Public Service Workers Call Out Lantz Government Over Failed Labour Relations and Privatization

Charlottetown – Over 125 public sector workers rallied today outside the provincial government office on Rochford Street to send a clear message to Premier Lantz and his cabinet: public services matter, and so do the workers who deliver them.

The noon-hour rally, organized by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) PEI, drew members from education, UPEI, education, nursing homes, municipalities, and other frontline sectors. Participants called for immediate action on stalled contract talks, an end to costly privatization schemes, and real investment in public services.

“Premiers have come and gone, but our healthcare locals are still without a fair deal,” said Ashley Clark, President of CUPE PEI, addressing the crowd. They have been waiting since March 2023. “It’s unacceptable that this government continues to waste millions on consultant firms like KPMG while ignoring the practical solutions being offered by its own workers.”  “How about listening and bargaining with your own employees before getting third parties to make a profit on the crisis?” asked Clark. CUPE PEI notes that over 5 million dollars has been wasted on opaque consulting firms hired to analyze issues plaguing public healthcare. 

Speakers at the rally highlighted the growing pressure on the public system and called on the Lantz government to prioritize its workforce as a path to better service delivery.

“Public services are not a business experiment,” said Clark. “Education needs investment, long-term care needs stability, and our members need wages that keep up with the cost of living.”

CUPE PEI is also concerned by the changes the PC government pushed through regarding visa eligibility for international students. “Their decisions caused layoffs and austerity at the University, and it is affecting both students and staff. This is hurting our province’s future,” said Clark.

Clark also warned that labour relations will be a central issue in the upcoming by-elections across the province. “Our members are mobilized. Voters are paying attention. Fighting back against privatization will matter at the doors and in the ballot boxes.”

CUPE PEI represents thousands of public sector workers across Prince Edward Island in sectors including health, education, municipalities, PSE, and social services.

May 1st – International Workers’ Day

On May Day, we honour workers—past and present—who have fought for the rights and protections we enjoy today. This is a day to reflect, but also to organize.

Here in Prince Edward Island, CUPE members are the backbone of our public services. Whether in healthcare, education, municipalities, or community services, your dedication keeps this province running.

But working people still face serious challenges: affordability, understaffing, and a lack of respect from decision-makers. That’s why CUPE PEI continues to push back—at the bargaining table, in the legislature, and in our communities.

This May 1st, let’s renew our commitment to each other. Let’s keep building a movement that leaves no worker behind.

We celebrate your strength, your resilience, and your solidarity. Together, we will keep fighting for fairness and justice for all.

In solidarity,
CUPE Prince Edward Island

Workers’ Day of Mourning – April 28

On April 28, we gather to mark the Workers’ Day of Mourning, a tradition started by CUPE members over 40 years ago to honour those who have lost their lives or been injured at work. This day is a time for reflection, remembrance, and a renewed commitment to creating safer workplaces.

CUPE PEI invites all Islanders to participate in flag-raising ceremonies and observe a moment of silence to honour these workers and all others who have been injured, fallen ill, or died due to their work. We also call on employers across Prince Edward Island to recognize this day and to take concrete action to improve health and safety in all workplaces.

Today, and every day, we remember. We mourn the dead, and we fight for the living.

Lest We Forget.

PEI Budget: Missed Opportunity to Strengthen Public Services

Charlottetown, PEI –The Lantz government’s 2025-2026 operating budget is cause for concern, as it once again prioritizes short-term private sector gains over long-term public service solutions.
“With a record-breaking $183.9 million deficit, this budget could have marked a turning point in how we invest in people and public infrastructure,” said CUPE PEI President Ashley Clark. “Instead, this deficit is largely tax dollars flowing to private operators and consultants—without clear fixes for the core issues within our public sector.”
In her speech, Finance Minister Jill Burridge framed the deficit as a necessary response to population growth and global trade turmoil.  “There’s no denying we will face a tough year,” said Ashley Clark. “But we need smart, structural public sector investments, so we can be strong enough to weather the storm,” she added. Instead, this government is making the foolish decision to cut provincial revenues (cutting the corporate tax rates from 16% to 15%) while increasing spending in corporate handouts.
Clark acknowledged the increased healthcare spending, including the jump to nearly $1.1 billion for Health PEI, but criticized how the funds are allocated. “Again, we’re seeing more public dollars handed over to private consultants and staffing firms. The private healthcare staffing agencies, for example, cost Islanders 20 million dollars. That is 4 times more than what the PCs had planned for. Imagine what that level of spending could do if it were invested in Island workers and public institutions instead of steadily funnelling out of the public purse.”
CUPE PEI urges our government to view this moment as an opportunity, not just a crisis. The budget includes supports like wage increases for early childhood educators and a modest $1.5 million for reskilling workers, but it’s not enough to fix long-standing recruitment and retention issues.
“People don’t move to or visit PEI for tax cuts or contingency funds—they come for quality of life, for good schools, for accessible healthcare, for a strong sense of community,” she continued. “That starts with a strong public sector. This budget was another missed opportunity for the government to show that they believe in investing in Islanders.”
CUPE PEI represents over 3,400 members across healthcare, education, municipalities, post-secondary education, long-term care, and more.

