That the CUPE constitution be amended to provide for a $15 million trigger of the automatic Defence Fund Levy in the newly established Strike Fund, and a $25 million cap.
(Language in the CUPE constitution currently referring to the automatic Levy for the Defence Fund would be changed to reflect the Levy’s application to the Strike Fund only.)
The current automatic .04 Defence Fund Levy gets “triggered” when the Defence Fund falls below $5 million, and stays in place until the Fund reaches a “cap” of $10 million. These levels were established in 1982, when $5 million went a lot further than it does today. They are simply too low to meet current needs. As well, in 1982, CUPE had less than 275,000 members and strike pay was only $50 per week. Now, the union has 475,000 members and strike pay is $200 per week.