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Mediated talks scheduled for May 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th in labour dispute between CUPE and CHS

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TORONTO – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2073, representing 227 striking workers at the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), will enter mediated talks with CHS on May 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th, in an effort to reach a resolution to the eight-week old labour dispute. The talks will be facilitated by third party mediator John Stout.

 

The parties agree that public communications on the substance and process of these mediated talks will be suspended for as long as talks continue.

 

CUPE Local 2073 represents workers in 24 CHS offices across Ontario. They serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community by working as counsellors, literacy instructors, audiologists, speech language pathologists, interpreters/interpreter trainers, clerical support, program coordinators, program assistants, and information technology specialists.

 

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For more information:

 

Andrea Addario, CUPE National Communications, 416-738-4329

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Mediated talks scheduled for May 4th, 5th, 6th and 7th in labour dispute between CUPE and CHS.


Patients in solariums, early discharge and not enough care to continue with provincial budget short $350 million for hospitals

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SUDBURY, ON — Restoring hospital funding to deal with population and inflationary pressures is a priority for many Ontarians and the political party that delivers will reap the benefits in the next election, said the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE) president Michael Hurley today.

In Sudbury to announce a June 8 rally in the city - the fourth in a series of large rallies planned for 2017 - calling for stable multi-year public hospital funding that meets inflation and the needs of growing and ageing population, Hurley urged opposition parties to “tell us their funding plan for hospitals.”

Last week’s Liberal budget only gave hospitals a 3 per cent increase in funding. But real costs are rising by

5.3 per cent.  That’s a funding shortfall of $350 million for Ontario hospitals. For Sudbury’s Health Sciences North (HSN) that means about $8 million less funding than the hospital needs to maintain existing services.

 

At this funding level “hospitals will continue to be overcrowded with patients cared for in solariums, discharged too early and provided less nursing care than patients in other provinces,” said Hurley.

Dave Shelefontiuk the president of Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1623 at HSN said front line staff at the hospital are “working flat out and dealing with high workloads and demands. I don’t see how keeping a hospital workforce so lean that they are permanently exhausted can be good for patient outcomes.”

Ontario has the fewest hospital beds than any of the other provinces and provides less nursing care per person.

The June rally in Sudbury is one of several planned for 2017. Over 2000 hospital and long-term care workers attended similar rallies held in October 2016 in Kingston and in Hamilton last February.

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For more information please contact:

Michael Hurley            President, Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE)                   416-884-0770

Stella Yeadon              Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Communications               416-559-9300

Dave Shelefontiuk      President, Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1623                 705-929-8457

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Patients in solariums, early discharge and not enough care to continue with provincial budget short $350 million for hospitals.

Give us something “meaningful” for Nursing Week, Kingston nurses call on MPP for help to end violence against health care staff

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KINGSTON, ON — The problem of patient and family member violence against nurses and other health care staff is widespread and Kingston area nurses who are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 1974 want something done. Violent assaults occur against 1 out of 2 nurses each year.

 

“A health care workplace that is unsafe for staff is also unsafe for patients,” says Amanda Poisson, a registered practical nurse (RPN) at the newly merged Kingston Health Sciences Centre.

 

Ahead of Nursing Week celebrations next week, Poisson and other nurses will be at a media conference Friday (May 5, 2017) at 11:30 a.m. at Artillery Park Aquatic Centre (Poolside Room), 382 Bagot Street, asking the Kingston and the Islands MPP for help. They want her to support a motion calling on the federal government to amend the Criminal Code to make violence against health care staff a more serious offense.

 

“This Nursing Week we are looking for something meaningful. We want more than accolades and statements read in the Legislature about the dedication, skills and compassion of nurses. We want MPPs, including our own right here in Kingston to make it a priority to help end the increasing violence health care staff are facing on the job in our hospitals and long-term care,” says Poisson.

 

CUPE 1974 president Mike Rodrigues and Michael Hurley president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU) will join Poisson at Friday’s media conference. They will review the federal Criminal Code amendment they want all Ontario MPPs to support, regardless of party affiliation.

