The Credentials Committee started off the day with their report as of Thursday morning.  Present are 884 delegates from 220 Locals, 11 delegates from 11 CUPE Councils, numerous other alternates, officers, staff, national staff reps, guests for a total of 1,093 in attendance and 897 voting delegates.

 

A video was shown about what has happened in Ontario with CUPE members in the past year.

 

President of CUPE Ontario, Fred Hahn, addressed the delegates with his report.  He addressed some problems with the budget over the last four years.  He talked about the provincial budget and how McGinty is putting the blame for the provincial financial situation on public services, by putting wage freezes on non-union jobs and promising new wage increases when collective agreements open up.  McGinty then turned around and made corporate tax cuts of 4.6 billion dollars over the next two years.  Fred talked about the problems in home care, child care, schools boards, pensions and the selling off of our public services - water rights.  He had the delegates acknowledge the locals that were on strike this year:  Local 416 & 79 Toronto civic employees for fought concessions; Local 543 & 82 Windsor inside and outside workers who were on strike for over 100 days fighting concessions, Local 1521.02 Lanark ACL workers - 19 people who went on strike for 10 weeks over pensions; and Local 3906 McMaster University workers - part time and temporary teaching assistants who were fighting cutbacks.

 

Paul Moist, CUPE National President, then spoke to the delegates.  He thanked CUPE Ontario for bringing their convention to Windsor as it would help this community which had been through so much with loss of jobs, strikes, etc.  He stated how CUPE National was going to be donating $10,000 to the 19 food banks in Windsor at the community BBQ at lunch.  He asked the delegates to acknowledge the Windsor CUPE social service worker who was stabbed going to work in March.  He talked about what's happening in health care, medicare, education and pensions.

 

Three University sector resolutions were debated and passed.  Resolution 10 concerned supporting and resourceing a campaign to pressure the provincial and federal gov'ts for a fair funding formula that covers all workers in post secondary education.  Resolution 25 concerned holding an annual Health and Safety school that would offer Level 1, Level 2 Law, Level 2 Committees, hazard specific training, etc.  Resolution 69 would ensure a full time coordinator for the Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee be a provincial priority.

 

Finally, Andrea Horwath, the NDP Ontario leader spoke to the delegates.

 

Over lunch delegates were encouraged to attend a BBQ that was put on to connect with the greater Windsor community at Dieppe Park.

 

After lunch the lunch gave another report.  More delegates had registered today bringing the numbers to 912 delegates from 230 locals and totalling 1,141 in attendance with 924 voting delegates.

 

Candice Rennick, CUPE Ontario Secretary-Treasurer gave her report.  Following her report there was a long and heated debate concerning items from the report.  The report was adopted by the delegates.

 

The National Secretary-Treasurer, Claude Genereaux, gave his report to the delegates.