VANCOUVER—CUPE helped rock the ‘hood in Vancouver’s Strathcona Park Saturday as three locals, CUPE BC, CUPE Metro and CUPE National sponsored “Justice Rocks”, a one-day social justice festival put on by Pivot Legal Society.

Union fears range of services could be on chopping block in the name of cost-cutting

BURNABY— Today’s Speech from the Throne opening the 39th Parliament of British Columbia provided some ominous clues of the range of public services that could be on the BC Liberal government’s hit list in next week’s budget, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

“Throne speeches tend to be short on specifics and are generally used to promote feel-good projects, so we don’t normally look at them with a view to what the government is actually planning to do,” says CUPE BC president Barr

TRAIL—Ambulance Paramedics of BC are picketing at the Castlegar District Health Centre (Unit 709 – 10th Street, Castlegar) this morning in response to the BC Ambulance Service taking the only Critical Care paramedic in the West Kootenays off shift without notice.

“The decision to pull Trail’s only highly-trained paramedic is irresponsible and shortsighted,” says Ambulance Paramedics of BC vice-president Bronwyn Barter.

Barter notes that the paramedic was not advised that he would be expected to meet with a mediator today and tomorrow rather than staff the ambulance.

BURNABY—With the B.C. Liberal government announcing its budget on September 1, and cuts to operating grants for B.C.’s public libraries expected to be on the agenda, CUPE is part of a province-wide campaign to fight the cuts.

LANGLEY– Lifeguards tested skills against other teams from B.C. at a one-day lifeguard competition held on Saturday, August 8 at the Walnut Grove Community Centre.

CAMPBELL RIVER—Striking Ambulance Paramedics of BC, CUPE 873 members, held a 24-hour sit-in this weekend at the landmark 30-foot high big rock outside of Campbell River on Hwy 19A.

Paramedics from all over North Island dropped by to stand on the rock for a few hours. They handed out hot dogs and water.

VANCOUVER—Ambulance Paramedics of BC – CUPE 873 report that the number of people logging onto their website has doubled in the past two weeks.

“We’ve had thousands of visitors to our site this week alone,” says Ambulance Paramedics of BC president John Strohmaier.

Strohmaier noted that as more people are finding out about the strike, paramedics are getting more offers of support from the general public.

“People are asking what they can do to help.

CUPE 391 activist Peter DeGroot, a member of CUPE BC’s Committee Against Racism and Discrimination and CUPE National’s Pink Triangle Committee, spreads the multi-union message at the Pride parade in Vancouver on Sunday, August 2. The annual event, which celebrates the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender communities, attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the city’s downtown West End. This year’s theme was “Educate”.

VANCOUVER—The Supreme Court of BC would not permit the contempt charges the government attempted to bring against the Ambulance Paramedics of BC yesterday due to short notice, requiring the application to follow the rules of the Court.

VANCOUVER—Ambulance Paramedics of BC – CUPE 873 are expected to be in the Supreme Court today to answer charges that they are in contempt of the essential services order that they continue to work under.

Ambulance Paramedics of BC president John Strohmaier says that the government is trying to deal with the longstanding labour dispute in the courts, instead of at the bargaining table.

“Government inaction has created this situation that puts people’s lives at risk,” says Strohmaier.