CLC: Workers Together Training & Canvass in St. John’s

We’re at a critical moment here in Canada. Soon, we will be casting our ballots in the upcoming federal election. 

The stakes couldn’t be higher. We need to elect candidates who’ll fight for working families – NOT Conservatives like Poilievre, who threaten workers’ pensions and public services that we all rely on – this will come down to how organized we are between now and election day. That’s why we’re kicking off a series of Day of Action Trainings to give workers like you the tools and skills necessary you need to get organized and make a real impact in your community.

The best canvasses are fun and full of energy, are well-organized and make good use of everyone’s time. They have a clearly understood purpose. Getting organized means learning to have tough conversations with our coworkers, loved ones and our neighbours. It means rallying as many votes as possible.

Join us in St. John’s, NL for this one-day training, a great introduction to organizing a canvass, discussing federal issues, working with volunteers, and we will end with a community canvass. Dress warm and wear comfortable walking shoes for the community canvass afterwards.

RSVP by clicking this link and registering today! Lunch will be provided to those in attendance.

WEBINAR: Why do the results of the next Provincial Election really matter for you and NL?

It’s likely that Premier Andrew Furey could call a provincial election very soon, giving us an important opportunity to protect public services and public service workers. We encourage all CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador members to join us for a webinar next Tuesday evening.

WHEN: January 28, 2025 at 7:00PM – 8:30PM
WHERE: Via Zoom at bit.ly/4joF8zq

A Political Education Event brought to you by CUPE Votes and CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador.

Apply for the Labour College of Canada (LCC)!

The Labour College of Canada (LCC) Certificate Program is now accepting applications for Cohort 15, to begin in June 2025. Application deadline is: March 9th, 2025.

The LCC Certificate Program is a university-level, labour studies and leadership program for labour leaders and active union members.

The new flexible program combines online and in-person learning over 14 months, to accommodate busy and changing schedules.

Participants come from a diversity of unions and regions in the country. Students learn together in large or small groups (or cohorts) throughout the program as they discuss, debate, and strategize on key issues facing workers inside and outside of unions.

The LCC Certificate Program:

  1. Builds leadership skills and provides leadership tools;
  2. Fosters empowerment, self-confidence, and new networks of labour leaders;
  3. Strengthens critical thinking skills;
  4. Examines working class struggles and human rights issues that affect all workers; and
  5. Creates change!

If you are interested in applying to the LCC Certificate Program, please speak with your union education representative (Michelle Cohen, mcohen@cupe.ca).

If this program sounds and feels like it’s right for you, please visit labourcollege.ca for additional details and complete the application form before March 9, 2025.

Congratulations Leela Corbett!

Congratualtions to the winner of our first ever CUPE NL scholarship, Leela Corbett. Leela is in nursing school and hopes to become an LPN.

NDP Leader Jim Dinn to speak on behalf of long ignored service and support health care workers

New Democratic Party Leader Jim Dinn will present to the House of Assembly a petition signed by nearly 1,400 CUPE service and support workers employed by Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services that demanded the Furey government meet to discuss solutions for ongoing recruitment and retention issues.

MEETING DETAILS:

1:30 p.m. – 5:30 p.m., Thursday, November 7, 2024

House of Assembly

100 Prince Philip Dr, St. John’s

Despite previous attempts to engage in an ongoing dialogue with the Furey government, including an earlier petition with over 1,400 signatures, when service and support health care workers met with the Minister of Health John Hogan, they were told their concerns were “bargaining issues.”

“It’s funny to me that, when the Furey government decided to give select classifications raises outside of bargaining last year, it wasn’t a ‘bargaining issue,’” said CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador President Sherry Hillier. “If the government is going to offer health care workers wage increases outside of bargaining, they need to treat all health care workers equally.”

Last summer, the Furey government offered a one-time wage increase to several health care classifications based on previous increases negotiated by the Registered Nurses Union (RNU) and Allied Health. These increases were added outside of normal bargaining in addition to what had been bargained by CUPE and NAPE earlier that year. Service and support health care workers were not invited to these discussions.

“We presented our first petition to every MHA in the province, including the Premier, and even met with the new Minister of Health,” said Rowena Bourgeois, an accounting clerk working at Bay St. George Long Term Care Centre, “and yet our concerns were dismissed. Why are the concerns of doctors and nurses a priority, but ours are merely a bargaining issue?”

