GRAND FORKS - Every single Grand Forks municipal worker was on hand last night for the Grand Forks City Council meeting. The 32 members of CUPE local 4728 and their families held signs calling for "a workplace built on respect."

QUALICUM BEACH – As the Mayor and Council’s lockout enters its third week, CUPE members are urging them to focus on getting back to the table instead of trying to provoke workers and scare the community.

Referring to last week’s release from the Town on safety for the public and exempt employees, CUPE 401 Vice President Laurence Amy said that locked out CUPE members monitoring the work that exempt staff are doing is standard practice in these situations.

QUALICUM BEACH - The mayor and council of this seaside Vancouver Island community celebrated the British Columbia Day weekend by locking out their 75 municipal workers. More than 100 vocal CUPE Local 401 members and their supporters were on hand outside the town hall when the lockout officially took effect at 3pm Friday.

QUALICUM BEACH - On Friday, July 31, the eve of the British Columbia Day holiday weekend, the town of Qualicum Beach plans to lock out its 66 municipal workers for the first time ever.

Despite a long history of labour peace, the current mayor and council have refused to give their public employees the same modest two-per-cent per-year wage settlement reached in neighbouring municipalities. Wages are the only outstanding issue after mediated contract talks broke off last month. The workers have been without a contract since 2013.

QUALICUM BEACH - CUPE municipal workers in Qualicum Beach have served 72 -hour strike notice. The strike will begin at 10:26 am on Sunday, July 26 in the form of an overtime ban.

The move by the 46 members of CUPE Local 401 came after mediated talks with the town of Qualicum Beach broke down last month. 

CUPE Local 401 President Blaine Gurrie says “our priority is to get back to the bargaining table and reaching a fair settlement so we can focus on best serving the citizens of Qualicum Beach.  We want to minimize any impact on the public.”

WHITE ROCK – City Council’s soliciting for private solid waste collection has local CUPE municipal workers and residents concerned.  Among the options being touted by Council are moving the collection for single-family dwellings from the current public service to private for-profit collection.

COURTENAY – Local 556 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees delivered 70 cases of tinned wild salmon to the Comox Valley Food Bank today.

Unions and community groups have been working together to address the growing number of people in BC who must rely on food banks. Protein for People is a community partnership program designed to address those shortages. 

VANCOUVER— CUPE BC was very pleased to once again provide support to the 2015 B.C. Library Association Conference. This year’s conference theme was Creative Communities, focusing on the power of creativity in both the library and the world around us. The conference certainly lived up to its theme, from opening keynote Vancouver musician and performer Veda Hille, to the closing by Wade Compton, local poet and writer, with many engaging and informative sessions in between.

BURNABY - CUPE presidents from municipal and library locals across Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley met yesterday to discuss upcoming bargaining. With most agreements expiring at the end of 2015, bargaining preparations are underway across the region. Locals shared strategy, identified key issues and discussed next steps. 

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POWELL RIVER – CUPE 798 members met last night to approve a new agreement, avoiding a labour dispute and service disruption for the community.

“We have had a very tough round of bargaining and we are relieved that we have certainty and stability for the future. Members were very clear that the City’s aggressive concessions package was a deal breaker and we successfully pushed back on that package,” said Danielle Craigen, CUPE 798 president.