Canadian Mental Health Association – Interlake employees avert strike

Selkirk – After last minute negotiations through a provincial conciliation officer, the CUPE Local 2348 strike committee has agreed to push back their strike deadline, pending the outcome of continued talks slated for early next week.

“It is our hope that the employer will return to the bargaining table with an offer that our members can agree to” said CUPE National Representative, Sheree Capar “at the end of the day, our priority is to reach a fair agreement, and this is a positive step towards that goal”.

CUPE 2348 members at CMHA – Interlake Region held a strike vote on April 7th, with 100% in favour of striking.  Meetings with a Conciliation Officer were held on April 28th, and May 6th. Members were prepared to strike as early as 8:30am, today.

CUPE Local 2348 represents health and social service workers across Manitoba.

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For more information or to arrange an interview:

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

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

Canadian Mental Health Association – Interlake Employees Prepare to Strike

Selkirk – Employees of the Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) – Interlake Region, represented by CUPE Local 2348 are preparing to strike, as early as Thursday, May 8th at 8:30 am.

CMHA – Interlake Region staff assist in locating safe and affordable housing for community members who live with mental illness and help them with rehabilitation, training, and life skills.

Currently, CMHA – Interlake staff make between 15% and 36% lower wages than similar work being done by CMHA – Winnipeg Region employees.  “What we are asking for is fairness” said Local 2348 strike committee member Tristan Dreilich, “it doesn’t make sense to us that we are not offered similar compensation to our counterparts in Winnipeg, who do similar work”.

In addition to asking for wage parity with CMHA – Winnipeg Region staff, employees of CMHA – Interlake Region are asking for the same or similar employer-paid benefits.  “It is not that difficult to understand that similar work deserves similar benefits” said Sheree Capar, CUPE National Representative, “living and working in the Interlake shouldn’t mean that you are offered less than you would in Winnipeg”.

CUPE 2348 members at CMHA – Interlake Region held a strike vote on April 7th, with 100% in favour of striking.  Meetings with a Conciliation Officer were held on April 28th, and May 6th where the employer and bargaining committee reached an impasse.  “Our team has worked very hard to reach a fair deal” said Dreilich, “we are disappointed that the Interlake-Eastern Regional Health Authority (IERHA) won’t help us reach parity with our Winnipeg colleagues”.

The CMHA – Interlake Region service area includes as far south as Lockport and Stony Mountain and extends north of Ashern as well as in Beauséjour, Pinawa, and Lac du Bonnet.  The CMHA – Interlake Region is funded primarily through the Interlake-Eastern RHA.

CUPE Local 2348 represents health and social service workers across Manitoba.

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For more information or to arrange an interview:

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

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

CUPE Celebrates May Day!

CUPE Manitoba encourages all CUPE members to come out to the 2014 May Day march, Thursday, May 1st!

The event takes place at Winnipeg City Hall, at 5:30pm. Join together with our brothers and sisters in memory and celebration of the struggles and victories of the working class!

Following the May Day march is the May Day Cabaret at the King’s Head Pub, featuring local music from Pat Krawac, Ras Tamils, Debbie Patterson, and Lindsay Jane!

Brandon and District Labour Council is also holding a march at 5:45 at the Dome Building at Keystone Centre, and a pizza dinner at the BDLC.

Tickets available at Organic Planet or at the door.

For more information contact MayWorks at http://mayworks.org/ and the Winnipeg Labour Council event on Facebook!

Download (PDF, 2.03MB)

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April 28 Day of Mourning Events

April 28 has been designated by Parliament as the National Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job.

Please take thcupecanary2006e time to attend one of the many events in your community to honour, reflect, and celebrate the lives of Manitobans who were killed on the job, and call for action to ensure that nobody dies at work, or from work-related injuries.

  • Winnipeg:

City Hall Day of Mourning Ceremony

Monday, April 28, 2014, 9:00am – 9:30am

City Hall courtyard. Reception to follow.

Worksite ceremonies: 1220 Pacific, 7:00am. 552 Plinquet, 7:30am. 1155/1199 Pacific, 10:30am.

2014 Day of Mourning Candlelight Memorial Service and Leaders Walk

Monday, April 28, 2014, 10:45am – 11:30am

2nd Floor Auditorium, Union Centre, 275 Broadway.

  • Brandon:

Brandon Day of Mourning Ceremony

Monday, April 28, 5:30pm

Brandon City Hall

  • The Pas:

Day of Mourning Rally

Monday, April 28, 12:14pm or 5:15pm

Town Hall (steps)

  • Thompson:

Memorial Service

Monday, April 28, 7:00pm – 8:00pm

United Steel Workers Local 6166 Hall

  • Selkirk:

Memorial Walk

Monday, April 28, 10:40am – 11:40am

Memorial Hall, 376 Jemima St. Selkirk.

19 Elizabeth Drive

For more information, please contact the Manitoba Federation of Labour.

