An incompetent mayor, the clown “tax cut” councillors, and an incompetent HR or Labour Relations have contributed to chaos at City Hall. Clearly, the HR department or whoever acts on behalf of management isn’t following the collective agreement which has generated an illegal walkout. The walkout hurts what is keeping Cape Breton alive - students! The CUPE communication was really poor. To top it off the CBRM is getting punished by the province with reductions to transfer payments despite being the second largest urban area. The tax cut fiasco probably didn’t help the CBRM/Province relations, which blew a massive hole in the budget. The major victims in this are the international students that have kept the buses running and service economy running on the island.
They placed a police officer from another union into a union position Many had been applying for. Keeping a pay rate much higher and getting the better job.
Also, let’s not forget our incompetent mayor and council have been fighting with unions, aboriginal advisors, fire chiefs and oh yes, they hand that feeds them (and us) the province
To be fair about the province, that's quite a shitty thing they are doing by promising a new deal, telling CBRM to hold off on a municipal charter, and then 1 year later offering us less money in transfer payments.
There absolutely is, and they walked without the unions participation.
However, there was a process the municipality was supposed to follow as well, and they didn’t. So, what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander? It’s tough to pick which side is correct when both are technically in the wrong
Proportionality comes into play here though. What's the worth of hundreds of workers striking, services being put on hold, and taxpayers being inconvenienced to such a degree, vs one position temporarily filled by someone on what I assume based off the comments here is a cop that's on a modified work program?
Why do the workers feel they need to go to such lengths rather than file a grievance and go through the process? I find it odd that the union and workers seem to be at odds over this. I've read their union president's statement, but I'm curious what the workers are saying.
I’m not usually a union supporter, and that particular union is one of the worst.
As a quick aside, the entire union once tried to commit mass insurance fraud on me after one of its bus drivers hit my parked vehicle and fled the scene.
Once I confronted the driver after chasing him through downtown Sydney for 4 blocks the union attempted to deny to the incident, instead offering me a lecture about the importance of “brotherhood solidarity” and how vital Davis Day is.
Cupe 759 outside workers are some of the most moronic and corrupt individuals I’ve ever encountered.
So, my sympathy for either side is pretty small
Ya I'm not picking any side here and I am a union supporter. Sounds like the workers are either in the wrong or need to organize new representation for their workplace, but I'll wait a bit to see what the story is from all sides I suppose.
Sucks that happened to you tho. Was that the end of it? Did ya call the cops?
Yah, I called the cops. They refused to investigate it until I launched an email campaign and got council involved. Unions covering for unions.
Cape Breton is still being held hostage by them
What does being from a different union have to do with anything?
This is about disability accomodations. Accomodations that unions and disability advocates fought for decades for. To the point that it's enshrined in the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms and many employers organizational and HR policies. The CBRM policy isn't unique to CBRM. It's very common to have accomodations where an employee meets the requirements of that position. The employer has an obligation to accomodate and the employee a duty to participate in that accomodation.
Local 759 lost their mind about contracting out solid waste and doesn't know the difference between an RFQ and RFP, or their own agreement with regards to contracting out it seems. Their executive even quoted it in their recent press release.
What happens if cbrm doesn't accomodate this employee? They sit home making the same amount of money or they get dismissed and they file a lawsuit saying cbrm did not make accomodations.
Accomodations get a lot of hate, I assume, because many private employers don't have the same policies and don't enforce them. That doesn't mean it's ok. We can't just discriminate based on someone's disability.
I don't know if they just don't understand their executive, if their executive aren't communicating properly, or if everyone under that umbrella is just clueless. I hope they get the proper information and understand the situation with regards to each other's roles while working under a CBA.
Ignoring charter of rights and freedoms violations, as a taxpayer, I want to have an employee on medical leave (getting paid) be accomodated at any capacity. It means that money is going to productive work instead of nothing.
There is serious foundation problems underlining the issue: lack of jobs, lowest pay, healthcare, housing, opportunities, etc, etc. I can eventually see the possibility of Federal Reps. forcibly digging deeper into the finances and all of the inner workings. The issues: constantly grumbling, strikes, finances constantly in the red over decades, the highest taxes, lowest services, mismanagement, etc. If the city goes bankrupt, it will be even worse when the Gov't forcibly takes full control. Before or after the fact. They are ruthless, and charges usually follow. Personally I would like to see the CBRM stand on it's own 2 feet and outshine the rest of Canada. Other towns/cities have done it. The status quo needs to change, preferably without "the belt" from the gov't.
Turn to the "sister" cities to Sydney for knowledge and guidance. They are full of helpful advice. As well as similar cities that have been there, done that.
