CUPE: Scott Moe is a threat to LGBTQ workers in Saskatchewan
“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.”
Water is Life: End water injustice, keep water public
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.
Putting CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy into Action
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.
CUPE: Another provincial budget that fails workers
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.
CUPE demands a budget that works for working people
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.”