Sunday's Bulletin
We’re making history
CUPE’s turning 40! It’s CUPE’s biggest biennial event – our 21st national convention. What better setting than beautiful, historic Quebec City for delegates to celebrate our history and make history.Delegates will debate and create CUPE’s strategic direction for the next two years. They’ll elect a new National President and pay tribute to outgoing leader Judy Darcy. And it’s an opportunity for CUPE’s 2,000-plus delegates to send a strong message to the new Charest government – don’t privatize Quebec’s public services!
Breaking new ground
Delegates will be breaking new ground as they consider a new strategic directions document that will set the priorities for CUPE for the next two years.The paper sets out three key objectives: strengthening our bargaining power, increasing our day-to-day effectiveness, and intensifying our campaign to stop contracting out and privatization.
“These three objectives – each reinforcing the other – are essential if we’re to succeed in protecting our members’ jobs and making real improvements to wages and working conditions,” says National President Judy Darcy.
Unlike most convention resolutions, the debate on the strategic directions document won’t be simply about accepting, rejecting or referring the motion. In fact, there won’t even be pro and con mikes.
Instead, delegates will have a chance to make suggestions and offer amendments to strengthen the plan. A special committee of convention will then take their input and return with an amended document. Before week’s end, the revised paper will be put to the convention for approval.
“We pioneered this approach at the national health care workers conference earlier this year and we saw that members had a real sense of ownership of the action plan they developed,” says National Secretary-Treasurer Claude Généreux.
“We want to leave here with a clear sense of our priorities for the next two years,” says Darcy.
More firsts
Today members from across the country meet to compare notes about what’s happening in their sector. Bargaining priorities, privatization threats, the bosses’ latest ploy – we’ll have a chance to swap success stories and lessons learned.We’ll also have a chance to recommend which resolutions should get priority. It’s the first time sector groups have had a say on the order that resolutions are heard during convention. As well, for the first time paramedics and emergency workers will meet as a sector.