CUPE structure

Any large union can be portrayed like Germany in the second world war; where one person can ruin a whole country or a whole organization, if they are permitted to be the supreme leader with no one advising them other than their supporters. This is how the cupe structure is : the national president interprets the constitution and can not be challenged on this other than in a court of law because if someone dares to question anything they will have to at the biannual every two years and it will most certainly be defeated by the followers. Do not kid yourself because at a national convention it is always orchestrated that the majority of the attending members are followers of the grand puba. There has never been one supreme leader in the history of the world that has not destroyed the civilization that the leader belonged to so why would cupe be any different; and furthermore, why would intelligent learned individuals heading the creation of the national constitution permit this type of structure to exist let alone continue to operate unless there was something for them at the end of the tunnel. I think it is time to knock down the great pyramid and build a new foundation that protects and supports the real values of unionism. Watchdog annie.

Senority and CUPE Reps

I know I have touched on this subject before ; but, what do you think about reps. only doing a set number of years or putting them on contract or at least having some of the services contracted out. The present system does not work because once they are in, they accumulate
I know I have touched on this subject before ; but, what do you think about reps. only doing a set number of years or putting them on contract or at least having some of the services contracted out. The present system does not work because once they are in, they accumulate senority and they eventually become permanent and there is no way of disposing of them. The other problem is there is no real set framework for reps.around what their job entails. They do everything from filing grievances to adjudications to giving out papers and being door people at conferences. I think they should be confined to only dealing with grievances and assisting with negotiations. The adjudications should be performed by the lawyers; and if there are too many to be dealt with at a certain time, then have an outside lawyer to handle them. The other thing that should take place is : if you are hired as a secretary, you perform secretarial duties; not automatically become a rep. your last five years of work to beef up your pension settlement .the research and the media people should be all contracted out or given to members within that have the expertise and are willing to perform these duties for a specified period of time. I will close my thought today by stating in no circumstances should hired reps. be attending conferences and meetings where their main objective is to obtain a free coffee and a donut, promote propaganda, spy on the little people, and neglect the members they should be representing. It is high time members stepped up to the plate and demanded proper representation from the very people they pay. Watchdog annie.

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 Reps on Strike With the CUPE Local

Here is a thought for the day. Every time there is a strike, the striking group always makes a comment about the national reps. should be on strike when they are on strike, so they can understand what they are going through and what they are trying to survive on. Even though this is a fantastic thought, this is never going to happen ; or if you could find an executive board that would stand strong and negotiate this, there would never be another strike in cupe across the country. Reps. do not like strikes because they have to work and be accountable ; and further more, they make more money when their group is on strike because of the supposed increased workload and hours. Reps. are not going to understand or truly care about strikers because at the end of the day they have made it to the big leagues and we are just a means to an end for them. Keep hoping people but please do not lose touch with reality. Watchdog annie.

CUPE and the right to fair representation

Today there are still provinces that do not have duty of fair representation for members of unions in relation to acts that affect their labour boards. This is just another example of unions getting away with whatever they want and not fighting for the rights of their members. Cupe will fight when it comes to another union talking to their members or when they think they should be part of some board in a particular province ; but when it comes to something that actually benefits and protects the rights and interests of the members they do not want any part of it. Duty to fair representation gives the members the right to file a complaint with their respected labour board when a national union decides to write it’s own rules and dictate how things are going to be and who is going to be in charge.This can be as simple as the national union president or one of the national executive board members or a chrony does not like the local president or local executive ;or the executive may have called the national union on some facet of misappropriation and the national union just steps in and eliminates these people dragging their names through the mud at the same time with no remorse or conscience. Without this , unions like cupe can abuse their power and basically do whatever they want whenever they want and the dues paying members are at their mercy. Trust me, cupe national has did this many times and will continue to do it because there is no legislation and they have all the members money to discredit people and fight in the courts. It is like paying for something you think you have but you do not have--------premiums for an insurance that only exists in theory not principle. Watchdog annie

CUPE NAtional Expenses

Why is it that no one questions the expenditures of the national executive board in relation to the purchase of water bottles, mouse pads, flags, pins, and paper products to advertise cupe. The dues that is collected should not be used to purchase articles that are expensive and appear to have the only sole purpose for to outdo the competition. Sure, there should be a certain amount allotted for recruitment and necessary paperwork that explains what your union organization is all about; but when you are talking about tens of thousands of dollars going towards items that are not necessary for the well being of the membership, then you are over extending your position in relation to making decisions on additional expenditures. If this organization is going to straighten it’s act up, there needs to be clear and concise guidelines and policing of expenditures at the national level, with no exceptions to the rules. This is the way it is at the local level throughout the country ; so the old saying should remain true,what is good for the goose should be good for the gander. Watchdog annie.

Who does CUPE recruit ?

What do you think about the training programs they put on. It seems cupe is more interested in trainers not telling the real truth about being a volunteer and let these poor people feel they are important until they run into a stumbling block when they go to represent someone whose grievance may be a little outside the norm. they recruit trainers who are not really equipped to do training because the majority do not have this type of background or do this for a living. Cupe is able to somewhat brainwash them into how to put a program on and how to present the national way to the members interested in getting involved in union work. At the end of the day, we end up with a group of people who are not properly trained to represent the membership. What is the answer? Cupe is supposed to be in the union business, not the training business. Hire, under contract, members who do this for a living to do the training and the followup. Separate the training of volunteer representatives from the propaganda and maybe they can acquire a greater percentage of members who will be able to do the job properly and the way it should be done; with a whole lot less guess work and problems. Watchdog annie.