New CUPE NB President Aims to Mobilize Youth, Welcome Immigrants, and Defend Workers’ Rights

CUPE New Brunswick’s newly elected president, Iris Lloyd, says she’s focused on mobilizing young workers, welcoming new immigrant members, and defending workers’ rights amid the instability caused by U.S. trade policies.

In a wide-ranging interview with NB Media Co-op on International Workers’ Day, Lloyd laid out her vision for the future of CUPE NB.

She emphasized the need to build a fighting spirit among young workers in an era shaped by far-right politics and global economic turbulence.

“I’m going to be educating young workers on how to fight back against these right-wing governments so that workers’ voices are heard at all tables across the country,” Lloyd said.

She also highlighted the importance of creating a welcoming environment for immigrant workers.

“We want to make union spaces as comfortable and inclusive as possible — a place where newcomers feel seen, heard, and empowered to participate,” she said.

Lloyd brings nearly two decades of experience to the role. A school custodian in the Anglophone South School District since 2007, she has served for the past six years as president of CUPE 1253, representing about 2,500 school district workers.

She was elected CUPE NB president last month at the union’s 62nd annual convention in Fredericton, succeeding Steve Drost, who stepped down after two terms.

Lloyd’s journey to leadership started in working-class Saint John, where she took her first job at age 14 at the South End Community Centre.

“When I was in high school at Saint John High, my guidance counsellor told me, ‘You come from a poor neighbourhood — your family isn’t going to be able to afford university,’” she recalled. “That forced me to rethink my future. I knew I wanted to protect the public and work with the public.”

When she started working at her old high school in 2007, she jumped into union life right away. “There was a union meeting that night,” she said.

She eventually joined the Saint John District Labour Council and became its first female president. Completing the 15-month Labour College of Canada program deepened her commitment to the movement.

As CUPE 1253 president, she was part of the public sector union’s centralized bargaining team during the landmark 2021 CUPE strike in New Brunswick — a 16-day walkout that led to a $3-per-hour wage increase for custodians and bus drivers.

But the gains were followed by a setback when Premier Blaine Higgs’s government forced thousands of workers into so-called shared-risk pensions — a move denounced by labour leaders and opposition MLAs as an attack on collective bargaining rights.

That legislation was repealed in March by the new government of Premier Susan Holt, a victory for unions after two years of legal and political battles.

“It was more than just pensions for CUPE members,” Lloyd said. “It was about our right to bargain fairly.”

Lloyd also praised outgoing federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh for pushing through expanded public pharmacare and dental care. Singh announced his resignation after losing his Burnaby South seat in a devastating election for the NDP.

“It’s a real shame we’re losing Jagmeet’s voice in government,” she said.

Lloyd steps into her new role as the province’s school districts face layoffs tied to budget cuts. The full scope is still unclear, but CUPE NB estimates at least 35 library workers in Anglophone West could be affected.

“Not all seven school districts have shared their plans yet,” she said. “But what we do know is already deeply concerning.”

In her post-election statement, Lloyd vowed to defend frontline workers and resist privatization.

“In the face of crises like the U.S. trade war and its impact on New Brunswick, CUPE NB won’t sit on the sidelines,” she said. “We’ll work with the government when it serves the people, but we’ll never back down from putting workers first.”

She added: “We will be relentless in pushing back against privatization, strengthening and improving our public services, and building a just, sustainable New Brunswick that works for everyone — not just the wealthy few.”

David Gordon Koch is a staff reporter with the NB Media Co-op. Matthew Wright is a volunteer with the NB Media Co-op. This reporting was made possible in part by the Government of Canada, administered by the Canadian Association of Community Television Users and Stations.