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CUPE 3903 Underground Bulletin:
Communique from the Ad Hoc Committee Against Administration
October 29, 2009
Dear members of CUPE 3903,
Over 100 union members attended an emergency town hall meeting last night to
discuss yesterday’s announcement that CUPE National has put our union under
administration. This means that, henceforth, CUPE National will make all
decisions about our local as it sees fit. This move is troubling because our
local’s emphasis on grassroots democracy and local autonomy are the key
reasons we have one of the best contracts in the postsecondary sector.
We heard from members of the former executive, who explained that at the
most recent executive meeting, a motion was put forward for our local to be
placed under the administration of the National Union. According to these
members, the motion was put forward without any prior notice, and was voted
on with at least two other members of the executive absent and unaware that
such a critical vote was underway. As a result of the vote, members of the
former executive will continue to receive their honoraria and serve as
“advisors” to the new administrator, Lynn McDougall.
CUPE National has yet to clarify why it has undertaken this action, or
explain the process by which it was legitimated.
Several important concerns at the moment may have prompted this action by
CUPE National, including a large outstanding debt to the National Union, and
a “chilly climate” within our local. We acknowledge the seriousness of these
concerns. We object, however, to the way the National Union has taken over
CUPE 3903 without discussing the situation with its members.
Since September, our former executive has passed a series of financial
controls to ensure better fiscal management; eliminated most discretionary
spending; prepared a plan with the help of our staff to repay the CUPE
National debt; undergone anti-oppression training; and passed a new
anti-oppression protocol for the local. Additional plans were underway to
conduct a vote on a dues levy, to further strengthen our finances. In short,
the concerns about the local’s finances and climate were being
addressed—which makes this drastic move by CUPE National all the more
alarming.
At last night’s town hall meeting, the members in attendance constituted
themselves as the *Ad Hoc Committee Against Administration* in order to
ensure that information about the current situation reaches the membership,
and to organize a challenge to CUPE National’s actions. Like Lynn McDougall,
the Ad Hoc Committee wishes to rebuild our union. However, as a local
committed to grassroots democracy and social justice, we believe that our
membership should have a chance to continue the process of rebuilding
itself. CUPE National neither communicated to us that a takeover was
imminent nor suggested how it could be avoided. What is more, the majority
of our former executive deliberately refused to inform our members of the
impending take-over; instead, our former chair unilaterally cancelled
today’s scheduled General Membership Meeting.
The Ad Hoc Committee exists to ensure that the membership continue to have a
voice in our union; all members are welcome to participate in its
activities. We have come together despite our own differences, and will
continue to work with each other to regain control of our local as soon as
possible. We will be holding a second town hall meeting on Friday, October
30, at 3:30pm (at a downtown location TBA). We are also calling for a
Special General Membership Meeting next Wednesday on York campus, to discuss
the administration by CUPE National; for this purpose, we have gathered a
petition of more than 25 signatures from members in good standing, as
required by our local’s bylaws. We welcome the new administration to join
this meeting, however we are preparing to organize it ourselves.
We reject Lynn’s use of the tactics of our employer in stating that there
would be “times and locations” announced for “information meetings” on
November 4. We expect President Shoukri to pretend to encourage
participation by holding multiple small “information meetings.” We do not
expect that from our own union. All of the past practice and history of our
local affirms that the former executive did not have the authority to act
unilaterally to make such a decision—especially when they had such an
obvious opportunity to bring the issue to the October GMM where the
membership could have a voice.
All members interested in receiving communications from the Ad Hoc Committee
should contact 3903adhoc@gmail.com.
In solidarity,
The Ad Hoc Committee Against Administration
CUPE 3903
________________________________
Ad Hoc Committee Against Administration | 3903adhoc@gmail.com
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