 

Earlier this week, nurses represented by CUPE and Unifor spoke at a similar event at Queen’s Park. Together Unifor and CUPE represent over 100,000 health sector staff in Ontario including RPNs, registered nurses (RNs), paramedics, personal support workers and trades and administrative staff in hospitals, long-term care homes, emergency services and home and community care.

 

Nursing Week 2017 runs between May 8 and May 14. The recognition week is held in May to coincide with the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

 

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For more information please contact:

 

Stella Yeadon              Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Communications               416-559-9300

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Give us something “meaningful” for Nursing Week, Kingston nurses call on MPP for help to end violence against health care staff.

As zoo negotiations move into high gear, CUPE 1600 to hold afternoon information session at Toronto City Hall

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TORONTO, ON – With contract negotiations with the Toronto Zoo about to kick into high gear, members of Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1600) will today hold an information session in front of Toronto City Hall.

The information picket will take place as negotiators for both sides prepare for collective bargaining in advance of a lockout or strike deadline of May 11.

A small contingent of participants is expected to attend the Toronto Zoo Board of Management meeting scheduled for 2:00 p.m. at City Hall.

Following the event, CUPE 1600 President Christine Mckenzie will hold a brief availability with media to update them on the status of collective bargaining with the zoo.

Media wishing to arrange interviews with Christine Mckenzie are encouraged to contact Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications.

 

WHAT:      Information picket by CUPE 1600 and supporters

WHEN:      Thursday, May 4, from 1:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.

WHERE:    Toronto City Hall, 100 Queen Street West

WHY:         To raise public awareness of current collective bargaining with Toronto Zoo

 

CUPE 1600 represents more than 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at Canada’s largest zoo.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: As zoo negotiations move into high gear, CUPE 1600 to hold afternoon information session at Toronto City Hall.

On May 5, Kingston labour and community allies will rally in support of striking Canadian Hearing Society workers

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KINGSTON, ON – Striking workers at the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), members of Local 2073 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 2073), will be joined tomorrow by their allies in the community and in the Labour movement for a rally in front of the office of local MPP Sophie Kiwala.

Beginning at 11:00 a.m. tomorrow, May 5, strikers and their supporters will rally in front of Kiwala’s Bagot Street office.

 

          WHAT:     Rally in support of CUPE 2073

 

          WHEN:     Friday, May 5, 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

 

          WHERE:  In front of the office of MPP Sophie Kiwala, 303 Bagot Street, Kingston

 

          WHO:        Striking CUPE 2073 members, community and labour allies

 

          WHY:        To show support for striking CUPE 2073 members

 

The 227 members of CUPE 2073 provide a wide range of vital services to Ontario’s Deaf, Oral Deaf, Deafened and Hard of Hearing Communities at CHS offices across the province. They have been without a contract for more than four years, and have been on strike since March 6.

 

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For more information, please contact:

 

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: On May 5, Kingston labour and community allies will rally in support of striking Canadian Hearing Society workers.

Mediated talks will continue May 5th, 6th and 7th in labour dispute between CUPE and CHS

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TORONTO – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2073, representing 227 striking workers at the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), will continue mediated talks with CHS on May 5th, 6th and 7th, in an effort to reach a resolution to the eight-week old labour dispute. The talks commenced today, May 4th, and are facilitated by third party mediator John Stout.

The parties agree that public communications on the substance and process of these mediated talks will be suspended for as long as talks continue.

CUPE Local 2073 represents workers in 24 CHS offices across Ontario. They serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community by working as counsellors, literacy instructors, audiologists, speech language pathologists, interpreters/interpreter trainers, clerical support, program coordinators, program assistants, and information technology specialists.

 

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For more information:

 

Andrea Addario, CUPE National Communications, 416-738-4329

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Mediated talks will continue May 5th, 6th and 7th in labour dispute between CUPE and CHS.

Tentative settlement in labour dispute between CUPE 2073 and Canadian Hearing Society

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TORONTO – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Local 2073, representing 227 striking workers at the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS), has reached a tentative settlement with the CHS. The tentative deal, if ratified by both parties, ends a nine-week-old strike that started March 6th. Mediated talks were facilitated by third-party mediator John Stout over four and a half days in Toronto.

