May 8, 2013 - On the 21st anniversary of the Westray Mine Disaster, Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke calls for more action to stop workplace injuries and fatalities. Press Release
April 30, 2013 -
NS Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke spoke at the Day of Mourning ceremony in Lunenburg on April 28, 2013 and at the CUPE – NS candlelight vigil in the Valley
April 19, 2013 - NSFL President Rick Clarke reacted to Conservative MP Gerald Keddy’s criticism of EI protesters. Press Release
April 17, 2013 - April 28th is the Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. For details on ceremonies being held throughout the province, click here.
April 11, 2013 - NS Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke sent this letter regarding EI Reform to Tory Leader, Jamie Baillie today.
April 9, 2013 - The recent appointment of Leroy Legere to the 33 member Tribunal that will hear EI appeals across Canada is an insult to workers in this Country, says Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke. Press Release
March 1, 2013 - The Town Hall meeting for Amherst has now been rescheduled. This event will be held on Tuesday, March 12th, at the Wandlyn Inn from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
Also, a new date has been set for the EI Forum in Lunenburg. Please note, that this event will now be held on Monday, March 18th at the Lunenburg Community Centre. For more details, visit Facebook event page https://www.facebook.com/events/392905077472398/
February 20, 2013 - Please note, that the Town Hall meeting scheduled for tonight in New Glasgow has been cancelled due to the weather. We will post new information for this meeting once it has been rescheduled.
February 19, 2013 - Please be advised, that out of respect for the community during this difficult time, the EI Forum scheduled for Thursday night in Lunenburg is being postponed. We will post new details for this forum when they are available.
February 19, 2013 - NSFL president Rick Clarke appeared on Global TV this morning to discuss the Federation's campaign against Harper's EI changes.
February 11, 2013 - The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is organizing a series of PUBLIC TOWN HALL FORUMS on the Harper government's changes/cuts to Employment Insurance (EI) and how they will affect all Nova Scotians. Forums are now planned in Lunenburg, Dartmouth, Wolfville, Sydney and Antigonish, with more forums being organized in other communities.
Are you worried about the Harper Government's changes to Employment Insurance? Are you worried about not being able to access EI benefits when you need them? Do you wonder what this means for our communities, for the Province of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Region?
Join us at for one of these important public meetings on EI changes (which run from 6:30pm to 8:30pm in each location) in a community near you in Nova Scotia, including:
• Tuesday February 26th at the Holiday Inn Harbourview Hotel in Dartmouth (101 Wyse Road in Dartmouth, just across the MacDonald Bridge from Halifax) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm — see https://www.facebook.com/events/163769790440061/ for details of the Dartmouth/HRM event
• Thursday March 7th at the Grand Lake Road Fire Hall in Sydney, Cape Breton (850 Grand Lake Road, next to the Mayflower Mall in Sydney) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm — see https://www.facebook.com/events/270253599772520/ for details of the Cape Breton event
• Thursday March 14th at Saint Ninian Place in Antigonish (121 St. Ninian Street in Antigonish) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm — see https://www.facebook.com/events/463488860373439/ for details of the Antigonish event.
• Monday, March 18th at the Lunenburg Community Centre (15 Green Street in Lunenburg) from 6:30pm to 8:30pm — see https://www.facebook.com/events/392905077472398/ for details of the Lunenburg (South Shore) event
February 11, 2013 - The Nova Scotia NDP have responded to demands saying they need to do more to tell the story of how an NDP government is making a difference in Nova Scotia. They have created their first pre-election ad, which you can preview now by clicking the link below.
February 11, 2013 - The Presidents of the four Federations of Labour in Atlantic Canada are condemning changes by the Harper government to the country’s Employment Insurance program, saying the changes are about creating a pool of cheap labour and suppressing the wages of all Canadians. They are calling on the government to “scrap the changes” and halt its campaign to “demonize and vilify” the unemployed. Read press release
February 6, 2013 - Please note, the date and location for the Town Hall meeting in Yarmouth has been set. It will be Wednesday, February 27th at the Rodd Grand Hotel, 417 Main Street.
February 5, 2013 - Please be advised that the Town Hall meeting originally set for tomorrow, February 6th in Amherst has been postponed. We apologize for any confusion, and will post a new date and location for this meeting as soon as possible.
February 5, 2013 - The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is a proud labour sponsor of Alexa McDonough on "ProjectTWENTY12" at Mount Saint Vincent University. This donation will allow us to honour Alexa in a way that will be an everlasting tribute to her life's work in the social democratic movement in this country by naming the "Institute for Women, Gender and Social Justice" after her.
