A message to stakeholders released by Darlene Rowden, Sask. Party candidate and Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division Board Chair, was inappropriate and created more questions than answers this week.

In her letter, Rowden, who is the Sask. Party candidate for the Batoche constituency in the next general election, suggests that including classroom size and complexity in a collective agreement poses a threat to local board governance and would result in a “fundamental shift away from public education and inclusive schooling in Saskatchewan.”

She adds that having class size and complexity in collective agreements would somehow prevent parents from sending their kids to school as planned and could force children to go to schools other than their choosing because of “cap and quota” systems. Rowden never provides any evidence this would be the case or acknowledges that there have been no discussions around caps or quotas as part of teachers’ bargaining in Saskatchewan.

“Who exactly is Darlene Rowden speaking on behalf of? It is very clear that the partisan board chair of the Saskatchewan Rivers Public School Division does not have the best interests of students, parents, and workers at heart,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Specifically, her remarks about getting classroom size and complexity under control were partisan, inflammatory, and false.

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The Day of Pink reaffirms our commitment and solidarity to stop all forms of bullying, homophobia, biphobia, transphobia, and transmisogyny. As workers on the front lines, CUPE members know first-hand the toll that rising anti-2SLGBTQI+ hate is taking. Too many have been targeted in their workplaces and in the community, face exclusion and violence, and added barriers to decent work, health care and housing.

This year’s theme for the Day of Pink is visibility, which encompasses being seen, acknowledged, respected, and heard. We wear pink in solidarity to resist homophobic and transphobic harassment, while fighting every day to protect public services that 2SLGBTQI+ people work in and rely on. CUPE will never stop working to improve the lives of Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and intersex workers.

Throughout the world, including in Saskatchewan and Canada, there has been an increase in the introduction of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ laws and policies as well as hate-based attacks. It is an important time to make it clear bullying and hate have no place in our classrooms, workplaces, and communities. We won’t let right-wing governments risk trans people’s safety and make CUPE workplaces unsafe. Together, let’s stand up for all workers. As trade unionists, we know an injury to one is an injury to all.

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Today, CUPE 5430 President Bashir Jalloh and executive members joined health care workers, the public, and allies at a bargaining information rally at the Weyburn General Hospital to raise awareness about the impact of the cost-of-living crisis on health care workers. This is the second in a series of information rallies across the province to pressure the provincial government to provide a fair deal at the bargaining table.

“We had hoped the provincial budget would have recognized the crisis on the front lines of health care, but unfortunately, we didn’t see any meaningful plans to address retention of existing health care staff,” said Jalloh. “That’s why we will continue to hold these information rallies across the province – so the government knows that they are at risk of losing more health workers if they don’t bring forward a deal that improves wages and working conditions to the bargaining table.”

CUPE 5430’s recent cost-of-living survey shows that a full 86% of survey respondents said they cut back their grocery budget to make ends meet; 84% cut back on leisure activities/hobbies; 77% delayed a major purchase; and 73% cancelled or scaled back vacation plans.

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“Scott Moe is a dangerous threat to your worker rights, human rights, and economic security.”

Kent Peterson was recently elected president of the largest union in Saskatchewan. He is the first openly gay president of CUPE Saskatchewan and one of very few queer labour leaders in the province.

“The 31,000 members I represent know I will fight like hell for all workers, but visibility matters,” said Peterson, “I hope my election as president will make it just a little bit easier for a future queer worker to see themselves in leadership roles in their union. But we cannot be naïve – there are serious challenges that LGBTQ workers and their loved ones face in our province.”

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March 22 is World Water Day – a day to highlight the vital importance of water for human life and ecological health and, as such, the need to protect water resources from pollution, privatization, and commercialization. The United Nations General Assembly recognized water and sanitation as fundamental human rights in 2010. These human rights to safe, reliable water and wastewater are being denied to many Indigenous communities in Canada. Water services and resources are also under growing pressure to privatize.