No details of the tentative settlement will be released until the membership has had the opportunity to review and vote on it. Membership meetings and a ratification vote are scheduled for Friday, May 12th.

The earliest possible date workers could be back on the job is Monday, May 15th.

“I’m pleased to say we now have a resolution,” said Stacey Connor, president of Local 2073. “We have a deal that we can recommend to our members.”

“I want to thank our members for holding rock-solid picket lines for so long. Because these workers were so tough, we were finally able to move this employer into compromise mode, with Mr. Stout’s help. It should not have taken nine weeks, but here we are.”

“I especially want to thank the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community for its unflagging support through the strike. They walked alongside us on the picket lines. They brought us food. They wrote letters to politicians and to CHS to say that our issues are their issues. They were so supportive of us, and we want to say that we are so looking forward to being able to return to work providing them with vital services.”

CUPE Local 2073 represents workers in 24 CHS offices across Ontario. They serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community by working as counsellors, literacy instructors, audiologists, speech language pathologists, interpreters/interpreter trainers, clerical support, program coordinators, program assistants, and information technology specialists. 90% of workers are women, and 40% of them are Deaf.

 

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For more information:

Andrea Addario, CUPE National Communications, 416-738-4329

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Tentative settlement in labour dispute between CUPE 2073 and Canadian Hearing Society.

Sell-off of more Hydro One shares is a slap in the face to every Ontarian

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TORONTO, ON – Today’s announcement that Ontario’s Liberal government is selling off yet another block of Hydro One shares, is a slap in the face to the people of this province. It makes it very clear they do not care what voters want, says Fred Hahn, president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE Ontario) and a leading voice in the Keep Hydro Public campaign.

“When the vast majority of the province has told the Premier to stop, it is her duty to listen,” says Hahn. “Kathleen Wynne has the lowest approval ratings of any sitting Premier. What will it take to get her to stop ignoring the people who elected her government?”

Hydro One today announced it plans to sell a third block of 20 percent shares in the public utility on May 17, 2017, following two previous 15 percent sales of the company.

“Right now, the people of Ontario still own 70 percent of Hydro One. We collectively hold majority control of this vital utility and our government is still accountable for how it is run. If we don’t like how the government is managing our hydro system we can vote them out,” said Hahn. “Handing over half of Hydro One to for-profit shareholders is bad for everyone except the investors.”

In December, CUPE filed a suit of misfeasance in public office against the Premier and Ministers of Finance and Energy over the handling of the sale of Hydro One. The intent of the lawsuit is to protect the people of Ontario and Hydro One ratepayers, to stop any further sale of shares in Hydro One and to keep the majority of shares in public hands.

“Premier Wynne has made it clear she will not listen to the experts who warn that the sale is bad for the province, or listen to the people of Ontario who have been unequivocal in their rejection of the plan,” says Hahn. “Now she seems determined to push ahead with the sell-off so that she won’t have to listen to the Court either. It’s disgraceful and we will continue to try and stop her.”

"Let me be clear, on behalf of our union, on behalf of the tens of thousands of Ontario's who are part of the Keep Hydro Public Coalition - we will continue to fight against the sale of Hydro One until the Liberals stop this wrongheaded plan, both in the courts and on the ground," says Hahn.

CUPE is Ontario’s community union, with more than 260,000 members providing quality public services we all rely on, in every part of the province, every day. CUPE Ontario members are proud to work in social services, health care, municipalities, school boards, universities and airlines.

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For more information, please contact: Sarah Jordison, CUPE Communications (416) 578-5638

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Sell-off of more Hydro One shares is a slap in the face to every Ontarian.


Bargaining to resume today between CUPE 1600 and Toronto Zoo

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TORONTO, ON – Following a marathon day of bargaining in which some progress was made, negotiators for Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1600) will return to the table this morning in an effort to conclude negotiations with the Toronto Zoo before a midnight lockout or strike deadline.

