Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)

Canadian Union of Public Employees / Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique
(')
Founded	1963
Cur. affiliation date
Date dissolved
Merged into
Members	540,000
Country	Canada
Head union
Affiliation	CLC, PSI
Key people	Paul Moist (President) Claude Généreux (Sec.-Treasurer)
Office location	Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Website	cupe.ca

The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE, French: Syndicat canadien de la fonction publique) is a Canadian trade union serving the public sector - although it has in recent years organized workplaces in the non-profit and para-public sector as well. With more than half a million members across Canada, CUPE represents workers in health care, education, municipalities, libraries, universities, social services, public utilities, transportation, emergency services and airlines. CUPE is the largest union in Canada. Over 60% of its members are women, and almost a third are part-time workers. Image File history File links Logo_cupe. ... Image File history File links Logo_scfp. ... The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (in French le Congrès du travail du Canada or CTC) is the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. ... Public Services International (PSI) is a global union federation of public sector trade unions. ... Paul Moist is national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadas largest trade union. ... Claude Généreux was elected national secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in the fall of 2001. ... This article is about the capital city of Canada. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... < [[[[math>Insert formula here</math>The public sector is that part of economic and administrative life that deals with the delivery of goods and services by and for the [[government </math></math></math></math> Direct administration funded through taxation; the delivering organisation generally has no specific requirement to meet commercial...

History

CUPE was formed in 1963 in a fashion resembling industrial unionism by merging the National Union of Public Employees (NUPE) and the National Union of Public Service Employees (NUPSE). The first national president was Stan Little, who had previously been the president of NUPSE. Having led public sector unionism through a period where almost no workers had the right to strike, Little has been credited with bringing public sector unions "from collective begging to collective bargaining." By the time of Little's retirement, CUPE had already grown to 210,000 members and had eclipsed Steel as the largest affiliate to the Canadian Labour Congress. 1963 (MCMLXIII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (the link is to a full 1963 calendar). ... Industrial unionism is a labor union organizing method through which all workers in the same industry are organized into the same union -- regardless of skill or trade -- thus giving workers in one industry, or in all industries, more leverage in bargaining and in strike situations. ... The United Steel Workers of America (USWA) claims over 1. ... The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (in French le Congrès du travail du Canada or CTC) is the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. ...

Little was followed in 1975 by Grace Hartman, a dynamic feminist activist who was the first woman to lead a major labour union in North America. Hartman led CUPE to involve itself in broader struggles for social justice and equality, and strongly emphasized the role of social unionism, as opposed to the more conservative business unionism practiced by many North American unions. Never afraid to be confrontational, she was arrested for leading Ontario hospital workers in defying a back-to-work order from the Ontario Supreme Court in 1981, and the 62-year-old grandmother was sentenced to 45 days in jail. She retired in 1983. Grace Hartman (1918-1993), née Fulcher was a Canadian labour union activist, whose 1975 election to the presidency of the Canadian Union of Public Employees made her the first woman in North America to lead a major labour union. ... Social unionism is a term to describe the trend for trade unions to take an active role in supporting social justice causes. ... The Ontario Court of Appeal is headquartered in downtown Toronto, in historic Osgoode Hall. ...

Hartman’s successor as president was Jeff Rose, a Toronto city worker with a reputation for being tireless, smart and tough. Rose's time as the defining face of CUPE was marked by membership growth from 294,000 to 407,000 members (largely through organizing), a strengthening of CUPE’s infrastructure and rank-and-file skills, and his outspoken opposition to Brian Mulroney-era wage restraint, free trade, the GST, privatization, deregulation, and cuts to public services. Under Rose’s leadership, CUPE was particularly effective in improving pay and working conditions for women. He stepped down in 1991 after eight years, becoming deputy minister of intergovernmental affairs for the Ontario NDP government. Martin Brian Mulroney (born March 20, 1939), was the eighteenth Prime Minister of Canada from September 17, 1984, to June 25, 1993 and was leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada from 1983 to 1993. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... GST may stand for: The Goods and Services Tax, a value-added tax imposed by several countries; The Generation-skipping transfer tax, imposed by the United States on certain transfers by gift, inheritance, or bequest. ... Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or, especially in India, disinvestment) is the process of transferring property from public ownership to private ownership and/or transferring the management of a service or activity from the government to the private sector. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove restrictions on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... The New Democratic Party (NDP) (Nouveau Parti Démocratique in French) is a political party in Canada with a social democratic philosophy and moderate democratic socialist tendencies that contests elections at both the federal and provincial levels. ...

