Blaisdale Montessori employees reject offer; Nursing home workers join AUPE
Public servants ratify first contract
TORONTO — Members of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), Local 907 — who work for the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada (PIPSC) — ratified their first collective agreement on Nov. 17.
Highlights include annual wage increases retroactive to March 2019, pension and benefits improvements, and several other monetary and language enhancements, says the union.
“The members at PIPSC stood united throughout the process, and were prepared to take the necessary steps, including a strike, if needed, to secure an agreement that respected their dedication and hard work,” says Ralph Martin, IAM representative.
The former members of the Professional Institute Regional Employee Council (PIREC) joined the union in November 2019, says IAM.
Blaisdale Montessori employees reject offer
PICKERING, Ont. — More than 100 Montessori teachers and support staff at Blaisdale Montessori School in Pickering, Ont. voted to reject the employer’s latest offer on Nov. 20, prolonging the strike.
“[Canadian Union of Public Employees] CUPE, Local 5257 members at Blaisdale Montessori School are dedicated, loyal, and highly skilled Montessori teachers and support staff who deserve to be treated with respect,” says Sara Lorne, president of CUPE, Local 5257. “Blaisdale’s offer is an insult to the loyal members who work at this private school that has been a successful business for more than 50 years.”
The strike began on Nov. 16 after the employer refused to offer any wage enhancements for the first two years of the agreement or address the large cohort of staff who earn minimum wage, says CUPE.
Striking teachers and support staff held picket lines at each of Blaisdale Montessori School’s campuses in Ontario, including those in Pickering, Oshawa, Bowmanville, and select locations in Ajax, says the union.
Nursing home workers join AUPE
MEDICINE HAT, Alta. – The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) welcomed nursing care members at the Masterpiece Southland Meadows Seniors Residence Medicine Hat, Alta. into the province’s largest union on Nov. 17.
“These new AUPE members were seeing declines in their working conditions and wanted job protection and accountability from the employer, and they know that AUPE will stand up with them,” says Karen Weiers, AUPE vice-president. “While it normally requires patience to become union members, these new members have shown exceptional persistence through the organizing process in the middle of a global pandemic.”
About 90 healthcare workers took part in the Alberta Labour Relations Board (ALRB)-ordered mail-in vote and the certification has been granted, says the union.
Sofina Foods employees in Edmonton sign deal
EDMONTON — United Food and Commercial Workers union (UFCW), Local 401 members working at the Sofina Foods turkey processing plant in Edmonton ratified a new union contract on Nov. 20.
“The company was looking for significant cost relief, and the members on the bargaining committee did a fantastic job of holding strong to their principles, not only fending off concessions, but securing improvements,” says Michelle Cahill, UFCW 401 negotiator.
The five-year deal includes wage increases and retroactive pay that extends to the expiration of the last collective agreement in April 2019, says the union.
