ABBOTSFORD—BC Federation of Labour President Irene Lanzinger, along with CUPE BC General Vice-President Dal Benning and Fraser Valley Regional Vice-President Paul Albrecht, brought messages of solidarity and  support to locked out workers at Southern Railway’s Huntingdon property here on  Sunday afternoon.

BURNABY—Over the next 16 months, the joint union-employer committee for the community social services sector will be collecting, reviewing and updating information relative to the Joint Job Evaluation Plan in preparation for the first scheduled distribution of the negotiated Comparability and Anomaly wage increases scheduled for April 1, 2016.

The committee will be meeting in early February to finalize the terms of reference and develop the preliminary work plan to have the work completed before April 1, 2016.

Red flags raised about safety of Southern Railway practices during lockout, says CUPE

BURNABY—A cell phone video shot earlier this week shows a Southern Railway train operated dangerously by managers attempting to replace locked-out employees. The video shows a train rolling through a crossing on Annacis Island with no headlights or front ditchlights on, despite thick fog at the time and with one manager riding on the stairs of the leading locomotive. 

BURNABY—CUPE 7000 President Bill Magri, in a letter to the Vancouver Sun published today, takes on Southern Railway for its self-description as “a small local company” and its claim to be committed to the collective bargaining process.

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VICTORIA—Discussions and decisions are once again on the table about the future of sewage treatment in the Capital Regional District on south Vancouver Island. The communities of Colwood, Esquimalt, Langford and View Royal as well as the Songhees Nation have formed a Westside working group to look at sewage treatment options and they are seeking public input.

CUPE members and others who support publicly owned and operated sewage treatment have a number of options to get involved and be part of discussions.

NEW WESTMINSTER—Locked out CUPE 7000 members working for Southern Railway (SRY) have sent a loud message to company president Frank Butzelaar, courtesy of a lighted billboard message on the Queensborough bridge—located within view of SRY’s main office.

BURNABY—The promised lockout of 126 CUPE members and eight COPE members working for Southern Railway (SRY) took effect at five a.m. today, with the company shutting the gates at work sites and hired security guards forcibly removing workers from SRY property.

The lockout affects several work places, the three main rail sites being New Westminster Trapp Yard, Huntingdon in Abbotsford and Annacis Island in Delta. Managers are now in charge of operating the trains for a service area that stretches from Vancouver to Chilliwack.

BURNABY—The 126 rail yard employees who work for Southern Railway (SRY) received an unwelcome New Year’s greeting today with the company’s decision to issue 72-hour lockout notice.

CASTLEGAR - The City of Castlegar has finally ratified a new collective agreement with its civic workers – members of CUPE Local 2262.  CUPE members found out through local media that the mayor and council had voted to ratify the deal this morning, nine days after the union voted overwhelmingly to accept the collective agreement.

BURNABY—CUPE members working for Southern Railway have rejected the employer’s final offer with a 91-percent “no” vote that took place at two locations today.

Of the 126 members eligible to vote, 106 voted against the package.