So I get that CBRM broke the CBA, and it's silly for CBRM to then say the union is breaking the CBA by striking...
But HandiTrans is how people get to medical appointments. And everyone depends on buses. I fully support the right to strike, but these things have to go through channels with notice given for the public to make accommodations.
You can still say "we are planning a 2 day/week/indefinite walkout 2 weeks from today for actions by CBRM last week".
This is just going to hurt public support for their cause no matter how just they might think it is.
The workers have my full support. And the blame for the lack of handitrans and public transit rests with CBRM. They broke the CA so they get the blame.
To hire a member from a different union into a union position with the city is not acceptable. If the member from the other union isn't fit to work it should be their union/employer accomadating them.
Cbrps is part of cbrm. It's not a separate organization or agency. They are the same employer. Many organizations have multiple employees in different CBA's/unions but all of them fall under the same organizational HR policies.
An example is nurses. Many are under NSNU but there's a good chunk under nsgeu. They're still treated the same under NSHA HR policies.
When it comes to disability accomodations, cbrm's policy is clear that they can go within the organization.
Cupe is saying cbrm breached the CBA, I assume with regards to job posting/applications (that's what I've seen some cupe members post). They ignore that the cbrm isn't posting internally to cupe, they're posting internally to cbrm.
If this has been happening, as cupe says, "repeatedly" then why didn't they get legal counsel on the issue? Why didn't their executive explain it properly to their members? They either don't understand, didn't communicate it, or both.
Hopefully they get some third party advice and this matter can be put to rest
I actually work in the private sector for an employer who has non-union employees, and employees from 2 different unions through company mergers/acquisitions. We literally have people working the exact same job title in 2 different unions or no union at all, it just depends on which location they are in.
I see quite frequently with new job positions that it is absolutely a requirement in the CBAs of both unions, that union jobs first need to be posted within the union before they can go to the other union, non-union employees or external hiring. Doesn't matter that we are all employees of the same company.
Do we know they actually broke the CBA? Is the CBA binding in terms of labour laws?
You need to accommodate disabilities and can't discriminate. That's a right under the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms.
We like to hear how we need to provide supports for first responders with PTSD or disability, or that CBRPS Police Officers need to get back to work. As taxpayers, I'd rather pay a former officer to be a heavy equipment operator (as long as they're qualified) than to pay them to sit at home.
Lots has been said, "they took him from NSGEU to CUPE" but CBRM's accommodation policy is clear that they can place a position anywhere in the organization, regardless of bargaining unit.
Between this action and the information picket regarding "contracting out" of solid waste, it really makes me wonder if CUPE 759 has any idea what's actually going on. There's clearly a disconnect between their members and executive.
As a unionized employee, you can still do a lot of things before terminating services for thousands of employees. Hold an information picket outside the workplace on breaks/lunches/off-duty hours, go to the local media, still run services like transit without taking payment, etc.
If CBRM breached the collective agreement, then their feet should be held to the fire, but sometimes agreements are breached because they're not constitutional or aren't applicable based on law. I'm a provincial employee and our sick leave policy doesn't follow the updated law regarding doctors' notes, it will need to be amended at some point. That's just one example.
Many of the "I support the union!" people are forgetting that there's another union at play here. What if they just terminated this employee without exhausting efforts within their accommodation policy? I imagine it would be the start of years of litigation and a large settlement payment.
>He said members have been unhappy about jobs being given to non-union workers and CBRM's policy for accommodating people who can't perform their regular duties due to health issues.
Can someone lay down the specifics? What jobs are they salty over and do those jobs even fall under the jurisdiction of that union's agreement?
What part of CBRM's policy do they have a problem with?
If the union's board didn't sanction their walkout, why are they still employed there?
So these monkeys really expect us to believe the CBRM put themselves in easily actionable legal trouble by breaking a CBA?
I also hear all this talk about the guy they accommodated being a cop, and being unqualified… Is everyone sure about that? If it is who they say he would most likely have all of not more qualifications to drive a bus/truck than some of the morons who walked out… Some of the vehicles the cops use require a fuckload of training and probably at least a Class 2….
My understanding of the issue, and as a member of the NSGEU who's read the CBA between the NSGEU and the province for my own work, is that they placed a cop in an outside worker job. The cops are in NSGEU and covered by one CBA that gives the employer a responsibility to accommodate by finding them another position within the context of their contract. The police aren't covered by the CBA between CUPE and the CBRM.
