War of words erupts between NAPE, CUPE

Angry members of a union walked out of a Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Labour convention Wednesday, after another union complained that it was being stymied at the bargaining table.

Some 51 delegates with the Canadian Union of Public Employees filed out of the convention in Gander on Wednesday morning, after an internal Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees memo had been leaked to the media.

The memo, by NAPE official Bert Blundon, complained that CUPE had settled for concessions in a four-year pact hammered out with the provincial government this summer. The memo was leaked to CBC News and other outlets Tuesday.

CUPE said NAPE president Carol Furlong has blamed CUPE for making concessions on job classifications and the rights of injured workers.

Wayne Lucas, CUPE's provincial president, insists that his union did not concede anything in a deal that brought his members a raise of more than 20 per cent over four years, and lashed out Wednesday at Furlong for what he called "cheap shots."

"How dare she criticize another union for going out and doing the hard work?" Lucas said in an interview. "Don't blame your misfortunes on CUPE."

Lucas said the tone of Federation of Labour meetings ought to be about "respect and dignity," but said his delegation felt obliged to respond to NAPE's criticism.

"For the time being, we have to remove ourselves." Lucas added that Furlong "is telling the biggest lie of her life."

Speaking Wednesday, Furlong said she is concerned about what NAPE is facing at the bargaining table.

"I'm not saying they're concessionary for CUPE. I don't know if they are or not," Furlong said.

"I know they're concessionary proposals for NAPE."

The now-public dispute has been simmering for at least a week. On Oct. 29, Lucas distributed a strongly worded memo to his members, attacking the NAPE memo that was leaked this week.

Lucas told CBC News that NAPE executives should not criticize CUPE for negotiating what he called a "good deal," and one that is devoid of the weaknesses that NAPE has claimed.

Strained bargaining

"We don't negotiate concessions, and we resent NAPE for doing so," he said. "There are no concessions."

NAPE, which represents more than 15,000 public servants and has a bargaining unit several times larger than CUPE's, is in the midst of what officials admit has been strained bargaining.

Lucas said NAPE members should take a closer look within their own organization to figure out why it is unable or unwilling to close a deal.

The Newfoundland and Labrador government has said its deal with CUPE should serve as a template for bargaining with other public-sector unions.

Furlong said government negotiators are expecting the union to make several concessions at the bargaining table.

"We want to reach a deal, but we're not prepared to sell the shop to do that," she said.