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National Indigenous Peoples Day

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 10:00:00 -0400

On June 21, as part of National Indigenous History Month, we acknowledge the ongoing, fierce advocacy of our Indigenous members and Indigenous communities across the country. CUPE acknowledges that it is more important than ever to respect the rights of Indigenous peoples to their unceded territories, as well as to preserve and protect their cultures and languages. 

CUPE stands in solidarity with Indigenous nations, communities and organizations and is committed to continuing to work toward reconciliation, and to respect our ongoing treaty relationships.

As part of our ongoing efforts to foster reconciliation in our workplaces and communities, we encourage all CUPE members to participate in National Indigenous Peoples Day by sharing in events on the day, and to take time to learn and reflect on the ongoing harm caused by colonialism and Canada’s treatment of Indigenous peoples.

Water is life

CUPE’s Water is life resources help members listen, learn and act alongside Indigenous communities to ensure access to safe, clean drinking water for all. Many Indigenous communities still face unsafe water, natural disasters and environmental racism that make this work urgent.

What CUPE locals and members can do:

Educate:

Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Final Report and consider how you can support the calls to action.
Invite a speaker to your next virtual or in-person meeting to talk about truth and reconciliation.
Stay in the loop: CUPE is developing a new suite of Indigenous Cultural Safety workshops that will be available soon.
Read CUPE’s response to the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls.

Bargain:

Use CUPE’s Truth and Reconciliation bargaining guide to bargain language supporting Indigenous workers into collective agreements.

Act:

Acknowledge Indigenous territory at all your meetings, and reach out and forge partnerships with local Indigenous communities and organizations.
Keep pressure on the federal government to implement their action plan to address the findings of the Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s 94 Calls to Action and the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Act.
Take the steps outlined in Walking the talk: A practical guide to reconciliation for CUPE locals to better include Indigenous members in our union and take concrete action toward reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

Liberal AI strategy puts Big Tech ahead of workers

Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:35:12 -0400

Canada’s largest union says the Liberal government’s artificial intelligence strategy announced Thursday is putting the profits of Big Tech billionaires ahead of workers and the public by soft-pedalling protections against the risks of AI. CUPE is concerned the strategy is sorely lacking in measures to address the risks of AI harms to workers: nothing to strengthen income protections for workers who lose their jobs due to AI, and no assurances that workers’ privacy and data protection rights will be protected.

The Liberals claim they slowed down their rushed consultation process and listened to people’s concerns about AI. But the federal AI strategy still pushes sweeping adoption of this overhyped technology and ignores widespread calls for AI protections.

“Workers need laws that address the very real risks of AI,” said CUPE National President Mark Hancock. “The rush to profit from AI is happening in a regulatory vacuum. If the government doesn’t put up guardrails, workers will be managed by algorithms no one can see or challenge, and it will do real harm.”

The risks to workers from AI include jobs being dramatically transformed or eliminated, invasive electronic surveillance, unaccountable algorithms managing workers, and AI-led decisions that are biased or discriminatory.

In consultations about the strategy, CUPE called for laws mandating transparency when AI systems are introduced in the workplace, restrictions and safeguards when employers use algorithms to manage workers, and strong data protection and privacy laws in the workplace.

“We need transparency around AI implementation. AI can erase jobs, facilitate intrusive surveillance, and discriminate against workers,” said CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer Candace Rennick. “Public trust in AI is low, and the Liberal strategy will keep it that way. Workers, experts and the public need to be calling the shots about how this technology gets used in our workplaces and in our communities – not Big Tech with its vested interests.”

CUPE has pressed Evan Solomon, the minister responsible for AI, to give the public a real say in shaping AI policy in Canada. It’s the only way to ensure workers and ordinary people share in the benefits of this new technology, instead of being hurt by it.

Pharmacare and bargained drug benefits: what CUPE locals need to know

Wed, 03 Jun 2026 12:32:18 -0400

Some provinces have signed onto the federal pharmacare program. CUPE locals in these provinces have questions about how this program may interact with their current group benefits.

History of the program

CUPE has been advocating for a universal pharmacare program for decades. We believe that publicly provided prescription drugs are a fundamental aspect of a universal health care system. In 2024, organized labour and allies secured an important victory on the road to universal pharmacare: the federal Pharmacare Act became law.

The law fell short of what we were asking for. The government chose to provide universal access to only two categories of prescription drugs: contraceptives (e.g.: oral contraceptives, rings, copper and hormonal IUDs, etc.) and diabetes medications and supplies.

To have access to this program, provinces/territories must sign an agreement with the federal government. Because national pharmacare depends on the provinces/territories to administer and operate the coverage, the program will look slightly different depending on where you live.