Negotiations Break Down between the City of Charlottetown and its Water & Sewer Utility Employees

CHARLOTTETOWN – CUPE Local 830, representing 30 workers at the Charlottetown Water & Sewer Utility, has filed for conciliation after 13 days of negotiations failing to produce a tentative agreement with the City.
The workers have been without a collective agreement since December 31, 2022. While respectful dialogue was maintained at the bargaining table, the City’s final wage offer of 2% per year over four (4) years falls short of covering the rising costs of everyday essentials like groceries, housing, transportation, and utilities.
“We’re not asking for the moon,” said Rob Howatt, President of CUPE 830. “We’re asking for a fair deal that respects the work we do, the skills we bring, and to be protected from inflation eating away our pay,” added Howatt.
The Union is proposing a more reasonable 3.5% per year over four (4) years. In the last contract, the wage increase was 2% per year.   With the high inflation experienced in Prince Edward Island during that time, the contract’s cost of living adjustment (COLA) provision did provide an additional 2.08% in 2021 and 5.83% in 2022. However, these adjustments did not cover the cost of living on essentials for those years.  With the inflation experienced in 2023, the purchasing power of these frontline utility workers will be further eroded if they accept the employer’s offer.
“We’re hopeful the City will improve its offer in conciliation and come with a renewed commitment to fairness,” said Howatt.

CUPE Local 1770 Urges Respect and Kindness for Frontline School Staff

CUPE Local 1770, representing School Administrative Assistants and Branch-Based Clerical Staff across Prince Edward Island, is calling on the public to extend compassion and understanding to frontline school staff. This comes in light of hateful responses directed at our members, particularly regarding recent decisions made by the Public Schools Branch, such as the removal of student memorials from schools.

“While we understand that some decisions in education can spark strong emotions, it’s crucial to remember that our members are not responsible for these decisions. Yet, they are often the ones bearing the brunt of public frustration,” said Tracy Campbell, President of CUPE Local 1770. CUPE Local 1770 members are the heart of PEI schools. They manage essential behind-the-scenes tasks like processing payroll, scheduling bus routes, and ordering supplies, while also being the welcoming faces and voices greeting staff, students, and families each day. They provide care, answer calls, and connect people to the right resources.

Harassment and Verbal Abuse Are Not Part of the Job
“Our members do their best to serve their communities with compassion and respect,” Campbell said. “However, they are increasingly subjected to verbal abuse, name-calling, and even threats, whether in person, over the phone, or online. This has been an ongoing issue, raised repeatedly with the employer in labour-management meetings.”
CUPE Local 1770 wants to remind the public that frontline staff have no authority over policy changes or mandates. They are not decision-makers; they are hard-working individuals fulfilling their duties with professionalism and care.

A Call for Community Respect
CUPE Local 1770 encourages everyone to direct their concerns to the appropriate decision-makers, rather than taking out frustrations on frontline staff. Harassment has no place in our schools or communities. “Our members live and work in the same communities they serve. They deserve to feel safe and respected in their roles and outside their workplaces,” added Campbell. “Whether it’s at a grocery store, a coffee shop, or on social media, our members should not have to face work-related harassment in their personal lives.”
CUPE Local 1770 stands firm in fostering respectful and kind workplaces and communities for all. We ask the public to join us in showing appreciation for the frontline school staff who work tirelessly to support PEI’s education system.

Canadian Union of Public Employees

Thurs, Nov 7th, 2024

 

Recently, we have seen that the PEI Government approved budget allocations for giant raises on 6-figure exec salaries without due process; at the same time, this government is forcing CUPE PEI healthcare members to go to binding arbitration instead of offering them fair wages at the bargaining table.