CUPE’s Water is life campaign raises awareness about the ongoing struggles of Indigenous peoples, and shows how CUPE members can listen, learn, and act. Colonization continues to have devastating effects on Indigenous communities. Access to water and sanitation are human rights according to international law, yet many Indigenous communities in Canada have water that’s unsafe to drink or wash with. Some communities have lived with unsafe water for decades. Other First Nations don’t have any functioning water system at all.

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On the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we recognize the contributions of our Black, Indigenous, and racialized members, who break down barriers every day. You too can help put CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy into action.

CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy identifies actions to challenge systemic racism in our workplaces, union, and communities. It acknowledges that our union and locals must work towards meaningful and attainable change for Black, Indigenous and racialized members, including those with intersecting identities.

• Read CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy. The strategy’s 10 goals focus on recommendations to challenge systemic racism.

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If Scott Moe won’t do his job, it’s time for him to find a new one

Today’s provincial budget failed to invest in fixing Saskatchewan public services, the health care crisis or our broken education system. After over a decade of privatization and cuts to public services, Scott Moe has shown Saskatchewan people he does not care about workers and is not fit for the top job.

“Budgets are about choices, and Scott Moe has again shown us that he does not value Saskatchewan’s public services and the working people that deliver them,” said Kent Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Year after year he makes budget promises to Saskatchewan people he has no intention to keep. It’s crystal clear, Scott Moe can’t be trusted.”

Today’s provincial budget failed to make concrete investments to address class size and complexity or add capacity to Saskatchewan’s overwhelmed long-term care system. The promised health care investments are meaningless without a plan to increase staffing levels and retain the health care workers in the existing workforce. The provincial budget also failed to invest in public services that have suffered from years of cuts and privatization.

• Watch CUPE Saskatchewan President Kent Peterson’s response.

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This week, Scott Moe’s Sask. Party government will unveil their last provincial
budget before the general election and CUPE is calling for a budget that is focused on
Saskatchewan workers.

“This budget needs a plan to create good jobs, bigger paycheques, to protect public
services, fix the health care crisis and clean up the mess in education,” said Kent
Peterson, president of CUPE Saskatchewan. “Failing to do so sends a clear message –
Scott Moe doesn’t care about workers and needs to be fired.”

The 31,000 members of CUPE Saskatchewan who deliver public services in the health
care, education, and municipal sectors often bear the consequences of Scott Moe’s cuts and privatization. Years of underfunding education, mismanaging our health care
system and cost-downloading to other levels of government have worsened working
conditions for CUPE members and weakened public services Saskatchewan people
rely on.

“Our members are the backbone of our province and deserve a budget that invests in
them and the public services they deliver, added Peterson. “Workers are ready to
mobilize for change in the upcoming school board, municipal, and provincial elections.
They are done settling for less.”

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With over 30 years of activism, Omar Murray was recognized with the CUPE Saskatchewan Award for Union Activism on the closing day of convention in Saskatoon.

Omar Murray began his union activism when he organized the Maple Creek bus drivers and became the founding president of CUPE Local 4754; a leadership role he continues today. CUPE Local 4754 represents educational support staff, including school-based support, facility maintenance, bus drivers, and technological information staff at the Chinook School Division. Omar has also been instrumental in organizing several other locals of education support workers in the southwestern corner of Saskatchewan.

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CUPE national president Mark Hancock poses with prize winners Connie Doge of CUPE 1975 & Heather Richinski, the Executive assistant serving local 1975.

The national president Mark Hancock and national secretary treasurer Candace Rennick took the stage on the last morning of the CUPE Saskatchewan convention to celebrate the good work delegates accomplished, and to set the tone for the union’s next steps. Among the jovial atmosphere and prizes, their message to the gathered activists was clear – if we want to protect our rights as union activists, we must get political.

Both Candace and Mark stressed the dangers of conservative leader Pierre Poilievre, who is making in-roads with working people with his misleading rhetoric about issues which speak to us. Poilievre tries to appeal to working people by talking about “parent’s rights,” which he uses as a code to hide his bigoted attacks on human rights. “Our rights weren’t given to us, we had to fight for them, and they can be taken away with the swipe of a pen.,” said Rennick. “If Pierre Poilievre cared about mothers’ rights, he wouldn’t have voted against child care.”

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