News

Tuxedo Villa Employees Hold Info Pickets, Demand Fair Wages

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Winnipeg – Employees at Tuxedo Villa Personal Care Home rejected their employer’s final offer in a vote held on July 8, 2014, and will be holding information pickets outside their facility today in an effort to bring their employer back to the table with a fair offer.

“Anyone who has a loved one in a personal care home understands the value of the facility’s staff” states CUPE National Representative Laurissa Smerchanski-Sims, “unfortunately Tuxedo Villa doesn’t understand this value and refuses to offer fair or reasonable wages for employees”.

Represented by CUPE Local 2180, employees at Tuxedo Villa Personal Care Home are health care aides, dietary aides, laundry and housekeeping aides, cooks, recreation workers, and custodial staff.

“Our members care very deeply for the residents at Tuxedo Villa” states Smerchanski-Sims, “but staff do not feel like they are receiving fair compensation for the work they do”.

Meetings with a Conciliation Officer are scheduled for August 19th and 20th to attempt to reach a fair deal, but public support is very important to staff.

“We know that the public values the work of personal care home staff” says Smerchanski-Sims, “we are asking for the public’s support to help us achieve a fair deal for these workers”.

Information pickets will take place outside Tuxedo Villa at 2060 Corydon Avenue today from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm.

Information pickets are also scheduled for August 13th and August 18th.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees represents approximately 25,000 public sector workers in the Province of Manitoba, in health care, education, crown corporations, airlines, social services and childcare, and municipalities.

CUPE Local 3085 Prepares to Strike

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Selkirk – CUPE Local 3085, representing employees at Community Living Selkirk, has served notice to their employer that they will be on strike effective August 8, 2014, at 8:00 am.IMG_9954

“We have done everything in our power to avoid a strike situation” said Sheree Capar, CUPE National Representative, “but the employer refuses to provide fairness, offering sub-inflationary increases that would amount to nickels and dimes on already low wages”.

On July 9th members voted 94% in favour of strike action, and held information pickets in Selkirk on July 15th and 22nd in an effort to put pressure on the employer to offer a reasonable package.  On July 25th, following numerous meetings with a provincial conciliation officer, the strike committee officially served the employer with two weeks’ notice of the strike commencement date.

“Employees at Community Living Selkirk take pride in the work they do” said Capar, “going on strike is a difficult decision for anybody, but there is only so long that a worker can survive below the poverty line”.

The union has also been informed by Community Living Selkirk that replacement workers are already being trained to take over the duties of striking employees.

“The fact that Community Living Selkirk can afford to pay expensive private replacement workers and not their own employees is shocking” said Capar, “why don’t they just support their staff?”

CUPE Local 3085 will be traveling to Winnipeg to hold an information picket outside the office of Kerri Irvin-Ross, Minister of Family Services (1060 Pembina Highway) on Tuesday, July 29th at 12:00 noon.  They will be calling on the province to ensure adequate funding to support Assisted Community Living staff.

CUPE Local 3085 represents approximately 100 employees at Community Living Selkirk providing residential support services to Manitobans living with intellectual disabilities.

For more information, contact:

Sheree Capar, CUPE National Representative – Cell #:  204-801-4699

David Jacks, CUPE Communications Representative – Cell #:  204-801-7339

Local 3085 Info Pickets at Minister of Family Services Office

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CUPE Local 3085 (Community Living Selkirk) invites you to join them at the Minister of Family Service’ office to call for fairness for Assisted Community Living workers!IMG_9954
Community Living Selkirk employees provide important supports and services to Manitobans living with intellectual disabilities, yet are paid just above minimum wage, forcing many employees to live below the poverty line.

Employees voted 94% in favour of a strike mandate, and need your support to help them achieve fairness in their workplace.

WHEN: Tuesday July 29, 2014

TIME: Noon – 1:00 p.m.

PLACE: 1060 Pembina Highway, Winnipeg (constituency office of Minister of Family Services and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Kerri Irvin-Ross).

For more information contact David Jacks at djacks@cupe.ca

Bring your signs, noisemakers, friends and family!

More Info Pickets Today in Selkirk

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CUPE Local 3085 (Community Living Selkirk) is organizing another round of info pickets in Selkirk, calling on their employer to compensate them fairly for their work. Currently, employees at Community Living Selkirk, who provide support to Manitobans with intellectual disabilities, earn wages that keep them below the poverty line.

Last week’s info pickets were received very well by the public, generating positive feedback from motorists and passers-by.

Please join us again today in solidarity with CUPE Local 3085, Community Living Selkirk members for another round of info pickets!
When: Tuesday, July 22, 12:00 noon
Where: Selkirk, Main Street & Manitoba Ave.
Why: to support CUPE Local 3085 members in fighting for a fair contract!
We need your support!

For more information, click here.

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Community Living Selkirk Employees to Hold Info Pickets

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Selkirk – Employees at Community Living Selkirk will be holding information pickets at the corner of Main Street and Toronto Avenue in Selkirk, calling on their employer and funder to provide fair compensation for the important work they provide to the community. Community Living Selkirk employees are represented by CUPE Local 3085, and are responsible for providing support to individuals living with intellectual disabilities. Members voted 94% in favour of strike action at a ratification meeting on July 9th. A strike date will be determined in the coming weeks.

“It is appalling that dedicated social service providers are making just above minimum wage” said Sheree Capar, CUPE National Representative, “they provide invaluable support to Manitobans with intellectual disabilities, and deserve to be compensated fairly.”

