Delegates declare district council meeting a great success
National Secretary-Treasurer Claude Généreux encouraged representatives at the opening session of the first national district council meeting on Friday, April 27, 2007, to celebrate their successful events, projects and political actions.
The two and half day meeting was attended by representatives from most of the 27 district councils based in Nova Scotia, Ontario, Alberta and British Columbia as well as guests from other parts of the country. In the two days of plenary sessions and workshops delegates followed brother Généreux’s advice.
They exchanged stories of creative approaches to involving CUPE in the life of their communities. Some promoted the work CUPE councils do in supporting major regional initiatives in bargaining and political action. Others described the cultural vibrancy of many district council undertakings.
The delegates also explored the challenges district councils face both from a financial and human resource perspectives, in trying to achieve the varying objectives they set for themselves during any given year.
The meeting concluded with the presentation of numerous recommendations for enhancing the way in which CUPE council representatives communicate with each other and with their constituents. A number of requests were made for immediate action including a series of tools such as list serves, improved information about funding and support from servicing and communications representatives.
Representatives were assured that a web page would up and running within a matter of days and that a list serve to enable district council representatives to communicate with each other will also be established in short order. Other tools and a tool kit will be developed in the coming months leading up to CUPE’s national convention in October.
A special ceremony to honour workers injured on the job took place at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 28. The CUPE member and poet known as SPIN (aka Luis Eduardo Mejicano) wrote a piece specifically in honour of the occasion. SPIN, who was born in Guatemala, is a communicator, agent of social change and firm believer in the power of words. He is currently a proud member of CUPE local 1281.
Photos from the First national district council meeting will be posted on at cupe.ca/gallery within the next few days. And keep watching the District Council site for news and activities from the CUPE district councils.