In 1991, Judy Darcy followed Rose and became the defining face of CUPE. One of Canada's most visible and colourful labour leaders, Darcy was a vicious opponent of privatization, two-tier health care, and free trade agreements. Darcy was firmly committed to the union's involvement in broader social issues, and under her tenure CUPE strongly attacked the invasion of Iraq, condemned Canada's involvement in ballistic missile defense, and spoke out loudly in favour of same-sex marriage. Darcy stepped down in 2003 after 12 years as president, and was replaced by Paul Moist. Privatization (sometimes privatisation, denationalization, or, especially in India, disinvestment) is the process of transferring property from public ownership to private ownership and/or transferring the management of a service or activity from the government to the private sector. ... Two-tier health care is a form of national health care system that is used in most developed countries. ... Free trade is an economic concept referring to the selling of products between countries without tariffs or other trade barriers. ... For other uses of the term, see Iraq war (disambiguation) The 2003 invasion of Iraq (also called the 2nd or 3rd Persian Gulf War) began on March 20, 2003, when forces belonging primarily to the United States and the United Kingdom invaded Iraq without the explicit backing of the United... A payload launch vehicle carrying a prototype exoatmospheric kill vehicle is launched from Meck Island at the Kwajalein Missile Range on Dec. ... Same-sex marriage is marriage between two people who are of the same sex (i. ... Paul Moist is national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadas largest trade union. ...

Internal organization

CUPE has an extremely decentralized structure, in which each local elects its own executive, sets its own dues structure, conducts its own bargaining and strike votes, and sends delegates to division and national conventions to form overarching policy. Advocates of this system claim that it places the power in the grassroots where it belongs; critics believe that it makes it difficult for it to organize concerted action and leaves the union highly balkanized with policies and strategies varying widely from local to local and sector to sector. This decentralized structure is often described as "CUPE's greatest strength and its greatest weakness." This political decentralization is mirrored by an organizational decentralization. Although CUPE has a national headquarters in Ottawa, it is relatively small -- the vast majority of its staff are scattered across over 70 offices across the country. Grassroots is a political movement for individual constituents of a community to voice their ideas and opinions. ...

Organizationally, there are provincial divisions for each province, as well as the national organization. Nationally there are two full-time political positions -- the National President (currently Paul Moist), and the National Secretary-Treasurer (currently Claude Généreux). Paul Moist is national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canadas largest trade union. ... Claude Généreux was elected national secretary-treasurer of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in the fall of 2001. ...

UN-sponsored Conference Against Racism

The B'nai Brith of Canada called attention to CUPE's role in the UN-sponsored Conference Against Racism held in Durban in 2001. 2001: A Space Odyssey. ...

Although many Canadian Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) were present at Durban, their reaction to the widespread antisemitism there was disappointing. The response of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) representative is instructive. In a report submitted by CUPE Ontario delegate Antoni Shelton, and posted to the CUPE Ontario website... Shelton presented the CUPE perspective on the conference. Shelton described the equation of Zionism with racism with utter passivity and accepted it as a legitimate point of contention, along with other issues such as compensation for slavery. Shelton was amused by the “photogenic” qualities of the marginal anti-Zionist Neturei Karta sect. He had no comment on the Nazi caricatures of Jews and other antisemitic paraphernalia circulating at the NGO conference at Durban.^[1]