So far, only three provinces and one territory have signed deals granting access to these two categories of drugs for free for their residents:

Province	Date Signed On	Date Coverage Began
Manitoba	February 27, 2025	June 2025
British Columbia	March 6, 2025	March 2026
Prince Edward Island	March 7, 2025	May 2025
Yukon	March 20, 2025	January 2026

Big picture considerations

Eligibility for this program is universal. This means that everyone with or without private group benefits will be eligible for coverage. The costs for the two categories of drugs will flow directly through the national pharmacare program instead of the private programs once the agreement is in effect.

Unfortunately, it is unclear at this time how the national pharmacare program will be funded on an ongoing basis once federal funding expires. The federal government is not prioritizing this program, and outstanding provinces/territories have not been able to sign on since Mark Carney came into power. All options are on the table for the future of the plan, including its elimination.

Local considerations

Currently, only members in Manitoba, BC, PEI and the Yukon have access to the national pharmacare plan.

Do not negotiate away drug categories from your local’s group insurance plan

Employers may try to remove contraceptives and diabetic medications and supplies from your plan as a cost-saving measure, with the rationale that the national pharmacare plan now exists.

In many cases, our union-employer negotiated plans may provide a superior benefit to what your province/territory was able to negotiate with the federal government. For example, there are multiple ways to access diabetic supply care. The federal pharmacare plan could cover them, and if not, that probably means it is part of the provincial pharmacare plan. However, these provincial plans may require certain eligibility criteria to be met before the diabetic supplies can be accessed. That’s why it’s important to keep our private plans intact – to protect members’ access to care when the public plans are not universal.

It’s also important to keep the contraceptive and diabetic drug categories in your union-employer negotiated plan because the national pharmacare program could end. Our collective agreements often outlast government policy.

There may be administrative challenges with the coordination of benefits

There are situations where the national pharmacare plan and our union-employer negotiated plans must communicate and that could create frustration for members. For example, administrators of the private plans may have to know if a member has tried and failed first-line diabetes drugs (covered by the national program) before granting access to more expensive drug therapies (covered and administered by private plans). This is most common for plans with drugs that belong on prior authorization lists.

Employers could be saving up to 3 to 5% of costs on drug plans

Analysis suggests that based on the current scope of the national pharmacare program, private medical plans could see a reduction in drug costs between 3 to 5 %. Some union-employer negotiated plans may not have the pharmacare covered drugs on their list, so there would be no cost saving there, but the member will be able to access these drugs with no out-of-pocket expenses.

However, private group benefit plans are still responsible for the cost of more specialized drugs such as biologics (ex: Humira, the brand name drug for Adalimumab, used to treat arthritis). These drugs are high-cost, and their prices change frequently, whereas the categories of drugs that the national pharmacare program covers are low cost and predictable. So, that initial saving of 3 to 5 % may be re-absorbed.

Depending on the governance structure managing your benefits plan, your local may or may not have access to the plan’s financial information. It is important for locals that don’t have access to ask their employer how much they anticipate in drug cost savings. If there are any, that money should be re-invested into the plan.

Demand a universal and comprehensive pharmacare plan for all

All members deserve access to pharmacare. The federal government should feel the pressure to continue this important program. They must maintain pharmacare funding in provinces/territories that have it and they must fund pharmacare plans in places that are still waiting. Take action! Connect with your regional and national CUPE resources for support to organize political action.

International Flight Attendant Day

Fri, 29 May 2026 14:30:00 -0400

Every year on May 31, CUPE celebrates International Flight Attendant Day to recognize the work flight attendants do around the world every day to keep the public safe in the air and on the ground.

It’s also an opportunity to celebrate the progress we’ve made as a union to make our jobs safer and make life better for our members.

Over the past year, we have raised alarm bells about cabin air quality, pushed back against the rise in unruly passengers, and demanded a safer work environment. We also grew our voice by welcoming 1,300 new flight attendants at Porter Airlines and Air North to our membership through organizing drives.

2025 saw us take enormous strides in the fight against unpaid work. Flight attendants at Air Canada went on strike for the first time in decades – forcing the airline to implement a ground duty premium, and forcing the federal government to launch a probe into unpaid work in the industry.

However, we know our work is not done yet. Our locals continue the fight to end unpaid work at bargaining tables across Canada, and our Airline Division is pushing ahead to lobby Parliamentarians to close the loopholes in the Canada Labour Code and ensure every hour worked is an hour paid.

Add your name to support legislation to end unpaid work

We are sending safety, strength and solidarity to all 20,000 CUPE Airline Division members from coast to coast to coast. Happy International Flight Attendant Day!

