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A new look at the
public education funding crisis
BURNABY —A financial crisis
currently plagues BC public schools. CUPE National research
representative John Malcolmson offers a new look at how and where the
crisis is happening.
The signs of the public education funding crisis
are everywhere. Parents are increasingly roiled with the ongoing assault
on what public schools are able to offer their children. School trustees
are starting to move to a more assertive political stance after years of
concern over the program cuts they find themselves forced to make. Even
senior district administrators are starting to question the role foisted
on them as they as stare at worsening cutback scenarios increasing
unable to stave off rising revenue shortfalls.
How can we make sense of a
system under perpetual duress to ratchet down what it is able to offer
its students? And how is a steady stream of cutback news to be squared
with the increased expectations that our provincial government places on
the doorstep of our public schools?
Full article on
CUPE BC Website
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December 6 - National Day of Remembrance
and
Action on Violence Against Women
December 6 is the
National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women. On
this day each year, we commemorate the massacre of 14 women at l’Ecole
Polytechnique de Montreal.
This
year marks the 20th year since the 1989 tragedy. Labour organizations
across the country are acting to end violence against women by
supporting the “20 Days – 20 Ways” postcard campaign spearheaded by the
Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). The Congress and its affiliate unions
have asked people to return these postcards to Prime Minister Stephen
Harper.
These postcards urge the Prime Minister to improve the
lives of women by increasing funding to women’s and children’s shelters,
providing equal pay for work of equal value, implementing a
nationally-funded child care program, establishing better public
pensions and access to Employment Insurance, asking for investment in
new social housing, and setting a national standard for welfare rates.
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Seaton Secondary marks Day of Silence - April 17, 2009
Vernon Star website: A
Massachusetts boy who would have turned 12 on Friday, if he
hadn’t hung himself after enduring daily school taunts of being
gay, is being remembered in Vernon. Several students at W.L.
Seaton Secondary (Vernon, BC) are joining a national youth-run
effort Friday, The Day of Silence.
Teaching Tolerance website: Death by Bullying article
Teaching
Tolerance website - A Project of the Southern Poverty Law Center
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ACLU Praises Obama’s Swift Signing Of Pay Discrimination
Legislation
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BC
Federation of Labour committed to Pay Equity for women in
British Columbia.
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 Martin Luther King
Day
January 19th, 2009
How will you celebrate
his legacy and promote his teachings? |
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December 10, 2008
is the 60th Anniversary of the
Universal Declaration of Human
Rights
United
Nations Human Rights Website
Amnesty International
(Canada) Website
Canadian Civil
Liberties Union
American Civil
Liberties Union
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December 6, 2008 is
National Day of Remembrance
and Action to end Violence Against Women
Canadian Labour Council Website
Amnesty Canada Stop Violence Against Women Campaign |
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December 3, 2008 is
International Day for Disabled
Persons
United Nations Enable Website
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April 28 -
National Day of Mourning.
The CLC first marked the event in 1984 and since then has grown into a worldwide event observed by unions, central labour bodies, labour councils, municipalities and national governments. The Day of Mourning or Workers Memorial Day, as it is called in Europe, is observed in over a hundred countries worldwide. It has been formerly endorsed by the International Trade Union Congress. Several countries are in the process of formally recognizing the Day, following Canada's example in 1991.
It has been over 20 years since the CLC first established the National Day of Mourning. We still have workplaces where workers are injured and killed on the job at an increasing rate. This tells us that we must do more to save the lives and livelihood of workers in Canada.
On this day we mourn for those who have lost their lives. However, it is increasingly important to continue to fight for the living.
Link to Canadian Labour Congress website
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Saturday, March 29 is
Earth Hour. At 8:00 p.m., millions of people and organizations around the globe will turn off their unnecessary lights for one hour to help save electricity and the environment.
BC Hydro is promoting the WWF's global initiative and
is encouraging all residents and organizations to turn off their lights for one hour on March 29 from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. |
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Wear
Pink to Work on February 27, 2008
CUPE BC's executive leaders are
asking all CUPE locals and members in the province to support CKNW's
"Bullying Stops Here" campaign which is calling on the public to wear
pink on Wednesday, February 27, 2008.
