We are asking all local’s to consider donating items to be used as prizes for the convention. Please contact cupepei@gmail.com if your local is interested. Any items donated would be greatly appreciated!!
CUPE PEI Would like to hear from you!
Now accepting nominations for the Leo Cheverie Activism Award
The nomination committee is looking to recognize a member who meets the following criteria:
Whose activities have benefitted social justice causes
Brought focus to environmental issues
Brought focus to social justice issues
Is a CUPE PEI member in good standing
Please submit an email that outlines who you’re nominating, to which local they belong, and how they meet the criteria, to cupepei@gmail.com by April 21, 2023.
The Leo Cheverie Activism Award is presented at CUPE PEI’s Annual Convention. The award winner will have their name added to a commemorative plaque, and CUPE PEI will make a $100 donation to a social justice organization of their choice.
Town Hall Meetings – Healthcare issues and fair wages for workers
All are welcome to our public town hall meetings. On March 16 and March 18, come to listen and discuss healthcare issues and the working conditions of front-line workers. No registration is required, the event is free and is expected to last about 2 hours.
CUPE members rally outside Premier Kings nomination meeting March 6, 2023
The snowy weather didn’t stop these CUPE members from holding a rally at Premier Kings nomination meeting. They are here representing the many healthcare workers that were excluded from the recruitment and retention bonus #leavenohealthcareworkerbehind #hearusseeus
School Staff Appreciation Week February 13-17 2023
CUPE PEI would like to recognize the invaluable work that all staff in the education system do every day to benefit children’s learning and well- being.
PEI Schools Must Remain Inclusive and Welcoming to All
Charlottetown, PEI – Recently, some parents are making propositions at home and school association meetings to remove the province’s guidelines for respecting, accommodating, and supporting gender identity, gender expression, and sexual orientation. CUPE Education Locals (CUPE 1145, CUPE 1770, CUPE 1775, and CUPE 3260) are unanimous in their support for the existing guidelines.
“We see these guidelines as something positive for students, our communities, and our members. Making public services safe and welcoming for all is something to celebrate, not to tear down,” said Carolyn Vandaele, President of CUPE Local 3260. The provincial guidelines are aimed at ensuring schools are safe and welcoming for all students, and that children’s and staff members’ sexual orientations and gender identities are respected.
“The guidelines are 100% in line with our unions’ stance on respectful workplaces. We salute the Public School Branch’s recent public statement of support for the guidelines,” said Robert Geiss, school bus driver and President of CUPE 1145.
“We call on our Education Minister Natalie Jameson to do the same, and issue a public statement,” said Tracy Campbell, President of CUPE 1770. “Clearly, the Department must do a better job at raising awareness and helping parents understand why these guidelines exist,” concluded John Doucette, President of CUPE 1775.
CUPE represents over 1,600 education workers on the Island. CUPE 1145 represents school bus drivers and aids. CUPE 1770 represents education administrative and support staff. CUPE 1775 represents school board maintenance staff. CUPE 3260 represents educational assistants, youth service workers, workplace assistants, student attendants, and educational language interpreters.
Black History month
Black History Month is a time to celebrate and highlight the best of Black History and culture, and to honor the ancestors and leaders of Black communities, their accomplishments and their continued fight for liberation.
CUPE PEI Stands With Healthcare Workers
Pictured below are CUPE PEI Healthcare Workers that were excluded from the Recruitment and Retention bonus. They will be wearing these T-shirts at their workplaces on Fridays to bring awareness that no Healthcare Worker should be left behind. If you have not signed the letter to Premier King to show your support to these workers, you can do so at this link https://cupepei.ca/2022/11/25/support-healthcare-workers/
CUPE Submission to the PEI Long Term Care Review
CUPE, representing dedicated Long Term Care workers, has issued a formal submission on the PEI Government’s Long-Term Care (LTC) review. Our Submission emphasizes the need for substantial improvements in LTC conditions, as the review primarily focuses on aligning private and public sectors. CUPE underscores the urgency of addressing issues such as staffing levels, worker wages, quality training, and comprehensive pandemic plans. We call for a more comprehensive approach that prioritizes the well-being of LTC residents and staff, emphasizing the importance of a safer and better healthcare environment.
Read the Submission here. Submission_PEI_LTC_Review_2022_10_24
Lowest paid essential workers excluded from Retention Initiative
More than 1 500 healthcare and long-term care workers are angry at being left out of a new staff retention incentive plan crafted by the Dennis King Government. On Monday, Premier King and the Health and Wellness Minister Ernie Hudson announced an $8 million “Retention Initiative” in exchange for a one-year return in service agreement from healthcare staff.
“It’s outrageous that more than 1 300 of us in healthcare, the lower-paid staff doing essential work such as laundry, cooking, sterilization, custodial tasks, maintenance and many more, were specifically excluded from the announcement,” said Chris Lewis, President of PEI Health Council.
“Our members have been running on fumes, doing double duty, running short, working longer hours, and having vacations denied when requested. We are frustrated King has chosen to play favourites when there is a real retention crisis in our sectors too,” said Leonard Gallant, President of Local 1779 and President of CUPE PEI. “King talks about ‘stabilizing the workforce’ but forgets that without a team approach, his strategy is flawed. Surgeries, for example, cannot happen if there is no one to clean operating rooms and sterilize equipment!” said Robyn Currie, president of Local 1051.
The same workers excluded from this recent initiative also were unjustly overlooked from provincial COVID-19 support measures. “There is a pattern emerging, where this government keeps on disenfranchising whole groups of workers by ignoring them completely,” said Rhonda Diamond, President of CUPE Local 805.
It is time the government recognized inflation is hurting the lower-paid workers the most, may they be in the public or the private sector like us nursing home workers. “When rent, bread, and gas prices go up, it hurts us disproportionately,” said Donna Gormley, President of CUPE Local 2523 and Local 5331, who were excluded from the Retention Initiative. Those Locals are comprised of over 200 members working in private long-term care facilities.
CUPE Locals are demanding government broadened and improved its Retention Initiative, to ensure no care workers are left behind. “Let’s be clear: each bargaining team should have been included in the conversation from day one. The Premier must fix this now,” concluded Leonard Gallant.