Union: “Same offer… same response: no.”

Thu, 28 May 2026 16:15:55 -0400

After returning to the table for the second time since this strike began, negotiations have broken off. After CUPE presented an amended offer, lowering the previous proposal by millions of dollars, representatives of the government and employer once again presented a recycled version of the same deal they’ve been tabling since last August.

“The message that government is sending us, sending the thousands of striking workers we represent, sending every single working family in Nova Scotia, is that they don’t think we deserve to earn enough money to live on,” said Long Term and Community Care Committee Chair Christa Sweeney. “Every time we come to the table, we’ve lowered our proposal to the tune of millions of dollars, yet the government comes with pennies in comparison.”

The singular change from the government’s offer, previously tabled and rejected on May 7, was the addition of an amended version of a previous union proposal around CCAs mentoring students.

“We’re bargaining with ourselves at this point,” commented Long Term Care Coordinator Kim Cail. “We meet, we move, the government tables the same offer again and again. And let me tell you: the same offer gets the same response: no. It’s not good enough for these essential workers and the government knows it.”

“We’ve asked before and we’re renewing that ask: we need an outside mediator. We need someone who will push both sides and who will push negotiations forward,” finished Cail.

Negotiations were supported by Chief Conciliation and Mediation Officer for the province Peter Lloyd, who pulled the plug on today’s negotiations.

There are currently no further dates scheduled. The strike will continue, with another home set to hit the picket lines tomorrow morning.

Right to strike must be protected, CUPE tells federal review on labour code changes

Tue, 26 May 2026 10:29:04 -0400

CUPE has submitted a comprehensive response to the federal government’s consultation on reforms to the Canada Labour Code and the federal labour relations framework.

In its submission, CUPE says the review should be used as an opportunity to strengthen collective bargaining rights, improve labour peace, and build a fairer economy for working people. CUPE has also warned the Carney government against using the review process to weaken workers’ rights, restrict the right to strike, or “Americanize” Canada’s labour laws to benefit large corporations and the super-rich.

CUPE says that recent federal interventions in collective bargaining disputes – including repeated use of Section 107 of the Canada Labour Code – have undermined free and fair bargaining by encouraging employers to delay negotiations and rely on government intervention rather than negotiating agreements at the table.

CUPE’s submission calls on the federal government to:

protect and strengthen the constitutional right to strike
reject proposals that would further delay or restrict collective bargaining
improve protections against wage theft and worker misclassification
strengthen health and safety protections
expand successor rights and access to union representation
ensure workers benefit from training and protections related to artificial intelligence and automation.

The submission also rejects calls from employer groups to model Canada’s labour laws on the United States system, warning that American-style labour relations have weakened unions and made it harder for workers to exercise collective power.

Strong labour rights create stability, fairness, and real labour peace. Any attempt to weaken collective bargaining rights would undermine democracy in the workplace, and amount to a major step backwards for workers in Canada.

You can read CUPE’s full submission here.

Support staff at Salem Home and Calvary Place join CUPE and achieve first collective agreements

Fri, 22 May 2026 14:18:55 -0400

Health care support workers at Salem Home and Calvary Place, two long-term care facilities that joined CUPE in the past year, have each achieved a first collective agreement.

“We are so pleased that the workers at Salem Home and Calvary Place have decided to join CUPE,” said Gina McKay, President of CUPE Manitoba. “These first agreements underscore what workers can achieve together when they join a union.”

Salem Home, which has about 250 members, has become CUPE 5546. The members there have achieved full wage, benefit and pension parity with the public health care system in this round of bargaining.

Calvary Place, which has about 100 members, has become CUPE 5559. The members there have achieved full wage, benefit and pension parity with the public health care system in this round of bargaining.

“We hope that this round of bargaining has shown our new members the strength of CUPE in health care,” said McKay. “We can’t wait to work with them on improving health and safety and staff-to-patient ratios in personal care homes.”

CUPE 786 hospital workers protest job cuts at Hamilton hospital with PSW and clerical positions on the chopping block

Fri, 22 May 2026 14:12:30 -0400

CUPE 786 members at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton held a rally this morning to protest job cuts. The hospital is eliminating more than 60 positions including personal support workers, clerical and administrative staff in response to provincial underfunding.

“The job cuts are unacceptable. There is no logical reason to eliminate positions when we are experiencing a staffing shortage, and struggling to maintain our service levels,” said Rick Rigby, president of CUPE 786, which represents about 2,000 hospital staff.

“Hospital staff simply want to show up and provide compassionate and high quality care to people. But the constant drive to cut costs harms morale, adds to workplace stress and violence, and makes it very challenging to serve patients to the best of our abilities. The government must stop these cuts,” he said.