“While we have been able to resolve some issues with the Zoo, we haven’t made enough progress and I am concerned about our ability to conclude negotiations before the deadline,” said Christine McKenzie, President of CUPE 1600.

Although negotiators have made progress on some issues, there has been no movement on several issues the union considers critical, including changes proposed by the Zoo that would greatly diminish workers’ employment security and give the Zoo more power to contract out work.

“Any efforts by the Zoo to weaken workers’ job security and contracting out language are non-starters,” warned McKenzie.

“Our members were very clear when they voted unanimously to give our bargaining committee a strike mandate if they felt it was necessary—weakening their job security and contracting out language is bad for our community, bad for the Zoo and, most importantly, it will be bad for the animals,” she added.

McKenzie said the union will continue to bargain straight through to tonight’s midnight deadline and would consider bargaining past the deadline, provided progress is being made towards a settlement.

“However, that requires both sides to be at the table with a clear commitment to negotiating a fair deal both sides can live with. Ultimately, that decision will hinge on what level of commitment to achieving a settlement we see from the Zoo throughout the day,” she said.

CUPE 1600 represents more than 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at Canada’s largest zoo.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Bargaining to resume today between CUPE 1600 and Toronto Zoo.

CUPE 1600 to update media on Toronto Zoo bargaining at 4 p.m.

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TORONTO, ON – The President of Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees will update the media on the status of collective bargaining with the Toronto Zoo today, Wednesday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m.

The media update will be held at the front entrance of the Delta Toronto East Hotel, located just north of Highway 401 at Kennedy Road.

Notice to assignment editors and photo desks: Following a brief statement, CUPE 1600 President Christine McKenzie will hold a short media availability.

WHAT:      CUPE 1600 media update and availability

WHEN:     Today, May 10, 4:00 p.m.

WHERE:   Delta Toronto East Hotel, 2035 Kennedy Road, Scarborough

WHO:        CUPE 1600 President Christine McKenzie

WHY:        To update media regarding the status of collective bargaining with the Toronto Zoo

Media wishing to cover today’s event are encouraged to contact Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications.

CUPE 1600 represents more than 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at Canada’s largest zoo.

For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: CUPE 1600 to update media on Toronto Zoo bargaining at 4 p.m..

CUPE 1600 on legal strike for fair contract with Toronto Zoo

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TORONTO, ON – More than 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at Canada’s largest zoo have commenced strike action against their employer, the Toronto Zoo.

“We are incredibly disappointed to have to take strike action, but the Toronto Zoo’s refusal to move on job security left us with no alternative,” said Christine McKenzie, President of Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1600).

“No one on this bargaining committee wanted a strike, but you cannot have a world-leading research, conservation and education facility by consigning hundreds of workers to precarious, insecure jobs that don’t support communities,” she added.

Picket lines will go up at the Zoo’s entrances, and members are being asked to show up at their regular shift times, but to report for picket duty.

McKenzie urged the Zoo’s Board of Management to provide their negotiating team with the flexibility they need to conclude bargaining.

“We have numerous animals on the verge of giving birth, a new health centre supposed to open, and thousands of animals that won’t be getting the level of care they should be getting,” she said.

She added that the union’s bargaining committee remains on standby, ready to quickly resume negotiations.

“Ultimately, that ball is in the employer’s court,” said McKenzie.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: CUPE 1600 on legal strike for fair contract with Toronto Zoo.

Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board’s plans to close 11 schools will severely impact vital school services to students: CUPE 1022

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BELLEVILLE, ON – Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), are raising the alarm over the school board’s plans to close or consolidate 11 schools, including 9 elementary and 2 high schools in Belleville, Centre Hastings and Prince Edward County. In reports posted on their website, the school board outlines the recommended school closures, along with cuts from different service areas, including an estimated $1.4 million in cuts to front-line school board staff.

“Our members are the backbone of our schools – we keep the schools safe and clean and provide vital services to the most vulnerable students in our schools,” said David Le Riche, president of CUPE 1022. “Cutting $1.4 million in front-line services will severely impact the quality of services and the educational experience that our members provide for students.”

