Latest News
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Judge strikes down Wisconsin union-busting law“Scott Walker’s attempts to silence the union men and women of Wisconsin’s public sector was an immoral, unjust and illegal power grab.” - Phil Neuenfeldt, President, Wisconsin AFL-CIO. Madison (18 Sept. 2012) - A Dane County judge has struck down main portions of Act 10 introduced by Wisconsin Governor Walker to strip Wisconsin public employees of their right to collectively bargain. Judge Juan Colas ruled that Scott Walker’s law violated both the State and U.S. Constitution by violated employees’ rights to free speech, association and equal protection. “As we have said from day one, Scott Walker’s attempts to silence the union men and women of Wisconsin’s public sector was an immoral, unjust and illegal power grab,” said Phil Neuenfeldt, President of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “Now, a court has ruled that the essential provisions of Act 10, Scott Walker’s draconian attack on public worker’s right to collectively bargain, is unconstitutional.” “This is a good day for Wisconsin’s working people and the union movement,” said Stephanie Bloomingdale, Secretary-Treasurer of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO. “When workers choose to join together for mutual aid and protection, their employer should honor their choice, come to the table and discuss wages and working conditions.” NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 17, 2012 |
Ontario Shores manager shows DeNiro-Stiller movie clip to intimidate staff“Is this the message management truly wants to send to staff about their working relationship?" - Warren (Smokey) Thomas, OPSEU President. Whitby (14 Sept. 2012) – Dietary staff failed to get the joke when their Ontario Shores manager showed them a clip from the 2000 film “Meet The Parents” during a staff meeting earlier this year. In the YouTube clip, Robert DeNiro corners his future son-in-law in a tuxedo rental dressing room after finding drug paraphernalia among the bridal party. DeNiro reminds Stiller of his “circle of trust.” “If I can’t trust you, Greg, I have no choice but to put you outside the circle. Once you’re out, you’re out. There’s no coming back.” “I will be watching you, studying your every move,” DeNiro warns. “I will bring you down, baby. I will bring you down to Chinatown.” “Veiled threats of this nature are not acceptable in the modern workplace,” says Warren (Smokey) Thomas, President of the 130,000-member Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) which represents the workers at the Whitby mental health hospital. “Is this the message management truly wants to send to staff about their working relationship? The OPSEU/NUPGE has complained about the incident and has yet to receive either anexplanation or apology for the inappropriate video The video comes amid deteriorating labour relations at the Whitby hospital. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 14, 2012 |
ILO: Weakening collective bargaining hurts recoverySome governments unilaterally reformed collective bargaining arrangements at the height of the economic crisis. Reversing those decisions and providing policy support for collective bargaining would be key to recovery, according to the ILO. Geneva (17 Sept. 2012) – Weakening or decentralizing collective bargaining arrangements– as some countries have done during the crisis – is likely to lead to more wage inequalities and social instability, the United Nation's International Labour Organization (ILO) has warned. Decentralizing the process and letting companies negotiate in the absence of strong national and sectoral agreements, puts downward pressure on wages and working conditions, says Susan Hayter, ILO’s senior industrial and employment relations specialist. The sharp rise in wage inequality in the United States and the United Kingdom in recent years can be directly linked to the decline in union membership and the associated decline in coverage by collective bargaining agreements. But when there is significant policy support for collective bargaining mechanisms, such as in Denmark, Finland, France, the Netherlands and Sweden, the gap between the highest and lowest wage earners is significantly lower. During the crisis, many employers, governments and trade unions recognized that collective bargaining was an effective tool to adjust to economic conditions and stay in business. National and sectoral agreements provided a framework within which firms could tailor their response, thus reducing costs while at the same time preventing layoffs and protecting earnings. Far from dragging businesses down and reducing productivity, there is considerable evidence that collective bargaining agreements actually reduce wage inequality and can contribute to productivity and competitiveness. When changes in work organization are negotiated with workers and their representatives, improved company performance is often the result, says Hayter. While wages and working time remain the primary issues for collective bargaining, the process is increasingly being used to address the specific concerns related to the global economic crisis. Pay is being linked to