Other Labour supporters of Alexa: Canadian Auto Workers Union (CAW); CAW/Marine Workers' Local 1; NS Government and General Employees' Union (NSGEU); Nova Scotia Nurses' Union (NSNU), Mainland Nova Scotia Building and Construction Trades Council; Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE); United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Canada; UFCW Eastern Provinces Council; Public Service Alliance of Canada and the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers' Union of Canada (CEP).
January 23, 2013 - This year, the NSFL Women's Committee is pleased to be hosting a conference called Women and the Media from March 1 - 3 in Greenwoood. For conference details, please see the documents below.
Any further questions can be directed to Colleen Hodder by phone at (902) 765-6921 or by email at colleenhodder@eastlink.ca
January 18, 2013 - It is likely there will be a provincial election this year. To begin a conversation about what role the labour movement should play in the coming election the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is hosting a series of eight town hall meetings across the province for union activists, stewards and local union executives. The town halls will discuss what has happened since the last election in 2009, and what labour’s priorities should be over the next year. Each one starts at 6:30 and runs to 8:30 pm.
Monday, January 21
Bridgewater
Best Western Bridgewater, 527 Hwy 10
Thursday, January 31
Valley,
Old Orchard Inn, 153 Greewich Rd South
Tuesday, February 5
Truro,
Best Western Glengarry, 150 Willow St.
Thursday, February 7
Halifax
Dartmouth Holiday Inn, 101 Wyse Rd
Monday, February 11
Sydney,
Cambridge Suites Hotel, 380 Esplanade
Wednesday, February 20
New Glasgow, Stellarton Holiday Inn Express, 86 Lawrence Blvd.
Wednesday, February 27
Yarmouth, Rodd Grand Hotel, 417 Main Street
Tuesday, March 12
Amherst
Wandlyn Inn, Exit 3 off the Trans Canada Highway 104
December 21, 2012 - The NS Federation of Labour supports Chief Theresa Spence and the Idle No More Campaign. The CLC has released a statement of support for Chief Theresa Spence of the Attawapiskat First Nation in northern Ontario, who is on a hunger strike in Ottawa. She is determined not to eat until granted an audience with the Prime Minister to discuss conditions on her reserve and government actions that compromise First Nations communities, land and water. We urge the Prime Minister to meet with Chief Spence.
December 20, 2012 -Happy Holidays from the Nova Scotia Federation of Labour! Please click here to read the latest NSFL Update Newsletter.
December 6, 2012 - The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is remembering the 14 women who were murdered at Montreal's École Polytecnique; murdered because they were women.....Today is National Day of Remembrance & Action for Violence against Women. Take some time to remember those 14 women and all women who we have lost but also commit to fighting for those who are still here.
Click here to read a statement from the Canadian Labour Congress.
December 6, 2012 - Premier Darrell Dexter delivered the annual State of the Province address yesterday in Halifax. Below is a video that was played at the event showing real Nova Scotians who are able to live, work and raise their families here at home.
November 27, 2012 - President Rick Clarke wrote a letter to the Editor of the Chronicle Herald after hearing Conservative Leader Leader Jamie Baillie on another one of his trademark anti-union, anti-worker rants of blaming all the wrongs of the system and economy — actual or perceived — on last year’s adoption of first-contract legislation. Jamie Baillie responded, read both letters here.
September 18, 2012 - The NSFL Executive, Staff, and Education Committee would like to congratulate the winners of the 2012 - 2013 NSFL bursaries. For a list of our winners, please visit our bursaries page. We wish each of them, and all of our applicants, the best of luck with their studies. A special thanks also to AIL Insurance and Higgins General Insurance who help make these bursaries possible.
August 31, 2012 -Labour Day message from NS Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke. Read
August 24, 2012 - There are a total of five amazing events taking place in different parts of Nova Scotia for LABOUR DAY on Monday September 3rd, 2012. For details on the events, taking place in HALIFAX, PORT HAWKESBURY, KENTVILLE, SYDNEY and YARMOUTH on Labour Day, please click here.
August 22, 2012 - When Acadian Lines announced it was closing down in November, NS Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke immediately wrote the NS Minister of Transportation, urging him to consult with the NB and PEI Transportation Ministers about the pending loss of bus service in the region before offering a possible solution. We clearly believe a collective regional public solution will best address this matter and will better serve our region and citizens; strengthening and expanding our current transportation network.
