Our National Executive Board met June 21-23, 2022 in Ottawa, with some members joining virtually. These are the highlights of their deliberations and decisions.
In Memory
The National Executive Board (NEB) observed a minute of silence to reflect upon the loss of members of our CUPE family. Remembered were: Doug Burkinshaw, CUPE 1767; Bill Ferguson, CUPE 7800; Justina Giesbrecht, CUPE 204; Michael Boulanger, CUPE 4705; Alain Robert, CUPE 4000; Sean Foley, CUPE 8920; Normand Piché, CUPE 1983; Doug Birkinshaw, CUPE 1767; Sherri Anne D’Amour, CUPE 5167; Michael Potts, CUPE 407 (retired); Bernice Kirk, CUPE 561 and CUPE BC (retired); John Spence, retired staff; Vallie Stearns, retired staff; Glenys Jean MacDonald, retired staff; Réjean Gauthier, retired staff.
National Indigenous Peoples Day
To begin their meeting on June 21, in recognition of National Indigenous Peoples Day, the NEB participated in a ceremonial smudge lead by Elder Thomas Louttit. Elder Louttit then shared with the NEB his personal experiences and reflections on residential schools, reconciliation, and the significance of the day to Indigenous peoples and communities.
Anti-Racism Strategy
The NEB received a report on the work underway to implement CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy adopted at our 2021 National Convention. The report highlighted the important consultations and discussions that have occurred so far, including a virtual meeting for members hosted by the Diversity Vice-Presidents in April. Arising from these discussions, the following four Strategy goals have been prioritized for 2022-2023: Representation (goal 2); Education (goal 3); Bargaining (goal 6); and Data Collection (goal 8).
Global Justice Fund
The Annual General Meeting of CUPE’s Global Justice Fund was held on June 23, 2022. The meeting approved continuation of 13 projects totalling $185,000. These projects are undertaken in partnership with workers and women’s organizations in countries around the world, including Burma, Colombia, Haiti, and the Philippines.
2021 Audited Financial Statements
Deloitte, our external auditing firm, presented the 2021 audited financial statements for our General Fund, our National Strike Fund, and our National Defence Fund. All three funds were found to be in strong, stable shape. They noted that, as of December 31, 2021, CUPE had closed the unfunded liability gap for employees’ future benefits, a year earlier than expected. CUPE’s accounting and administrative systems were found to exceed the standard requirements.
Trustees’ Report
CUPE’s National Trustees (Donna Van Kroonenburg, Christian Trudeau, Luc Cyr, Bob Guenther, and Talitha Dekker) completed their 2021 Report of CUPE’s finances, which was presented to the NEB. They found the union’s finances to be in good order and congratulated the National Officers on their efforts during the last year.
Financial Support
The National Executive Board approved 32 cost-share campaign requests totaling $1,925,264.31, 10 requests for legal and arbitration support totaling $377,717.14, and two requests for legal support through the strike fund to preserve collective bargaining rights in the amount of $90,000.
