The Executive Board of Ontario’s largest union, CUPE Ontario, has elected a new Secretary-Treasurer, Yolanda McClean, to represent 280,000 members working in the public sector.
“I am honoured to be elected Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Ontario,” said McClean. “With the Ford Conservatives, I know the work ahead of us can look daunting, but I couldn’t be more energized and confident knowing the strength, spirit, and passion of CUPE Ontario’s 280,000 members and our elected leaders from every community in this province.”
McClean first became active in the union in 1989 when she began working as a library technician at the Toronto District School Board, becoming a member of what is now CUPE Local 4400. The Equity Vice-President of CUPE Local 4400, for the last decade McClean has served in several positions at both CUPE Ontario and CUPE National. Before her election today, McClean was the 2nd Vice-President of CUPE Ontario and was recently elected as a Regional Vice-President for Ontario on the CUPE National Executive Board.
McClean is also an Executive Vice-President at the Ontario Federation of Labour, and President of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU) Canada.
“This is an historic moment for CUPE Ontario and the broader labour movement,” said Fred Hahn, President of CUPE Ontario. “Yolanda becomes the first Black woman to be elected Secretary-Treasurer of CUPE Ontario, our provinces’ largest union. As diverse as our membership is, it should not have taken this long, but today, we’ve broken new ground that ensures our leadership better reflects our membership, and that ensures our labour movement serves and reflects the specific and unique realities of everyone. I’ve worked with Yolanda for many years and, knowing her commitment to this movement and to the membership, I couldn’t be more hopeful and excited about the organizing we’ll all do, together.”
Consistent with the CUPE Ontario Constitution, McClean has been elected interim Secretary-Treasurer until the union’s Convention in April, 2022, replacing Candace Rennick who was elected CUPE National Secretary-Treasurer last week.