productivity, and flexible working time arrangements are being negotiated to balance work and family life. And to respond to technological change and rising job insecurity, collective bargaining agendas now also include training and lifelong learning. That’s worked particularly well in Europe, where countries with strong social partners and strong institutional support for collective bargaining have had the most success in setting up frameworks for continuing vocational training, benefiting both enterprises and workers in times of continuing economic uncertainty. The International Labour Organization (ILO) is the only tripartite U.N. agency with government, employer, and worker representatives. This tripartite structure makes the ILO a unique forum in which the governments and the social partners of the economy of its 185 Member States can freely and openly debate and elaborate labour standards and policies. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 14, 2012 |
OPSEU Educational Workers protest Bill 115More than 2000 OPSEU/NUPGE members across the province are affected by the McGuinty government's undemocratic legislation imposing working conditions, banning strikes and freezing wages. Toronto (12 Sept. 2012) - Educational workers will wear black today, September 12, in protest against the passing of the McGuinty government's anti-union legislation, Bill 115. All of Ontario’s Liberal and Conservative Members of Provincial Parliament (MPPs) voted in favour of Bill 115. Only the 14 NDP MPPs voted against it. More than 2000 members of the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU/NUPGE) in the Moosonee District School Area Board , Moosonee Roman Catholic Separate School Board, Dufferin Peel Catholic School Board, Peel District School Board, Rainbow District School Board (Sudbury), and Simcoe County District School Board are affected by the new undemocratic legislation. Education support workers earn low wages and will be hit hard by the passing of Bill 115. Educational assistants are particularly vulnerable to the ramifications of this legislation. They are contract workers and only paid hourly. They do not receive any wages over the summer or holidays. Collective bargaining is a right. OPSEU/NUPGE’s educational workers stand in solidarity with their fellow sisters and brothers in all of Ontario’s unions as they protest this Bill. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 12, 2012 |
NSGEU Bully-Free Workplace program celebrates second anniversary“The goal for us as a union is to make workplaces better and healthier for our members and for workers in general." - Joan Jessome, NSGEU President. Halifax (10 Sept. 2012 )– Saturday, September 8 marked the second anniversary of the Nova Scotia Government & General Employees Union’s (NSGEU/NUPGE) popular and successful Bully-Free Workplaces Program. The program was formally launched in 2010 and was developed by the facilitators and NSGEU/NUPGE staff to help our members and their employers identify and stop workplace bullying. The program is available to union and non-union participants who are either employees or managers/supervisors. “Since our launch in September 2010 we have held 345 sessions with over 8,000 participants and demand continues to grow,” reports Joan Jessome, NSGEU President. “The goal for us as a union is to make workplaces better and healthier for our members and for workers in general. We would like to shift workplace culture right across the province and the Maritimes.” “I wish to express our sincere appreciation for your efforts in coordinating the Bully-Free Awareness workshops for our entire organization. Eight hundred of our 1,100 employees participated in the workshops. There has already been a significant impact in our organization as a result of this new knowledge.” Alice Leverman, former CEO, South Shore Health. The program continues to evolve as the union responds to the growing needs of participants and employers. The program now qualifies as a Continuing Education Credit. The Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation (NSLC) and the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) have partnered with the union to develop an on-line training program. Aware-NS has also partnered with the union and will be launching an on-line training component through their virtual campus. “The Bully-Free Workplaces program has been recognized at national and international conferences,” Jessome says. “We have seen first-hand that our program is breaking new ground not only in the Maritimes, not only in Canada, but in the world with initiatives like our new Restorative Workplace Practices approach and our continued standard of program delivery and evaluation. We are very excited about this program and pleased that it is working and making a difference to those who complete it.” 2012 Participants in Bully-Free Workplaces Program Although priority is given to NSGEU/NUPGE members, the union is committed to delivering the program to any employer who requests the program at little or no cost. The program has been recognized both nationally and internationally by the International Institute for Restorative Practices, at the International Institute for Qualitative Methodology, the Canadian Evaluation Society, and the 8th International Conference on Workplace Bullying and Harassment. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 10, 2012 |