The provincial government’s recent budget increased hospital funding by “up to 4%” but this is an effective cut with costs rising by 6%.

A recent report by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives shows that ER wait-times have increased across the province, including at St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton, due to a staffing and capacity shortfall. In 2024-25, 90% of patients at St. Joseph’s waited 33.6 hours for admission to a bed compared to 30.8 hours five years ago.

In addition to outright job cuts, the hospital is also cutting weekend hours for clerical staff and transferring their responsibilities to nurses. Rigby said that this will reduce the amount of time that nurses have for patients.

“We know the life-saving role of nurse-to-patient ratios, so to take that time away from nurses and ask them to take on clerical roles is dangerous” he said. “There is a real impact on patient health outcomes being when you starve them of nursing care.”

Michael Hurley, president of CUPE’s Ontario Council of Hospital Unions, said “the government’s decision to cut funding represents a deliberate destabilization of the hospitals just as they face the demands of an aging and growing population.”

“These cuts have a profound, and traumatic impact on patients, particularly the elderly, who lie on stretchers in hallways for an average of a day and a half and who don’t receive appropriate and timely care because there just are not enough staff,” he says. “Hospital workers will not stand by while patient care is degraded like this by a government that cuts hospital spending in real terms every single year.”

CUPE 5678 condemns deep staffing cuts at Upper Canada District School Board amid ongoing staffing crisis

Wed, 20 May 2026 11:40:08 -0400

CUPE 5678 and the Ontario School Board Council of Unions (OSBCU) strongly condemn the Upper Canada District School Board’s decision to move ahead with significant staffing cuts despite a crisis in understaffing and growing student needs across the board.

The board recently notified the local that it plans to eliminate 31.32 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, including Early Childhood Educators, Instructional Assistants, Link Instructors, ESL Instructors, and a Settlement Outreach Worker position. The cuts also include restructuring of the LIFT program, which provides additional academic and emotional support for students who are not formally identified with exceptionalities, but still require extra support.

CUPE 5678 represents approximately 1,650 full-time, part-time, and supply workers at the Upper Canada District School Board. Members include Educational Assistants, Secretaries, Registered Early Childhood Educators, Office Clerical staff, Custodians, Information Technology staff, Library Technicians and more.

“These cuts will be devastating for both students and education workers,” said Jacob Casselman, President of CUPE 5678. “Our schools are already critically understaffed. Instead of investing in the supports students clearly need, the board is eliminating frontline workers who provide direct care, intervention, emotional support, and stability in our schools every single day.”

These cuts are especially concerning given recent findings from the Ontario Auditor General’s report on special education oversight, which included the Upper Canada District School Board. The report found inconsistent implementation and oversight of Individual Education Plans (IEPs), as well as failures to ensure students received the supports outlined in their plans and that families were not always provided the resources necessary to help their children succeed.

“That report confirms exactly what education workers at UCDSB have been saying for years: students need more support and more staff in schools — especially ECEs and frontline support workers — not less,” said Casselman.

UCDSB education workers have witnessed a troubling pattern of silencing workers who raise concerns about staffing and funding. Last year, the board issued letters of reprimand to education workers who signed an e-action campaign calling for increased education funding and improved staffing levels at the Upper Canada District School Board.

“Our members were reprimanded simply for speaking up about the conditions students and workers are facing and pushing for better supports for students,” Casselman said. “Now, after ignoring the voices of UCDSB education workers, the board is doubling down with even deeper cuts.”

The OSBCU says these cuts reflect a broader pattern driven by chronic underfunding of education in Ontario since 2018.

“What we’re seeing at UCDSB is part of a broader pattern, where education workers are being asked to pay the price for underfunding,” said Joe Tigani, President of the OSBCU. “These are the people who support students with special needs, maintain safe schools and ensure schools function every day. Cutting these workers hurts everyone.”

CUPE 5678 and the OSBCU are calling on the province to properly fund education and on the UCDSB to immediately reverse these job cuts.

“Students deserve safe, supported learning environments,” Tigani said. “That starts with investing in the workers who make that possible. The OSBCU stands behind CUPE 5678 members as they fight back. We are united in defending good jobs, protecting vital services, and pushing back against a system that continues to undervalue education workers and the students they serve.”

SAVE THE DATE: 2026 National Sector Council Conference

Fri, 15 May 2026 11:18:45 -0400

The National Sector Council Conference brings together members from across the country to share information about work in their sectors. The conference is a great opportunity to learn and strategize with CUPE leaders and activists.

Registration details coming soon.

Join us to help make our union and movement even stronger. See you in Halifax this November!