CUPE 1281 convention highlights

On Monday June 12th, delegates from across all sub-locals met for CUPE 1281’s annual convention. Thank you for all your support in making this convention happen.

The focus of this year’s convention was a discussion of three interrelated challenges: how to address more right-wing employers, especially on campuses; how to increase the level of support sub-units get for bargaining and workplace issues; and how to organize new workplaces in a balanced way that increases the resources available to all sub-units, rather than spreading staff-time even thinner.

Based on these discussions convention delegates voted to raise our dues rate from 2.5% to 3% in order to fund an additional part-time staff representative position to do servicing work for the local.

The dues increase will come into effect in October. The local will be contacting employers in the coming months to notify them of the increase in advance. Hiring for the new position will also take place in October.

There was strong direction from convention delegates to the executive to continue the expanded steward’s training program,as well as to ensure the local is taking full advantage of any and all supports CUPE National can offer us.

Coming out of convention, the organizing committee will be taking the lead on setting a balanced organizing plan in motion. They will be relying on all members to help identify appropriate potential workplaces. More information will go out to members about this soon.

 

We took three actions throughout the day! Members took photos in support of Vita and Maria who are fighting to keep their jobs and protect student services at UTSU, and to show our support for CUPE’s lawsuit against the government for selling Hydro One. At lunch, we also went outside to challenge  an anti-choice group demonstrating on the Ryerson campus, which we helped successfully drove away.

The convention elected a full executive team, as well as representatives for a number of upcoming conferences & conventions. Click here to see who was elected to represent the local at Labour Councils, CUPE Councils, and Conventions. Click here to see the makeup of internal committees.