New Brunswick unions consider job action over pension bill

As unionized workers look to oppose a bill that would force five locals from defined benefit pensions to the shared-risk model favoured by the government, CUPE New Brunswick president Stephen Drost says drastic action is being considered.

“I’m not going to put myself and the members at risk by divulging what we may or may not do. We are looking at any and all possible action, up to and including job action,” he said during a press conference Monday morning.

The changes impact about 16,000 workers and retirees from two CUPE locals representing school staff and three more representing nursing home workers.

The two CUPE locals have said the bill is a violation of an agreement signed with the government in 2022 following a two-week strike that said both sides would negotiate a new pension model. Premier Blaine Higgs has said the agreement expired after little progress toward a deal, but the union has said the premier is circumventing the dispute resolution process set out in the collective agreement.

Any job action by workers would be illegal since no locals are in a legal strike position.

CUPE leadership wouldn’t say if they would encourage or sanction job action by their members.

The union’s regional director Sandy Harding says they’ll take direction from their members on how next to proceed. The presidents of CUPE locals from across the province are set to meet in Fredericton on Tuesday.

“Our members are angry, our members feel that what the government is doing is illegal and they’ll decide what action they are going to take to respond to the illegal action on behalf of the government,” Harding said.

Higgs said any job action will not be tolerated.

“If indeed there are any job action, it will be an illegal activity, it will breach the collective agreement that currently exists and we will appeal directly to the labour board,” he said.

Harding made an appeal to all MLAs to consider voting against the legislation, which sits at second reading.

“We’re hoping that every MLA will listen to the workers, to the families, New Brunswickers, our allies and not vote for this bill,” she said.