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Sept. 26 -
Union of BC Municipalities Reject TILMA.
Councilors expressed almost unanimous support for the motion against
TILMA during the discussion preceding the vote. TILMA, which was signed
into law without public debate or legislative oversight last April, is a
legally binding agreement between B.C. and Alberta that gives businesses
and individuals the right to sue either province when they feel that any
regulation and local government policy "restricts or impairs"
investment.
Council of Canadians Applauds UBCM
rejection of TILMA
UBCM Resolutions Summary - CUPE BC
web site
TILMA runs into trouble at UBCM - BC Fed Web Site
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Sept. 19:
Bullied student tickled pink by schoolmates' T-shirt campaign - CBC Web site
Two Nova Scotia students are being praised across North America for the way they turned the tide against the bullies who picked on a fellow student for wearing pink.
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Sept. 25:
Pink shirts inspire
anti-bullying day - CBC Web site
The pink wave has hit Nova Scotia's Province House, inspiring the government to earmark one day every year for students to send an anti-bullying message.
The second Thursday of the school year is now known as Stand Up Against Bullying Day.
To mark the day, Premier Rodney MacDonald is asking students at every level to wear pink.
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 HEU
will meet with government, HEABC in October for further
talks on Bill 29
Sept. 8: Some layoffs will be put on hold though
government won’t put a stop to contract-flipping in long-term care |
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Incident with undercover police caught on video at Montebello
Organizers of the protests at the North American leaders' summit in Montebello, Que., say they have video that shows police disguised as masked demonstrators tried to incite violence on Monday.
YouTube video shows union leaders trying to push back masked men wearing
the same boots as riot police, and shows union leader demanding that one
of the officers drop the rock he is holding.
Aug. 22: Undercover cops tried to incite violence in Montebello: Union Leader (CBC)
Aug. 23: Quebec police admit they went undercover at Montebello protest
(CBC)
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Former Policeman and KKK Member Convicted in 1964 murders
A former Ku Klux Klan member has been convicted by a US jury of kidnapping and conspiracy in connection with the 1964 murder of two black teenagers.
Link to BBC
Website |
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How will you Celebrate "Loving Day"?
June 12th, 2007 is the 40th Anniversary of the
landmark US Supreme Court
decision legalizing interracial marriage in the United States. On June
12th, 1967 the high court struck down the miscegenation laws still
remaining in one third of the states of the union. In the ensuing years,
the decision has influenced human rights campaigns world wide.
Link to LovingDay.org |
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New allegations at Basi-Virk trial underline need for public inquiry into BC Rail privatization
May 15, 2007:
New allegations of Liberal dirty tricks against the BC Federation of Labour, disclosed today in the Basi-Virk trial, underline the need for a full public inquiry into the BC Rail privatization.
Additional info on BC
Feb website |
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O’Neill wins sixth term, union endorses NDP drug plan
May 12, 2007:
The B.C. division of the Canadian Union of Public Employees concluded its 44th annual convention here today by electing a new executive and passing a number of key resolutions—including two that call for more democratic accountability in the B.C. legislature and one that endorses the federal NDP’s universal drug coverage plan.
In the union’s biennial elections, CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill was acclaimed for a sixth term and secretary-treasurer Mark Hancock for a second. For the first time in CUPE BC’s history, all four general vice president positions are now held by women.
Additional info on
CUPE BC website |
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Day of Mourning
Saturday, April 28
Labour Councils
throughout BC are holding events to remember fallen workers. Times and
locations on CUPE BC website. |
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BC-Alberta “trade” agreement a bad deal that should not be expanded to other provinces
TILMA is scheduled to come into effect on April 1, 2007. The agreement
is being promoted as a fairly innocuous deal that will ease the flow of
trade and labour. In reality, it grants sweeping investor rights that
could compromise provincial health, safety and environmental standards.