The current collective agreement expired in September 2013, and following months of bargaining and meetings with a conciliation officer, members voted in June, and again in July to reject the employer’s proposal of sub-inflationary wage increases.

“The population of Manitobans living with intellectual disabilities in the community is growing, as is the need for direct community living care” says Capar, “yet wages for the people who are responsible for their care aren’t even increasing at the rate of inflation, creating serious recruitment and retention issues which impact on care provision.”

Community Living Selkirk employees provide in-house support to Manitobans living with intellectual disabilities, including cooking, cleaning, medication, personal hygiene care, outings and activities, and crisis response.

“Staff turnover is very high, creating increased workloads on staff and often forcing them to stay in the workplace for 18 hours straight” said Capar, “yet the employer has threatened to spend money on replacement workers in the case of a strike, rather than provide support to existing employees, it is simply not fair”.

Information pickets will begin at noon on Tuesday July 15, 2014, at the corner of Main Street and Toronto Avenue in Selkirk.

CUPE Local 3085 represents approximately 100 Residential Counsellors at Community Living Selkirk.

Manitoba Flood – Volunteers Needed!

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Manitoba Flood.

CUPE Manitoba will be organizing members to volunteer in St. Francois-Xavier to help with sandbagging efforts.

We have been in contact with the Rural Municipality, and they require as much assistance as they can get.
We will be meeting at the CUPE Regional Office in Winnipeg on Tuesday, July 8th between 9 and 9:15am, and carpooling to-and-from the RM.

We plan on sandbagging from 10am to 3pm. If you are driving from outside Winnipeg, please meet us at the RM Office at 10am.

Please contact David Jacks at djacks@cupe.ca if you are interested in helping out so we can organize rides.
Bring your own rubber boots & old clothes.

We appreciate that this is short-notice, but no amount of time is too short to help out!

CUPE Manitoba celebrates renewal of Merchant’s Corner

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Winnipeg – CUPE Manitoba President Kelly Moist was on-site on Monday along with members of CUPE Local 2348 at the unveiling of new plans to transform the Merchants Hotel on Selkirk Ave in Winnipeg’s North End into a multi-use education, affordable housing, and social services hub.

“Winnipeg’s North End is a place where so many different communities come together in celebration of our city’s diversity” said Moist. “The new Merchants Corner is a beacon of cooperation, hope, and renewal for the community”.

Over the past number of decades the Merchants Hotel was seen by many in the community as a derelict and crime-ridden facility which often served as a venue for dangerous and criminal activity.

Today the renewed facility will be a centre for community engagement, including student and affordable housing, the University of Winnipeg Urban and Inner-City Studies program, and Community Education Development Association’s Pathways to Education (CEDA) high school completion program.

Jim Silver, Chair, University of Winnipeg Urban and Inner City Studies Kelly Moist, President, CUPE Manitoba Stephen Terichow-Parrot, member of CUPE Local 2348 (CEDA)
Jim Silver, Chair, University of Winnipeg Urban and Inner City Studies
Kelly Moist, President, CUPE Manitoba
Stephen Terichow-Parrot, member of CUPE Local 2348 (CEDA)

“CUPE members who work at CEDA are thrilled with the level of inter-agency cooperation that led to the development of this project” said Moist. “Our members are part of the community, and provide important educational support and services to many North End residents”.

The new Merchants Corner was made possible through generous contributions from the Manitoba government, as well as strong community support through various agencies and organizations including the University of Winnipeg, CEDA, North End Community Renewal Corporation, Winnipeg Housing Rehabilitation Corporation, and many others.

CUPE Manitoba marches with Pride

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CUPE members and activists joined over 10,000 people in the 2014 Winnipeg Pride parade held on Sunday, June 1.SONY DSC

“Our union works tirelessly each and every day to end homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and discrimination in our workplaces” said Kelly Moist, President of CUPE Manitoba “many of our members face these issues daily, and we are proud to stand up and speak out against this form of hatred”.

This year, the CUPE Manitoba Human Rights Committee and the CUPE Manitoba Young Members Committee joined together to host a colourful parade float, decorated in both Pride and CUPE flags.

“By being a visible part of Pride we hope not only to celebrate the LGBTTQ* community, but to also send a message to the broader community” said Moist “if there is any form of discrimination in our workplaces, we will be there to fight it”.

The Pride Winnipeg Festival started in 1987, and CUPE Manitoba has supported the festival over countless years.

City suspension of mandatory unpaid leave the right move – CUPE

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WINNIPEG – The City of Winnipeg has suspended their plan to force city workers to take a mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave scheduled for December, 2014.

“Citizens deserve to have their services delivered when and where they need them,” said Mike Davidson, President of CUPE Local 500.  “The proposed forced leave was simply bad public policy, and bad management.”

In March 2014, CUPE Local 500 filed a policy grievance against the mandatory 3.5 days of unpaid leave, calling on the city to ensure that services remain fully staffed and open to the public. The City denied the grievance, forcing the Local to consider a costly and lengthy arbitration process.

Since the 3.5 day furlough was first introduced by Councillor Russ Wyatt, who is also the Chair of the Finance Committee, CUPE has maintained that the forced unpaid leave would adversely affect the quality and delivery of important services and programs for the citizens of Winnipeg.

“We are pleased that we will no longer have to pursue legal avenues to challenge the furlough,” said Davidson.  “Citizens shouldn’t have to fight against the City for the services they deserve.”

CUPE Local 500 represents about 5,000 employees working at the City of Winnipeg who provide front-line services in public works, community services, water and wastewater, recreation and other service areas.