“Based on our rough estimates, $1.4 million in cuts could translate into cutting approximately 40 front- line positions, the very same workers who keep our schools in tip-top condition,” said Laura Walton, vice-president of CUPE 1022. “These cuts would mean there will be less staff to keep our schools clean and safe, and important services provided in the classrooms could be compromised.”

CUPE 1022 represents over 700 school board workers in 48 elementary and secondary schools in Hastings and Prince Edward County. These workers are maintenance and custodians, secretaries and administration staff, IT workers, educational assistants and early childhood educators.

“We have reached out to parents and residents who are equally alarmed at the prospects of closing more schools that will impact the quality of education in our communities,” continued Walton. “We are encouraging concerned parents and community allies to attend upcoming school board meetings and tell our board to stop closing schools and invest in quality public education.”

“We don’t understand why more schools are being recommended for closure when student enrollment and funding are not declining,” said Le Riche. “School board officials need to look closely at the impact of school closures on the well-being of our communities.” Elected officials from different communities affected by school closures, including the mayor of Belleville, have questioned school closures and asked for a proper review process to reflect the needs of the community. CUPE continues to call for a moratorium on school closures until there is a full public consultation and review of the funding formula.

 

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For more information, please contact:

David Le Riche, CUPE 1022 President, 613-849-5067

Laura Walton, CUPE 1022 Vice-President, 613-922-6711

James Chai, CUPE Communications, 905-739-3999

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board’s plans to close 11 schools will severely impact vital school services to students: CUPE 1022.

Less care for Hamilton long-term care residents because Ontario among lowest funders, new research released Monday

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HAMILTON, ON — Like in other Ontario communities, Hamilton area long-term care residents receive less care from less staff than just about anywhere elsewhere in Canada, a report being released Monday in Hamilton has found.

The new research by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) indicates that not only is long-term care underfunded in Ontario, it is also understaffed compared to the other provinces.  ‘Long-Term Care Understaffing Fewer Hands in Hamilton’ reviews the brewing crisis in care and estimates the level of understaffing at Hamilton long-term care homes.

Two Hamilton long-term care direct care staff, one a nurse, the other a personal support worker, will be available at the report launch to talk about their front-line experiences providing care to residents in a challenging, under-resourced and increasingly under stress system.  They report that care is compromised in a number of areas:  resident safety, cleanliness, eating, dressings, conditions that force residents into incontinence, and insufficient infection control.  Sadly, they say a lack of time to provide emotional care to residents, who are often at their most vulnerable and in the final stages of life, is now the “accepted norm.”

Hamilton has 17 long-term care facilities with 2,437 beds. Only the sickest are even being allowed to wait for a long-term care bed because there aren’t enough beds in the system.

According to the research, an aggressive government strategy to cut costs by removing as many patients as possible from hospitals has compounded the difficulties of rapidly changing demographics.

Understaffing in long-term care where the majority of residents are over 85 years old, have complex conditions, including many with dementia, “is systemic,” says Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE).

Hurley encourages all three provincial political parties to “look at the evidence for increasing resident care objectively, particularly when it comes to resident safety, and commit to increasing care and staffing levels in long-term care.  By ignoring glaring staffing shortages, we will regrettably continue to see resident-on-resident attacks.  Some, like the beating of a Hamilton area long-term care resident this winter by another resident, will result in deaths.”

       WHAT:      Media conference ‘Long-Term Care Understaffing Fewer Hands in Hamilton’ report

       WHERE:    CUPE 7800 Office, 795 King Street East, Hamilton

       WHEN:      Monday, May 15, 2017, 10:00 a.m.

 

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For more information, please contact:

 

Stella Yeadon, CUPE Communications, 416-559-9300

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Less care for Hamilton long-term care residents because Ontario among lowest funders, new research released Monday.

Strike is over at the Canadian Hearing Society

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CUPE 2073 ratifies tentative settlement

TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - May 12, 2017) - 227 workers with the Canadian Hearing Society (CHS) will return to the jobs they love on Monday, May 15th, following today's ratification of the tentative settlement negotiated by their union earlier this week. The workers, represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2073, have been on a province-wide strike since March 6th.