“As an LPN, I spent years working alongside service and support staff and I’ve seen firsthand how vital they are to the effectiveness of our health care facilities,” said Hillier. “Without them, our hospitals, our health care systems, don’t work. End of story.”

Scholarship opportunity for CUPE members and their families

Applications for the 2024-2025 CUPE Newfoundland Labrador Higgins Insurance Scholarship are now open! Every year, $1000 is awarded by CUPE Newfoundland Labrador to a union member or their child or ward. Eligible individuals planning enrolment at an accredited post-secondary institution in the 2024-2025 academic year are invited to apply.

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

Applications with all supporting documents are to be submitted via email or postal mail to CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador using the below details. Your completed application form and supporting documents should be received by CUPE Newfoundland & Labrador no later than December 16, 2024.

POSTAL MAIL
CUPE Newfoundland and Labrador
15 International Place, Suite 102
St. John’s, NL A1A 0L4

EMAIL
sherryh@cupe.ca

Library workers are literacy leaders

October is Canadian Library Month! It’s a time when we raise awareness about the valuable role of libraries and celebrate the contributions of CUPE library workers. This year we’re honouring the critical role of CUPE library workers as literacy leaders.

Library workers help bridge the literacy gap

Everyone can learn to improve their literacy skills, but not everyone can access the help they need, or knows where they can access support. Societal changes are increasingly demanding more sophisticated literacy skills to fully participate in daily life. Solving literacy challenges is key to advancing social equity and our standard of living across the country.

Bridging the literacy gap is a key role of libraries and library workers. In school, public, and post-secondary libraries across the country, CUPE library workers plan, organize, and facilitate a broad range of literacy programs to support skills development across the age span. They work with library visitors to build the skills and confidence needed to grow and reach their potential.

Read the personal stories of CUPE library worker members to learn more about the role they play in promoting literacy. And take a look at the diverse range of literacy programs and services they deliver to nurture literacy skills. The stories and services highlight the knowledge, skills, and creative talents of CUPE library workers and the breadth of programming that’s available.

CUPE library workers are proud of the work they do to improve literacy and this month, we want to recognize and thank them for all they do to help people improve their literacy skills from coast to coast to coast.

Library workers are literacy leaders and help change peoples’ lives. Take a moment this month to show your appreciation for library workers and the positive impact they have had on your life or that of a family member!

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation

September 30th is National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This day honours the survivors of the residential school system, the children who never returned home as well as their families and communities. This day of commemoration is a vital part of the reconciliation process on Turtle Island (Canada) as it deepens our collective awareness of colonialism and ensures ongoing reflection across Turtle Island for years to come.

The CUPE Atlantic Maritime Indigenous Council (CAMIC) encourages all CUPE members to tie an orange ribbon or wear an orange shirt as a sign of  respect to these Indigenous children and their families, and to support healing in Indigenous communities.

For inquiries, please email: cupe.atl.mar.indigenous.council@gmail.com.

In Solidarity,
CAMIC members
Brandice Blanchard, Vice-Chair for the CUPE Atlantic Maritime Indigenous Council

Download this letter here.

– – – – –

Le 30 septembre marque la Journée nationale de la vérité et de la réconciliation. C’est une occasion de rendre hommage aux survivant.e.s des pensionnats autochtones, aux enfants qui n’ont jamais rentrés à la maison ainsi qu’à leur famille et leur communauté. Cette journée de commémoration est un élément essentiel du processus de réconciliation sur l’Île de la tortue (Canada), car elle nous permet d’approfondir notre connaissance collective sur l’impact du  colonialisme et assure une réflexion continue sur le futur de l’Île de la Tortue.

Le Conseil Atlantique-Maritimes Autochtone du SCFP (CAMAS) encourage tous les membres du SCFP à épingler un ruban orange ou à porter un chandail orange en signe de respect pour ces enfants autochtones et leurs familles et pour témoigner de votre support envers la guérison des communautés autochtones.

Pour toutes demandes, veuillez contacter CAMAS par courriel à : cupe.atl.mar.indigenous.council@gmail.com.

En solidarité,
Les membres de CAMAS
Brandice Blanchard, Vice-présidente du Conseil Atlantique-Maritimes Autochtone du SCFP (CAMAS)

Téléchargez cette lettre ici.