Confederation of Canadian Unions

“NSUPE Outraged That Annapolis Valley Closing Five of Eleven Libraries"

https://ccu-csc.ca/nsupe-shocked-annapolis-valley-closes-45-of-library-branches/



is outraged to hear about the closure of five of eleven libraries in the Annapolis Valley Regional Library; Lawrencetown, Middleton, Hantsport, Kentville, and Port Williams libraries will all be closing. While we knew cuts were coming, the magnitude of the cuts is extreme.

We will not take these cuts sitting down. We will organize throughout the Annapolis Valley to advocate for the proper funding of our public libraries and to ensure our communities continue to have access to the services they depend on. We will provide more information in the coming days as more information is released.

Read the full article on the website at the link above. Please Like and Share online.

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW NSUPE Local 14 York University Staff Association (YUSA)

https://ccu-csc.ca/spring-2025-edition-of-ccu-connections-magazine-focuses-on-housing-and-union-jobs/

Check out the Spring 2026 edition of CCU Connections Magazine, the official voice of the Confederation of Canadian Unions. This is the special issue on affordability and the price that working people are paying for near all time high corporate profit margins.

And this is the first issue that we’re printing. 2,500 copies will be made available at the CCU Labour School and Executive Board meeting taking place in Winnipeg from June 6 to 7. CCU affiliates will take hundreds of hard copies back to their communities.

Read on the website at the link above. Please Like and Share widely online.

In this edition:

Shawn Sly – Health and Safety in Construction
Mike Jensen – The Real Cost at the Pump Isn’t Tax — It’s Profit
Spotlights – YUSA and PPWC Local 26
Paula Gowdie – Coping in the Work Environment
Kristopher Stevens – Affordable Home Ownership in a Cost-of-Living Crisis
Tracy King – Rising Gas Prices, Impacts on Workers and the Cost of Commuting in the West Kootenays
Geoff Dawe – A Final Farewell to the PPWC and CCU
Raquel Torres – Grocery Bills and Gas Tanks: The Hidden Stressors Impacting Engagement and Solidarity
Interview with NSUPE President Christina Covert
Spotlights – NSUPE and CUSW-BC
Jenn Ferdinands – Affordability, Work, and the Decisions Families are Making Today
Shivani Bhukhureea – Affordability Crisis: The Rising Cost of Gas, Food and Housing in Canada
Spotlights – PPWC Local 15 and PPWC Local 1

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services CUSW Health, Safety & Wellness Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW Canadian Union of Skilled Workers British Columbia CMAW Local 2300

https://ccu-csc.ca/elaine-pauls-speaks-to-confederation-of-canadian-unions-ccu-at-labour-school-in-calgary/

Elaine Pauls is an organizer and labour relations professional in Calgary, Alberta. Her experience in the labour movement includes labour relations, rank and file organizing, and union education. She remains active in her own union sitting on committees and acting as a shop steward.

Elaine spoke to the Confederation of Canadian Unions at its Labour School in Calgary, covering a wide range of issues, including communications strategy, understanding audiences, confronting negative stereotypes about the labour movement, organizing, and building relationships. The event included lively questions and discussion from CCU delegates.

Watch the full video at the link above. Please Like and Share online.



Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW Canadian Union of Skilled Workers British Columbia CUSW Health, Safety & Wellness Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Canadian Union of Skilled Workers

https://ccu-csc.ca/confederation-of-canadian-unions-celebrate-international-workers-day-on-may-1/

International Workers’ Day, observed on May 1st, is rooted in one of the most important struggles in labour history: the fight for the eight-hour workday. It is a day that belongs to working people everywhere, and it stands as a reminder that the rights many workers take for granted today were not gifted by governments or employers, but won through organizing, solidarity, and collective struggle... On this International Workers’ Day, the Confederation of Canadian Unions reaffirms its commitment to building a fairer, more equal, and more democratic society.

Read the full statement and download and print out the poster for your place of work from the website above.

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW CUSW Health, Safety & Wellness Canadian Union of Skilled Workers British Columbia Canadian Union of Skilled Workers

https://ccu-csc.ca/confederation-of-canadian-unions-acknowledges-the-day-of-mourning-on-april-28/

On this Day of Mourning, the Confederation of Canadian Unions urges all Canadians to remember the fallen and to stand in solidarity with those still at risk. But remembrance alone is not enough. The most meaningful tribute we can offer is action: continued vigilance, stronger protections, and an unwavering commitment to ensuring that every worker returns home safely at the end of the day.

Because one death is too many. And zero is the only acceptable goal. Read the full article and download and print out the posters for your place of work. Please Like and Share online.



Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services CUSW Health, Safety & Wellness Association of Employees Supporting Education Services York University Staff Association (YUSA) Canadian Union of Skilled Workers British Columbia Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW CMAW Training

The Family of the Confederation of Canadian Unions just got larger. Congratulations to Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees Local 24 and their successful efforts to welcome library workers at Cumberland Public Libraries to their union. NSUPE represents over 400 library workers at Halifax Public Libraries, Annapolis Valley Regional Library and now Cumberland.

🎉Join us in welcoming our newest local!!!!🎉
📔Local 24- Cumberland Public Libraries! 📔

https://ccu-csc.ca/labour-journalist-and-activist-kim-siever-speaks-to-confederation-of-canadian-unions/

Kim Siever is a labour journalist with The Alberta Worker, an independent, startup media outlet that focuses on labour and politics. Kim spoke at the Labour School of the Confederation of Canadian Unions in Winnipeg. He focused on the history of labour struggles in Canada, comparisons in union strength between Canada and the rest of the western world, recent and ongoing strikes and union activism, and how unions can better prepare themselves for the fight for workers’ rights in the future.

Watch the full video on the website at the link above. Please Like and Share online.

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees York University Staff Association (YUSA) Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW

https://ccu-csc.ca/remembering-stephen-lewis-1937-2026-a-lifetime-dedicated-to-working-people-human-rights-and-social-justice/

It is with profound sorrow that the Confederation of Canadian Unions marks the passing of Stephen Lewis, who passed away on March 31, 2026 at the age of 88. Lewis was a remarkable figure whose life was defined by unwavering commitment to working people, progressive politics, human rights, and global humanitarianism.

Stephen Lewis was a true friend to the labour movement, a tireless champion for the vulnerable, and a moral compass in an often turbulent and hostile world. The Confederation of Canadian Unions honours his life and pledges to uphold the principles he championed so passionately.

Read the full article on the website at the link above. Photo by Gordon Griffiths.

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees York University Staff Association (YUSA) Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW Ontario NDP Canada’s NDP / Le NPD du Canada

https://ccu-csc.ca/news/newsmagazine/

The Confederation of Canadian Unions ( ) is preparing its Spring 2026 edition of CCU Connections, our official news magazine. This edition will focus on the rise of gas and food prices, stagnant wages, and how everyday life is becoming more unaffordable for working people throughout Canada. And this time, we are not only posting it online like in the past, but we're also doing a print edition in full colour that will be made available as far and wide as possible.

Although affordability is the main focus, you are welcome to write on a variety of issues (health care, pensions, health and safety, child care). If interested, please first write in the comments section below or personally message us through Facebook what you'd like to write about. And for this edition, we're keeping articles to less than 800 words to make space for everyone.

Please Like and Share widely online with your friends, affiliates and locals.

Sincerely,

Sean Cain
Editor, CCU Connections

Public and Private Workers of Canada - PPWC Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Association of Employees Supporting Education Services Nova Scotia Union of Public & Private Employees York University Staff Association (YUSA) Construction, Maintenance & Allied Workers Canada - CMAW