BCGEU government workers hold one-day strike action“We’ve not taken the decision to strike lightly. Our last strike in direct government was more than 20 years ago.”- Darryl Walker, BCGEU President on the one-day strike. Vancouver (06 Sept. 2012) - Over 25,000 members of the B.C. Government and Service Employees’ Union (BCGEU/NUPGE) who work directly for the B.C. government across the province took strike action on September 5 to send a message to government negotiators. BCGEU/NUPGE members in 153 communities and at more than 700 government worksites across the province participated in the day-long strike. “We are looking for a fair and reasonable agreement, but the government is not listening. We have no choice but to send a clear message to government: there can be no more falling behind for all government workers.” said BCGEU President Darryl Walker. “We’ve not taken the decision to strike lightly. Our last strike in direct government was more than 20 years ago.” Since 2010, B.C. government workers have suffered a real wage cut of five per cent. The government’s last offer, which has been withdrawn, would see pay cheques fall further behind inflation. “Through the summer, the union organized three rotating strikes across the province. The government didn’t listen. That’s why we’re on the picket line again,” Walker said. Essential service levels are guaranteed so the health, safety and welfare of British Columbians will not be impacted by the job action. Members of the Professional Employees Association (PEA) and Canadian Office & Professional Employees Union (COPE) Local 378 were also on the picket lines The PEA represents over 1,200 licensed professionals employed directly in B.C.'s public service. COPE 378 represents about 4,600 workers at the Insurance Corporation of B.C., a crown corporation. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 5, 2012 |
Bettercare Home Care workers choose NAPE as unionHome care workers continue to make NAPE/NUPGE as their union of choice. St. John's (06 Sept. 2012) - The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) has been certified by the Labour Relations Board as the bargaining agent for home care workers with Bettercare Home Care. There are 89 employees working in communities included in the Conception Bay North and Trinity Bay North regions. The bulk of the workers are from the Bay Roberts and Carbonear area. This is the twenty-sixth group of home care workers that have joined the union. NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
September 5, 2012 |
President's Commentary: Labour Day 2012This Labour Day in 2012, NUPGE celebrates the legacy of those who came before us and we commit to continue the fight for fairness. Ottawa (30 Aug. 2012) - Welcome to Labour Day, the holiday that is so much a part of our culture that Canadians rarely pause to consider its true purpose and meaning. Today, Labour Day is more associated with a day off work, spending time with the kids, and enjoying good music and food, rather than with what it was meant to be - a heartfelt celebration of workers and the labour movement. That's too bad, but not surprising. In a way, the holiday has become a victim of the labour movement's enduring success in fighting for fairness and improving the lives of all Canadians. The labour movement in Canada has always stood in solidarity with others to fight against poverty, income inequality, racism, sexism, child labour and the poor treatment of workers in other countries. Today, many Canadians take for granted things like the 40-hour work week, universal health care, public education, safe workplaces, unemployment insurance, public pensions, pay equity and minimum wage. But it's important to remember that these rights and benefits weren’t simply handed out to people. Workers and their unions fought for them. They were long struggles. They faced bitter opposition and sneering attacks from the powerful and privileged. But they won these battles. They fought and won these things because they believed everyone should have a fair chance at living a good life. As we reflect on this history, we should think about what it means in our current state of affairs. Indeed, the question on the minds of many Canadians today is: “Where’s the fairness?” That’s because, Canada has become, once again, a radically unfair country. Corporate greed and wrong-headed public policies have fed a growing gap between the top 1% and everyone else. Canadians have been working harder and longer over the last three decades. As a result we’ve been baking a bigger economic pie. But not all the bakers have been getting bigger slices. The wealthiest in Canada have been getting larger and larger slices of the economic pie while middle and lower income families have seen their slice shrink to a sliver. Most families, when you factor in inflation, are worse off today than they were in 1980. We’ve now reached levels of income inequality not seen since the 1920s. Most families are struggling harder than ever. They know something