Post-secondary students and workers in colleges and universities have faced many challenges throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. While the announcement that post-secondary institutions will be opening in the fall is exciting news, safety needs to be the top priority. Sadly, with less than a week before the fall term begins, guidelines have finally been introduced but…
HAMILTON, ON – Leaders from the union that represents custodial and maintenance staff at Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board (HWDSB) are sounding the alarm about the loss of enhanced cleaning jobs in schools, saying that the cuts put students and staff at greater risk of catching COVID-19. “Enhanced cleaning measures were crucial to stopping the spread…
On this Labour Day, when we are called to celebrate the contributions of workers while recommitting to improving the working conditions communities count on, it’s clear that candidates are being confronted by the question of how to support the workers that have supported us all. They’re discovering that the key issues are the ones workers…
This Labour Day, there’s certainly lots for working people to be concerned about. Elementary schools, high schools, colleges and universities, are reopening without the safety measures students and workers alike need. Meanwhile, the Ford Conservatives are still refusing to sign an agreement to ensure $10/a day childcare. Cases are steadily going up, with the latest…
TORONTO, ON – Students and workers feel abandoned after an Ontario government memo said universities and colleges will re-open without measures like class capacity limits or improvements to ventilation, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario. “More than 30,000 support and academic workers are now apprehensive about returning to campuses. They are baffled…
“I’m here from Ontario to show solidarity with our members in New Brunswick. What’s happening here is incredibly inspiring because frontline workers, public sector workers are facing the same challenges. Whether we’re in Ontario and New Brunswick, Alberta, across the country, we’re the folks who got our communities through the pandemic, in incredibly stressful, difficult…
On June 29, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn appeared before the City of Toronto’s General Government and Licensing Committee to discuss our members’ concerns with the investment failures at OMERS and CUPE’s campaign to Fix OMERS. In front of City Councillors and a virtual room full of OMERS executives and Board members, Fred gave an…
The Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System (OMERS) released mid-year results for the first time in its history, reporting it posted an 8.8-per-cent return in the first six months of 2021, and 18.2 per cent for the 12 months ended in June. The results were insufficient to quiet a combative union that is calling for an…
The union representing more than 40 per cent of OMERS’ members did not appear placated, instead renewing calls for an independent review of OMERS, saying the mid-year results aren’t enough to draw attention away from the pension fund’s “systemic underperformance.“ “Just like a single cold day doesn’t mean temperatures aren’t rising, half a year of…
OTTAWA, ON – Parks and Recreation workers at the Municipality of Port Hope voted almost unanimously on Friday to join the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). They join workers in Port Hope’s water and wastewater department and at the municipal library, who are already members of CUPE 749. “It can be challenging for the…
