SURREY—CUPE BC is proud to be participating in the 17th annual Surrey Khalsa Day parade, otherwise known as Vaisakhi, on Saturday (April 18). This year’s event starts at 9:30 a.m. at the Gurdwara Sahib Dasmesh Darbar Temple, located at 12885-85 Avenue, and will conclude there at 4 p.m.

BURNABY–Four CUPE locals are hosting a public education forum to discuss concerns about chronic underfunding and cuts to all levels of education.  Universities, colleges and K-12 schools have endured more than a decade of funding cuts. These cuts not only threaten education services but will also make it more difficult to attract skilled professionals to live and work in rural areas and northern cities. 

BURNABY—CoDevelopment Canada, along with CIPO-Vancouver and Amnesty International, have organized a caravan from Mexico that will be speaking at various events and forums in Vancouver next week about the issues and  implications surrounding the murder and forced disappearance of students by Mexican state security forces last fall.

BURNABY—Further to our March 30 update on the Joint Health Science Benefits Trust (JHSBT), we are pleased to announce that the Health Science Professionals Bargaining Association (HSPBA) and Health Employers’ Association (HEABC) have ratified the trust agreement that formally establishes the Trust.

The trust agreement is the legal document that establishes the terms and conditions of the Trust and outlines the authorities and responsibilities of the parties to the Trust—HSPBA and HEABC—and the authorities and responsibilities of the trustees to be appointed to the Trust.

The Support Staff Education and Adjustment Committee (SSEAC) is sponsoring an online survey of K-12 support staff training needs and interests.

Please participate in the survey to let us know what kinds of training and upgrading options would be useful to you.

CUPE K-12 members can fill in the survey by going to this link:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/ZZB5H36

NARAMATA - CUPE 608 and the Naramata Centre Society have reached a mutually agreeable resolution to the labour dispute which began in May 2014. The agreement brings an end to strike action and resolves outstanding issues related to the closure of the Centre.

BURNABY—With billions of dollars in funding already gone—including more than a quarter of a billion slashed from federal health care transfers to fund B.C. hospitals, long-term care facilities and community care last year—British Columbians must unite this fall to defeat the Stephen Harper Conservatives in the federal election, CUPE BC Secretary-Treasurer Paul Faoro told a health care rally in front of Burnaby Hospital today.

BURNABY - Tomorrow, March 31st, is the first anniversary of the Conservative government’s $36 billion cut to health care transfers to the provinces. CUPE is working with allies like the Council of Canadians and the BC Health Coalition to mark that anniversary. In BC, our sisters and brothers in the HEU have taken the lead in organizing rallies across the province.

A list of these events can be found online here: http://www.heu.org/saveourhealthcarebc

BURNABY—A senior manager for Southern Railway was caught on video Wednesday evening allowing a vehicle to partially enter Surrey’s Scott Road crossing as a train approached, raising new concerns about safety only days after an untrained civilian was allowed to flag traffic at the same crossing.

POWELL RIVER – Workers in the City of Powell River have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action if they are unable to negotiate a fair settlement in the current round of bargaining.

CUPE 798 President Danielle Craigen said that members received a bargaining update at a well-attended meeting on Wednesday, and then voted 98 per cent in favour of strike action if necessary.