The CUPE National website, www.cupe.ca, and CUPE Local 15’s website, www.cupe15.org produced by volunteers, were just two of 11 award winners at the annual Canadian Association of Labour Media conference held in Halifax.
CUPE picked up two awards for its in-house video productions. “Building from strength,” which featured an animated ‘Gordzilla’ and was produced for CUPE B.C., won the best audio-visual production for membership education and information. “Challenging Attitudes: Disabilities, Discrimination and Doing Something About It” won the Breaking Barriers award, which was judged by former CBC journalist Bruce Wark, who teaches at King’s College University.
“Anyone who watches this fascinating, thoughtful and at times, moving video will learn a lot about disabilities in the workplaces and why it is so important to honour everyone’s right to employment without discrimination,” said Wark. “The video also illustrates the crucial importance of listening to people with disabilities.”
CUPE B.C. won the best staff flyer/brochure for “Privatizing sewage treatment is like flushing money down the toilet” and took best poster award for its CUPE Water Watch campaign. CUPE B.C. also won the best photograph award for “Standing on Guard.” The best commercial radio ad was “Casually Treated” produced by CUPE Alberta.
A CALM award for excellence in writing by staff went to the “Guardian” magazine produced by the Hospital Employees’ Union (HEU), CUPE’s health services division in B.C. HEU’s “Walk for Life” poster picked up an honourable mention.
“A new voice for Aboriginal members,” written by Dan David, which appeared in CUPE’s Organize magazine (summer ’06), won the Ed Finn Award for best feature story.