The Premier, Ministers, and Treasury Board don’t address unauthorized spending when it comes to CEOs and management, but they go out of their way to nickel-and-dime the frontline workers who actually keep the healthcare system going. If our members in the public health system (the majority of whom make $20.98/hr) are ever erroneously paid wages above their classification, that money has been immediately and meticulously reclaimed – yet these unauthorized salary increases (for those making over $100,000/year) not only slip past the supposed safe-guards in place, but also receive increased budget lines passed by this super-majority Conservative government. This incident isn’t an isolated event to be blamed on a few former Health PEI employees – it’s the latest is a long line of unilateral, uncollaborative decisions that undermine collective bargaining rights, obscure transparency, and avoid accountability. How much money has this government spent on travel nurses? How much money for private LTC beds, private clinics, and other private services, while short-changing the public system? How much money on one-time bonuses and ineffective incentives? How much more money on other unauthorized expenditures that were ‘missed,’ ‘overlooked,’ or ‘unfortunate oversights?’

An effective, transparent, and accountable government could have put all that money into real wage improvements, more staff positions, and better supports for all workers in the public system, making healthcare an attractive and sustainable career for Islanders again. Union leaders across the system have offered these solutions at every turn – from local labour management meetings and provincial ‘all-union partners’ meetings to holding public town halls and showing up at the legislature.

But no… rather than invest money into maintaining and strengthening the public system, this Conservative government flings money at executives, fobs their responsibility off on profiteering private enterprises, and short-changes and disrespects workers at every opportunity. This government has consistently showed that it either doesn’t have the will or the competence to effectively manage the essential public services that Islanders depend on.

In light of the startlingly disparate treatment of our frontline healthcare workers, CUPE PEI calls upon the King Government to immediately implement an appropriate wage mandate for workers and instruct their bargaining representatives to return to the table with the offer that our CUPE members so rightly deserve.

With increasing frustration and disappointment,

Ashley Clark
President, CUPE PEI

CUPE PEI President Ashley Clark congratulates the Air Canada Pilots on reaching a tentative agreement with their employer! A great example of how having the right to strike balances the scales of power and allows parties to come to a fair deal.

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CUPE PEI Young worker rep Mikayla Gallant responds to the troubling survey results released this week showing that island youth ranked last in Canada in life satisfaction and calls on the Government of PEI to strengthen our PEI public services in order to address the underlying issues of poverty and access to healthcare.

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Heat Warnings – Health and Safety Information

                        Avertissements de chaleur – Renseignements sur la santé et la sécurité

 

In light of the the recent heat warnings issued by Environment Canada, it is important for workers to take extra precautions to protect themselves and their coworkers from the effects of heat stress.

 

 

What is Heat Stress?

Heat stress is a buildup of heat in the body to the point where a worker cannot maintain a normal body temperature. When workers can’t cool themselves by sweating, serious heat illness can occur. Working in hot temperatures is a health and safety hazard and can lead to heat stroke which can be fatal.

 

 

 

Occupational Health & Safety Act

 

Because of potentially serious health effects, OHS legislation requires the protection of workers from heat stress. Therefore, workers exposed to work conditions that may lead to heat illnesses must be adequately protected. Your Employer is required to implement adequate control measures to provide the most effective protection against heat stress.

 

 

Control Measures

To prevent heat stress employers must ensure:

·        There is adequate ventilation

·        Provide fans for cooling unless the temperature reaches 35 Celsius at which point fans can do more harm than good

·        There are shaded areas available when working outside

·        Cool water is available to workers. Employees should be drinking at least 1 cup of water every 20 minutes even if not thirsty.

·        There are increased breaks with short work cycles (see chart below). Get to cool areas during breaks

·        More physically demanding work is done in the early morning or evening

·        Equipment that generates heat and is not being used is turned off

·        Medical help is called if a worker feels sick, dizzy, nauseated, has prickly skin, feels week or has sudden vision problems

 

 

 

 

Rest Periods

During periods of elevated temperatures, the frequency and duration of rest periods needs to be increased. To determine the duration of a rest period please refer to the tables below.  First get the Humidex (forecasted or current) for the general area. This can be obtained from Environment Canada’s website or another reliable source of weather information.

 

 

 

It should be noted that Humidex is preferred over temperature because it takes into account the effects of humidity. Therefore, Table 2 should only be used when Humidex is not available or below 35.