Now the Maritime Federation of Labour Presidents have joined forces in the collective lobbying of their Provincial Transportation Ministers, urging them to press forward with a public and inter-provincial bus service to fill the void when Acadian Lines closes its doors in November.
President Clarke, NB Federation President Michel Boudreau, and PEI Federation President Carl Pursey have written a joint letter to the Maritime Transportation Ministers reiterating that bus transportation is an essential component for the three Maritime provinces to maintain and that a publicly-run regional bus service would serve the Maritime provinces and best meet the needs of our communities and people.
July 30, 2012 - The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour's Human Rights & Anti-Racism Committee did an outstanding job over the weekend of organizing and preparing the NSFL & union affiliate's float and contingent in the 25th annual Pride Parade in Halifax! Thanks to Tony Tracy for providing some pictures and video from the event.
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July 24, 2012 - NSFL President Rick Clarke will host the presidents of the provincial and territorial Federations of Labour in Halifax this week (July 25-27) to coincide with the Canadian Provincial and Territorial Leaders’ Council of the Federation meeting.
The labour leaders, will strategize how to keep the pressure on the Federal Conservatives to stop slashing jobs and services as they hurry towards their unrealistic target of a 2015 surplus and will be urging the First Ministers to do the same. Press release
June 15, 2012 - News that the Bowater Mersey Paper Company Mill in Liverpool is closing indefinitely on June 17 is devastating news for CEP members who believed the plant and their community had a future, says NS Federation President Rick Clarke. Press Release
May 11, 2012 - Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke says that the recently announced jobs cuts for the Halifax, Chignecto Central and Annapolis Valley school boards this week is another blow to the already ailing education system in this province. Press Release
May 10, 2012 - Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President says Government statements on layoffs and service cuts in health care are unfair and divisive. More...
May 10, 2012 - Nova Scotia Federation of Labour Rick Clarke spoke at this year’s Day of Mourning ceremony at Province House to remember, pay tribute to and mourn for the 27 Nova Scotian workers who lost their lives in 2011.
April 24, 2012 - This Saturday April 28th is the Day of Mourning for workers killed or injured on the job. May 9th is the 20th anniversary of the Westray Mine Disaster and there is a ceremony being held in Westray Memorial Park. For details on April 28th events being held throughout the province and the Westray ceremony, click here.
April 5, 2012 - NS Federation of Labour says business tax cuts in provincial budget wrong action at the wrong time. Press Release
April 5, 2012 - "Occupational Health and Safety News" offers up-to-date news and developments from the Occupational Health and Safety Division of the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education. Visit our links page to check out their website.
April 5, 2012 - The NS Federation of Labour hosted a panel discussion in Halifax on March 6 to discuss the possible impacts a Canada-EU free trade deal will have on the Nova Scotia economy and on Nova Scotians. The panel consisted of Canadian Autoworkers' Union (CAW) Economist Jim Stanford, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) Senior Researcher Scott Sinclair and Fred Morley, Executive Vice-President and Chief Economist of the Greater Halifax Partnership. To view videos from the panel discussion, please visit our Media page.
March 22, 2012 - Labour Federation Rick Clarke says NS Finance Minister’s announcement of tax cuts is poor timing, poor decision. Press Release
March 16, 2012 - The Nova Scotia Federation of Labour is standing is solidarity with the Newfoundland and Labrador to condemn the anti-worker actions of fishing corporation Ocean Choice International in Mulgrave. Press Release
February 24, 2012 - Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke urges Nova Scotia Finance Minister to get back to basics in light of Nova Scotia's economic challenges. More...
February 17, 2012- Nova Scotia Federation of Labour President Rick Clarke is continuing to call on HRM Mayor Peter Kelly to explain what councillors were led to believe before they rejected ATU 508’s offer of binding arbitration. Read press release
January 27, 2012 - NSFL President Rick Clarke has written HRM Mayor Peter Kelly telling him to stop "ultimatum bargaining" with members of the Amalgamated Transit Union Local 508. Clarke urged the Mayor to use the remaining time left to return to the bargaining table and try a fair, equitable approach and talk about the issues. Over 95,000 transit users are depending on HRM deal with this do what is right for members of ATU Local 508 and their families. Read letter.
If you live in HRM, please contact your Councillor and give them this message. Numbers are here...
January 13, 2012 - President Rick Clarke joins all provincial federation of labour presidents as a signatory to an open letter on healthcare to Canada's Premiers.