is wrong. They know the system is unfair. They want change. So, on this Labour Day in 2012, NUPGE celebrates the legacy of those who came before us and we commit to continue the fight for fairness in five key areas: Wages: Workers need fair pay for a fair day’s work. One of the best tools they have to get a real raise is to join a union. The union wage advantage is over $5 an hour on average. Governments must recognize that labour rights are human rights and restore the freedom of workers to form unions and bargain collectively for better wages and benefits. Jobs: It’s unfair that millions of Canadians who want to work aren’t being given an opportunity to do so. Canada has an unacceptably high unemployment rate of 7%. For young people, the real unemployment rate, when you include under-employment, is over 20%. Governments must develop a modern industrial strategy. The strategy must put good jobs, people and nature at the heart of our economy. And it must recognize that labour, government and business all have a role in building a fair and sustainable economy. Tax fairness: Canadians are being told there’s not enough money to adequately fund public services they need like health care, education and social services. Meanwhile, these same governments have been spending billions on tax cuts for profitable corporations and wealthy corporate executives. Governments must collect more revenue from wealthy people and corporations who can afford to pay more. That would ensure everyone is paying their fair share. And it would help fund the public services and programs that make life more affordable and secure for families. Pensions: Every Canadian deserves retirement security. But 1.7 million retired seniors are living on the edge of poverty. And two-thirds of Canadians have no pension plan. Meanwhile, the Harper government is changing the rules to make Canadians work longer before they can get Old Age Security benefits. Governments must improve Canada Pension Plan benefits to ensure that every Canadian has an opportunity to retire with security and dignity. Public services, especially early learning and child care: Every kid should have an equal opportunity to get a head start in life. Parents need the security of knowing their children are safe while they are at work. But Canada has one of the lowest child care access rates in the industrialized world. Governments must create a national not-for-profit early learning and child care program to ensure, affordable, accessible, high-quality services for all. James ClancyNational President NUPGE James Clancy is the National President of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE), one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
August 30, 2012 |
New report shows Ontario falling to last place on income equality"It is not the inexorable march of global economics alone, but rather choices – choices in public budgets, and in economic and social policy – that have failed to rein in the increasing income inequality distributed by the private market and aided in propelling us down this path." Toronto (30 Aug. 2012) - Ontario is last when it comes to increasing inequality, poverty and financial investment in public services, says a coalition of community and labour groups formed during the 2011 provincial budget process. The coalition, Ontario Common Front, released its report, “Falling Behind: Ontario’s backslide into widening inequality, growing poverty and cuts to social programs" showing that Ontario has sunk to last place in Canada when measured against every important social indicator. “Within two years, Ontario has fallen from seventh place to dead last in funding for all social programs. Ontario residents are paying the shortfall in hundreds of ways: we have the highest tuition fees and school fees, the highest proportion of out-of-pocket health care costs, a burgeoning array of user fees, and thousands of families wait years for support for children with disabilities,” said Natalie Mehra, director of the Ontario Health Coalition (OHC) and the principal author of the report. “Ontario is at the cusp of a five-year plan for cuts to jobs and services that will cleave an even deeper divide. But there are alternatives and five years of further cuts is not the solution." The comprehensive report pulled together national research demonstrating that Ontario is at the bottom of the pack when it comes to equality and social programs and that a growing number of Ontarians are falling behind in the economy. The report found that: 40% of Ontarians – fully 600,000 families – are struggling with incomes that are stagnant or declining; Ontario funds all of its social programs – including health care to education – at the lowest rate in Canada; While poverty rates fell in five provinces, Ontario had the second highest increase in poverty rates and intensity, leaving 393,000 children in poverty (one in seven); Ontarians pay the highest school fees, out-of-pocket health care fees and tuition fees in the country; while Ontario has led the country on cuts to corporate and income taxes. The report makes clear "that it is not the inexorable march of global economics alone, but rather choices – choices in public budgets, and in economic and social policy – that have failed to rein in the increasing income inequality distributed by the private market and aided in propelling us down this path." It also details who pays the biggest price when economic inequality is allowed to grow. Middle and lower income families are falling behind, despite putting more hours into the workforce. This has disproportionately impacted women, racialized communities, aboriginals, seniors and children “Having one in seven children living in poverty is bad enough, but learning that one in two children from certain racialized groups is living in poverty is absolutely appalling,” said Avvy Go from the Colour of Poverty. “It is new immigrants and racialized communities that are the hardest hit by job loss and service cuts. They are struggling at the margins and they are overlooked in the province’s plan for economic recovery.” The Ontario Common Front brings together more than 90 community groups and labour unions across Ontario that are working to expose growing inequality and propose workable solutions to fix it. More information: Download Report: Ontario Common Front Report: www.weareontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/OCF-RPT-FallingBehind-20120829.pdf NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
August 29, 2012 |
Law Commission of Ontario releases interim report on vulnerable workers and precarious workThe Law Commission of Ontario provides the provincial government with over 50 strong recommendations on how to improve the precarious working conditions of vulnerable workers. Toronto (22 Aug. 2012) - A new interim report released by the Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) shows that work today has become more precarious, less secure, has fewer benefits, if any and workers have less control over working conditions than ever before. The report, Vulnerable Workers Interim Report, contains a number of draft recommendations meant to help either reduce their vulnerability to, or the impacts of, precarious work. The report stems from the LCO's Vulnerable Workers/Precarious Work Project which has been reviewing the protection available to these workers and the coverage of this type of work under specific legislation designed to protect workers. The Project focuses, in particular, on improvements to the statutory and policy framework of the Employment Standards Act (ERA) and the Occupational Health and Safety Act in protecting precarious workers. According to the LCO "precarious work is characterized by job instability, lack of benefits, low wages and degree of control over the process. It may also involve greater potential for injury." It has found that in Ontario, approximately 22% of jobs could be characterized as precarious work and the precarious workers can be found across the spectrum of society but women, racialized persons, immigrants, Aboriginal persons, persons with disabilities, older adults and youth are disproportionately represented. “The LCO’s Interim Report on Vulnerable Workers and Precarious Work is a response to the increase in precarious work and the predominance of women, immigrants and/or racialized persons in this work,” said Dr. Patricia Hughes, Executive Director of the LCO. In addition to recommending changes to legislation, the Project also reviews and makes recommendations about existing community and government supports and programs for workers, employers and for training and education, as well as the role of labour organizations. In this interim report 52 recommendations are provided to the provincial government, such as: investigate providing a benefit program for workers, which may include a benefits bank and mandatory short-term contract premium for temporary workers, among other options; expand time limitations to two years for all ESA remedies and raise the ESA monetary cap to $25,000; ensure adequate resources for ESA compliance and enforcement, with a particular emphasis on proactive enforcement; amend the ESA to include a process for expediting complaints of reprisals and, in the case of migrant workers, ensure that such complaints are heard before repatriation; implement a pilot mobile medical clinic service for migrant workers in rural areas where they reside providing access to medical care and corresponding support to facilitate WSIB claims, where appropriate and provide direct service or translation in the language of the migrant worker. The report's recommendation to amend the Agricultural Employees Protection Act (AEPA) by explicitly including the elements of bargaining in good faith protected by section 2(d) of the Charter as identified by the Supreme Court of Canada in Health Services and affirmed in the Fraser decision echoes the call the National Union of Public Employees (NUPGE) has been making in its Labour Rights are Human Rights campaign for several years. The LCO is looking for feedback on the recommendations by Monday, October 1, 2012 in order to release the final report in Winter 2013. More information: Interim Report on Vulnerable Workers and Precarious Work NUPGE The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE |
August 21, 2012 |
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