Owning rather than renting saves us money. And, more than our CUPE homes, they also represent capital assets – assets we can take to the bank if it ever gets to the point where we need to borrow money. But for now we can sleep peacefully knowing we have $60 million in combined assets. A dozen years ago we didn’t have a red cent; we even owed money.
I would like to thank our National Executive Board for their support, the staff at National Office who support my work and the staff across the country who support all of us – all CUPE chartered organizations. I would particularly like to thank our National President, Paul Moist, for his support, friendship and advice over the last two years. Thank you Paul.
Because of the strength in our asset base, no CUPE member needs to worry about strike pay again, about the ability of their union to fight back against privatization, or to fight for social justice.
In conclusion, more than 20 years ago, two leaders – Jeff Rose and Jean-Claude Laniel – pushed us. They led us into changing the financial base of CUPE, moving from flat base into a percentage base. And this was the foundation. It took long to blossom – more than 20 years – to get the right rate and get it together. Thank you Jeff and JeanClaude.
While we put money away in the National Strike Fund and in the National Defence Fund for these purposes, the increasing financial strength in our operations has also increased flexibility for our activism. Our investment is not just in capital assets, we have begun to truly invest in ourselves.
And I would like to thank all of you. Thank you for your dedication to CUPE and for your hard work moving us forward day in and day out. I look forward to the next two years with vigor and confidence as we meet the many challenges ahead.
As I have outlined, over the past number of years we have been gradually but substantially increasing the amount of money we spend in regions and on campaigns, activism and political action. In fact, when we combine all we have financially committed, we have increased our support to activism close to $8 million, or more than four times what is used to be seven years ago in 2001. This even though our membership has grown 15% or our revenue by 30% in the same period.
I am going to close my remarks with a graphic presentation of the strength of our foundation. They say that a picture speaks a thousand words, so after some 4,000 words, here are 20,000 words, the CUPE homes across the country that each and every one of us owns, but I will say it in a different way “roll the camera please”. Yup, money talks! Thank you – now let’s get down to business!
Our activism works. In Beloeil, Québec, Sister Johanne Gauthier, president of CUPE Local 4750, was suspended after speaking out against plans for a P3 project. But quick work on CUPE’s part got Sister Gauthier reinstated the next day and now the P3 plans are “on ice”.
(M/S C. Généreux, unidentified delegate – Carried)
REPORT OF THE NATIONAL TRUSTEES A P3 plan to rebuild a major highway interchange in Montréal has been deep-sixed because the government says the savings are no longer possible. Well the savings were never there. And the P3 agency set up by the Charest government has disintegrated, spelling the end for a P3 hospital project in Québec City. Why? Because CUPE members and our coalition partners have been fighting back.
The national trustees are Maria Wahl, Mark Goodwin and Ronald Dagenais. Report for the period January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2008 The national trustees’ meeting began on May 11, 2009 in Ottawa, at the CUPE National Office. The trustees reviewed the following documents: National Executive Committee and National Executive Board minutes; quarterly financial statements; the 2008 audited statements for the General Fund, the Strike Fund, the Defence Fund; cost-shared files; expense files; arrears files; and the actuarial valuation of post-retirement and post-employment benefits from January 1 to December 31, 2008.
We do have a tough road ahead of us. Take a look at our proposed strategic directions paper. This week we will debate it, improve upon it because it will ultimately determine our plan of action for the next two years. As we move into the next two years, we know we can increase our political muscle. We can start to truly invest in ourselves. We are not just about bricks and mortar. But the bricks and mortar serve a very important symbol of how we, with our collective money will ultimately feed our activist souls.
At the time of this report, CUPE’s per capita revenue for 2008 was $159,477,197. This amount of revenue has made
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