This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
Now, through our ATN campaign, we will be talking to members and the broader public about why unions matter to everyone. Together, fairness works.
Ottawa (13 Sept. 2013) - Eighty-seven members of the National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) traveled to Ottawa to take part in a two day training session on the All Together Now! campaign. These new Champions for Change learned about the growing problem of income inequality in Canada and the ways tax fairness, good jobs, quality public services and labour rights play a role in reducing the gap between the wealthy and the rest of us.
Champions 4 Change are community and workplace ambassadors for fairness
Since the start of the ATN campaign in 2010, NUPGE has been training members across the country to initiate conversations with the people around them. Champions committed to delivering presentations to unions, community groups, government leaders and business people across the country. Thousands of conversations have taken place to open up the discussion about how we can create a society based on the core value of fairness - economic fairness, opportunity fairness, workplace fairness and political fairness. Fairness serves the common good, not individual or corporate greed.
Members will use the training to develop their own personal conversations to reach out to coworkers, friends, family and even strangers! The ATN campaign has always been about listening and sharing and this new phase is no different.
NUPGE front and centre for the Canadian Labour Congress' together Fairness Works project
Participants also engaged in hands-on training on the Canadian Labour Congress' project, together Fairness Works. This member engagement project will be carried out through our All Together Now! campaign, with members talking about the value unions bring to, not only their members, but all Canadians. By taking on important issues with a collective voice - issues like retirement security for all Canadians, social programs, decent wages, to name a few - unions act as a counter-balance to the pressure imposed on governments by corporations and the wealthy.
NUPGE has a proud history of promoting labour rights as human rights. Now, through our ATN campaign, we will be talking to members and the broader public about why unions matter to everyone. We'll be also building support against the attack on unions and working people being waged by the Conservative government, corporations and commentators.
Follow the Bus!
On September 14, in Halifax, Nova Scotia, one major initiatve to broaden the base of the ATN campaign will take place. The #FairnessExpress (ONLY Fair is Fair, income inequality isn't!) bus tour will start rolling across the Atlantic provinces. All the way along, we will be visiting communities and spending time with ordinary Canadians talking about how they are faring in this economic climate, and how income inequality is affecting them. We'll be listening to personal stories and sharing our information to build a movement of people who care about reducing income inequality everywhere.
Find out more about the #FairnessExpress by checking out the ATN website, or following the bus on Facebook or on Twitter (@ATNcampaign) and by searching #FairnessExpress.
We'll be having fun games both in person at the bus stops and online. The more you follow the bus, the more you have a chance to win.
More information:
All Together Now! campaign bus tour
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE