The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is deeply concerned about the decision by Memorial University Newfoundland (MUN) to address the university’s budget issues by closing campuses and facilities and cutting jobs, and the lack of transparency around the impacts of that decision.

While the announcement from MUN says there will be no immediate layoffs associated with this decision, CUPE has been told that positions will be eliminated.

“The university needs to be transparent with workers, with students, with the people of this province, about how these changes are going to impact the MUN community,” said Bill Kavanagh, CUPE 1615 President.

“Publicly stating that there will be no layoffs but confirming quietly that positions will be eliminated undercuts any critical response to the university’s decision-making. This move will eliminate jobs held by CUPE 1615 members, along with the valuable service they provide.”

CUPE 1615 represents administrative, instructional, and technical support staff at the St. John’s, Signal Hill, Grenfell, and Labrador campuses, and almost 40 CUPE 1615 members’ jobs were impacted when the Writing Centre, Harris Centre and the Office of Public Engagement were suddenly closed in July 2025, following the announcement that MUN has a $20M budget deficit.

“This decision is being framed as ‘real estate divestment’ when it is clearly a reduction of services,” said Sherry Hillier, CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador President. “At the same time, we’ve seen that closing campuses, reducing services, and cutting jobs has not helped MUN’s financial situation.”

Over the past 15 years, similar moves have reduced the membership of CUPE 1615 from nearly 1,500 workers to under 700. Notably, public funding to MUN has also been reduced by half since 2013.

“These budget constraint measures by the university are clearly a result of the provincial government decreasing funding to MUN,” continued Kavanagh.

Instead of cutting jobs, reducing services, and shortchanging students, there is a clear solution to MUN’s financial issues: Restore public funding to the province’s only public university.

“The answer is clear: our public university needs public funding,” continued Hillier. “Ordering a tuition freeze and not restoring funding is irresponsible at best, and at worst, a complete abandonment of the people of this province.”

CUPE is calling for intervention by the provincial government and an increase in funding to MUN, to ensure MUN remains a hub for accessible, world-class postsecondary education.

CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador represents 6,000 public workers across the province, including hundreds of workers at MUN in locals 1615, 3336, and 4554.

Parents and workers in Newfoundland and Labrador have benefited tremendously from investments in early learning and child care since the introduction of the program in 2021. Newfoundland and Labrador parents are now paying less than a third of what they were in 2021, making it much easier for families to get by and provide for the needs of their kids.

Working families need Newfoundland and Labrador to be a strong advocate for the continued success and expansion of the Canada-Wide Early Learning and Child Care program. CUPE NL remains ready and willing to work with government to ensure the program lives up to its original objectives.

As Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Paul Dinn heads into meetings this week with his federal and provincial counterparts from across the country, CUPE NL’s 6,600 members are calling on the Minister and Tony Wakeham’s PC government to:

• Triple provincial funding for early learning and child care to an annual investment of $130 million over the next five years to create more regulated child care spaces.
• Significantly increase wages for child care workers. The provincial wage grid should be bargained with workers and their unions, not unilaterally imposed.
• Ensure that Early Childhood Educators have pension benefits so that they can retire with dignity.
• Maintain restrictions on for-profit expansion and continue to incentivize for-profit operators to become non-profits.
• Allow the provincial government first right of refusal before the selling of any for-profit child care centre.
• Make further use of public assets like schools and universities to house new child care services.
  
  Sherry Hillier,
  President
  CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador
  :so/cope491

Annually, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador awards the CUPE Newfoundland Labrador and Higgins Insurance Scholarship. There are 3 scholarships to be awarded in the amount of $1000 each.

Individuals who meet the eligibility criteria outlined below and who are planning to enroll at an accredited post-secondary institution in the 2026–2027 academic year are invited to apply.

Download complete application instructions, including eligibility requirements, along with the application form here.

Application must be complete on the scholarship form and must be received by CUPE Newfoundland Labrador no later than February 28, 2026, with all supporting documents for the application to be considered.

Applications with all supporting documents are to be mailed or emailed to:
CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador
15 International Place, Suite 102
St. John’s, NL A1A 0L4
Email: cfroude@cupe.ca

The Canadian Union of Public Employees predicts 2026 to be an incredibly difficult year to defend public services in Newfoundland & Labrador, without public pressure on the provincial government. CUPE members in every public sector are reporting attacks to our services through funding cuts, reduction of services, public-private partnerships (P3s), and the increased use of artificial intelligence.

“Our government is systematically deconstructing the public service,” said Sherry Hillier, CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador President. “From Memorial University preparing for ‘a smaller future,’ to costly private contractors in public housing amid the housing crisis, to travel nurses being the norm in our province—our home is under attack from within.”

In almost every sector of public services, CUPE is aware of job vacancies going unfilled for months, resulting in workers being overloaded and our communities being underserved.