"I'm pleased to say that our members ratified the tentative settlement," said Stacey Connor, president of Local 2073. "I'm so proud of these workers for walking the line for 10 weeks for fairness, respect, and high quality services," said Connor, who is herself an employment services counsellor with the agency. "Because of their toughness, because they were so steadfast, we were ultimately able to secure a fair contract."

The key issue in dispute during the strike was sick leave, but the workers had also gone four years without wage increases. The contract allows for wage increases in each of five years and a modest pension improvement. Crucially, it also replaces the existing sick leave plan with a comparably good plan.

"We had no intention of being forced into a bottom-of-the-barrel sick leave plan that is not reflective of a workplace that's been unionized for 40 years," said Barbara Wilker-Frey, CUPE National Representative. "We are pleased to say we prevailed on that point."

"Everyone is looking forward to getting back to serving the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community and to providing vital services," said Stacey Connor. "We are so grateful to the community for all the support shown us through the strike. They really sustained us with their understanding and support, and with their numerous picket line visits."

"We hope that CHS is as interested as we are in moving forward together to provide high quality services to the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community in a respectful workplace environment," added Wilker-Frey. "We are there for that hard work, and we hope they are too."

CUPE Local 2073 represents workers in 24 CHS offices across Ontario. They serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community by working as counsellors, literacy instructors, audiologists, speech language pathologists, interpreters/interpreter trainers, clerical support, program coordinators, program assistants, and information technology specialists. 40% of the members of CUPE 2073 are Deaf, and 90% of them are women.

Contact Information
Andrea Addario
CUPE National Communications
(416) 738-4329

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Strike is over at the Canadian Hearing Society.

Low provincial funding shortchanges Hamilton long-term care residents by 1,172 hours of care daily

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HAMILTON, ON — While staffing falls short in other provinces, Ontario provides less care than reported by any other province. No other province reports fewer long-term care health care staff per resident (or per bed) than Ontario.

A research report – Long-Term Care Understaffing Fewer Hands in Hamilton – prepared by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) reviews the brewing crisis in care and estimates the level of understaffing at Hamilton long-term care (LTC) homes. It shows that residents in Hamilton’s 17 long-term care facilities are shortchanged 1,172 hours of health care each day and 427,696 hours a year compared to the rest of Canada. That is an extra 219 full-time health care LTC staff.

For total staff (health care and administrative and support staff in Hamilton long-term care) there would be an extra 651,045 hours of care and service. That would amount to an extra 333 full-time long-term care positions in Hamilton.

The provincial Liberals’ reluctance to establish minimum care standards in Ontario long-term care homes has left nurses and personal support workers (PSWs) scrambling to fulfil increasingly fragile residents’ health care needs, said Jean Kirby a Hamilton area registered practical nurse for nearly 30 years.

Heath data shows that long-term care residents are sicker than ever, have a much higher acuity and require much more care. The percentage of residents with heart disease are growing at a rate of 4.5 per cent per year and those with renal failure at a rate of 3.7 per cent per year.  Residents with six or more formal diagnoses are growing at a rate of 4.8 per cent a year.

In nearly two decades as a PSW in long-term care, Heather Nieser a PSW in Hamilton said residents’ care requirements have grown. They are older with multiple complex conditions, “but staffing and care levels have not kept pace because provincial funding is too low as research shows. The system relies on the altruism and dedication of direct care staff, like nurses and PSWs who are beyond demoralized because they don’t have time to give residents the level of care they require.”

There are 0.590 health care full-time equivalent (FTE) staff per resident in Ontario and 0.687 in the rest of Canada. This is equal to 3.15 paid hours per day in Ontario and 3.67 hours in the rest of Canada. The rest of Canada has 16.4 per cent more health care full-time equivalent staff per resident than Ontario.  That is over half an hour of extra paid care for every resident each day.

