Your CUPE 391 delegates this year are:

D’Arcy Stainton (President); Laura Safarian (Member at Large); Mike DePaoli (Recording Secretary); Jennifer Kuun (Member at Large); Lily Gee (Grievance Chair); and Peter DeGroot (CUPE Metro delegate and provincial CARD committee member)

The Convention begins this evening, with greetings from First Nations representatives, and an address from Barry O’Neill, our CUPE BC President. Adjournment is at 9:00 PM, with a reception following.

The Convention runs through Saturday, with business commencing tomorrow. It will be a busy time! Tune in to this blog for regular updates.

In solidarity,

D’Arcy

Well, it’s all begun...here’s a snap of delegates Lily Gee and Jennifer Kuun conferring with CUPE staffer and 391 member (she’s seconded) Heather Inglis. (Click on photos in the blog to enlarge them).

Convention opening is all about looking back at the past year’s accomplishments. As an organization, CUPE BC has accomplished a lot, and I am proud to say that our Local has been on the forefront of many of the campaigns - not the least of which was our support of the teachers of British Columbia in October.

Elder Rose LaPointe from the Musqueam Nation welcomed the delegates. Vancouver City Councillor David Cadman addressed the convention, emphasizing the importance of fighting against the privatization of public services…

“we must leave the best public services in the world to our children and grandchildren.”

He also emphasized that presently half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and it is necessary for national governments to fund services at local levels.

Bill Saunders, President of the Vancouver and District Labour Council, lauded CUPE for being front and centre in every labour issue, and identified our support as crucial in fighting against eroding labour rights. In a private conversation with him later in the evening, he told me that he believes CUPE is leading the way in at least six different vital labour battles, and cannot believe the level of commitment and solidarity he is seeing.

A ten minute video was shown (very funny _and_ inspiring), that highlighted the events of the past year - from the Telus lockout, to marching with municipal workers in Whistler, to the BCTF rallies—that showed some of how much was accomplished in the past year.

Finally, President Barry O’Neill took the podium for his address. (For the complete text of his speech, please click here). A popular leader, he always wins over crowds with his gruff yet genial speaking style. Barry stated..."My proudest moment as a labour leader was last October, when CUPE walked off the job in support of teachers.” One of our biggest tasks, he says, is to continue to challenge the privatization of public services and resources. This was highlighted by CUPEs fight to keep water and sewer services public on Vancouver Island. It’s scary to think how close so many jurisdictions came to contracting out such a basic necessity of life.

After adjournment at approximately 9:15, everyone (except Peter, who had a CARD committee caucus), retired to the ballroom for schmoozing. Ross Bliss (left) was performing with his amazing trio (I love his music...even more than I love Raffi’s!).

We will try and keep you updated throughout the convention as we get chances to hook up to the internet. We are meeting at 8:30 tomorrow morning to go over our strategy for the day. I heard tonight that one of the first resolutions up will be on childcare, and one of us will probably speak to that in support of our many ECE colleagues in Local 15.

The tone of this convention appears to be very positive.

It’s been a long, hard year for CUPE...and while elections and labour disputes certainly did not all go our way, we made a lot of gains, and the satisfaction of a job well done with solid leadership should see us through the next couple of days without lots of contention.

D’Arcy

Our delegation, with CUPE BC President Barry O’Neill.

Some impressions of the first full-day of Convention…

People seem fatigued (or is it just me?). We got through a massive number of resolutions, with very little debate. Perhaps this is because it is not an election year (every second convention sees elections for all executive positions), and people aren’t jockeying for position at the microphones.

The most contentious resolution was a proposed constitutional amendment coming from CUPE Metro (Vancouver and area District Council to which 391 is affiliated), that proposed raising the number of Regional Vice-President positions for Metro Vancouver from three to four out of ten positions. The argument for this amendment is purely proportional. There has been an increase in the number of CUPE members in the Lower Mainland over the past several years, so that 46% of CUPE members in British Columbia are now affiliates of Metro.

Many took exception to what some characterized a “power grab” by the Lower Mainland. Brother Larry Bancroft from the Interior went so far as to liken it to the BC Liberal party’s “attacks” on the “hinterland.” Ken Davidson of 1004 tried to cool things down by presenting this as an issue of pure numbers...with 46% of members, there is a lot of work to be done, and workload for only three RVPs is an issue.

When it came to a vote, the room split purely on regional lines. It’s clear that there will be no movement to evolve the executive structure in the near future unless there can be a better understanding between regions about the challenges each faces.

Peter and I both spoke today. I addressed a resolution opposing the repurposing and regionalization of school boards, letting the delegates know that public libraries now are administered under the Ministry of Education and could face a similar fate. (I also let the delegates know that our local is 75 this year, and that all but one of our members participated in the day of action in October).

Peter addressed a resolution asking for David Emerson to step down. “As a library worker, I soak up new vocabulary almost by osmosis...I can feel it expanding every day. But when I think of David Emerson, the only word I can think of is ‘bullshit.’”

Peter also sat on the podium as part of the Committee Against Racism and Discrimination (CARD), and delivered the portion of the report on Gay, Lesbian, Bi and Transgender issues (while sporting a pink triangle temporary tattoo on his cheek). It’s hard to describe how much Peter does in unique ways to raise the profile of our Local. He’s known and respected by almost everyone in the union movement, and like he does at VPL, he lightens everyone’s mood and gets more done than is humanly possible. Peter, you are truly fantabulous and starrific!

Guest speakers today included Carole James (leader of the provincial NDP—Lily, Jennifer and Laura caught up with Carole in the washroom...I swear, that’s where most of the business gets done at convention!), and Jinny Sims (president of the BCTF). Jack Layton is scheduled to speak tomorrow...I’ll do my best to time my bathroom break accordingly to get a word in with him.

We’ll try and update the blog tomorrow night. I’m off to bed to try and catch up on some rest, so that I will be fresh for the International Day of Mourning march at 7:30 am.

But before I go...I have to put a plug in for childcare! Randi Gurholt-Seary from Local 15 has been working tirelessly to get the Conservatives to honour the Liberal childcare strategy. Show your support by clicking here and adding your name to the petition.

More tomorrow! - D’Arcy:)

And now a word from Peter DeGroot...

The Workers Day of Mourning is happening on Friday (tomorrow) April 28. CUPE BC will be joining the BC Federation of Labour for a rally in the early hours of the day. You are welcome to attend and participate!

The gathering will be at the Art Gallery (Georgia Street side) at 7:45. People attending will be asked to carry one of the 188 caskets. Each casket symbolizing the 188 workers who died on the job in British Columbia in the past year.

We are fortunate in the Library where we have a lower rate of injury than other professions. We have policies and guidelines and a very active Occupational Health and Safety Committee. Not all workers are so fortunate. Here’s an opportunity to show some solidarity with other unions to draw attention to this most important matter.

The rally should last about an hour (enough time to get back to your worksite!)

Peter