May 1st Pay Equity Action - From your desk!

We're calling on you to take part in a May 1st pay equity action - from the comfort of your home or work!

This Friday, take a few minutes out of your day to send an e-mail, mail a letter, send a fax, or make a phone call to our Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, Hon. Mary Schryer. We'd like Ms. Schryer to know that there is more work to be done on the pay equity front in our province, and that we're keeping an eye on the progress.

Please feel free to use the example letter (in French and English) we've put together and address information to create your own correspondence. The New Brunswick Coalition for Pay Equity has some great resources you may want to take a look at to help you write your own letter. Also, feel free to send similar messages to any of our other representatives! And our PM!

This is a decentralized action, but please CC or BCC the NBRebELLEs - Fredericton on any e-mails, so we can keep you posted on how many people take part.

In Solidarity,
NBRebELLEs - Fredericton

Maternity leave firings becoming more common

CBC Article from Wed, 22 April 2009:

"The slumping economy is being blamed for what appears to be an increasingly common action — laying off or firing mothers while they're away from their jobs on maternity leave.

Toronto employment lawyer Daniel Lublin said he used to get a few inquiries every month about women being laid off while on maternity leave. Now, he said, claims have quadrupled.

Lublin said most companies he deals with blame the downturn in the economy.

"I'm hard-pressed to find a company these days that doesn't play the economy card," he said.

Many of the calls Lublin fields are from mothers just getting ready to return to work. Most of them just take the packages they're offered.

"The employers were always able to fire these people, it's just a question of the timing that leaves a bad taste in a lot of these people's — a lot of these ladies' — mouths," said Lublin.

Ilinka Petkovski expected that when her maternity leave was over she would be able to return to her job. But three days before her leave ended she was told her job was redundant — even though someone else was still doing her job.

"They got rid of the expensive choice and kept someone they had just hired," said Petkovski.

She could have filed a complaint with the Ministry of Labour, or the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal, or launched a lawsuit against the company. But all of those choices appeared to be time-consuming options.

Instead, Petkovski took a severance package and moved on.

"We're just little peons trying to fight these corporations who have deep pockets and fancy Bay Street lawyers, and we're moms trying to get on with our lives," she said.

Normally, employees on parental leave are protected. They have to be reinstated or offered a comparable position.

But legally a company can let them go if it's cutting jobs."

Fredericton Town Hall on Healthcare Privatization

When: Tuesday, April 21st at 7:00pm

Where: Fredericton Inn (Salon A)

Campaign Factsheets

NB rally against budget cuts - Friday, 17 April 2009

Image from CUPE



The budget did not include a gender analysis, in spite of the request made by eleven women’s groups. As a result, some programs and services that affect women are being cut, many women’s jobs in the public sector are being cut, and pay equity becomes hostage in the nursing homes’ collective bargaining process.

Feminist Book Exchange Explained

The book exchange stickers say "This book has been identified as a Feminist Find by a member of the NBRebELLEs - Fredericton". You may soon find this sticker on the inside cover of a book near you.

This means, the book has been identified as an interesting read from a feminist perspective and is recommended reading for other feminists.

When you identify a book as a Feminist Find, you do not need to justify or qualify your choice. It does not mean that the book is necessarily a "Feminist book" and/or that any ideas within the book are representative of an ideology that the NBRebELLEs - Fredericton may or may not ascribe to. It simply means that a member of our group thinks other feminists should read this book.

These books are meant to be kept in general circulation, so please have a read and pass it on:)

Recommended Feminist Finds List

NBRebELLEs on the web

Hello everyone!

As you may have noticed, we've been playing around with our online resources and have recently started updating our blog and our webpage.

Please feel free to give us some feedback on what you think about what you see, and what you'd like to see!

Next Meeting - 7pm, Tuesday, April 14th, 2009

All feminists welcome!

We will be meeting at our new Feminist HQ (aka Tania's Place), 278 Church Street. Check out the map below, and e-mail us if you're still not clear on where we're meeting.


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Gumbooting Meeting - Wed, 8 April 2009, 6:00pm

Our Gumbooting Troupe has been accepted to perform at a Feminist Research Conference at the University of Windsor!

We're having a meeting tonight(Wednesday, April 8th) at 6:00pm at the Alden Nowlan House at 676 Windsor Street to discuss.

Anyone interested in joining our Feminist Gumboot Troupe is welcome to attend this meeting:)


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Next Meeting - 7pm, Tuesday, April 7th

All feminists welcome!

We will be meeting in the large, windowy room behind the bus stop at the bottom of Windsor Street (ITC 307). Check out the map of the area, and e-mail us if you're still not clear on where we're meeting.


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