Friends and comrades,

 

In this week's Dispatch, we are covering the most recent negotiations update and the upcoming Women's Committee meeting. There are also a number of reminders to consider, so please read through until the end!

 

Solidarity,

 

Kyle Turner, Communications Officer

 

 

According to the latest bulletin from our National office, it seems the Corporation is once again targeting our pension plan by asking for two rollbacks.

 

The first rollback is that all current temps (Urban and RSMC) work 2,000 hours (approximately 1-year at full-time hours) once they become permanent before they can be eligible for the group benefits and pension. Any currently accrued hours would not count toward this.

 

The second rollback is that our employer, following the first rollback, wants all the new permanent employees to move to a Defined Contribution pension plan. Currently, CUPW members have a Defined Benefits plan, but the Defined Contribution plan moves the risk of funding retirement from the employer to the member.

 

The bulletin also contains information about the various tests used to test the health of a pension plan. According to the bulletin, the employer continues to rely on a solvency test from 3-years ago that showed a deficit, despite that deficit no longer being the reality -- and despite this not being the most useful test for a pension plan.

 

It's clear that the struggle continues, even into retirement. Changing pension plans prevents future workers from contributing to the pension plan and, the bulletin continues, "puts everyone's pensions at risk." 

 

For more information, you can read the full bulletin HERE.

 

The next Women's Committee meeting will be on Tuesday, April 23rd at 7 pm via Zoom. For more information and for the link to attend, click HERE.

 

• Karaoke Night: Social Committee is having a karaoke night on Friday, April 19th at 9 pm at Rosario's Pub and Grill (11715 108 Ave NW).
• Prairie School for Union Women: Deadline to apply is April 26th. For more information, see this past Dispatch.
• National Day of Mourning: This event is being hosted by the EDLC on April 28th from 11 am until 1 pm. For more information, see last week's Dispatch or the EDLC website
• Picket Captains: If you are interested in becoming a picket captain during a potential strike period, please reach out to the Local office at union@cupwedm.net and include your name and work location.
• Disability Supports: To access the Disability Supports portal, which provides a list of programs and services in your community, click HERE.
• Strike Merch Graphic Design Competition: Deadline is April 19th at 5 pm. Click HERE for more details.