Memramcook-Tantramar MLA Megan Mitton says Premier Blaine Higgs should set aside the issue of pensions in order to get CUPE workers back on the job. “The premier needs to go back to the negotiating table,” says Mitton. “There are people across the province who are experiencing everything from an inconvenience to a hardship, because of the worker action that he has forced.”
Speaking on behalf of the Green caucus, Mitton says, “we’re calling on the Premier to go back to the negotiating table, and to put aside the pension issue for a later date.”
Higgs has said that “fixing pensions is a requirement,” to resolving the current dispute.
The government has proposed to transform pensions for two CUPE locals to shared risk style pensions, where the costs and benefits can fluctuate according to how the plan performs investment-wise. The shared risk model would relieve the government of having to make up shortfalls in the pension plans. The plan would also mean that cost of living increases in benefits would be contingent on the performance of the pension fund.
In addition to converting pensions for two locals, Higgs has offered to add educational assistants to the plan.
Higgs has long been a fan of the shared risk model, and transformed some public pensions back in 2013, when he was finance minister in David Alward’s government. The changes were supported by some unions at the time, but also met with considerable opposition from pensioners who saw their benefits at risk of decreasing. CUPE wrote an open letter at the time, expressing concern the plan transferred all the risk to pension members.
Higgs argued last week that the pensions converted to shared risk back in 2013 have, “worked really well. And they worked through the whole issue of this major pandemic, and they’re still strong,” he told reporters Thursday. Critics have said that shared risk pensions are likely to work until they don’t.
Mitton says the government’s current proposal only affects some workers. “This is not even all of the workers that are involved in this action right now,” she says. “That is not urgent. That can be put aside.”
“They were pretty close on wages when they were at the table last week,” says Mitton, “so I think they need to go back and negotiate, and bargain in good faith.”
Before the government broke off negotiations, each party had made offers that were one percent apart, with CUPE offering 3% per year, and the government offering two percent. But after breaking off talks, Higgs withdrew that offer and reduced it to 1.7% per year, for a five year contract.
New Brunswick’s annual inflation rate so far in 2021 is 3.2% according to data from Statistics Canada.
Mitton says she visited picket lines in Sackville and heard from some workers who told her they didn’t want to be there, but felt they had to draw a line. “They’ve been without contracts for years,” says Mitton. “They haven’t seen a real wage increase in years.”
“And I’ve been hearing from constituents as well, overwhelmingly supportive of the workers, and calling on Higgs to end the strike, to go back to the table and work things out.”
The Greens have called for an emergency debate on the labour issue, but the speaker did not grant that on Tuesday.
Health care, transportation, housing and climate change on Mitton’s agenda
Mitton says that in addition to resolving the labour dispute, she has a long list of concerns to focus on during this legislative sitting.
“We’ve been waiting for the five year [health care reform] plan to be presented from Minister Shepherd,” says Mitton. “And I know that everyone in the community is really wondering what’s going to be in there, and how it will impact our riding of Memramcook-Tantramar and the Sackville Memorial Hospital.”
Mitton says she’ll be pressing for fixing issues with staff shortages at the Sackville hospital, “to ensure it can be back at full capacity.”
She’s also hoping to address other rural issues, such as transportation options and housing affordability. “Often,” says Mitton, “health care, housing, transportation–they’re looked at through an urban lens. We need to look at the rural lens. What is the government doing to make sure that rural people are not neglected as they have historically been.”
Mitton says she has tabled petitions regarding road conditions in the riding, and wants to make sure that rural roads are not neglected.
The Green MLA also mentions climate change as a priority. “We need our government here to take bolder action to mitigate climate change,” says Mitton, and calling for adaptation efforts. “The Chignecto Isthmus report… where is that?” she asks. “People are already being impacted, dealing with heatwaves, their wells running dry, farmers dealing with hay shortages and weird weather. There’s lots of impacts we’re already feeling and our government need to do a whole lot more.”