That gap in care between Ontario and the rest of the provinces impacts resident safety, cleanliness, eating, wound dressings and results in conditions that force residents into incontinence, and insufficient infection control, said Nieser.  “It’s very sad that we don’t have the time to pause and give residents in the final stages of life the emotional care all of us would agree is humane and warranted.”

The minimum level required to improve quality of care is about 4.5 to 4.8 worked hours per resident per day. CUPE is asking for a legislated 4 hour daily resident care standard and a funding increase for long-term care in next week’s provincial budget. Annual provincial funding per long-term care bed in Ontario is $43, 970.77 compared with the rest of Canada (minus Ontario) of $52,185.09.

“Unfortunately need for improved funding, better staffing and higher resident care often comes up through assaults and deaths.  With increasing illness of patients, there are aggressive residents.  Attacks occur on other residents sometimes resulting in deaths like that of James Acker earlier this spring. Resident safety and higher staffing must be a priority for this government,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s the Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU/CUPE).

 

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For more information please contact:

Stella Yeadon         CUPE Communications        416-559-9300

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Low provincial funding shortchanges Hamilton long-term care residents by 1,172 hours of care daily.


CUPE Ontario Newsletter

International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia

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Today, CUPE Ontario marks this International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia by recognizing how much more we still have to do to create a province where all people are accepted for who they are, celebrated for their differences and able to face everyday free from hate, ignorance and discrimination.

Though we can be proud of all that we have accomplished, it is imperative that we acknowledge homophobia, transphobia, and biphobia are still experienced by most LGBTQ people on a regular basis.

We call on all of you to recommit to taking action within your workplaces and within your community to end discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.

Over this past year CUPE Ontario was proud to stand with Black Lives Matter as they challenged growing complacency within our movement. It is critical that we recognize that gains we have made have not improved life for all LGBTQ people equally. Our work will not be done until all members of the LGBTQ community, regardless of race, ethnic background or religion are all able to live free from discrimination and hate.

From the beginning, CUPE has stood shoulder-to-shoulder with our allies beyond the labour movement to build better communities—communities built on a foundation of dignity and equality—and most importantly, working with others to help the voiceless find their own voices so they can make themselves heard.

We call on all our members across Ontario to embrace the struggle for equality and to take part in Pride events around the province. You will find a calendar of events running from now until the Fall at cupe.on.ca/pride

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia.

Fred Hahn calls on Premier to stand up for workers – not bow to the pressures from Bay St.

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May 16, 2017

Dear Premier Wynne,

I am writing to you with regard to media reports over the weekend of impending changes to the Labour Relations Act (LRA) and the Employment Standards Act (ESA), including the potential increase in minimum wage to $15 an hour.

I encourage you, in the strongest possible terms, to follow what I and many others suspect are progressive changes being recommended by the expert panel that your government convened two years ago.

Ontario is ready for this kind of positive change, in fact, our communities need it. The expert panel heard directly from thousands of Ontario workers talking about the reality of the challenges faced by far too many people in our province. They asked for legislative changes because they know they are needed. And they are counting on your government to actually listen, and to act in a way that will not only help them as individual workers, but will absolutely strengthen our province’s economy.

I am well aware that there are those publically calling on your government to not act. They use the same, old, tired arguments that have always been used by a small group against any progressive change to Employment Standards and Labour law.

They talk about the potential for negative economic impact, even though those arguments have been disproven time and again. They even try to suggest that workers want lower paid, precarious work – which is utterly ridiculous.

They call for studies that are absolutely unnecessary when there is very real experience from other jurisdictions of the positive economic impacts that come from strengthening employment and labour laws. Not to mention the fact that your government has engaged in a comprehensive consultation through the special advisors for two years already.

They continue to rely on the inclination of some politicians to be fearful of change. You cannot let them dissuade you and your colleagues from doing what is very much needed and what has the support of workers across the province.

While some media reports indicate your government is contemplating the restoration of card check certification for only some categories of workers, I want to make it clear that we need to restore it for all workers in Ontario. The federal Liberal government is restoring this right for workers in the federal jurisdiction because it is the right thing to do. Restoring card check for a small segment of workers is not the answer.

