Ready to build on 60 years of solidarity and
strength
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The 31st biennial
convention of the Canadian Union of Public
Employees has come to a close. Delegates from
around the country looked back at the last 60
years of struggle for workers’ rights and
charted a course for the future. We engaged in
principled and in-depth debates and built
solidarity across borders.
After 60 years,
our union is stronger, larger, and more
diverse than ever. With a renewed commitment
to building our capacity to improve member
support, training, and engagement, the outlook
for the future is bright. Our delegates made
their voices heard on the convention floor,
and in the street outside the National
Assembly of Québec.
As we forge ahead,
we will continue to work together to ensure
that CUPE’s 740,000 members across the nation
are united. Thank you to the thousands of
delegates who helped make this convention an
overwhelming success.
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Delegates rally in a show of worker power
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Delegates rallied
in front of Québec’s National Assembly on
Thursday in a show of support for the 420,000
members of the Common Front who are set to
strike on November 6. Members of the Common
Front, which represents health and education
workers, have been bargaining with the
provincial government and recently achieved a
historic strike mandate of 95 per cent.
Delegates also
rallied in support of locked out longshore
workers at the Port of Québec, as well as
striking workers at the SQDC cannabis stores
who have been on the picket lines for more
than a year. The message to the
government was that workers won’t back down in
the face of flagrant disregard by employers.
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Convention delegates elect NEB members and
trustees
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On Wednesday,
delegates attended caucuses to elect the two
diversity vice-presidents and their
alternates, five general vice-presidents, and
14 regional vice-presidents. Along with the
two national officers, these vice-presidents
comprise CUPE’s National Executive Board,
which takes the action needed to carry out the
direction set by convention delegates. On
Thursday, delegates chose two national
trustees who will, along with three other
trustees, examine the books and records of the
National Secretary-Treasurer.
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CUPE’s bold steps for safer union spaces
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The Safe Union
Spaces Working Group presented its final
report to CUPE’s National Convention on
Thursday.
The working group
detailed its efforts over the past two years
to combat violence, discrimination and
harassment in CUPE union spaces. Key focus
areas for the group have included revamping
the ombudsperson program and member trainings,
expanding the use of restorative practices,
developing resources for locals and rethinking
event design and planning.
In a significant
step, the working group also unveiled plans
for CUPE’s new Sexual and Gender-Based
Harassment Prevention and Support Office,
slated to open in spring 2024. This
independent body will operate with an
intersectional, anti-racist approach,
emphasizing prevention and education while
providing trauma-informed support.
However, as
working group members stressed, the key to
safer union spaces is member action. “Real,
lasting change in CUPE won’t only come from
the top,” National Secretary-Treasurer Candace
Rennick stressed to delegates. “It begins with
you, at the grassroots level, in your locals.
Making our union safe for everyone is a
collective responsibility, and each one of us
needs to play our part.”
Members can check
out a variety of safer union spaces resources
at cupe.ca.
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Singh: “People need CUPE and New Democrats now
more than ever”
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NDP Leader Jagmeet
Singh brought delegates to their feet Friday
morning with a rousing speech taking aim at
both the Liberal government and Pierre
Poilievre’s Conservatives.
Life for working
families has gotten harder under Justin
Trudeau, but it won’t get any better under
Pierre Poilievre, said Singh. Both parties
represent two sides of the same
coin—representing the entrenched interests of
the wealthy and well-connected, not those of
everyday people.
The NDP, on the
other hand, has made significant strides for
workers in Parliament despite having just 25
seats. Singh and the NDP have used their power
in the minority Parliament to win commitments
from the Liberal government on dental care,
pharmacare, federal anti-scab legislation, and
more.
Singh thanked CUPE
members for their activism across Canada and
their vital role in strengthening the voice of
workers in the House of Commons.
“Labour is the
lifeblood of our movement,” said Singh.
“People need CUPE and New Democrats now more
than ever.”
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Yves Bélair: Championing education for all
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The 2023
Disability Rights Award was posthumously
granted to Yves Bélair, an exemplar of
dedication and generosity who passed away on
May 16, 2023, at age 69.
At a time when
many students with disabilities didn’t
complete their degrees, Yves graduated with
two Bachelor of Arts degrees from the
University of Quebec (Montreal). After
receiving his second B.A. in 1982, he began
working at UQAM’s School of Management
Sciences as an information agent.
A member of SCFP
1294 SEUQAM, Yves firmly believed that access
to post-secondary education is the hallmark of
an inclusive, equitable, and diversified
society. Using a significant portion of his
own salary, he established the Yves Bélair
scholarship fund to help students with
disabilities achieve their academic goals and
join the workforce. Thanks to Yves and the
many contributors over the years, the fund to
date has paid out $142,000 to 134 students
with disabilities.
SCFP 1294
President François Laplante-Lévesque accepted
the award.
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Philippines: A case study in solidarity
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For Raymond
Basilio, union organizing is a question of
life and death. The Secretary General of the
Alliance of Concerned Teachers, Basilio draws
courage from the 240,000 educators he
represents. He’s also deeply aware of the
extra-judicial killings, forced
disappearances, arrests, and detention of
unionists in his country.
Basilio spoke at
our 2019 Convention while facing death
threats. This week he addressed CUPE delegates
again, this time without private security and
largely free of safety concerns.
“That’s the power
of international solidarity. We have a
government in the Philippines that is
concerned with their image. So long as
governments in the West are paying attention,
so long as CUPE is paying attention, our
movement has a chance.”
His faith in
organizing despite all obstacles comes from
his country’s history of opposing colonization
and toppling dictators. That history holds a
key lesson for us all: right-wing governments
are on the rise, and gains that feel secure to
CUPE members are vulnerable.
“Trade unionists
must always be on guard,” said Basilio.
“Progress isn’t guaranteed.”
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Toronto Education Workers Action Centre:
Empowering education workers
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For more than 30
years, the Toronto Education Workers Action
Centre has provided essential supports and
education for CUPE 4400 members. They provide
training and support for members from a wide
range of backgrounds and linguistic
capabilities, empowering them with skills to
find and maintain employment. Through the
training programs, workers learn skills such
as resume writing, effective job interview
techniques, understanding the collective
bargaining process, and more.
This continued
dedication and exemplary advocacy for working
people has earned the Toronto Education
Workers Action Centre the 2023 Literacy
Award.
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Levya: Solidarity with Cuba is about mutual
respect
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Arisledys Hidalgo
Levya, secretary-general for the provincial
division of Cuba’s National Union of Public
Administration Workers (SNTAP), has an urgent
message for CUPE convention delegates: worker
solidarity across borders is needed more than
ever. Despite challenges imposed
by the ongoing U.S. blockade and embargo, and
Cuba’s inclusion on the list of state sponsors
of terror, Cuban workers have found creative
ways to survive and thrive as they continue to
mobilize, organize, and even advance
international solidarity. SNTAP,
a big tent union made up of a range of public
sector workers, has a history of supporting
resistance movements around the world as well
as sending Cuban doctors to countries in need.
To strengthen their efforts, CUPE provides
SNTAP with resources such as a training room
in Havana, equipment like printers, and even a
car for union work. “This
collaboration is one of mutual respect—I hope
this partnership continues long into the
future,” said Levya.
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Pledge for a safer and more inclusive union
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CUPE members,
especially women and those from
equity-deserving groups, have reported
experiencing violence, harassment and
discrimination in our union.
This is
unacceptable.
As trade
unionists, we must all do our part to build a
culture that unites members, where every
member feels they can participate and thrive.
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