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Corporations are looking to profit from social services | 2015 CUPE National Covention

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A new form of privatization is pushing private sector involvement in social services like housing, child care and employment services.

CUPE researchers Graham Cox and Sarah Ryan used a noon-hour speakers’ corner talk to expose social impact bonds as the latest way corporations are looking to profit from public services.

Private, for-profit financing is at the heart of these schemes. While social services are currently directly publicly funded by tax dollars, corporations and consultants want to profit from the distribution of those funds.

A social impact bond inserts a group of financiers and consultants between the government and the public service it delivers, said Cox. The private sector is guaranteed the money it fronts to provide the service, plus a hefty profit – up to 40% in one example Cox cited – if certain consultant-set targets are met.

In the case of an early childhood education project in Chicago, that means corporations are guaranteed $9,100 per year for every child from the program who does not need special education. This creates the motivation to deny children with special needs access to the program, in order to boost the results.

The motivation to make a profit distorts service delivery priorities and what is defined as a successful outcome, said Ryan, speaking about the for-profit project in Chicago.

“Consultants, evaluators, bankers are now deciding what services to provide, where those services should be provided, and who can access them. It’s no longer the common good as the overriding consideration,” she said.

Canadian Union of Postal Workers National President Mike Palecek was invited to kick off the talk by giving an update on the fight to stop cuts and privatization at Canada Post. He described how CUPW made door-to-door delivery a major issue in the federal election.

Palecek outlined the fight ahead to keep pressure on the new Liberal government to roll back the cuts that have already been made, now that Canada Post has halted its plans.

Learn more about social impact bonds at cupe.ca/privatization and citizenspress.org/social-impact-bonds.

Source: Corporations are looking to profit from social services | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Strategic Directions day 2: Strengthening our plan | 2015 CUPE National Convention

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November 4, 2015

Connecting with members, building a more inclusive union, creating safe and healthy workplaces, and fighting privatization were front and centre in discussions about Strategic Directions on Wednesday morning.

Delegates resumed debate on CUPE’s blueprint for the next two years with discussions about the importance of health and safety activism.

CUPE 1623 vice-president Sharon Richer described the urgent need for action for health care workers, who face on-the-job assaults.

“Violence is not a part of our job. We all have a right to a safe, violence-free workplace,” said Richer.

Strategic Directions proposes that 2016 be a year focused on health and safety. CUPE 2669 member and national health and safety committee co-chair Dolores Douglas said the plan will re-energize CUPE and is a great way to connect with members, especially precarious workers.

Fighting privatization was another focus, with delegates calling for solidarity across sectors and targeted resources for locals under attack.

Barb Biley, CUPE 6179 and Hospital Employees’ Union member, told delegates how important it was to be able to quickly mobilize workers across sectors to fight contracting out at a seniors’ home. Building members’ capacity to fight back, and involving all workers in a region, is essential to keep winning these battles, she said.

Kirk Mercer of CUPE 951 and Randy Fennell of CUPE 728 both pointed to apprenticeships in the skilled trades as another way to defend public services against contracting out. They called for support to maintain and expand apprenticeship programs across the country.

Delegates discussed the need to keep building CUPE’s member-to-member organizing through the Fairness program, as well as the need to engage and connect with young and precarious members – building a truly inclusive and diverse union.

Source: Strategic Directions day two: Strengthening our plan | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Health and safety forum discusses strategies for dealing with psychological injury | 2015 CUPE National Convention

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November 4, 2015

Yesterday evening, at the health and safety forum, CUPE members heard two experts, exchanged ideas and received tools and advice for a better understanding of the causes of stress, its effects on our health, and ways to prevent it.

Julie Kaisla, from the Canadian Mental Health Association’s British Colombia Division talked about the different psychological wounds caused by excessively heavy workloads, as well as some general strategies for reducing the effects of stress.

The participants also heard Cassie Loveless, Paramedic/Emergency Medical Dispatcher at BC Ambulance Service. Ms. Loveless told members about her personal experience with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and the ways that she deals with this “silent” illness. She explained various strategies to prevent the escalation of psychological injury.

CUPE health and safety advisors described the tools and resources available to members to help them understand and prevent psychological injury. A new violence prevention kit produced by the CUPE Health and Safety Service was also launched at the forum. In addition to useful information on the prevention of violence and harassment in the workplace, the kit contains tools such as a form letter to the employer for reporting violent incidents, an information sheet on working alone, a bargaining guide on domestic violence in the workplace, and various other documents.

In accordance with the mandate conferred by delegates to the 2013 CUPE National Convention, the Union Development Department, in conjunction with the Health and Safety Service, created a new series of courses on health and safety, which was launched at the forum.

The forum ended with a Q & A session with a moderator and a round table on the prevention of stress in the workplace.

Source: Health and safety forum discusses strategies for dealing with psychological injury | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Yussuff calls on CUPE members to hold Liberals to account | Canadian Union of Public Employees

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The next four years present an opportunity to build the Canada we want, Canadian Labour Congress President Hassan Yussuff told CUPE Convention delegates.

“The work you did and our movement did across the country was absolutely stellar,” he said. “We had to defeat the Stephen Harper government and it was such a pleasure to watch his sorry ass walk off that stage.”

While the outcome of the election may not have been ideal, it did end a decade of rule by a prime minister who used racism and xenophobia as an election tool, who attacked unions and who moved human rights backward a decade.

In the next four years, we must hold Justin Trudeau to his promises to repeal Bill C-377, to begin an inquiry into missing and murdered aboriginal women and to restore card-check certification. We must convince Trudeau to repeal, not revise Bill C-51, he said, adding that we must prioritize electoral reform so everyone’s voice counts and we don’t end up with huge majority governments representing a minority of Canadians.

He closed by calling on CUPE members to leave Convention united and stronger.

“The enemies of this organization are not in this room,” he said. “When you leave, leave as 600,000-plus united, and tell the employers: You attack one of us, you attack all of us.”

Source: Yussuff calls on CUPE members to hold Liberals to account | Canadian Union of Public Employees

Mark Hancock Elected National President Of CUPE

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Mark Hancock has been elected the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Over 2,100 delegates, representing CUPE locals from across the country, elected Hancock to lead Canada’s largest union. The vote took place at CUPE’s 27th biennial national convention taking place this week in Vancouver.

“I will do my best each and every day for all our members across this great country. I am so honoured to be your national president,” said Hancock to convention delegates, after being elected. Hancock, who has been president of CUPE’s British Columbia division since 2013, won on the first ballot, defeating Fred Hahn, currently president of CUPE Ontario.

Source: Mark Hancock elected national president of CUPE