There are literally piles of economic studies that demonstrate one of the best pathways to creating more secure local economies is by making it easier for workers to join a union. And those same studies point out time and again how jurisdictions with higher rates of unionization have strong economies and a higher overall standard of living.

While I highlight this one issue, it isn’t the only action needed. As outlined by those many workers who took the time to give their feedback to the Changing Workplace Review, there are many progressive changes needed and they are all important to positively changing the trajectory for the working people of Ontario.

In closing, I know you and all of your colleagues are well aware that my union has been critical of policy moves made by your government. It would be an extraordinary feat to have me put in the position to publically congratulate your government for doing the right thing. And make no mistake, should your government move to do the things that have been leaked to the press in recent days, along with fully expanding card check certification to all workers, I will be happy to do just that.

Please, have the courage of your convictions in regard to these changes, do what the people of the province have been demanding for more than two years, modernize our employment and labour laws to restore some semblance of balance in Ontario. Our economy will be stronger for it and our collective future brighter.

Sincerely

Fred Hahn

President CUPE Ontario

Cc: Cabinet Ministers A.Bevan, L.Aagaard, R. Bornmann, D. Araneda, H. Bender, C. Taglione, D.Davidson, S. Andrey

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: Fred Hahn calls on Premier to stand up for workers – not bow to the pressures from Bay St..

As Zoo Board prepares to meet, community and labour allies to join striking CUPE 1600 members today for a solidarity rally and barbecue

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TORONTO, ON – One day ahead of a special meeting of the Toronto Zoo’s Board of Management, community and labour allies will join striking members of Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1600) on the picket line for a barbecue and solidarity rally.

Organized by CUPE Ontario, today’s solidarity rally and barbecue will begin at 11:00 a.m. at CUPE 1600’s main picket site located in front of the main visitor parking lot at the Toronto Zoo on Meadowvale Road.

Media interested in covering this event are encouraged to contact Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, for further details.

Christine McKenzie, President of CUPE 1600, and Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario, will have media availability following the rally portion of the event which is scheduled to begin at noon.

 

          WHAT:    CUPE Ontario solidarity rally and barbecue for striking CUPE 1600 members

          WHEN:    Thursday, May 18, 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

          WHERE: Toronto Zoo’s main entrance, Meadowvale Road (Just north of Sheppard Avenue)

          WHO:      Striking CUPE 1600 members, CUPE Ontario, community and labour allies

 

CUPE 1600 represents close to 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at the Toronto Zoo, Canada’s largest zoo and a world leading research, education and conservation facility.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: As Zoo Board prepares to meet, community and labour allies to join striking CUPE 1600 members today for a solidarity rally and barbecue.

CUPE 1600 and Toronto Zoo to resume bargaining this afternoon

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TORONTO, ON – Negotiators for Local 1600 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1600) and the Toronto Zoo will resume bargaining this afternoon, one week after a breakdown in talks led to a strike at Canada’s largest zoo.

“The only place where this dispute can be settled is at the bargaining table, so I am very pleased both parties have agreed to a resumption in negotiations,” said Christine McKenzie, President of CUPE 1600.

After pushing workers into taking strike action one week ago, management closed the Zoo down just as peak visiting season was ready to commence.

“The dispute can and should be resolved quickly, provided the City of Toronto (the Zoo’s owner) doesn’t have an agenda they aren’t sharing with the public or the union,” said McKenzie.

“Our bargaining team is prepared to sit down and negotiate a fair contract that protects good jobs communities depend on and ensures our Toronto Zoo continues to be a world leader in research, education and conservation,” she added.

In order to provide the parties with the space necessary to conclude negotiations, the union will be making no further comment at this time.

CUPE 1600 represents close to 400 zookeepers, horticulturists, trades people, maintenance, administration and public relations staff, concession and ride operators at the Toronto Zoo, Canada’s largest zoo and a world leading research, education and conservation facility.

 

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For more information, please contact:

Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641

View this page in full on the CUPE Ontario website: CUPE 1600 and Toronto Zoo to resume bargaining this afternoon.

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