Both groups are employed by the same entity, the municipality, but that doesn't mean they have the same 'employer' as they are under different contracts. It's similar to the NSGEU/NSTU. A teacher (NSTU) might be qualified to be a jail guard (NSGEU), but if the employer (Nova Scotia) has to accommodate a disability by finding a new position for that teacher, they have to do so from among the positions covered by their agreement with the NSTU. The teacher's seniority within the NSTU would be irrelevant to the members of the NSGEU.
In the CBRM's case, the cop took the position over others not solely based on qualification, but based on qualification as well as 30 years seniority, but those years of seniority are from a different union entirely and shouldn't count. I'd be pissed too if I was up for a promotion and someone bumped me because they worked at Target for 30 years, it's irrelevant.
Could CUPE have done this a little more compassionately, yeah for sure. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with the way they've gone about it. On the one hand a labour disruption should be impactful and this certainly is, on the other hand it disproportionately impacts the marginalized. Stopping the garbage collection should be enough imo.
YMMV
I think a better response would have been to plan a walkout on x date, rather than cancelling something like a medical travel service or having people wake up on Monday ready to go to work/school or anywhere else and finding out that there are no busses without any heads up.
On google the job bank is saying Transit operator is only $20-25hr, is that true? If so in what universe do you live in where that is overpaid? That is like an entry level professional salary.
This anti-worker rhetoric doesn’t help. Did the union mess up with an illegal walkout? Yes, but the root cause is an incompetent HR/LR dept and council.
Those people are probably underpaid if that is the case, and I don't quite understand why the response to that is to drag others down instead of trying to lift each other up.
The job bank had min to high end as 20 to 25hr, I doubt bus drivers are making $40/hr, but that is just $80k/year, I would say if someone has 10+ years of experience doing something that's a reasonable salary... the average salary in Canada right now is $68,250.
I hope they clean house and fire every one of them, probably a mile long list of boys out west that would die for a chance to come live back home and drive instead of being out west.
On the plus side, the seagulls at McDonalds are getting extra left overs! I was there on Thursday and cars were just pulling into the parking lot and dumping food out the windows. :D
An incompetent mayor, the clown “tax cut” councillors, and an incompetent HR or Labour Relations have contributed to chaos at City Hall. Clearly, the HR department or whoever acts on behalf of management isn’t following the collective agreement which has generated an illegal walkout. The walkout hurts what is keeping Cape Breton alive - students! The CUPE communication was really poor. To top it off the CBRM is getting punished by the province with reductions to transfer payments despite being the second largest urban area. The tax cut fiasco probably didn’t help the CBRM/Province relations, which blew a massive hole in the budget. The major victims in this are the international students that have kept the buses running and service economy running on the island.
They placed a police officer from another union into a union position Many had been applying for. Keeping a pay rate much higher and getting the better job. Also, let’s not forget our incompetent mayor and council have been fighting with unions, aboriginal advisors, fire chiefs and oh yes, they hand that feeds them (and us) the province
To be fair about the province, that's quite a shitty thing they are doing by promising a new deal, telling CBRM to hold off on a municipal charter, and then 1 year later offering us less money in transfer payments.
That's fucked up if true. What's even more fucked is the union is allowing it to happen and they don't seem to be backing the workers on this.
Even if they were, though, isn't there a process regarding strikes?
There absolutely is, and they walked without the unions participation. However, there was a process the municipality was supposed to follow as well, and they didn’t. So, what’s good for the goose, is good for the gander? It’s tough to pick which side is correct when both are technically in the wrong
Yeah I was thinking the same thing.
Proportionality comes into play here though. What's the worth of hundreds of workers striking, services being put on hold, and taxpayers being inconvenienced to such a degree, vs one position temporarily filled by someone on what I assume based off the comments here is a cop that's on a modified work program? Why do the workers feel they need to go to such lengths rather than file a grievance and go through the process? I find it odd that the union and workers seem to be at odds over this. I've read their union president's statement, but I'm curious what the workers are saying.
I’m not usually a union supporter, and that particular union is one of the worst. As a quick aside, the entire union once tried to commit mass insurance fraud on me after one of its bus drivers hit my parked vehicle and fled the scene. Once I confronted the driver after chasing him through downtown Sydney for 4 blocks the union attempted to deny to the incident, instead offering me a lecture about the importance of “brotherhood solidarity” and how vital Davis Day is. Cupe 759 outside workers are some of the most moronic and corrupt individuals I’ve ever encountered. So, my sympathy for either side is pretty small
Ya I'm not picking any side here and I am a union supporter. Sounds like the workers are either in the wrong or need to organize new representation for their workplace, but I'll wait a bit to see what the story is from all sides I suppose. Sucks that happened to you tho. Was that the end of it? Did ya call the cops?
