CUPE 500 applauds Mayor Gillingham’s campaign commitment to support local
CUPE 500 applauds Mayor Gillingham’s campaign commitment to support local
Winnipeg, Treaty 1 –
The City’s largest union is applauding Mayor Gillingham’s recent campaign commitment to ensure municipal contracts are awarded locally, rather than to US-based or global corporations.
“Our union has been running a major campaign across social media and streaming platforms raising awareness about the impact of awarding major contracts to companies that don’t contribute to our local economy,” says Patrick Troughton, acting President of CUPE Local 500.
“It is also our hope that the Mayor takes a look at major contracts like snow clearing, garbage and recycling, and sees the value of bringing those services back in-house for the benefit of Winnipeggers”.
CUPE 500’s Local Guarantee campaign, launched in March and has brought numerous ideas to the forefront in the lead-up to the October municipal election. These include improvements to our water & waste infrastructure, public compost, bringing services back in-house for more local control, and introducing a fourth branch of 911 that would deploy social workers to mental health calls.
“Mayor Gillingham has already responded positively to our request for the fourth branch of 911, so this additional support is welcome,” said Troughton. “But the Mayor is only one vote on council, and we need all council candidates to pledge support for these important improvements”.
The Local Guarantee campaign can be found at LocalGuarantee.ca.
CUPE 500 represents more than 5,000 workers employed by the City of Winnipeg, making it one of the largest municipal locals in Canada. The local has a long history of advocating for workers’ rights and quality public services in Winnipeg.
The Canadian Union of Public Employees is Canada’s largest union representing more than 800,000 members. In Manitoba, CUPE represents approximately 40,000 members working in health care facilities, personal care homes, home care, school divisions, municipal services, social services, disability support services, child care centres, public utilities, libraries, and family emergency services.
For more information or to arrange an interview, please contact:
Garett Williams, CUPE National Representative, 431-482-3688