CUPE BC Convention 2025
April 30 – May 3, 2025
Attendance: Tim Baker, Lisa Devitt, Ken Wright, Stacey Robinson, Nancy Williams, Loreen Wanlin, Louise Henry
Day 2, Friday, May 2nd
Credential Committee Report:
550 members representing 103 locals
521 voting members with 29 alternates
David Eby – Premier of BC
Today is a day of mourning and remembrance for our Philippine community for the tragedy at the Lapu Lapu celebration. They are community who are important hard-working members of our family of CUPE BC. We support them in their time of need. We would like to also remember the members of local 8911 (911 operators) who dealt with the panic and heartbreak of that day. They have my sincere thanks and appreciation.
People ask me how are you doing? The question is how are WE doing? We are in a pretty crazy time right now, but there is no other place in the world I’d rather be to face this right now as right here. A big thank you to CUPE BC for all their support and efforts, especially during the provincial election. Because of your hard work, we won a majority by 16 votes! BC supports a progressive vision for the province, which is important to know.
We need to focus on what makes us special and different. A strong economy through public services (delivered by Union members) such as transit, childcare, medical, dental etc. As Union members, you are the foundation of this work.
In closing thank you for your work, your solidarity and support. Tell your collogues that if they have uncertainty and anxiety that we are working with CUPE to deliver the kind of province for the people by working together and supporting each other.
Martina Boyd – BC Regional Director CUPE BC
CUPE applied to have 3200 student workers at UBC unionize. After two years of the labour board deliberations, they were denied. They did not consider student work actually work. Locals are facing more challenges then ever before. It is unacceptable that we are facing these delays which can avoid a strike situation due to the labour boards under staffing. We will continue to fight for the right of student workers. To be treated with dignity and respect and to be fairly represented by a labour union. This fight is not over.
Through out the last year our working group team worked with provincial leaders towards resolutions for addictions issues, affordable childcare and many more issues. In the coming year, we will work with bargaining committees to ensure our members have strong bargaining positions. We have lawyers, researchers, human rights specialists, occupation health and safety representatives and many more to assist Unions with this.
Matt Lensen – Human Rights Staff Representative
CUPE Anti Racism Strategy Review of Goals:
Governance, Representation, Education, Lived Experience, Organizing, Bargaining, Enforce the Collective Agreement, Data Collection, Political Action, Coalition Work
Current Priorities:
Enforcing the Collective Agreement, Political Action, Colliton Work
Integrate anti racism into labour management meetings, grievances handling with an anti-racism policy. We need to support anti racist policies and candidates. We need to lobby for stronger human rights and equity legislation. We need to demand racial equity in public spending. What can we do? Co-sponsor events, campaigns and actions and connect anti racist struggles to global movements.
Jenny Kwan -NDP Member of Parliament, Vancouver East
So good to be in a roomful of Union activist who share the ideals of the working people of BC. I bring regrets from Jagmeet Singh; it’s a trying time for him but there are 7 new NDP delegates who will work in the House of Commons for you. Thank you for believing in us!
There is no economy without workers, you are absolutely essential to this province, and it is essential that there is a minister of labour in government. There is too much Union busting in government, I have seen too many back-to-work legislation in my time, and we will fight for you. There is a long road ahead of us, but we will work and rebuild our party. I will never cross the floor to be a liberal. As a NDP, we have achieved many things, Medicare, pensions (CPP) under Tommy Douglas. You will hear Poilievre say they support Medicare (to include dental and pharma-care) but the Conservatives had the chance and never delivered! It has always been NDP that protected workers and the people of Canada.
I have walked down this road before with one other person and now I have 7! We will build a movement to bring back a strong democratic party. Together we will get this done!
Sussanne Skidmore – President of the Federation of Labour
I want to talk about the Lapu Lapu tragedy. We all know someone who knew someone involved in this. We stand with our brothers and sisters at this sad time. I want to talk about our front line public sector workers who support our Philippino community whether they were 911 workers or first on the scene workers. So when the government talks about how our public sector workers are not important and don’t affect the people, it angers me.
The union give us power. Without us, nothing works. The working people ARE the economy. We need to keep our workers working with more training, with WCB coverage for psychological injuries, with public transit that bring communities together and paying the people who deliver these services properly.
Donald Trump blathers on about making Canada the 51st state, that will never happen. However, there are more ways to lose a country, attacking Unions, healthcare, scrapping paid sick leave, public education and more. We lost so many NDP MP’s in this last election and we cannot know how this will shake out in parliament. What is clear, labour voices need to be heard and speak out for the working people of Canada.
We know we are up against money and powerful people but we have solidarity and the power of the Unions working with us!
Kent Peterson – President of CUPE Saskatchewan
I bring greetings from 31,000 of your fellow CUPE members of Saskatchewan! I also want to thank you for every good idea I ever had, which I stole from CUPE BC (trucker hats, CUPE Van), but when you voted in NDP……we didn’t.
Scot Moe could have used his budget to fix our health care but instead he cut it while given more money to private medical clinics. He also is one of the few Premiers in this country who refuses to sign the $10/day daycare. These cuts have made the violence sweeping through our schools and libraries worse. He has laid off 80 EAs in our school district, causes havoc with supporting our students.
These challenges are real to our families, and we are close to electing a NDP government and the first female premiere of our province in our next election. The future is us and we must fight at the ballot box, there is no knight in shining amour coming to save us. Don’t stop till we end violence in the workplace, transphobia, racism in the workplace and a living wage for all workers.
Resolutions
Emergency Resolution No. 1: Demand that the BC government immediately recognize that research is work, student workers are employees, and that they have a constitutional right to form and join a union; and demand that the BC government provide direction to all universities and colleges so that employment of student workers must adhere to the Employment Standards Act, and provide for targeted enforcement of this direction – Passed
NOTE: Research students are expected to work 40 hours/week for 24,000/year. On that, their tuition is taken off and they are expected to live on 17,000 a year. Many are abused by their professors (working hours, sexual assault) with nowhere to turn for help.
No. 18: Include “chosen family” in the Employment Standards Act – Passed
No. 13: Denounce Residential School denialism – Passed
No 9: Inclusive emergency alarms – Passed
No. 16: Oppose the Name Amendment Act – Passed
No. 12: Fully fund and implement the BC Accessibility Act – Passed
No. 21: Support and advocate for members experiencing immigration issues – Passed
No. 8: Include ableism, racism, homophobia, and transphobia as workplace hazards – Passed
No. 15: Increase Shelter Aid for elderly renters (Safer) subsidy – Passed
No. 7: Pensionable guaranteed livable basic income for all Canadians – Passed
No. 14: Eliminate financial barrier to home support access – Passed
No. 70: Increase pension education for CUPE members – Passed
No. 44: Political organizing education for members – Passed
No. 75: Climate emergency toolkit – Passed
No. 65: Hold a CUPE BC young workers conference in 2026 – Failed
No. 72: Political action campaigns for the 2026 local government elections – Passed
No. 61: Advocate for support the bill “Health at the Workplace” in Honduras – Passed
No. 52: National Union support for the Act for Mental Health campaign and universal mental health care – Passed
No. 86: National Union Skilled Trades Committee – Passed
No. 81: Additional WorkSafe officers to enforce legislation and penalties – Passed
No. 50: Full-cycle approach to election campaigns – Passed
No. 47: Expansion of Trades education in B.C. – Passed
No. 67: Address the cost-of-living costs – Passed