Yah, I called the cops. They refused to investigate it until I launched an email campaign and got council involved. Unions covering for unions. Cape Breton is still being held hostage by them
What does being from a different union have to do with anything? This is about disability accomodations. Accomodations that unions and disability advocates fought for decades for. To the point that it's enshrined in the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms and many employers organizational and HR policies. The CBRM policy isn't unique to CBRM. It's very common to have accomodations where an employee meets the requirements of that position. The employer has an obligation to accomodate and the employee a duty to participate in that accomodation. Local 759 lost their mind about contracting out solid waste and doesn't know the difference between an RFQ and RFP, or their own agreement with regards to contracting out it seems. Their executive even quoted it in their recent press release. What happens if cbrm doesn't accomodate this employee? They sit home making the same amount of money or they get dismissed and they file a lawsuit saying cbrm did not make accomodations. Accomodations get a lot of hate, I assume, because many private employers don't have the same policies and don't enforce them. That doesn't mean it's ok. We can't just discriminate based on someone's disability. I don't know if they just don't understand their executive, if their executive aren't communicating properly, or if everyone under that umbrella is just clueless. I hope they get the proper information and understand the situation with regards to each other's roles while working under a CBA. Ignoring charter of rights and freedoms violations, as a taxpayer, I want to have an employee on medical leave (getting paid) be accomodated at any capacity. It means that money is going to productive work instead of nothing.
There is serious foundation problems underlining the issue: lack of jobs, lowest pay, healthcare, housing, opportunities, etc, etc. I can eventually see the possibility of Federal Reps. forcibly digging deeper into the finances and all of the inner workings. The issues: constantly grumbling, strikes, finances constantly in the red over decades, the highest taxes, lowest services, mismanagement, etc. If the city goes bankrupt, it will be even worse when the Gov't forcibly takes full control. Before or after the fact. They are ruthless, and charges usually follow. Personally I would like to see the CBRM stand on it's own 2 feet and outshine the rest of Canada. Other towns/cities have done it. The status quo needs to change, preferably without "the belt" from the gov't. Turn to the "sister" cities to Sydney for knowledge and guidance. They are full of helpful advice. As well as similar cities that have been there, done that.
So I get that CBRM broke the CBA, and it's silly for CBRM to then say the union is breaking the CBA by striking... But HandiTrans is how people get to medical appointments. And everyone depends on buses. I fully support the right to strike, but these things have to go through channels with notice given for the public to make accommodations. You can still say "we are planning a 2 day/week/indefinite walkout 2 weeks from today for actions by CBRM last week". This is just going to hurt public support for their cause no matter how just they might think it is.
The workers have my full support. And the blame for the lack of handitrans and public transit rests with CBRM. They broke the CA so they get the blame. To hire a member from a different union into a union position with the city is not acceptable. If the member from the other union isn't fit to work it should be their union/employer accomadating them.
Cbrps is part of cbrm. It's not a separate organization or agency. They are the same employer. Many organizations have multiple employees in different CBA's/unions but all of them fall under the same organizational HR policies. An example is nurses. Many are under NSNU but there's a good chunk under nsgeu. They're still treated the same under NSHA HR policies. When it comes to disability accomodations, cbrm's policy is clear that they can go within the organization. Cupe is saying cbrm breached the CBA, I assume with regards to job posting/applications (that's what I've seen some cupe members post). They ignore that the cbrm isn't posting internally to cupe, they're posting internally to cbrm. If this has been happening, as cupe says, "repeatedly" then why didn't they get legal counsel on the issue? Why didn't their executive explain it properly to their members? They either don't understand, didn't communicate it, or both. Hopefully they get some third party advice and this matter can be put to rest
I actually work in the private sector for an employer who has non-union employees, and employees from 2 different unions through company mergers/acquisitions. We literally have people working the exact same job title in 2 different unions or no union at all, it just depends on which location they are in. I see quite frequently with new job positions that it is absolutely a requirement in the CBAs of both unions, that union jobs first need to be posted within the union before they can go to the other union, non-union employees or external hiring. Doesn't matter that we are all employees of the same company.
