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Dana Flavelle
Toronto Star
October 15, 2012
In an unusual move, Canada's newest and largest private sector union would go beyond organizing workplaces and begin recruiting students, seniors, the unemployed and anyone who shares its social and economic goals, the founding partners say.
The move to create Canada's largest private sector union took another major step forward Monday as the Communications, Energy and Paperworkers Union of Canada voted more than 90 per cent in favour of joining forces with the Canadian Auto Workers.
Nearly 1,500 delegates to a CEP convention in Quebec City endorsed the merger, paving the way for creation of a new super-union with the financial resources and political clout to tackle the challenges facing the labour movement.
"Today we witnessed history being made. This isn't just a step forward for the labour movement. It's a step forward for progressive people in this country," said Dave Coles, national president of the CEP.
"It sends a very clear message, we believe, to the Conservatives and any other political group that thinks that they can attack workers."
The new union, which would represent 320,000 workers across some 20 industries, aims to aggressively expand its membership, financial resources and political clout. It will also seek mergers with additional unions.
While it still doesn't have a name or a leadership structure, it does have a vision - to recruit as many people from as many walks of life as possible, including seniors, students and the unemployed.
It's unclear whether these non-traditional members would pay union dues and, if so, how much. Such details would be worked out at a founding convention sometime in 2013.
Coles acknowledged the strategy had never been tried before.
But with the labour movement under attack from an increasingly global economy and anti-union legislation that could make workplace organizing more difficult, the union is reaching out to a broader group.
"We'd be more than glad to represent the 99 per cent of Canadians and take on the 1 per cent that have had it their own way for too damn long," said Ken Lewenza, national president of the CAW.
It's also unclear who would lead the new organization and what it would be called. Neither Coles nor Lewenza ruled out a run at the leadership of the merged entity, saying only that no such discussions have yet taken place.
The merger comes as organized labour faces growing pressures in both the private and public sector due to plant closures, the changing nature of work and eroding labour laws.
Union membership has fallen to 30 per cent from 40 per cent in the 1970s. In the private sector, the rate is even lower, at 17 per cent.
The number of strikes in Canada, a measure of union clout, has fallen by 90 per cent during the same time period.
The creation of a "super-union" is necessary because of the declining power of the labour movement, said Pradeep Kumar, a professor at Queen's University's School of Policy Studies.
The two unions plan to hold a founding convention next year to create the blueprint for a constitution and a new name. Together, they hope to reinvigorate the labour movement by including non-traditional members, such as the unemployed, retirees, and students with similar social goals.
They also plan to double their spending to $50 million over the next five years to boost their presence and their bargaining power in key economic sectors.
The two unions entered formal merger talks earlier this year and the CAW voted unanimously to join the CEP on Aug. 23.
In initial discussions for a new name, the two sides have agreed the words autoworkers and paperworkers will disappear. Instead, they'll focus on a name that reflects their new mandate.
Source: http://www.thestar.com/business/article/1271754--cep-backs-merger-with-caw-to-create-super-union
