Karen McDonald
What did I learn/take home from the Convention?
I attended the convention as a substitute delegate and as a relatively inexperienced union member. As a result, the convention was an incredible learning experience for me. CUPE is a large and diverse union, representing members from many sectors—including traffic services, health care, education, and more. Meeting the needs and expectations of such a varied membership isn’t always easy, but CUPE works hard to rise to that challenge. This convention showed me the power that unions have in helping workers achieve more safety and security in their workplace.
A large part of the convention was focused on examining and voting on amendments to the constitution and discussing and voting on CUPE resolutions. There were seven constitutional amendments proposed – only one of these was defeated (to establish the maximum age of “young workers” from 30 years of age to 35). Sixteen resolutions were passed over three days. Many of these resolutions involved spreading awareness of some of the hardships faced by union members and the importance of fighting the privatization of the work of the public sector. For example, several resolutions focused on the violence education workers are experiencing and the need to reduce the violence and increase support staff (instead of decreasing staff).
Another main objective of the convention was to elect a new CUPE NS president as well as other committee and board positions. Our local was supporting Christine Saulnier to become the next NS CUPE president. The 3912 delegates (and others) campaigned on her behalf and educated delegates from other locals about who she was and what she stood for. Unfortunately, we were not successful in winning the vote but in Christine’s own words, “We brought energy, ideas, and hope into this race. We showed what leadership rooted in listening, organizing, and action can look like. We sparked important conversations across CUPE Nova Scotia about where we’re headed and how we can grow stronger together.”
How can what I learn benefit CUPE 3912 and would our local benefit from attending the Convention next year?
Having a large group representing our local was (in my opinion) extremely valuable. CUPE 3912 has not traditionally been represented at these conventions and as a result, many union members were not familiar with the precarious nature of our jobs and believed we had more privileged positions. Both the formal resolutions presented during the convention and the informal conversations with members allowed other members to become more knowledgeable about our local (and our low wages, lack of benefits and almost nonexistent job security).
Several of our members were elected during the convention to sit on various committees within CUPE NS. Specifically, Lauren McKenize was elected as Alternate for Central VP, Erica Fischer was elected to the Political Action Committee, Larissa Atkison was elected to the Education Committee and Sophie Boardman was elected as a young worker member of the Global Justice Committee.
Being represented at various committees within the union, helps us to have a voice and to influence the decision-making processes. It allows us to be noticed and represented within various union structures. I think continuing a presence at conventions is essential for our acceptance by other locals. This acceptance strengthens our own memberships and even the direction of CUPE NS as a whole.