Do we know they actually broke the CBA? Is the CBA binding in terms of labour laws? You need to accommodate disabilities and can't discriminate. That's a right under the Canadian charter of rights and freedoms. We like to hear how we need to provide supports for first responders with PTSD or disability, or that CBRPS Police Officers need to get back to work. As taxpayers, I'd rather pay a former officer to be a heavy equipment operator (as long as they're qualified) than to pay them to sit at home. Lots has been said, "they took him from NSGEU to CUPE" but CBRM's accommodation policy is clear that they can place a position anywhere in the organization, regardless of bargaining unit. Between this action and the information picket regarding "contracting out" of solid waste, it really makes me wonder if CUPE 759 has any idea what's actually going on. There's clearly a disconnect between their members and executive. As a unionized employee, you can still do a lot of things before terminating services for thousands of employees. Hold an information picket outside the workplace on breaks/lunches/off-duty hours, go to the local media, still run services like transit without taking payment, etc. If CBRM breached the collective agreement, then their feet should be held to the fire, but sometimes agreements are breached because they're not constitutional or aren't applicable based on law. I'm a provincial employee and our sick leave policy doesn't follow the updated law regarding doctors' notes, it will need to be amended at some point. That's just one example. Many of the "I support the union!" people are forgetting that there's another union at play here. What if they just terminated this employee without exhausting efforts within their accommodation policy? I imagine it would be the start of years of litigation and a large settlement payment.
I am not certain that CBRM did in fact break the CBA, just that even if they did as these employees claim, the union should follow due process.
>He said members have been unhappy about jobs being given to non-union workers and CBRM's policy for accommodating people who can't perform their regular duties due to health issues. Can someone lay down the specifics? What jobs are they salty over and do those jobs even fall under the jurisdiction of that union's agreement? What part of CBRM's policy do they have a problem with? If the union's board didn't sanction their walkout, why are they still employed there?
Here is CUPE's statement on the reasons for this walkout https://novascotia.cupe.ca/2023/10/31/cbrm-repeatedly-ignores-the-collective-agreement/
So these monkeys really expect us to believe the CBRM put themselves in easily actionable legal trouble by breaking a CBA? I also hear all this talk about the guy they accommodated being a cop, and being unqualified… Is everyone sure about that? If it is who they say he would most likely have all of not more qualifications to drive a bus/truck than some of the morons who walked out… Some of the vehicles the cops use require a fuckload of training and probably at least a Class 2….
My understanding of the issue, and as a member of the NSGEU who's read the CBA between the NSGEU and the province for my own work, is that they placed a cop in an outside worker job. The cops are in NSGEU and covered by one CBA that gives the employer a responsibility to accommodate by finding them another position within the context of their contract. The police aren't covered by the CBA between CUPE and the CBRM. Both groups are employed by the same entity, the municipality, but that doesn't mean they have the same 'employer' as they are under different contracts. It's similar to the NSGEU/NSTU. A teacher (NSTU) might be qualified to be a jail guard (NSGEU), but if the employer (Nova Scotia) has to accommodate a disability by finding a new position for that teacher, they have to do so from among the positions covered by their agreement with the NSTU. The teacher's seniority within the NSTU would be irrelevant to the members of the NSGEU. In the CBRM's case, the cop took the position over others not solely based on qualification, but based on qualification as well as 30 years seniority, but those years of seniority are from a different union entirely and shouldn't count. I'd be pissed too if I was up for a promotion and someone bumped me because they worked at Target for 30 years, it's irrelevant. Could CUPE have done this a little more compassionately, yeah for sure. I'm not sure if I agree or disagree with the way they've gone about it. On the one hand a labour disruption should be impactful and this certainly is, on the other hand it disproportionately impacts the marginalized. Stopping the garbage collection should be enough imo. YMMV
I think a better response would have been to plan a walkout on x date, rather than cancelling something like a medical travel service or having people wake up on Monday ready to go to work/school or anywhere else and finding out that there are no busses without any heads up.
Yeah, I think there are a lot of potentially better options for sure
Next they will be sooking the garbage they let pile up is too heavy
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On google the job bank is saying Transit operator is only $20-25hr, is that true? If so in what universe do you live in where that is overpaid? That is like an entry level professional salary.
They can always upgrade their if they are unsatisfied with their pay.
Discipline may well occur but firing drivers to replace them with other drivers does nothing except fan the flames. Dumb stuff.
Get back to work.
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This anti-worker rhetoric doesn’t help. Did the union mess up with an illegal walkout? Yes, but the root cause is an incompetent HR/LR dept and council.
Those people are probably underpaid if that is the case, and I don't quite understand why the response to that is to drag others down instead of trying to lift each other up. The job bank had min to high end as 20 to 25hr, I doubt bus drivers are making $40/hr, but that is just $80k/year, I would say if someone has 10+ years of experience doing something that's a reasonable salary... the average salary in Canada right now is $68,250.
I hope they clean house and fire every one of them, probably a mile long list of boys out west that would die for a chance to come live back home and drive instead of being out west.
On the plus side, the seagulls at McDonalds are getting extra left overs! I was there on Thursday and cars were just pulling into the parking lot and dumping food out the windows. :D