Canadian workers continue to make CUPE their union of choice to improve wages and working conditions. In the first three months of 2011, approximately 1,500 signed up to join our union—Canada’s biggest.
The bulk of the new members came through successful organizing drives in workplaces across the country. Another large portion came from representation votes, like those at North Bay General Hospital (NBGH) in Ontario, where a majority of workers were originally members of other unions. We extend a warm welcome close to 400 new members from NBGH, who were formerly part of another union and chose to become part of CUPE.
Highlights among the 20 certification votes where unorganized workers chose CUPE to make their workplaces better include:
- 200 employees at Garden Terrace long term care facility in Ottawa
- Employees of the City of Clarence Rockland outside Ottawa who are now members of CUPE 503
- More gains in the long term care sector with two new units, Ryan Hall and Northumberland Hall in Nova Scotia, where workers are employed by Shannex Corp.
Daria Ivanochko, CUPE’s assistant national director in charge of organizing, says there are numerous organizing drives underway across the country and important decisions due from provincial labour boards on applications for certification. She expects CUPE’s new member numbers to continue to grow through 2011.