Dear Sisters and Brothers:
On March 21, 1960, 69 Black demonstrators were killed and 180 were wounded by the police in Sharpeville, South Africa. Almost all were shot in the back, protesting discriminatory apartheid pass laws. Pass lawsimposed restrictions on Black South Africans, including the ability to move around freely in the country and to organize unions.
Our own history in Canada is also rooted in colonialism and racism, and March 21 is an important day to mark here as well.
Our history includes the theft of indigenous land, the residential school system that stripped Aboriginal peoples of their dignity and identities, and continued oppression and marginalization of Aboriginal peoples through the reservation system in Canada. Over our history, Canadian policies have included the so-called Chinese head tax, the evacuation and internment of Japanese Canadians during World War II, and a racially selective immigration policy.
While much has improved in Canada, many problems remain. The Harper government’s recent changes to immigration policy appear designed to keep racialized workers in low-wage jobs and at the mercy of Canadian big business.
Part of this strategy includes the Temporary Foreign Worker Program. In 2006, the year before Harper took power, the number of temporary foreign workers in Canada was 125,000. This number has increase to almost 500,000 in 2013. These workers are typically subjected to low wages, poor working conditions, restricted access to citizenship, and little in the way of rights under Canadian law.
CUPE is committed to eliminating racial discrimination in our workplaces and communities, and ensuring that our union supports all members of society. Decisions made by our members at the 2013 National Convention establish important priorities for this work, including:
- A census of our membership to gain comprehensive knowledge of the changing demographics and diversity among our members and the kind of jobs they hold.
- Working to achieve a minimum wage of $18 an hour and defined benefit pension plans for CUPE’s lowest paid members, recognizing that many of these members come from racialized and Aboriginal communities.
- Engaging and organizing equity-seeking groups, and precariously employed workers in new ways, and supporting them to become leaders in our union.
- Establishing the Ed Blackman Worker of Colour Award in recognition of achievement and activism in ending racism, promoting diversity, and advancing equality and social justice for racialized people.
On March 21, we urge our members to use the tools at their disposal to raise awareness of racial discrimination and understanding how to eliminate it. For information and assistance, please contact the Equality Branch at the National Office in Ottawa at equality@cupe.ca.
In solidarity,
Paul Moist
National President
Charles Fleury
National Secretary-Treasurer