Vote came as a result of an application by Labrador-Grenfell for a single bargaining unit for hospital support staff who were represented by NAPE and CUPE. A group of approximately 90 non-union employees also took part in the voting process and are also now NAPE members.
St. John's, NL (9 Feb. 2009) - The Newfoundland and Labrador Association of Public and Private Employees (NAPE/NUPGE) has won a vote against the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in an election to represent 737 hospital support staff employed with Labrador-Grenfell Health.
The vote came about as a result of an application by Labrador-Grenfell for a single bargaining unit for hospital support staff who were represented by NAPE and CUPE. A group of approximately 90 non-union employees also took part in the voting process and are also now NAPE members.
According to NAPE President Carol Furlong, "Winning this vote is a significant achievement. CUPE had 364 members, while NAPE had 283, yet NAPE won by a comfortable margin. This is somewhat unusual as historically, in similar votes right across the country, the union with the most members traditionally wins."
"Coupled with the fact that NAPE was still at the bargaining table without an agreement when the voting process was underway, this is a tremendous show of support for NAPE. Clearly, NAPE gained support not only from NAPE members, but also from those who were not unionized and former CUPE members as well," said Furlong.
There was a very high turnout of voters in this election, in excess of ninety per cent.
"We are very appreciative of the efforts of those NAPE members who put a tremendous amount of work into the campaign and of those who supported NAPE as their union of choice," stated Furlong.
NAPE now represents three groups of health care professionals with Labrador-Grenfell Health and is the largest health care union in the province.
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
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