A company pays you for your labour, not so you can abdicate all moral responsibility.

By now, you’ve seen the video of a doctor being dragged off a United Airlines flight. For obvious reasons, it is upsetting. But the more insidiously upsetting thing is that we have become inured to one another: Human beings enforced the company’s rules (Continue)

The Canadian Infrastructure Bank
The Trudeau Liberals promised the bank would provide low-cost lending for municipal infrastructure projects. But once in power, the Liberal government shifted the CIB’s mandate, making it a “bank of privatization.” Now, it will allow private investors to profit from financing, as well as owning and operating, major infrastructure projects.

Infrastructure projects financed by the CIB will cost municipal governments far more than if they borrow the money themselves. This will mean less public funding for other public services, as well as higher user fees for residents.

The CIB is expected to start announcing its first projects this fall. Now is the time to warn municipal candidates and elected officials about the dangers of funding public infrastructure through the Canada Infrastructure Bank

CUPE’s National Contracting Out and Privatization Coordinating Committee believes this is an important national issue where we can make a difference. We need your help raising awareness with municipal elected officials and key staff, as well as with candidates for municipal office in your area.

You can start by sharing the enclosed fact sheets. CUPE can also provide a PowerPoint presentation with speaking notes to support your presentation. Talk with your CUPE and LabourCouncil colleagues about which elected officials need to hear this message. You may want to start with the friendly ones who will listen and speak up when needed, or you may just want to present as a delegation to Council.

CUPE has produced a one-minute video on the subject, fact sheets, and much more: all is available at http;/www.cupe.ca/not-for-sale

CUPE members passed Resolution 300 at our 2017 National Convention, committing CUPE to closely scrutinize any project proposed by the CIB, to reject private sector proposals to own, operate, and generate revenue from infrastructure, and to press for lower-cost, public lending, and predictable, long-term funding. By taking the actions suggested in this letter, you can help CUPE fulfill that mandate from its members.

For YUL based cabin crew members or those on a layover

If you are interested in attending a conference on keeping services public, please read the information below. Also, pass it on to anyone you would love to attend this very important event!

We're thrilled to announce the first of our confirmed speakers for The Future is Public!
Among those speaking are Miriam Planas, Cindy Blackstock, Avi Lewis, Larry Rousseau and Maude Barlow. For a full list and bios, visit the Future is Public programme page!
Of course, the main attraction of FiP will be the activists and researchers from many countries and parts of this one who will gather to build towards a collective vision for a successful pro-public movement!

The Future is Public: Building a pro-public movement for all will take place June 15-16 in Montreal. It's a chance for everyone who believes in sustainable future, equal opportunities, Indigenous sovereignty and social justice to gather and collaborate on building collective vision for our public services and a movement strong enough to make it a reality.
We hope to see you there!

Nous sommes très heureux de vous annoncer la liste des conférenciers et conférencières qui prendront part à L'Avenir est public!
Parmi ces derniers, nous retrouverons Miriam Planas, Cindy Blackstock, Avi Lewis, Larry Rousseau et Maude Barlow!
Pour accéder à la liste complète des participants et de leurs biographies, vous pouvez visiter la page de notre programmation!
Évidemment, l'attraction principale de AeP demeure les activistes et les chercheurs issus de plusieurs pays et tous ceux qui participent à la construction d'une vision collective pour un mouvement pro-public prospère!

L'avenir est public: construire un mouvement pro-services publics, se tiendra les 15 et 16 juin à Montréal. C'est une opportunité pour tous ceux qui croient en un avenir durable, à l'égalité des chances, la souveraineté autochtone et la justice sociale - de se rassembler et de participer à bâtir une vision collective de nos services publics - et un mouvement assez fort pour en faire une réalité.
Nous espérons vous y voir!
Merci pour tout ce que vous faites pour les services publics,
de la part de tout le monde chez ASP.

http://www.futureispublic.ca/
http://www.futureispublic.ca/fr

Information on the Canada Infrastructure Bank

Click here to see a PowerPoint presentation entitled the the Canada Infrastructure Bank and the Perversities of Predatory Capital. This is of interest to our members as they need to know how the government is putting more and more money in privatization initiatives.

Please read the report by John Loxley titled " The Collapse of P3 Giant Carillion and Its Implications. This is an important report to read as the causes and consequences extend from the United Kingdom to Canada. For example, the airport cleaners who work in the Lester B. Pearson Airport are employed by Carillion. We all should be concerned.

Please read the article written by Sarah Ryan in March 2017 titled " Economics 101: Decoding Social Impact Bonds which is a new form of privatization that is allowing private investors to profit from social services under the guise of impact investing.
https://cupe.ca/economics-101-decoding-social-impact-bonds

Read this report by Toby Sanger, Cupe National Economist, about how predatory private finance seized control of Canada's new infrastructure bank.

Here is the NATIONAL CONTRACTING OUT AND PRIVATIZATION COORDINATING COMMITTEE REPORT (NCCPC) presented at the 2017 National Convention. It is a detailed and comprehensive report the committee wrote about privatization about our findings from 2015 to 2017.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) has been issued an interim certification by the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB) to represent 3,000 mainline flight attendants at WestJet. With the majority of WestJet flight attendants having signed cards in support of unionization, CUPE filed an application for certification on July 9.

“On behalf of all 665,000 CUPE members across Canada, it’s an honour to welcome WestJet flight attendants into our CUPE family,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “CUPE is Canada’s flight attendant union, and we’re ready to hit the ground running in support of WestJetters as they push for a strong contract to make their work lives better.”

CUPE has been working with WestJetters for the past year to deliver strong union representation for WestJet flight attendants and is now officially recognized as the bargaining agent for over 3,000 WestJet flight attendants nationwide.

With the addition of WestJet mainline, CUPE now represents roughly 15,000 flight attendants nationwide. This increases CUPE’s ability to address industry-wide issues facing all of Canada’s flight attendants.

“CUPE has the resources, the experience, and the expertise to get WestJetters the fair treatment and improved working conditions that they deserve,” said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Charles Fleury. “We could not be more excited to get to work with our new members.”

Now that mainline WestJet flight attendants are certified, CUPE will work with WestJetters to build the network of advocates they need in the workplace and bargain their first ever collective agreement.

CUPE’s efforts to unionize flight attendants at WestJet’s regional carrier, Encore, and low-cost carrier, Swoop, are also ongoing.

There's new interest in an old idea: a basic income guarantee (BIG), also known as a guaranteed minimum income (GMI) or a universal basic income (UBI).
While names and proposals vary, the key concept is that government should ensure a basic minimum income for all. Many countries already do to some extent through social assistance and other income support programs, but these often involve means-testing and provide below poverty-level incomes. A GMI would replace or supplement existing income support programs with a simple basic income guarantee, with the goal of eliminating poverty.
It may seem radical, but the idea has been around for a long time and has support that spans the political spectrum. Former conservative senator Hugh Segal has advocated a GMI for years, many anti-poverty activists support it, Scandinavian countries are trying it and now Canada's new federal Minister of Families, Children and Social Development wants to examine the idea. Few people know Dauphin, Manitoba, was the site of a pilot basic income project 40 years ago. The provincial NDP and federal Liberal governments introduced a "Mincome" in 1974. The project was cancelled five years later when federal and provincial Conservative governments took over. It was never officially evaluated at the time. In 2011, analysis of the Dauphin project's archive files found many positive social and health benefits, and that it didn't really reduce incentives to work. When it did, it was often for positive reasons, like caring for infants or completing education. A pilot project is currently running in Ontario.

Canada's unions say they are pleased to see this year's federal budget commit to moving forward on universal pharmacare and pay equity.
Today's federal budget commits to setting up an Advisory Council on the Implementation of National Pharmacare headed up by former Ontario health minister Dr. Eric Hoskins.
The federal budget also promises to deliver long overdue proactive pay equity legislation in the Budget Implementation Act. After calling on the federal government to take action for years, CUPE is pleased to finally see a commitment on pay equity in Budget 2018, but stresses the need for more action from the federal government to support working women across the board.
CUPE is dismayed at the federal government's continued failure in Budget 2018 to pursue tax fairness despite repeated calls from experts and civil society organizations who had been calling on the government to crack down on tax havens, close CEO stock option loopholes, and require international digital corporations like Uber and Facebook to collect and remit sales tax like any other business.
CUPE is also astonished to discover that the government will lose $2.1 billion in revenues over four years from tariffs foregone as a result of signing the Trans-Pacific Partnership.
For a deeper analysis, read CUPE's article on Budget 2018 here https://cupe.ca/federal-budget-2018-whats-it-and-whats-not-should-be

Privatized airports: Will this disaster land in Canada?
The Federal Government is examining the possibility of privatizing Canadian airports in order to profit from expansion opportunities, capitalize on infrastructure investments and increase revenue at the expense of the traveling public, who may be subject to higher airport improvement fees or ticket prices. Privatization is a tactic being considered by governments across the country, and CUPE is doing its best to flight back. See the Counterpoint articles, the report on pensions and privatization, the CUPE Ontario actions and the CUPE National Privatization and Contracting Out Committee report all at http://www.cupe.ca.

The federal government owns 26 airports across Canada. The airports are privately managed by non-profit airport authorities that pay rent to the government and reinvest revenues back into the facilities. Airports are essential to travelers and our economy. But the government is now considering privatizing them. Privatization will further increase costs and leave Canadian airlines struggling to compete. A drop in business for Canadian airlines means job cuts, including for CUPE members. To maximize profits, airline owners will likely introduce cost-cutting measures that affect the quality of air travel and continue to place pressure on their employees’ wages and benefits.

Click herefor a recent opinon piece and check out cupe.ca for more info.

Another hot topic is the idea of a universal drug plan.While we are all proud of our universal health care, Canada is the only developed country with universal health insurance that does not also offer universal prescription drug coverage. A common explanation for this hole is our system is that the cost of such a program would be prohibitive. Research is coming to light from some universities and stakeholders in the health care system that a nationwide pharmacare program could save Canadians billions of dollars and be cost neutral or even cost savings for governments. These cost savings can be realized due to the economies of scale taking into account drug price negotiations and better product selection. With drug costs rising quickly, sometimes even exponentially overnight, having a nationwide pharmacare system would place Canada in a better position to negotiate lower prices in the future for expensive treatments. For more info check out the CBC report here.