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» babble   » walking the talk   » labour and consumption   » AUPE Convention delegates vote to disaffiliate from NUPGE

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Author Topic: AUPE Convention delegates vote to disaffiliate from NUPGE
CUPE_Reformer
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Babbler # 7457

posted 31 October 2006 07:34 AM      Profile for CUPE_Reformer   Author's Homepage     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
AUPE was suspended from membership in NUPGE in March of 2001 after another union complained when some of its members democratically chose to join AUPE.

At the time, AUPE argued that union members should have a right to choose the unions they want to belong to, and in the debate preceding the resolution delegates strongly restated that view.


AUPE Convention delegates vote to formally disaffiliate from national and provincial labour organizations


From: Real Solidarity | Registered: Nov 2004  |  IP: Logged
Ursa Minor
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posted 01 November 2006 01:36 PM      Profile for Ursa Minor     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Fuck AUPE.

AUPE is not a real union. It's Dan McLennan's personality cult. Anyone with any progressive credentials who was involved with AUPE was bullied into submission or made to disappear a long time ago.

AUPE is the company union for the Alberta Conservatives. It was largely due to "Buf's" golf games with Tory insiders that they got their beloved run-off votes against CUPE. In the time I was actively involved with AUPE, their entire agenda was raiding CUPE locals and padding their bank account. Ask AUPE members with Alberta Environment, ALCB, or the University of Calgary about what kind of job their union did on them...er...for them.

When Bill 11 threatened health care jobs in Alberta, CUPE, HSA, UNA, and the Labour Councils were on the front line. Dan McLennan and AUPE were canoodling the Canadian Health Care Guild to get their foot in the door for raiding CUPE's health care locals. For those of you scoring at home, just because AUPE walked away from the AFL, CLC and the Labour Councils, it doesn't mean that the rulings against them don't stick anymore.

AUPE's contempt for other unions stems from the fact it doesn't want to operate like other unions. Everything from local bargaining to which grievances go to arbitration is handled by the Executive in Edmonton. Thanks to tjeor byzantine web of chapters and area councils, rank and file members have little to no say as to how their locals are run. How democratic is a union when members can't directly elect their own Local President or members of their bargaining team?

I wish people would wake up and realize the biggest reason why there has never been a labour-based resistance to the Klein regime in Alberta is AUPE, their concession bargaining, and their refusal to join any campaign involving other unions put McLennan's arrogance right out in front for the entire labour movement. I'm sick and tired of McLennan's free ride and I for one am happy it's coming to an end.

It's laughable to think back to all the AUPE meetings I attended across Alberta, and hear people deride CLAC. AUPE is CLAC with government sponsorship.


From: Vancouver, British Columbia | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
robbie_dee
rabble-rouser
Babbler # 195

posted 01 November 2006 01:59 PM      Profile for robbie_dee     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by Ursa Minor:
Fuck AUPE.

AUPE is not a real union. It's Dan McLennan's personality cult. Anyone with any progressive credentials who was involved with AUPE was bullied into submission or made to disappear a long time ago.


For what its worth, McLennan has now stepped down as AUPE leader, although his successor does not appear to be promising significant changes from the old regime.

quote:
On the morning of Friday, Convention delegates elected Doug Knight, a Local 005 member and veteran AUPE activist from Red Deer, to replace MacLennan.

In his campaign, Knight, 48, had emphasized the need for continuity with the policies of former president MacLennan. “I intend to stay the course set by Dan and focus on bargaining good contracts for AUPE’s members, meeting members in their workplaces and listening to their issues,” he said immediately after ballots were counted.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” said Knight, who defeated 11 other contenders for the job as leader of AUPE. “But there’s a job to be done and I’m going to do it.


Convention ends with swearing in of new AUPE President Doug Knight

At least it looks like there was a competitive election for the job?


From: Iron City | Registered: Apr 2001  |  IP: Logged
Ursa Minor
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posted 01 November 2006 02:25 PM      Profile for Ursa Minor     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
It doesn't surprise me that the delegates didn't change course. McLennan had long tried to establish succession in his own image.

When Ed Mardell was re-elected as Secretary Treasurer over Earl Thompson in 1999, McLennan was ready to resign in a rage that the membership didn't take to his endorsement of Thompson, and his trash-talking of Mardell from the President's Podium.

I haven't had that much contact with AUPE outside of a few members of the past couple of years, but it's safe to assume that Knight's cut from a similar cloth. A less belligerent cloth, but the same anti-progressive businesses unionism cloth.


From: Vancouver, British Columbia | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged
John K
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posted 01 November 2006 03:56 PM      Profile for John K        Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
Posted by Ursa Minor:
quote:
AUPE is not a real union. It's Dan McLennan's personality cult.

From the AUPE news release:

quote:
Members called back: “We love you, Buff!”

Said MacLennan: “the luckiest person here today is me, for having known you!”


Some days you have to remind yourself you're living in Alberta, not North Korea.


From: Edmonton | Registered: Nov 2002  |  IP: Logged
Ursa Minor
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posted 02 November 2006 07:56 AM      Profile for Ursa Minor     Send New Private Message      Edit/Delete Post  Reply With Quote 
quote:
Originally posted by John K:
Posted by Ursa Minor:

Some days you have to remind yourself you're living in Alberta, not North Korea.


The convention love-in doesn't surprise me, given that all MacLennan and longtime members of his executive like Peggy Hoffman ever did was campaign for re-election. The staff and the reps. handled pretty much everything (when they weren't being locked out), but these people couldn't be bothered to get involved with the AFL and the Labour Councils beyond trashing them. Real activists like D'arcy Lanovaz and Andrea Waywenko were left scratching their heads, it's not a surprise that Lanovaz went on to be President of CUPE Alberta.

AUPE had a chance to build something significant in Alberta. At one time, their headquarters on Edmonton's west side was literally the House of Labour: the CLC office was there, the AFL were there, AUPE was there, and people actually talked to each other. That changed of course when USWA struck because Buf and company wanted concessions from their own staff while they were raking in new dues from the Canadian Health Care Guild.

You know, I don't think "We love you Buff" is truly representative of MacLennan's tenure as President.


From: Vancouver, British Columbia | Registered: Sep 2006  |  IP: Logged

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