AUFA: Acadia University Faculty Association

The Annapolis Valley Labour Council is organizing a Day of Mourning service at Centre Square in Kentville on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00pm.

Workers around the world officially recognize April 28 as the National Day of Mourning for Workers Killed and Injured on the Job. The Canadian Labour Congress initiated the Day of Mourning in 1984; it was officially acknowledged by the government of Canada in 1991, and has been adopted by more than 80 countries around the world.

Last week’s announcement from the MacDonald government that it wants to spend an additional $256 million on Nova Scotia universities is an attempt to mislead Nova Scotians, says CUPE Local 3912 President and Acadia University Sociology Professor Barb Moore. “This money is not additional money. In fact, 80% of it is already accounted for as the provincial grant to universities for the fiscal year 2009-10. It is simply a reflection of the funding levels agreed to in the three-year memorandum of understanding between the universities and the provincial government.”

“Finance Minister Jamie Muir is not being straight with Nova Scotians when he characterizes this as ‘extra’ money for the sector,” says Moore. “This is not new money and should not be characterized as such. For them to try and use this as some kind of political wedge with the opposition parties is a sign of a government that is in its dying days.”

CUPE Local 3912 represents part-time academic staff at Dalhousie, Mount Saint Vincent and St. Mary’s universities.

The New Brunswick government has imposed a two-year wage freeze on base salaries for all management and non-unionized employees from April 1, 2009 to March 31, 2011. As for unionized employees, all signed collective agreements will be honoured, but upon expiration will be renegotiated for two-year terms with no increases during that period.

Finance Minister Victor Boudreau is calling on universities, which ““receive significant financial support from New Brunswick taxpayers,” to “take the appropriate steps to manage their wage bills in a manner similar to the province.” He has warned that “grants to universities and municipalities will be adjusted in future years to reflect this expectation” and that his government is prepared to “introduce legislation limiting the wage increases that can be obtained through collective bargaining negotiation to zero per cent.”

Diane Barnim, a hotel worker in St. Catharines, Ontario with a clean five-year record of employment, was fired last August shortly after beginning a union drive at her place of employment. In October, the Ontario Labour Relations Board ordered her employer to rehire her. She has since been “harassed, isolated and intimidated” by her employer, and UNITE HERE, the union representing Niagara region hotel, restaurant and casino employees, claims that other employees were also intimidated to the point that the unionization vote failed 35:1.

UNITE HERE has recently launched “Will you stand with Diane?”, a campaign of support for Diane and for all workers’ rights to unionize. The website is www.istandwithdiane.ca. Apart from this article in the St. Catharines Standard, this story does not appear to have been covered by print news media or by bloggers.