LETHBRIDGE - With a strong financial foundation, CUPE members can really focus on protecting public services and public sector workers.
CUPE Secretary-Treasurer Claude Généreux addressed the convention by pointing out his challenges were not financial, but rather how best to protect and fight for members.
“We have many challenges. The targets are outside of CUPE and they are simple.”
Specifically, Généreux pointed to the on-going fight against privatization, challenges to CUPE bargaining rights, and securing pensions for all Canadians.
“A full one third of Canadian workers aged 24-64 have no personal retirement savings at all, and 61.5% of workers (11 million people) have no workplace pension,” said Genereux. “If we do nothing, the cost of widespread poverty in retirement will be disastrous.”
Généreux said that in every province in Canada, CUPE faces challenges to bargaining rights. In Alberta, health care and EMS locals are under threat from amalgamation forcing those members into other unions and bargaining units against their will.
Finally, Généreux said CUPE is fighting the privatization of public services, noting that it is a never ending struggle.
“Privatization is not going away. There is money to be made in the private sector so they are not going to give up. And we consistently elect governments that don’t believe in government, so they are not going to give up.”
Généreux said reported that the good news is that the union has the resources to take on these battles, and he pledged to make sure CUPE does what it takes to win these battles.
“We have the money. We have a strong general operating fund, we have a strong strike fund, we have strong campaign funds. Over the past eight years, we have structured our finances so that the money would be there for you to take on these battles in your locals, in you communities and in your regions.”
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