CAW And CUPE

The CUPE strike fun has just begun.

There is no doubt that something is going on. After all, Sid Ryan was demonized and Senior was deified by the Star.

Frankly, that in itself should be the kiss of death about any possible takeover of CUPE Windsor by CAW! That and a very long strike by Windsor cab drivers should make CUPE members think twice if someone suggests joining up with them. And I am NOT going to even talk about the Senior FO theatrics or the Junior mayoral rift and Brister dramas.

Remember this as well. Would CUPE Windsor have lost out early on if CAW was in charge:

• "How critical is the CUPE cost issue to Windsor's municipal survival? A few days ago, I'm told, people from the upper reaches of the city's CAW leadership intervened in an attempt to convince their counterparts at CUPE's national headquarters that things really are different in 2009.
  
  The world has changed so much, even the much-maligned CAW gets it: it's about protecting jobs now, long-term. Sustainability."

If I was a CUPE member, I would wonder about how strong CAW would be to proterct my interests if mini-Gord praised them!

What a strange story:

• "CAW backs new City Hall union for managers"

I can hardly blame the Governments now for forcing CAW to make concessions in the auto talks. CAW is loaded with money! Imagine how much cash they must have in their bank account to be able to afford this:

• "We told them cost isn’t going to be an impediment,” said CAW national president Ken Lewenza. “The city’s paying a helluva lot of money to keep these people from becoming organized.”
  
  The CAW has offered PETU, the Professional Employees Trade Union, up to $1 million to help it in its efforts to organize.
  
  City hall has already lost the fight to have PETU certified, but is struggling to whittle down the new union’s membership to as few as 20."

WOW, money is no object to Kennie when it comes to adding 400 new dues paying members to CAW. 400! How much would their dues be and how long would it take for CAW to recoup a million dollars?

Of course, the prize is not those 400 people but the 1,800 people in CUPE Locals 543 and 82 along with other CUPE locals in town. First Windsor, then the world. CUPE is Canada's largest union with about 590,000 members.

A million dollars is a cheap investment to get that kind of return.

Of course, CAW is not that generous and the members of PETU may have unknowingly sold themselves out and will be forced to join CAW, like it or not. There are no free lunches:

• "While it’s “ultimately their choice,” Lewenza said he hopes PETU members will want to become part of his union.
  
  Miceli’s mind seems open to the idea when it comes to tiny PETU.
  
  “When you look at unions out there, how does the CAW look? Personally, I feel the CAW has done a lot of things … somebody who has the wherewithal,” he said.
  
  There’s a big financial incentive for such a move. Lewenza said there would have to be “some form of repayment” for the money going to PETU now, but not so if it decided to become part of the CAW. “Obviously, that would be an investment,” he said."

Who would be the ones to take the Windsor locals out of CUPE? How hard a fight would that be to decertify CUPE? What reward would those people expect to receive from CAW?

Will we see another labour war here as occurred a number of years ago:

• "The Canadian Labour Congress has imposed far-reaching sanctions on the Canadian Auto Workers, following accusations that the CAW had attempted to raid eight Ontario locals of the Service Employees International Union. The CLC stripped CAW delegates of the right to vote in district labor councils, provincial labor federations, and other CLC bodies."

From a taxpayers' perspective, we can thank one person for this potential mess if PETU and CUPE all form into one union together whether it is CAW or otherwise:

• "Miceli said the “main factor” that sparked the organization drive was city council’s decision in May 2006 to get rid of post-retirement benefits for new hires in the non-union category of employees. It became the main point of contention in the recent CUPE strike, and Miceli said the fear has been that the employer would eventually take the next step and get rid of those benefits for current employees...
  
  Lewenza, who describes as “ridiculous” the amounts of tax dollars the city spends fighting unions, argues those monies could have been saved simply by having the employees’ concerns addressed internally.
  
  “All they want is a voice at the workplace,” he said of PETU."

Senior is abolutely correct as my BLOG about the Pulic Library's dealings with CUPE clearly indicated.

Why should we be concerned:

• "Even without the potential clout of the CAW behind it, PETU would be a much more challenging adversary in any future labour dispute with the employer. It was largely that group of employees that kept Windsor running during the long, divisive contract battle with the city’s 1,800 CUPE workers.
  
  “If we have three to four hundred members, and we walk out, how are you going to manage? If that key group of managers and supervisors is not there, I don’t think this corporation could run,” said Miceli."

Managers and CUPE workers...All in one Union, united against the City, holding taxpayers hostage...thanks Eddie!