October 19, 2016 – The Ontario Public Service Staff Union stands in solidarity with the staff of the BC Nurses Union, members of MoveUP, who have been on strike for almost three months. As union staff ourselves, we understand the important work the BCNU staff do with their hard-working members, because we do the same work with the members of OPSEU.
We support MoveUP’s demands for a fair contract without concessions, their flex hour proposal to address workload issues, access to medical and family responsibility leave, and no rollback in their existing benefits.
It is deeply disappointing to us when we hear about a union treating their own staff in ways that they would rally their own members to fight against if their employers did it. We are appalled at the most recent threat to striking BCNU workers from their employer’s chief negotiator that they will be fired if they continue to picket.
That would be a shameful threat from any employer against union members exercising their right to picket during a strike. But that it was made by the leadership of the BCNU, a union, makes it all the more shameful.
OPSSU calls on the leadership of the BCNU to stop intimidating their striking employees and to end this strike by bargaining a fair deal without concessions.
How OPSSU members can support the striking staff of BCNU:
Send a donation: OPSSU has sent a donation and letter of support last week to the BCNU’s strike fund from our solidarity fund. We also encourage OPSSU members to make personal donations as well if they can.
Cheques can be made out to “MoveUP” with “BCNU strike” in the memo line and sent to the following address:
ATTN: Lori Mayhew, Secretary-Treasurer
MoveUP Vancouver Head Office
Suite 301-4501 Kingsway
Burnaby, B.C. V5H 0E5
Send a message to the employer: Please also consider sending a message to the BCNU Council using the form on the strikers’ website, http://bcnuwalkthetalk.com/ asking them to bargain a fair deal with their employees.
Follow MoveUP BCNU workers on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BCNUstaff/?fref=ts
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MoveUPTogether
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MoveUPTogether/