Posts published in February 2026

Workers at Balmy Beach Daycare Centre are at the heart of our community, and we love the work that we do.

 We are currently in bargaining with the employer, but remain far apart on key issues, including wages and sick leave. Our wages are below the average for the sector, and we are currently unable to bank sick leave, meaning that when we become ill for extended periods, we have to rely on employment insurance in order to make ends meet.

Workers are also seeking improvements to working conditions that will improve the quality of care for your children, including more dedicated time for programming.

We need your help to get a fair deal that supports workers and improves our working conditions and the care we provide for your family.

Our local has held a strike vote, and is preparing for a strike, if necessary.

We need your help to avoid a strike!

Please take a moment to send a letter to the employer and let them know you support a fair deal for CUPE Local 2484 workers

CUPE Alberta is condemning Premier Danielle Smith’s announcement of an anti-immigrant referendum that seeks permission for her government to make it harder for Albertans to vote.

“She should get back to work and focus on the issues that actually matter to Albertans,” said CUPE Alberta President Raj Uppal. “Albertans are facing actual crises in health care, in our classrooms, with the cost of living, and with jobs. Instead of taking accountability and fixing any of the problems her own government has created over the last six years, the Premier is trying to shift blame and divide our province.”

Smith has proposed introducing stricter voter identification rules, despite public data showing only seven instances of voter fraud in Alberta since 2013. CUPE Alberta says the move is a clear attempt to undermine confidence in elections, suppress voter participation, and create distrust of immigrants.

“Voter fraud is not an issue in Alberta. Full stop,” Uppal said. “You can’t change the rules of democracy to solve a problem that you’ve made up.”

CUPE National President Mark Hancock warned against the dangers of continuing to import American-style disinformation tactics into our country. “We don’t need to copy the worst parts of U.S. politics,” Hancock said. “Manufactured culture wars, anti-immigrant fearmongering, and violent oppression tear communities apart, just as we see south of the border. Our members and our communities deserve better.”

CUPE also strongly denounced the anti-immigrant tone of the proposed referendum questions.

“Immigrants are our co-workers, our neighbours, and essential members of our communities,” said Candace Rennick, CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer. “They work in our hospitals, our schools, our municipalities, and our social services. They are the backbone of our economy. Scapegoating newcomers will not fix overcrowded classrooms or emergency room wait times. Properly funding public services will.”

CUPE Alberta is calling for a provincial election so voters can have a direct and meaningful say in the direction of the province.

“If the Premier is so confident in her proposal, she should call an election,” Uppal said. “Albertans deserve the opportunity to vote on the future of public health care, public education, and the kind of province we want to live in, not be dragged into a convoluted, racist referendum designed to distract from government failure.”

Manitoba’s largest health care union says a newly improved benefits plan for healthcare workers–funded equally by employers and employees–will help make Manitoba a more competitive option for healthcare workers across Canada.

“This will make a big difference in the lives of healthcare workers,” said Margaret Schroeder, President of CUPE 204, representing healthcare support workers in the WRHA and Shared Health. “This is a really significant improvement.”

The updated plan increases prescription drug coverage from $650 to $20,000, optical coverage from $150 to $500, and orthodontic coverage from $1,250 to $2,000.  

The plan also adds new flexibility to help healthcare workers make better use of their benefits. Coverage for paramedical services such as massage and chiropractic care is increasing from $450 per practitioner to a global $1,350.

Extended health and dental benefits are provided to eligible Manitoba health care workers through HEB Manitoba. HEB Manitoba is an independent organization governed by a board of Trustees that have an equal number of employer and health care union appointments.

“Healthcare workers have been advocating for benefit improvements for a long time, if we are going to recruit healthcare workers, we need a good, competitive benefits plan. Now we have that,” said Schroeder. “I want to thank government, the other healthcare unions, the health authorities, and HEB Manitoba for helping get the job done.”

Health care workers represented by CUPE held a rally outside local Ontario PC MPP Neil Lumsden’s office in Hamilton in response to funding cuts by the provincial government.

The government’s fall economic statement shows a plan to cut hospital funding by 10 per cent in real terms over three years by 2027-28, according to an analysis by CUPE, as projected spending fails to cover the six per cent annual cost inflation for hospitals.     

The consequences of fiscal restraint are already being felt by staff and patients in hospitals across Ontario, as hundreds of jobs are being eliminated in North Bay, Hamilton, Ottawa, Niagara and the GTA as most hospitals face deficits and are cutting back on patient care.

“This government promised to clear surgical waiting lists and to end hallway medicine. 200,000 people are waiting for surgeries, and 73,000 patients are waiting longer than clinically recommended. 2,000 are on hallway stretchers waiting for beds and the government has now announced it will no longer report those numbers,” said Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions (OCHU-CUPE), which represents 45,000 health care workers. “The PC funding plan through to 2027-28 will have devastating consequences for many people needing hospital treatment in Ontario.”

In Hamilton, about 580 nurses and PSWs could lose their jobs across the health care system. CUPE estimates that hospitals in Hamilton would lose about 160 staffed beds by 2027-28 if the government doesn’t increase funding. These estimates are based on projections by the Financial Accountability Office of Ontario.

“Patients are not receiving the care they deserve in our hospitals,” said Sharon Richer, secretary-treasurer of OCHU-CUPE. “Health care workers are stretched to their limits trying to provide the best care possible, but they need more support in the form of safe staffing levels, manageable workloads, and a properly funded hospital system.”

The union is recommending the following actions by the provincial government:

• In the short term, add 6,200 staffed beds to get patients off hallway stretchers, allow for aging and population growth and clear the backlog of people waiting for surgeries.
    
• Increase core hospital funding by $3.2 billion to clear deficits and hire additional staff
    
• Fund hospitals at their real costs (six per cent per year) with a multi-year funding commitment.

Manitoba’s largest labour union says the Wab Kinew government has made smart investments in Northern Manitoba’s recreation infrastructure.

“This will make a big difference in the lives of The Pas families,” says Clayton Paul, president of CUPE 745. “It’s important for youth in the North to have high-quality opportunities to have fun and relax.”

The government announced upgrades and renovations to Roy H. Johnston Arena and Kelsey Recreation Facilities (NorMan Regional Recreation Facilities), along with a plan to transform the former Lido Theatre into an arts, culture and learning centre.

“These investments are going to make The Pas safer, keeping kids off the street,” said Paul, “and give us all more options to get out and enjoy the community we choose to live in.”

CUPE 745 represents 50 municipal workers in the Town of The Pas and the Rural Municipality of Kelsey.