Open letter to CUPE members in B.C.
My friends, This will be my final web column as president of CUPE British Columbia. As you know, on November 4 I was honoured to be elected as your national president. Though I have already taken on my new responsibilities in Ottawa, I wanted to say a few words to each and every one of […]
How not to invest in public infrastructure
The following column from Mark Hancock ran in the Vancouver Sun on Monday, November 2. When Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces his cabinet this week Canadians will watch to see who will be appointed to deliver on his key election commitment to invest in public infrastructure. While the “who” will be important, so too will […]
Fletcher offers a solution in search of a problem
CUPE BC President Mark Hancock recently responded to an opinion piece by Black Press reporter/columnist Tom Fletcher. Our response, which has been published in a number of local BC papers, is below. Recently you ran a column by Tom Fletcher suggesting that the Canadian Union of Public Employees was running city halls in British Columbia. […]
Voter turnout will make the difference
October 19—your date with a ballot box I’m going to start this column with some math. Maybe not my strongest suit—anymore—but these numbers pretty much speak for themselves. 14. 6,201. 9.4 million. 1. OK, maybe they need a little help speaking for themselves. 14: That’s how many seats Stephen Harper and the Conservatives needed to […]
CFIB’s call for wage cuts means discrimination against women, minorities
Late last month, as the Federation of Canadian Municipalities gathered for its annual meeting, the Canadian Federation of Independent Business released its latest attack on local governments and municipal employees. The gist of the attack was that municipal workers are wildly overpaid and that spending by local governments is out of control. On June 9, […]
Never too early for election readiness
Fall federal vote will be critical to our future Welcome to the Convention 2015 edition of Public Employee. If you’re a delegate, I hope you will enjoy the debates, speeches and presentations we’ve got in store for you. To all of you who won’t be at Convention, I hope you find the information in this edition […]
A reality check for the neo-con set
Municipal wages withstand negative Fraser Institute ‘spin’ In November, thousands of British Columbians put their names forward to run as city councillors, board of education trustees, or regional district representatives. Congratulations to them all. CUPE locals engaged as they always do in talking to candidates and getting involved in the political process. We are up […]
Portland Hotel Society workers lead by example
If you were a delegate to CUPE BC’s convention in April, you know all about the Portland Hotel Society and the innovative services it provides to residents of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. And you heard from some of the CUPE 1004 members who are on the front lines, working with some of the most vulnerable people […]
Thanks for your commitment and solidarity, K-12 CUPE members
As you all know, B.C. teachers yesterday voted to ratify the tentative agreement reached earlier in the week between the BCTF and the provincial government, ending the strike that had kept schools closed for the first three weeks of the school year. Secretary-Treasurer Paul Faoro and I want to extend our appreciation and thanks to […]
Labour Day a symbol of workers’ struggle
Let’s face it, for most people in our society, the real meaning of Labour Day has faded over the years. It’s now less about acknowledging the role workers have played in building our society, and more about the last long weekend of summer. As union members and leaders, we have an obligation to the generations […]
