Protecting Part-time and Precarious Workers
July 28, 2020 at 2:39 PM
A Message from Local 500 President Gord Delbridge
Re: Protecting Part-time and Precarious Workers
Greetings:
The Covid-19 pandemic has further exposed workplace issues facing our members across the City. Some of these issues are longstanding, while others are new.
CUPE 500 has heard concerns from members that part-time library workers are especially vulnerable as a result of Covid-19. We acknowledge and thank the members who raised these important issues facing library sector workers, and we are committed to working with our library members to address their concerns.
The layoffs resulting from Covid-19 have disproportionately affected part-time and casual workers. These workers are more likely to be women, Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. I want you to know that your union is always fighting to protect members, and we know part-time workers face some challenges that full-time workers may not. We are committed to working with you to protect all vulnerable workers, to stop vacancy management, and to ensure all members earn a living wage.
Library members have also highlighted some serious issues related to their working conditions. Those issues include the lack of job security for part-time library workers, as well as the overall precarity of their work. These workers have identified this as an example of structural racism, and we take that very seriously. We are committed to working towards remedying this issue, as racism and inequality has no place in our society.
CUPE 500 is preparing for bargaining, and we want to hear from as many part-time workers as possible. This is critical in re-shaping our Collective Agreement to address any inequalities that exist. We will be surveying members soon as part of the upcoming round of negotiations. Please participate in the survey. The feedback we gain is very important to bargaining.
As you know, we are up against serious challenges. The City has already tabled an austerity budget prior to the onset of Covid-19, and has made some misguided decisions with the City’s budget. We know the upcoming round of negotiations won’t be easy, but with your help we can make improvements to the lives of our members, and in particular those who have been historically left behind.
Additionally, we will work to engage in further dialogue with our library members regarding these and any other issues of concern. We will provide further updates on this initiative as we finalize our plans.
In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please reach out to a member of your unit executive or contact the Local 500 office at 204-942-1001 or union@cupe500.mb.ca.
In solidarity,
Gord Delbridge, President