Additional
info on CCPA website |
Union of British Columbia Municipalities Legal Analysis of TILMA |
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Another bad deal for Canada
In April 2006, without public consultation or legislative debate, the
premiers of Alberta and British Columbia signed an unprecedented
inter-provincial free trade deal called TILMA. Under TILMA, even provincial or municipal policies designed to protect the environment and public health are vulnerable to attack from corporate lawsuits.
Additional info on
The Council of Canadians website |
TILMA's 'Very Big Teeth' threatens Green Agenda
Feb. 21, 2007: Good grief, as Charlie Brown would say. B.C. and Alberta signed the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) last April and it comes into force this coming April Fool's Day. Yet the ministers responsible for TILMA in B.C. and Alberta don't seem to have a clue what they have got their governments into.
Additional info on
The Tyee website |
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B.C. LIBERALS CONTINUE TO IGNORE CALLS FOR DEBATE ON TILMA
VICTORIA—The B.C. Liberal government continues to ignore calls for debate of the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA), New Democrat intergovernmental relations critic Michael Sather said today.
Full
News Release |
Corporate Rights Deal to Make Us April Fools
At the core of TILMA is its draconian investment provisions.
They are rooted in the ever-expanding definition of property rights in the U.S., expressed in something called "regulatory takings" -- in other words, expropriation by regulation. That is what NAFTA Chapter 11 is all about. Companies can sue Canada if any regulation effectively "expropriates" the value of their property, including their capacity to make a profit. and it comes into force this coming April Fool's Day. Additional info on
The Tyee website |
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CUPE BC Women Celebrate International Women's Day - March 8th
CUPE women have had a very active year – in British Columbia and across the country. Many have participated in events around the National Women’s Task Force. For current news on the Task Force, check out the latest newsletter and see the poster commissioned by CUPE to mark IWD
and the one-year anniversary launch of the Task Force.
Additional info on
CUPE BC website |
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Human Rights Victory - U.S. House Passes Employee Free Choice Act
Mar 1, 2007: After more than five hours of historic debate, the House of Representatives passed the most important labor law reform legislation in 70 years. Additional info on
AFL-CIO website |
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South Africa - Harare says government will crush labour-led protests
Feb. 26, 2007: The Zimbabwe government on Sunday said trade union leaders calling for a national work boycott in April are itching “to start a war” in the country and vowed to sternly deal with them.
Additional info on ZimOnline website |
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Top B.C. school expels 3 in exam scandal
Feb. 24, 2007: An elite school on Vancouver's west side has
expelled three of its top Grade 12 students for allegedly breaking into
secure areas of the school's computer system and downloading exams.
Additional info on Vancouver Sun website |
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Human Rights Victory - Canadian Security Certificates Unconstitutional
Feb. 23, 2007: By unanimous decision, Canada’s highest court revoked the feds’ ability to detain and deport suspected foreign-born terrorists with Canadian security certificates -- a dramatic post-9/11 ruling that essentially asserts national security shouldn’t come at the cost of Charter rights and freedoms.
Additional
info on The Tyee website |
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TILMA's 'Very Big Teeth' threatens Green Agenda
Feb. 21, 2007: Good grief, as Charlie Brown would say. B.C. and Alberta signed the Trade, Investment and Labour Mobility Agreement (TILMA) last April and it comes into force this coming April Fool's Day. Yet the ministers responsible for TILMA in B.C. and Alberta don't seem to have a clue what they have got their governments into.
Additional info on
The Tyee website |
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Trial set for CIA secret flights case
Feb. 16, 2007: MILAN, Italy – More than two dozen Americans and five Italians were
indicted Friday in the abduction of an Egyptian terror suspect on a
Milan street in what would be the first criminal trial stemming from the
CIA's extraordinary rendition program.
Additional info on
Toronto Star website |
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Layton sounds alarm on rich-poor divide
Feb. 10, 2007: Despite Canada's wealth, NDP leader says too many are teetering on brink of poverty, calls for $10 minimum wage to help end disparity. Additional info on Toronto Star website |
