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Canadian HR Reporter, a Thomson Reuters business 2018
Kingston
Health workers
ratify 4-year
contract
KINGSTON, Ont. — Ninety-
eight per cent of staff repre-
sented by the Canadian Union
of Public Employees (CUPE) at
Kingston Health Sciences Cen-
tre (KHSC) in Kingston, Ont.,
voted for a new four-year collec-
tive agreement on May 14.
The vote turnout and percent-
age of ratification is the highest
in the local union's history, ac-
cording to CUPE.
The 1,400 members at Kings-
ton Health Sciences Centre are
among more than 35,000 CUPE
hospital-sector members now
ratifying the new provincial con-
tract, said the union.
"Staff at Kingston Health Sci-
ences Centre are concerned that
the merger of KHSC and the Ho-
tel Dieu will lead to downsizing,"
said Mike Rodrigues, president
of CUPE 1974.
"Cuts to beds, staff and pro-
grams have happened after
hospital mergers in many other
communities. Our members
also worry that a change of
government will bring hospital
funding cuts," said Rodrigues.
"They want to lock in job-secu-
rity protections for the next four
years."
The new contract maintains
CUPE's job-security provisions
and treatment of part-time em-
ployees in addition to improve-
ments to violence protection,
pregnancy leave, disability rights
and the workload complaints
processes for KHSC nurses, care
aides, porters and clerical and
trades staff at the hospital's KGH
site, said the union.
CUPE 1974 is affiliated with
the Ontario Council of Hospi-
tal Unions/CUPE, that bargains
provincially and in March joined
a common bargaining front with
the members of Service Employ-
ees International Union (SEIU)
and Unifor.
That alliance resulted in a ten-
tative contract at the end of April
for nearly 75,000 hospital work-
ers, according to CUPE.
Tentative deal
at Algoma
in Sault Ste.
Marie, Ont.
SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont.
— Tentative agreements were
negotiated by the United Steel-
workers (USW) at Sault Ste. Ma-
rie, Ont., steelmaker Algoma on
May 12.
"The steelworkers and our
members in Sault Ste. Marie
have stood in solidarity since
2015 to demand fairness and
dignity for working families af-
fected by Algoma's bankruptcy
protection process," said Marty
Warren, USW Ontario director.
The former Essar Steel Algo-
ma filed for creditor protection
under the Companies' Creditors
Arrangement Act (CCAA) in
November 2015.
Winnipeg
Swissport
workers
join IAM
WINNIPEG — Swissport ramp
agents at Winnipeg Internation-
al Airport joined the Interna-
tional Association of Machinists
and Aerospace Workers (IAM),
Local Lodge 714 on May 9.
The 18 employees service
aircraft from United Airlines,
SunWing and other airlines and
are responsible for arrivals and
departures of aircraft, said the
union.
The unionization follows or-
ganizing victories in Montreal.
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LABOUR LENS
Smoke from safety ares ll the air as French state-owned SNCF railway employees and labour union
members dance while demonstrating as part of a nationwide strike in Paris, on May 14.