 

 

 

 

Table 1

Humidex Range Minimum Rest Period Every Hour
Humidex 35 to 37 Provide 10 minutes of rest
Humidex 38 to 40* Provide 20 minutes of rest
Humidex 41 to 43* Provide 30 minutes of rest
Humidex 44 and over* Provide continuous relief & continuous monitoring of workers, or redirect to other duties, or cease work activities

 

 

 

Table 2

Temperature Range Minimum Rest Period Every Hour
30 to 31 (with humidity <60%) Provide 10 minutes of rest
32 to 33 (with humidity <50%)* Provide 20 minutes of rest
34 to 35 (with humidity <50%)* Provide 30 minutes of rest
36 and over* Provide continuous relief & continuous monitoring of workers, or redirect to other duties, or cease work activities

* Remind workers to drink at least 1 cup of water every 20 minutes

 

 

   Étant donné les récents avertissements de chaleur émis par Environnement Canada, il est important que les travailleurs prennent des précautions supplémentaires pour se protéger et protéger leurs collègues contre les effets du stress thermique.

 

Qu’est-ce que le stress thermique ?

Le stress thermique est une accumulation de chaleur dans le corps au point où un travailleur ne peut pas maintenir une température corporelle normale. Lorsque les travailleurs ne peuvent pas se rafraîchir en transpirant, ils s’exposent a de graves troubles dus à la chaleur. Le travail à des températures élevées constitue un risque pour la santé et la sécurité et peut entraîner un coup de chaleur qui peut être mortel.

 

Loi sur l’hygiène et la sécurité au travail

 

En raison de leurs effets potentiellement graves sur la santé, la loi exige la protection des travailleurs contre le stress thermique. Par conséquent, les travailleurs exposés à des conditions de travail pouvant entraîner des maladies liées à la chaleur doivent être protégés adéquatement. Votre employeur doit mettre en œuvre des mesures de contrôle adéquates pour assurer la protection la plus efficace contre le stress thermique.

 

Mesures de contrôle

Afin d’éviter le stress thermique, l’employeur doit :

·        assurer une ventilation adéquate

·        fournir des ventilateurs pour rafraîchir l’air, a moins que la température atteigne plus de 35 degrés Celsius, auquel cas les ventilateurs sont plus nuisibles qu’utiles

·        prévoir des endroits ombragés pour le travail à l’extérieur

·        fournir de l’eau en quantité suffisante aux travailleurs. Les travailleurs devraient consommer au moins une tasse d’eau a chaque 20 minutes

·        accorder des pauses supplémentaires et prévoir des cycles de travail courts (voir tableaux ci-dessous) ainsi que des endroits frais pour les pauses.

·        faire exécuter le travail physiquement plus exigeant tôt le matin ou en soirée

·        les équipements qui génèrent de la chaleur et ne sont pas utilisés sont éteints

·        l’aide médicale est appelée si un travailleur se sent malade, étourdi, nauséeux, a la peau piquante, se sent mal ou a des problèmes de vision soudains

 

Périodes de repos

Pendant les périodes de températures élevées, la fréquence et la durée des périodes de repos doivent être augmentées. Pour déterminer la durée d’une période de repos, veuillez vous référer au tableaux ci-dessous.  Obtenez d’abord l’humidex (prévu ou actuel) pour la zone générale. Vous pouvez l’obtenir sur le site Web d’Environnement Canada ou auprès d’une autre source fiable d’information météorologique.

 

Il est à noter que l’humidex est préféré à la température car il tient compte des effets de l’humidité. Par conséquent, le tableau 2 ne doit être utilisé que lorsque l’humidex n’est pas disponible ou qu’il est inférieur à 35.

 

 

 

 

Tableau 1

Humidex Période de repos minimale par heure
Humidex de 35 à 37 Prévoir 10 minutes de repos
Humidex 38 à 40* Prévoir 20 minutes de repos
Humidex 41 à 43* Prévoir 30 minutes de repos
Humidex 44 et plus* Fournir une relève et une surveillance continue des travailleurs, ou les rediriger vers d’autres tâches, ou cesser leurs activités de travail

 

 

Tableau 2

Température Période de repos minimale par heure
30 à 31 (avec humidité <60%) Prévoir 10 minutes de repos
32 à 33 (avec humidité <50%)* Prévoir 20 minutes de repos
34 à 35 (avec humidité <50%)* Prévoir 30 minutes de repos
36 et plus* Fournir une relève et une surveillance continue des travailleurs, ou les rediriger vers d’autres tâches, ou cesser leurs activités de travail

* Rappelez aux travailleurs de boire au moins 1 tasse d’eau toutes les 20 minutes