Admin Professionals Update Sept 29th 2023- Next Steps: 2nd Rally Planned; Contact your MLA!

Next Steps: 2nd Rally Planned; Contact your MLA!

Dear CUPE member,

We want to keep the momentum going after your wildly successful Day of Action on Monday!

To coincide with going back to the bargaining table on Wednesday, October 11th, we are planning a second Day of Action, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at the same locations (we will send details out closer to the event). We need you to show up and create another sea of red and send your Employers and government a clear message: you’re mad and you expect them to come to the table with a fair deal for admin!

In the meantime, we need to keep the pressure up! The best way to do this is for you to contact your MLA and speak with them directly about a few key things:

• Tell them your story and how hard it is to get by on what you make;
• Ask them why you should accept a deal that equates to a pay cut and point out that inflation was double the wage offer in the last year of the offered deal and it keeps getting higher;
• Ask why our admin professionals should be among the lowest paid in Atlantic Canada when our nurses are leading in Atlantic Canada when it comes to pay rates; and,
• Talk about your wages versus your living expenses: ask them how they would make ends meet in your situation. Don’t you deserve to earn a living wage?

You can find out who your MLA is by entering your address on this website: https://enstools.electionsnovascotia.ca/edinfo/

Once you know who your MLA is, you can find their phone number on this web page: https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles

Better yet, you can schedule a meeting or show up at their Constituency Office to meet with them in person, either on your own or with a group of your co-workers. Avoid any confrontation. Be polite but firm. And remember, you are their constituent. They will be seeking your vote again in 2025.

It’s really important that you speak with your MLA before the Legislature reconvenes for their Fall sitting on October 12th (the day after you go back to the bargaining table). Your elected representatives need to know how important this issue is, so it is top of mind during this legislative session.

Once you’ve had a chance to speak with them, please share what they said publicly on your Facebook page using the hashtag #MyMLAonMyPay. Let’s hold them accountable!