Protect, strengthen and expand health care; town hall meeting in Winnipeg

Protect, strengthen and expand health care; town hall meeting in Winnipeg

Winnipeg – Manitoba is facing a $1.4 billion cut to health care funding by the federal government over the next ten years. By refusing to sign a new health accord with the provinces, the federal government is abandoning its responsibility to protect quality public health care services for all Manitobans.

Tonight in Winnipeg, the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees are hosting a town hall meeting to discuss what these cuts will mean for Manitobans, and what can be done to support public solutions to make our health care stronger for all Canadians.

“With fair federal funding, we can create the health care system we need, with quality public health care for every Manitoban and every Canadian,” says Maude Barlow, national chairperson of the Council of Canadians. “But when the federal government let the 2004 Health Accord expire and refused to negotiate a new agreement with the provinces and territories, it walked away from its responsibility to protect our public health care system.”

Barlow will be joined by Paul Moist, national president of CUPE, at tonight’s town hall and will discuss the need for the federal government to be a full partner with Manitoba and the other provinces and territories on health care.

“Without a new agreement, it will mean $36 billion less for Medicare over the next 10 years. This is not acceptable,” says Moist. “Over 87 per cent of Canadians – in every region of the country and across party lines – support public solutions to make health care stronger. What we’re missing is real federal leadership to protect our public health care system.”

The town hall will feature in-depth discussions on how health care funding cuts will affect services for Manitobans, and explore effective ways to expand public health care to better serve the changing needs of Canadians – such a public home care, long-term care and a national pharmacare program.

The Council of Canadians and CUPE invite the public to participate in the town hall meeting. Media are also invited to attend.

When: Thursday, April 17
7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Canad Inns Club Regent
1415 Regent Ave. West
Winnipeg, MB

Protect, strengthen and expand health care; town hall meeting in Winnipeg

Winnipeg, MB – Manitoba is facing a $1.4 billion cut to health care funding by the federal government over the next ten years. By refusing to sign a new health accord with the provinces, the federal government is abandoning its responsibility to protect quality public health care services for all Manitobans.

This week in Winnipeg, the Council of Canadians and the Canadian Union of Public Employees are hosting a town hall meeting to discuss what these cuts will mean for Manitobans, and what can be done to support public solutions to make our health care stronger for all Canadians.

Protect, Strengthen and Expand Health Care Town Hall

Why we need a new Health Accord

Who:              

Maude Barlow

National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians

Paul Moist

National President of CUPE

Tim Sale

Former Minister of Health Manitoba, community activist

When:             Thursday, April 17, 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Where:            Canad Inns Club Regent, 1415 Regent Ave. West, Winnipeg, MB

Media are invited to attend.

Check out the Facebook page: Manitobans for Public Health Care

Demonstrations Organized Calling for New Health Accord

Winnipeg – Manitobans, including CUPE health care support workers, will be demonstrating outside the constituency offices of Conservative Members of Parliament in Winnipeg, calling for a new federal Health Accord.

The 10-year Health Accord negotiated between the federal and provincial governments in 2004 expired today, and the federal Conservatives have refused to negotiate a new Health Accord with the provinces.  With the expiration of the Health Accord, Manitoba stands to lose $1.3 billion from health care funding over the next ten years.

“The expiration of the Health Accord puts our system of public health care at risk,” says CUPE Manitoba President Kelly Moist.  “We need a commitment from Manitoba’s Members of Parliament that they will negotiate a new agreement with the province to save our public health care system.”

Two rallies are organized in Winnipeg:

  • Elmwood – Transcona Member of Parliament Lawrence Toet’s constituency office, 127 Regent Avenue West;
  • Charleswood – St. James – Assiniboia & Headingley Member of Parliament Steven Fletcher’s constituency office, Unit A – 3111 Portage Avenue.

Both events take place from 4:30 pm to 5:15 pm on Monday, March 31, 2014.

CUPE represents approximately 8,000 health care support workers across Manitoba, including hospitals, long-term care homes, and community clinics.  The campaign to save public health is organized by CUPE and the Council of Canadians.

For more information on the federal Health Accord, visit saveourhealthcare.ca.

Action Alert: Support Workers in Cambodia in International Women’s Day

International Women’s Day in Cambodia is closely associated with the women who make the clothes you might be wearing as you read this.  Their unions play a key role in organizing IWD events in that country.

All week the Cambodian government has been moving police and troops into position.  Tomorrow an estimated 30,000 women garment workers are expected to celebrate IWD  by attending an open-air ‘Forum on Labour Rights’ in Phnom Penh.  And if the recent history of Cambodia is anything to go by, they will then be attacked.

Knowing that the world is watching might just give the Cambodian government second thoughts.  The global union you might be a member of (among others, the Steelworkers and Unifor are affiliated to it), IndustriALL, is running an online action HERE. Take 5 seconds out of your Friday and send a message that might save a life tomorrow.
via www.labourstart.org