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“People across this country are waking up to the reality of systemic racism and joining social movements to fight it. People are outraged and they want change. They know what we have been talking about is true.

You can’t manage what you don’t measure, as the old saying goes. In other words, to be successful in fighting racism in the workplace, union and our communities, we need to track some hard numbers to know whether we are making progress on issues that affect our members, and disproportionately affect Black, Indigenous, and racialized workers.

In a lot of cases, the tools we need to fight racism and discrimination in the workplace are already in our toolbox. We just need to rethink how we use them. That’s why, as part of our new Anti-Racism Strategy, CUPE is committing to administering and enforcing our collective agreements with an anti-racist approach.

Our collective agreements are one of our strongest tools to dismantle systemic racism and other forms of discrimination that members experience. The Anti-Racism Strategy calls on locals to adopt an anti-racist approach to bargaining.

CUPE represents thousands of Black, Indigenous and racialized workers in Canada. We work hard to make sure Black, Indigenous and racialized workers have the same opportunities as other workers.

Organizing the unorganized is a big part of CUPE’s mandate, and we need to take care that new members reflect the diversity of our communities. That’s why the fifth goal of CUPE’s new Anti-Racism Strategy is the integration of an anti-racism focus into our organizing efforts to bring non-unionized workers into our union.

CUPE has a long history of fighting against racism and discrimination - and winning. That’s why learning from the experiences and celebrating the successes of Black, Indigenous and racialized CUPE members, including those with intersecting identities, is the fourth goal of CUPE’s new Anti-Racism Strategy.

Racism and discrimination hurt and therefore divide us and leave long-lasting effects that harm us all. Often, we don’t realize how it affects us, or the roles we play in it. That’s why developing and engaging anti-racist education is the third goal of CUPE’s new Anti-Racism Strategy.

Representation matters. It is vital for marginalized members to see themselves reflected in leadership. That’s especially true for Black, Indigenous, and racialized folks, including those with intersecting identities, who have historically been excluded from leadership roles in the union and society at large.

“Ensure union governance, our Constitution and Local bylaws acknowledge and address systemic racism.” That’s the first call to action from CUPE’s Anti-Racism Strategy.