Monthly Archives: July 2024
Government unions threaten strike action
Strike action could be looming for more than 2,000 workers with the New Brunswick government.
The union represents labourers and tradespeople in eight different government departments.
“We’ve been in bargaining talks with GNB since November 2022 and we’ve moved quite a bit from our original demands, but the province has not reciprocated,” Guimond told reporters on Wednesday, noting they have been without a contract since December 2022.
According to CUPE, the province’s most recent offer included a wage increase of $3.25 per hour for someone earning the median wage of $25.44.
The union’s last official offer was an increase of $7.25 per hour plus other benefits for someone earning the median wage.
Guimond said they presented the employer a one-time offer of $6 per hour plus other benefits to avoid a work stoppage, but the employer rejected it.
“We felt this deal was a fair offer for both parties and we feel that it would address the retention and recruitment and give the members of 1190 the opportunity to have a real living wage,” he said.
Officials said a strike could have an impact on road and bridge repairs, ferries, and provincial parks around the province.
A strike vote will be held soon, and Guimond said workers could be on the picket lines as early as late July.
On this day July 4
Today in History
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2012 Discovery of Higgs boson particle is announced by scientists at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN)
The existence of the elusive elementary particle in physics, was suggested in the 1960s. The Higgs boson, which is named after Nobel laureate, Peter Higgs, was finally detected by scientists working at the Large Hadron Collider.
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1966 Freedom of Information Act in the US is signed into law
The 36th President of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson signed the law, which allows for the disclosure of government information to the public. It came into effect a year later in 1967.
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1946 Philippines gains independence from the United States
The South East Asian country had been ruled for almost 381 years by various colonial powers, starting with the Spanish in the early 16th century.
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1865 Alice in Wonderland is published for the first time
The classic fantasy novel was written by author Lewis Carroll, whose real name was Charles Lutwidge Dodgson. The book recounted the adventures of a curious girl, Alice, who falls into a rabbit hole and meets human-like animals and creatures.
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1776 United States Declaration of Independence is adopted in Philadelphia
The statement declared the independence of the 13 British colonies from the British crown. It also announced the creation of a new country called the United States of America. Then handwritten declaration was approved by the Second Continental Congress and was signed by 56 delegates on August 2, 1776.