Israel boycott

In May 2006, the Ontario wing of CUPE voted unanimously to pass a resolution to support the “international campaign of boycott, divestment and sanctions against Israel until that state recognizes the Palestinian right to self-determination.”^[2] The three point resolution continued on to call for action to develop an education campaign about the “apartheid nature of the Israeli state”, and for CUPE National to conduct research into Canadian involvement in the ocupation. The Canadian Labour Congress was also enjoined to add its voice “against the apartheid-like practices of the Israeli state…”. The resolution summarized its reasons for making this call by directly referencing the “Israeli Apartheid Wall”, and by recognizing the 170 Palestinian groups that have called for the global campaign. It further noted the voice of its sister union, CUPE BC, and its opposition to the occupation of Palestine. Look up May in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Motto: Ut Incepit Fidelis Sic Permanet (Latin: Loyal she began, loyal she remains) Official languages English Flower White trillium Capital Toronto Largest city Toronto Lieutenant-Governor James K. Bartleman Premier Dalton McGuinty (Liberal) Parliamentary representation  - House seat  - Senate seats 106 24 Area Total  - Land  - Water    (% of total)  Ranked 4th 1... Palestine (Hebrew: ארץ ישראל Eretz Israel, Arabic: فلسطين FilastÄ«n or FalastÄ«n, see also Land of Israel) is one of many historical names for the region between the Mediterranean Sea and the banks of the Jordan River, plus various adjoining lands to the east and south. ... A segregated beach in South Africa, 1982. ... The Canadian Labour Congress, or CLC (in French le Congrès du travail du Canada or CTC) is the central labour body in Canada to which most Canadian labour unions are affiliated. ... Apartheid wall is a political epithet used to describe the Western Sahara wall that Arabs Morocco has build: [1] [2]. Propagandists use this political epithet against Israels Israeli West Bank barrier. ...

Reaction to this resolution has been both positive and negative.

Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League labeled CUPE's action as "deplorable and offensive."^[3] The Ontario regional director of the Canadian Jewish Congress, Steven Schulman, characterized the vote as "outrageous." "For a respected labour union to engage in such a vote, which is completely one-sided and based on mistruths, is shocking," he said.^[4] Abraham H. Foxman (b. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... The Canadian Jewish Congress is an umbrella group of Jewish organizations in Canada and constitutes the main lobby group for the Jewish community in the country though it often competes with Bnai Brith Canada in that regard. ...

An editorial in the Canadian Jewish News also took issue with some CUPE leaders comparisons between Israel's policies and South Africa's apartheid system. The Canadian Jewish News is a weekly, English_language tabloid-sized newspaper serving Canadas Jewish community. ...

Let there also be no condoning the sly attempt by CUPE Ontario leaders to hide or obfuscate its true aim. The logic of the haters of Israel is as simple as it is distorted: Israel is an apartheid state. It must be treated in the same manner as the only other apartheid state was ever treated. It must be dismantled! By joining with the hate-filled slogans being hurled at Israel, the union, was de facto supporting, condoning and even affirming the call for the elimination of the Jewish State.^[5]

On June 6, 2006 Willie Madisha, president of the 1.2 million member Congress of South African Trade Unions wrote, in a two page letter, “I congratulate CUPE Ontario for their historic resolution on May 27th in support of the Palestinian people- those living under occupation and those millions of Palestinian refugees living in the Diaspora. We fully support your resolution.”^[6] The Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) is a trade union federation in South Africa. ...

The General Union of Palestine Labor Vocational Association wrote in support, "representing 57,000 Palestinian workers ... we would like to express our full support to Resolution 50." ^[7]

CUPE National has responded to the Ontario resolution by stating that,

CUPE National respects the right of its chartered organizations to take a stand on all issues. As a national union we are governed by policy resolutions adopted at our national conventions. And as such, we will not be issuing a call to our local unions across Canada to boycott Israel.^[8]

See Also

• Israeli Apartheid

Israeli apartheid is a controversial phrase used by some anti-Zionists and Palestinian rights activists to draw an analogy between the policies of the Israeli government towards Palestinians to those of the apartheid-era South African government towards its Black and mixed-race populations. ...

References

1. ^ B'nai Brith of Canada. 2002 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
2. ^ Ontario CUPE website. Background on Resolution #50. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
3. ^ The Jerusalem Post. ADL blasts Canada's anti-Israel boycott. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
4. ^ National Post. CUPE joins boycott of Israel. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
5. ^ The Canadian Jewish News. How sad to look now upon CUPE. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
6. ^ COSATU letter to CUPE Ontario. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
7. ^ Letter of Support from Palestinian Trade Unions. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.
8. ^ CUPE National statement on the Ontario Division vote to support a boycott of Israel. Retrieved on 2006-06-13.

2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) is a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... June 13 is the 164th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (165th in leap years), with 201 days remaining. ...

External links

• Official CUPE site
• A critical analysis of the 2005 CUPE Constitution