CUPE members ratify a milestone agreement with the Region of Niagara’s Long-Term Care facilities

Municipal, Solidarity

St. Catherines, ON. – Workers at Niagara Region’s Municipally run long term care facilities are celebrating tonight after ratifying a milestone collective agreement this evening. The workers, represented by CUPE 1263, were able to win significant improvements to paramedical benefits, vacation allotments, and pay for their members. Unlike in years past, where negotiations were referred to interest arbitration, the Region and CUPE 1263 freely negotiated these improvements.…

CUPE Ontario condemns Niagara mayors’ “water for power” proposal amidst widespread provincial overreach

Municipal, Solidarity

Toronto – The proposed amalgamation of Niagara municipalities is the latest example of Premier Doug Ford’s attempt to override local democracy in pursuit of his agenda, says CUPE Ontario. Ford has built his political brand on speeding up development, yet he has accomplished little actual building as progress has consistently stalled around the same issues:…

Workers at Regional Municipality of York vote to strike as staffing crisis deepens

Municipal, Solidarity

Newmarket, ON – Roads workers, paramedics, public health workers and others represented by CUPE 4900 have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action, sending a clear message to the Regional Municipality of York that urgent steps are needed to address a long-running retention crisis that is undermining vital public services. Once considered an employer of…

Waterloo-Wellington hospitals spent $31.9 million on for-profit staffing agencies in 2022-23, marking a 288 per cent increase over 10 years

Health Care, Municipal

Private staffing agencies drained $9.2 billion from public hospitals over 10-year period. Kitchener, ON – A new research report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives recommends Ontario make significant increases in hospital funding while phasing out costly for-profit staffing agencies and making investments in preventative health care. The report Hollowed Out: Ontario public hospitals…

CUPE Ontario and OMW join AMO’s, municipalities’ calls to deal with human and financial costs of Ontario’s homelessness crisis

Municipal

TORONTO – In response to the report “Municipalities under pressure: The human and financial cost of Ontario’s homelessness crisis,” released by the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, CUPE Ontario and its Ontario Municipal Workers committee (OMW) issued the following statement: With both a federal and provincial election in the offing, CUPE Ontario and OMW recognize…