News Release

Government spending should be on public services, not private companies

CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador is pleased to see increased spending in health care, public housing, and the cost of living; however, it is pivotal that this money be invested in strengthening and expanding our already existing public services and not on lining the pockets of private companies.

“This new budget saw increased spending in the health care system that is desperately needed; however, there is more to health care than doctors and nurses. Our system cannot function without the thousands of people working behind the scenes and alongside our doctors and nurses, and the government needs to invest in them too,” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier.

The Furey government’s budget focuses entirely on hiring nurses and physicians, dedicating millions of dollars to recruitment and training of nurses. However, health care professionals, such as personal care attendants, are once again left behind despite the ever-expanding list of duties undertaken in an effort to fill gaps left by understaffing.

“The solution to the housing crisis impacting our province isn’t giving money to private businesses to build more rental properties that will just end up priced at ‘market value.’ Just this month in B.C., we saw the results of this type of plan with tiny, 330 square foot apartments going for over $1,600. That’s not affordable to anyone and we can’t let that happen here too,” said Hillier. “We need expanded public housing built and maintained by the public sector. Our tax dollars shouldn’t be going to line the pockets of private investors looking to make a profit off our housing crisis.”

The Federal Apartment Construction Loan Program, much like the Rental Housing Development Loan Program announced by the Furey government in this budget, aimed to encourage private developers to build more affordable housing. Though it did result in more units being built, their pricing was determined by the current rental market, making them largely unaffordable to those who need homes.

The Furey government’s announcement to integrate Newfoundland and Labrador Housing into core government does not ease these concerns. While Housing Minister Hutton says there will be no job losses or reductions as a result of the integration, we have little information at this point to reassure CUPE NL members whose jobs are impacted by this decision.

“Housing relief is greatly needed in Newfoundland and Labrador, but bringing the Newfoundland and Labrador Housing Corporation under government control is not the solution we were hoping for as they have a history of contracting out the work of our members. We want to see the expansion of public housing that is publicly funded and maintained, not private corporations offering housing that is subsidized by public money. We will work with the NL government to ensure that the money promised in this year’s budget is used to bolster public services, not cut them.”

CUPE NL will not cross a protest line to hear the provincial budget

As a sign of respect to the fish harvesters currently gathered outside the Confederation Building, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador will not be crossing their protest line to attend any budget announcements or lockups. Instead, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador will attend an alternate budget watch hosted by the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour.

“Every year, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador attends the budget lockup so that we can be informed on the government’s spending plan for the upcoming fiscal year, but not this year,” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier. “As long as the fish harvesters are gathered outside the Confederation Building in protest, we will not cross their protest line. As union activists, it’s our duty to show solidarity with fellow workers.”

The fish harvesters have expressed their frustrations with how local fisheries process fishing licenses and have called on the government to resolve the issue. Today, they gathered in protest to express their dissatisfaction in the lack of action taken by the provincial government thus far.

CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador hopes to hear that the Furey government is taking the protests seriously and begins addressing the concerns of the workers and their union rather than just forcing out the protesters or rescheduling the budget to another day.

Release: Provincial government must keep public services public in new 10-year education plan

CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador welcomes the provincial government’s announcement of a 10-year plan to modernize and improve the province’s education system.

“We look forward to working with the employer to develop a plan that will improve public education across the province that values our members working in this sector, and that will keep public education public,” said CUPE NL President Sherry Hillier.

“In the past four years, the Furey administration has continued to push public-private partnerships across the province. This government has tried to contract out much of our current public service work, targeting hospitals, housing, and even snow removal in our towns, and we don’t want that to affect our schools more than it already has. The children of Newfoundland and Labrador deserve an education system that prioritizes their learning, not profit.”

CUPE NL is prepared to fight for a high-quality, public education system for our members, and for the people of Newfoundland & Labrador. They will be holding town halls with members across the province to ensure that this plan incorporates the expert knowledge of those working in education and reflects the issues and concerns that are important to CUPE NL members.

Newfoundland and Labrador 2023 Budget Ignores Essential Health Care Workers

(St. John’s) – It is clear that the province is no longer in an economic crisis with the government’s release of its revised figures from 2022-23 of an additional $1.5 billion in revenue last fiscal year. However, the 2023-24 budget released today reinvests none of this revenue into public sector workers, leaving workers in Health Care, Libraries, Housing, Transition and Group Homes, and Education to have their income further eroded by high inflation.

A personal care assistant who earned $46,293 in April 2020 would have to be earning $51,461 in January 2023 just to keep up with inflation. Instead, the government’s plan would have that PCA earning $47,218. “Why does the government expect people to work for less each year? A PCA is making $4,242 less in 2023 than they did in 2020 due to inflation,” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador president Sherry Hillier. “This is why we have a retention issue. Who would work for less each year?”

“This budget promised $23 million to Health Care workers, but none will go to essential workers who are responsible for cooking, cleaning, and changing and caring for residents. These people are leaving the sector because they can’t make ends meet,” said Hillier. “Recruitment initiatives are great, but they don’t mean anything if we aren’t paying people what they’re worth.”

“We’ve been campaigning for increased spending in public housing for years. Today, the government promised to invest $17 million to repair and renovate vacant units,” said Hillier, “but we need to talk about retention again. The reality is that they can’t fill the positions needed for these improvements because they’re not paying their workers a competitive wage. If they want this initiative to work, they need to start paying public sector workers competitively.”

“We are pleased to see the promise to release a new wage grid for ECEs [Early Childhood Educators]. For years, they’ve been expected to do more with less, and investing $64 million is a good start. They are essential for our children’s early education,” said Hillier, “and it’s time we start paying them with that in mind. I’m hopeful that this new grid will properly reflect the work they do without capping their wages.”

For more information, contact:

Sherry Hillier
President, CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador
(709) 765-2996

Taylor Johnston
CUPE Atlantic Communications
(902) 536-4922