Ottawa CUPE District Council

CUPE and labour campaigns and strike support when needed.

1. Education

Your District Council organizes educational events; forums and conferences that help CUPE members build skills, exchange information, and develop strategies for resisting employer and government cutbacks. They are open to suggestions from Locals on a variety of topics for Educationals. Your Council is also able to design workshops that respond to the particular needs of the CUPE community.

2. Political Action

CUPE Councils support political initiatives in our community that support workers’ rights, social justice and public services. Our political action committee has been a key component in organizing such local events as May Day and Pride, and endorsing progressive candidates in local elections. A progressive Municipal council not only save CUPE jobs; it will also help us to fight the provincial governments, preserve public services and create a community that is good for all of us.

3. Strike support

Your District Council is one of the best ways to get other CUPE members to a Local picket line. Your Council draws on networks of activists, to coordinate solidarity pickets, and provide strategic, moral and financial support. This is especially important for small Locals who need the resources that the wider CUPE community in their areas.

4. Solidarity and Community

Your Council allows CUPE members to build connections between locals and between sectors of the union. These connections go beyond the immediate problems of our particular workplaces and help us build a sense of solidarity. We learn about the problems we share and the strategies we use to defend our jobs and community. Your District Council works for the benefit of CUPE members in their area, but often with limited resources. Because affiliation is voluntary, your Council depends on locals’ affiliation and the will to work together thus pooling our financial strength. Gone are the days when locals could make gains on their own. Now when attacks come from every side and employers seek the weak link in the chain to undermine our wages and services, our only response can be a common one. Affiliate to your District Council and make CUPE a more effective and united presence in your area!