Great turnout for Merritton Lions Labour Day Parade

Large crowd of Union members facing the camera

Monday, September 7, CUPE Members from Niagara showed up to represent in the Merritton Labour Day parade.

The history of Labour Day started with an 1872 printers’ strike in Toronto. Workers fought for a nine-hour workday when unions were still illegal. Their protest led to the Trade Unions Act, which made unions legal. Labour Day was recognized as an official national statutory holiday in 1894 under the direction of Prime Minister John Thompson.

CUPE 1287 Plans Community Day in Firemen’s Park Niagara Falls

CUPE 1287 and local labour friendly organizations invite their members and the public to a Community Day in the Park.

Building a strong community takes people power. Workers and citizens need to connect to showcase and celebrate the important work that occurs in their community. Come out on Saturday, September 19th, from 11:00 am to 4:00 pm to Firemen’s Park in Niagara Falls, located at 2275 Dorchester Road. There will be free food, swag, giveaways, and chances to win some great prizes.

We would love to see you there!

Port Colborne rally for keeping water services public!

Tuesday, July 14, we had a rally for public water services in Port Colborne.
Concerned citizens, CUPE members from 1287 and other CUPE representatives, and members of ATU Local standing together to tell Port Colborne City Council that water is a public trust, not a corporate asset.
Local citizens deserve honest answers and transparency from their elected officials!
Group of CUPE Local 1287 members and citizens listening to concerns about water privatization.
🚨Will Port Colborne commit that it will not pursue a Water and Wastewater Services Corporation? They promise an MSC wholly owned by the Corporation of the City of Port Colborne. Will they stand by their word?
🚨Will Council members, voted into power by their constituents commit to keeping our water and wastewater services directly accountable to the public? We’ve seen the devastation that occurs when public services are sold to private enterprise.
🚨Will Council commit to investing in public infrastructure before expanding corporate service models? Intelligent investment provides vital services to citizen taxpayers.
Union members hold placards
CUPE does the research, CUPE asks the questions, CUPE represents workers AND works hard for the citizens in our communities.
We want residents to know that approximately $10.8 million in development charge relief was provided for the battery plant. Residents deserve to know what public benefits were secured in return, and how those decisions affect future infrastructure funding and taxpayers.
CUPE brings the fight to parliament. CUPE confronts provincial leaders. Communities continue to struggle with funding essential water and wastewater infrastructure while significant public investments are being made in other projects.
CUPE 1287 is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with citizens and other unionists. Your voice matters. We keep asking the questions and holding elected officials accountable.  Strong public services for strong communities!
Power to the people ✊
Workes and citizens against privatizing water hold placards against a panel van
(with thanks to Krista Laing – CUPE Ontario Municipal Workers Chair)

Ridgefest was a success!

We show up, we educate, we support, we fight. 💪 CUPE Local 1287 promotes strong public services because those services support strong communities. Citizens deserve a government that works for them🫵, not a government that works against them. See us? Join us! We were at Ridgefest this past weekend, July 10 – 12, answering questions about water privatization, informing about the Worth Fighting For campaign and promoting strong local governance and involvement. ✊

Woman wearing black hat and black t-shirt in a tent with a rainbow prize wheel

Ribstock a success!!

CUPE 1287 fights privatization at RibstockCUPE 1287 members at Ribstock with the mascot a big pig

This past weekend (Friday, July 19, – Sunday, July 21), CUPE 1287 members and other supporters of Strong Communities – Strong Public Services put the time in showcasing the important work we all do in the community.

Krista Laing – CUPE Ontario Municipal Workers Chair, and Wayne Gates, NDP MPP for Niagara Falls, Fort Erie, and Niagara-on-the-Lake.  joined us, vocal supporters of keeping strong public services in the hands of our taxpayers. Piggy Smalls, the Ribstock mascot, came by to show their solidarity!

450 petitions were signed, hundreds of fliers and information sheets distributed, the public educated on the services in danger of privatization and the community members who provide those services.

Bill 98 and Bill 100 – the privatization of water and strong chair powers were the main focal points, but other issues that concern our community were also discussed.

A big thank you to all members who volunteered to make this a success!

Local member recipient of the 2026 CUPE Ontario Health and Safety Award!

Super congratulations to our Jenn McDowell, recipient of the 2026 CUPE Ontario Health and Safety Award. ✊

Serving Local 1287 as our Joint Health and Safety Co-Ordinator and serving as Co-Chair of her employer’s Joint Health and Safety Committee, Jennifer has spent years fighting to make workplaces safer for workers across Niagara Region — leading major remediation projects, supporting members across 13 bargaining units, and never hesitating to hold employers accountable.

Her dedication to health and safety is unwavering, and deeply rooted in lived experience.

Go Jen!!!!

CUPE Ontario. “Congratulations to Sister Jennifer MacDowell, recipient of the 2026 CUPE Ontario Health and Safety Award. .” Instagram, 27 May 2026, https://www.instagram.com/p/DY2xH1olIK9/

Women Rising: Strength, Voice, Leadership

Women Rising: Strength, Voice, Leadership
Bold Women. Strong Voices. Real Change.
Friday, June 19, 2026 (5:00pm) to Sunday, June 21, 2026 (2:00pm).
Best Western, St. Catharines
2 North Service Rd, St. Catharines, ON L2N 4G9

CUPE Education Registration Link: https://cupe.ca/mrm-union-education/event/10718

 

Women Rising: Strength, Voice, Leadership is a weekend dedicated to empowering CUPE women and those who identify as such to step into their leadership, strengthen their voices, and build collective power. Grounded in the theme Bold Women. Strong Voices. Real Change., the weekend invites participants to explore what it means to lead with courage, resilience, and purpose within our union, the labour movement, and beyond. The Women Rising weekend creates space to connect with other women, build supportive relationships, and form lasting networks that participants can draw on long after the event ends.