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Author Topic: OPEIU Canada to split from U.S. ?
radiorahim
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posted 29 May 2004 07:21 PM      Profile for radiorahim     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
In a spat over dues and Canadian autonomy issues it appears the Canadian membership of OPEIU may become the next group of workers to split from a U.S. based union

OPEIU 378


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Mycroft_
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posted 29 May 2004 07:27 PM      Profile for Mycroft_     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Would they become a stand-alone union or join with another Canadian union such as CEP or CAW?
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radiorahim
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posted 29 May 2004 07:31 PM      Profile for radiorahim     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
I understand that they would become a stand alone Canadian union.

However given that its a union with about 11,000 members it would make sense at some future point for it to merge with a larger Canadian union.

I suppose though since the OPEIU represents the staff members of alot of unions it might make sense for it to merge with a union whose staff it doesn't represent (hi). It could get very strange if it had to strike against itself


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robbie_dee
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posted 27 June 2004 05:37 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
COPE: Canadian OPEIU wants to be free / Autocratic International wants to stop them
(Members for Democracy)

quote:
On June 20, 2004, the Canadian National Committee, on behalf of Canadian members of the OPEIU, served notice on the International Executive Board, International President Michael Goodwin and International Secretary-Treasurer Nancy Wohlforth that Canadians were invoking Canadian Autonomy as per Article X1V of the International Constitution. Twenty-four thousand, four hundred and ten members in Canada (74%) had provided their authorization for autonomy over the past month.

Monday June 21 went down as an historic day as Canadian delegates watched Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) Secretary-Treasurer Hassan Yussouf bring greetings and congratulations from the CLC and unions from across Canada to the new union following its separation from the U.S.-based OPEIU. Yussouf also conducted the swearing-in of the COPE Canadian Executive Board.

On June 22, International union representatives accompanied by court process servers arrived at the Florida hotel where COPE members were meeting and attempted to serve writs on them by bursting into a COPE membership meeting without permission or notice.

The OPEIU was seeking a court order that the Canadian union's separation from the U.S. union be declared null and void. The International was also asking for damages against the individual executive members of COPE.

"We are absolutely outraged by the actions of the U.S. union in attempting to stop Canadian members from exercising their democratic right to separate and form a Canadian union," said COPE president Jerri New. "For OPEIU to try and have a Florida Court tell Canadian workers in Canada that they cannot form their own Canadian union is beneath contempt and illustrates why our members have strongly decided to separate from OPEIU."

New said that the OPEIU legal action and disruption of the Canadian union's meeting are a desperate effort to intimidate Canadian workers and their elected representatives that will not succeed.

"Canadian workers in our union will never be told by an American union president what we can or cannot do in our own country," New said. "These heavy-handed tactics are a disgrace to the OPEIU and no doubt an embarrassment to the American labour movement."


Personally, I'm not sure "COPE" is the best acronym for a new union. Otherwise, I wish them well. Sounds like they're going to have a bit of a struggle ahead, though.

[ 27 June 2004: Message edited by: robbie_dee ]


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radiorahim
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posted 30 June 2004 01:46 AM      Profile for radiorahim     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
The local 378 website based in Vancouver has quite a bit of info on the split. The Canadian director (now Canadian president of COPE) is out of this local.

COPE Local 378


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vickyinottawa
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posted 30 June 2004 02:07 PM      Profile for vickyinottawa   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Jeez....take a leave for the election and I come back with a new union! Who knew?
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Nam
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posted 30 June 2004 04:02 PM      Profile for Nam     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Why would a brand-new Canadian union be having their founding(?) meeting in Florida?
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robbie_dee
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posted 30 June 2004 04:38 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
It's explained in the linked article but not the excerpt. COPE formally voted to secede from OPEIU at the OPEIU International Convention, which took place in Florida.

I don't know for sure why the Canadians didn't vote to secede here in Canada, and then not send delegates at all to the International convention. Apparently, though, the Canadian locals were exercising a right to self-determination that was included in the International constitution, so maybe making the decision at the International convention (even though it was in another country) was a procedurally necessary thing to do.

Or maybe the union execs just wanted a vacation.

[ 30 June 2004: Message edited by: robbie_dee ]


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rasmus
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posted 30 June 2004 06:45 PM      Profile for rasmus   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
This has been in the pipeline for a while. The international union actually wanted to get rid of the Canadian section, and took steps to make sure that would happen. It's not like other separations (CAW, CEP etc.).
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robbie_dee
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posted 30 June 2004 11:28 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
So why did the International seek a Florida court order to annul the merger?
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rasmus
malcontent
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posted 01 July 2004 03:18 AM      Profile for rasmus   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
It could be a "you can't quit, you're fired" type reaction. I.e. completely irrational.

I remember hearing all the details, but I don't recall them as I wasn't completely interested. Something to do with the international cutting the Canadian union off from some essential service. Perhaps it is detailed in the link you posted.

[ 01 July 2004: Message edited by: rasmus raven ]


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