proportions in Canada and around the world. The statistics are appalling. Over 50 per cent of women have experienced sexual harassment at work; more than one third of women have experienced intimate partner violence; and every six days in Canada a woman is killed by her intimate partner. Gender based violence continues to be a serious issue. In fact, the current pandemic has … Read more…