The new ‘integrated’ ambulance system was supposed to improve response times, but the private company hired to manage the newly combined public and private service has not been able to address staffing shortages and publicly stated they don’t have a strategy to do so. For $560M in public dollars the province now has fewer ambulances out at any given time, rural communities reporting an increase in wait times and the many unfilled vacancies remain.

“Our government is trying to convince us that public services have no value. They are actively degrading those services, and they are misleading the public about the potential for public-private partnerships to improve the daily life of struggling communities across Newfoundland & Labrador.”

Amid recent reports of substandard care, poor conditions, abuse and evictions in the home care sector, we also know that private companies were given over $80M subsidize private facilities last year (an increase from $50M the previous year) by the province.

In childcare, over $400M has been paid to fewer than a dozen private companies over six years. Last year, private companies were paid approximately $400,000 per child for housing and care of children with complex needs.

Deloitte was paid almost $2M for a 10-year plan to addressing staffing gaps in healthcare and their report had completely fabricated sources. The Education Accord NL, another ten-year plan paid for with public dollars, was also found to have AI-generated content and fake sources.

“I urge our communities to heed the warnings of public workers,” continued Hillier. “We’re on the ground; we see the destruction of public services in our workplaces every day. When we hear about a new private contract instead of a new hire, when we are told to send members of our community to a government website instead of helping them access services, we know these are signs pointing to a difficult future for Newfoundland & Labrador.

The Coalition of CUPE Municipal Workers (CCMW) was founded in 2007 when locals from across Newfoundland and Labrador banded together in an effort to coordinate their efforts and create a more united front during bargaining despite their varying locations and employers. Today, this coalition consists of five locals in four municipalities: CUPE 1349 (Grand Falls-Windsor), CUPE 3034 (Conception Bay South), CUPE 2099 (Mount Pearl), CUPE 569 and CUPE 1289 (St. John’s).

Recently a campaign was launched highlighting these CUPE members and their work.

Check out the links below to view the photos and the video messaging used in the campaign:

CUPE 1349 (Grand Falls-Windsor)            Photos               Video

CUPE 3034 (Conception Bay South)        Photos               Video

CUPE 2099 (Mount Pearl)                          Photos               Video

CUPE 569 (St. John’s Outside workers)   Photos               Video

CUPE 1289 (St. John’s)                                Photos               Video

CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier is calling out the town of Grand Falls-Windsor today for terminating a long-standing employee for executing her right as a Canadian taxpayer to participate in local elections. This move follows the local issuing their notice to bargain.

“Every citizen of Grand Falls-Windsor has the right to participate in and comment on local elections. Working for the town doesn’t suddenly take away that right,” said Hillier. “It’s absolutely shameful the town would use such an excuse to fire one of their employees and the local union president—and that’s just what it is: an excuse.”

CUPE will fight this termination by filing a grievance to arbitration for an unjust termination.

Library month is an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the essential contributions of library workers across our communities. Libraries are more than just places to borrow books; they are vital community hubs that provide free access to knowledge, foster imagination and learning, and offer essential services that help people connect, grow, and thrive.

As you have probably heard, the Provincial Election is expected to be called on Monday. Healthcare, housing, low wages and affordability are all key issues for our members.

We want the party that aligns with workers’ interests to elect as many MHAs as possible.

Would you like to get involved in the NDP election campaign as a volunteer?  Let’s get out as many CUPE members as we can to support our NDP candidates in the St. John’s Area!

We will have four canvassing opportunities next week. Each of them will start at the St. John’s Area Office, 15 International Place and go from there:

• Wednesday, September 17 – 5:30 pm
• Thursday, September 18 – 5:30 pm
• Friday, September 19 – 5:30 pm
• Saturday, September 20 – 11:00 am

To confirm your attendance and further details please contact CUPE’s Political Action Coordinator at grao@cupe.ca.

We hope you can make one of these canvasses and keep your eyes open for future opportunities as we look to bring a strong Labour message to the House!

St. John’s, NL – Today, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representing over 6,000 workers across the province, served the government with their notice to bargain on behalf of provincial public service workers.

“Each and every day, our members show their unwavering dedication to the people of this province, and their love for the important work they do,” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier, “and they want a contract that reflects that.”

Provincial bargaining, the process during which public service workers employed by the province negotiate a new collective agreement, involves 4,000 workers in health care, long term care, Newfoundland and Labrador housing, school boards, libraries, government house, and transition and group homes. The current collective agreement expires March 31, 2026.

“These workers have given us a clear mandate for this round of bargaining: fair wages, safer working conditions, and improved job security and we are proud to start the fight to ensure they get a deal all workers are proud of,” finished Hillier.

Updates about provincial bargaining, the process, information about how to get involved, and upcoming events will be made available at: https://nlbargaining.cupe.ca.