More on CUPE volunteers

Why would anyone in their right mind today get involved as a volunteer with cupe? The people who have got involved and have given an honest effort and cared about the rights of workers and the treatment of everyone in the workplace have got burned every time by some rep., regional director, or a national executive board member some time throughout their volunteer career ; if you can classify volunteering as a career. You are not told this when you take the initial training anymore. At one time, cupe had volunteers who knew what they were talking about and they had the knowledge base and the necessary experience and they would lay out the ground rules and the risks involved that come with being part of this organization. Today the majority of the people they can find who are interested in volunteering are those who want power or want to become reps. This is the trend and it is not going to change because this is the way for permanent control to continue and for the wool to be kept over the members’ eyes. Cupe is not about the members, it is about cupe. Do not get fooled by the statement ; cupe is the members. Saying this, cupe would not exist without the members and their monthly contributions. Watchdog annie

CUPE and Negociations

Do national unions really assist your cause when it comes to negotiations? If each union local was autonomous, as is the true sense of autonomy; and they set themselves up associated with a collaberated provincial body for 50 cents per member per month as a speaker for the main issues, then they could operate the way a union should operate without interference and outside control. Most unions that are confined to their own province receive negotiated contracts as much as 10 to 20 % greater for the same type of work than unions that are affiliated to a national body. It makes one wonder what is really going on at the end of the day. We all know how the communist countries keep control of their people : they just give them enough to get by on and nothing more. Is this what the national unions are attempting to do when they interfere in negotiations and push acceptance of less than non national union contracts? Food for thought. Watchdog annie