Facebook			Email
What are these?

“Based on the results of our solidarity vote so far, more than 90 per cent of voting members have said ‘yes’ to taking collective action,” CUPE BC president Barry O’Neill said. More than 100 of CUPE's 150 locals have held the votes to defend CUPE jobs, collective agreements and communities.

“Our solidarity vote sends a clear message to the Campbell Liberals and any other employer who thinks they can use contract-breaking legislation to run roughshod over workers’ rights,” O’Neill said.

“If you take on one CUPE member, you take on all 67,000 of us,” he added to loud applause. Delegates echoed this sentiment in debating the resolution on CUPE’s two-year action plan.

“We have to look after each other and stand together,” said Virginia Moore, a delegate from Hazelton. “Although the mills are closing in our region and only one person is now working [in a family] instead of two, our members voted to support acting in solidarity.”

“The solidarity vote has given hope to our members and our communities,” said Marlene Crozier, a CUPE school worker from Nanaimo. “We need to build on that in the weeks and months ahead.”

On the emergency resolution dealing with Labour Relations Code changes, CUPE delegates urged the Liberal government to consult labour and business under section 3 of the code, before making any legislative amendments.

In other business, delegates agreed to fight health care privatization, support a general strike, set up an aboriginal council, support labour-friendly candidates this fall, qnd protect public water systems. Delegates considered more than 120 resolution over the four-day convention.

“We are in the fight of our lives,” O’Neill said at the close of convention. “The fight continues today as we go back to our communities to organize our co-workers, our families and our neighbours. We deserve to win this fight. And we will win it.”