The COPE SEPB Convention takes place every three years and brings together delegates representing locals of our union from across Canada to discuss issues that matter to our members, to find out what’s happening in each region, and to get updates on the state of our national union.
The next COPE SEPB Convention will be held at the Fairmont Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba from June 2 to 6, 2025.
Don’t forget to put those dates on your calendar.
Stay tuned for more information!
It happened in a boardroom at the Westin Diplomat Hotel in Hollywood, Florida on June 20, 2004. The moment that Jerri New, then-Canadian Director of the Office and Professionals International Union (OPEIU), delivered the formal notice to OPEIU President Michael Goodwin that we were exercising our right to autonomy, our brand-new Canadian union was born.
Our name, Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union and Le Syndicat Canadien des Employées et Employés Professionnels et de Bureau in French (COPE SEPB), would be made official just days later.
That’s just the truncated version of the story. The journey to autonomy, and the birth of COPE SEPB, is a testament of the passion, resolve, and solidarity of our members from across the country as we fought to take charge of our own destiny, protect our members, and ensure that our issues would be at the forefront.
The seeds of separation were sowed as far back as 1959 in Montréal at an OPEIU Convention when Marcel Francq, then-president of Québec-based Local 57, spoke up to address the lack of a truly Canadian union of office workers.
The 35 years or so after Francq first put the issue of Canadian identity on the radar saw gains made by OPEIU’s Canadian members on issues related to self-control and self-determination. Those included having Canadian policies be determined by Canadians, Québec correspondence written in French, two Canadian vice-presidents to be elected by Canadians, and a Canadian director with authority to speak for the Canadian membership.
The most notable gain, however, was a constitutional change in 1974 that recognized the right of the OPEIU’s locals within Canada to establish their own autonomous national union. At the time, it was hoped this change would help support organizing efforts in Canada. Indeed, in the 30 years to follow, it sat in the constitution like a dormant volcano…that is until it exploded in 2004.
At her first meeting as the new Canadian Director of OPEIU in March 2004, New knew it was the beginning of the end of our long membership in the OPEIU. The meeting was intended to discuss a proposed increasing of the per capita dues of Canadian members by two dollars a month. This was coming at a time when Canadian dollar was trading at far less compared to the American dollar.
The most egregious part, however, was that the OPEIU presented the proposal as basically a done deal. They were untouched by our concerns over the fact that, due to the low Canadian dollar, it meant in practice that Canadians would pay a larger percentage of their wages than their American counterparts. We also argued, to no avail, that as the American-based OPEIU focused their political efforts in the USA exclusively, it left the political concerns of our Canadian members unaddressed.
Our locals in Québec were left particularly vulnerable with the dues increase announcement. They had just begun a much needed, and costly, restructuring and had promised staff and members that they would not lose a single staff regardless of the cost. The dues increase would mean they would have to break that promise and lay off staff.
At a follow-up meeting a couple of weeks later, when Goodwin suggested Canadians could ‘take-it-or-leave’ the writing was on the wall and plans for autonomy were being drafted.
However, it wasn’t smooth sailing from there. We may have called Goodwin’s bluff, but the OPEIU had no intention of allowing Canadians to simply invoke the autonomy clause and walk away.
At a hastily called meeting in Las Vegas, Goodwin informed us they planned to announce an “American autonomy” motion at the June 2024 convention, which would have prevented Canadians from accessing the international defence fund and closed the Canadian autonomy clause in the constitution. It was a motion that was sure to pass given Americans represented three quarters of the OPEIU membership.
The only way out for us was a massive signature drive where we would need the majority of our 35,000 members spread across the country to sign in support of autonomy. This also needed to be accomplished in a few weeks ahead of the 2004 convention.
There are few words to appropriately describe just what a massive undertaking that was, especially given the OPEIU tried to derail the campaign in any way they could. The international union went as far as taking out full-page ads in major newspapers across Canada, and even launched a lawsuit in BC Supreme Court that was thrown out by the judge.
As the June 2004 convention approached, our Canadian leadership group was cautiously optimistic about the signature drive. While there was still some thought perhaps reconciliation with the OPEIU could be salvaged with a last-minute deal as our delegation traveled to Florida, those hopes were quickly dashed shortly after arrival.
On the day before the start of convention, word came in that 74 percent of our Canadian members had signed in support of autonomy. With that, we had won the day.
Cheer and celebration erupted as soon as we returned to our hotel after New had delivered the letter of autonomy along with a spontaneous chorus of ‘O Canada’ breaking out as our delegation waved both the Canadian flag and the Québec Fleurdelisé. It was symbolic of the coming together of all our delegates across Canada and of particularly critical role our Québec locals played to lead us down this road dating all the way back to Montréal in 1959.
In November 2004, our union held our first official Canadian convention establishing our new Canadian constitution and establish our logo.
Today, the ongoing solidarity of our members from across the entire country is a tribute to the solidarity, fearlessness, and members are an ongoing tribute to the spirit, solidarity, and courage upon which our uniquely Canadian union was built on.
The symbolism behind our 20th anniversary logo
In coming up with a logo to celebrate the 20th anniversary of our union, we felt it was most critical to highlight our uniquely Canadian origins and, particularly, the critical role that our Québec locals played in our formation. We also felt it was important to honour our existing branding and logo and not stray far from our roots.
The inclusion of the maple leaf and Fleurdelisé into our familiar logo serves to remind us of our historic break from the OPEIU to forge our own unique identity. Additionally, having the maple leaf placed within the blue and the Fleurdelisé within the red, which is the reverse of how they are typically coloured elsewhere, is symbolic of our coming together in solidarity.
What’s in a name?
Once the dust was (mostly) settled from the breakaway from the OPEIU, deciding on the new name of our uniquely Canadian union was a fun task that fell to the delegates assembled in Florida. A photo captured from their first meeting as a Canadian union reveals several acronyms under consideration. The full names can likely be easily guessed.
The word ‘national’ appeared to be an early favourite as part of the name although ultimately, and probably for the best, it was dropped in favour of the word ‘Canadian.’
Some of those acronyms included: NUOPE, NOPEU, CPOW, NUPOW, CUPOW, NOPWU, and OPENU.
In 2015, Local 378 in British Columbia opted to rebrand as MoveUP, the Movement of United Professionals to better reflect the evolving perception of the membership.
The COPE National Executive Board (NEB), in conjunction with the CLC, has adopted the ITUC’s statement on the war in Israel and Gaza. We continue to push for a peaceful resolution to this terrible conflict.
COPE Region 2 was among the demonstrators who called for an end to the privatization of health care in Ontario at a rally at Queen’s Park in Toronto.
The group from London filled two buses to travel to Toronto to make Prime Minister Doug Ford see reason.
COPE/SEPB represents a wide range of workers in the health sector in Ontario.
Region 2 President Lorrie Vandersluis was at the rally and told CTV that private healthcare companies need a profit margin and that doesn’t work in the best interest of most patients.
“That’s the premise of capitalism, right?. They want the best bang for their buck and their shareholders. The patient is no longer at the heart of the priorities,” said Ms. Vandersluis.
You can watch the CTV report by clicking here.
Due to privatization, Ontario’s health care system is facing unprecedented levels of emergency department closures, especially in small communities, while the Ford government has $22.5 billion for health care. The money comes from federal transfers.
COPE/SEPB stands in solidarity with Indigenous communities across Turtle Island on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
We acknowledge the pain, suffering, and intergenerational trauma endured by Indigenous peoples because of the residential school system, systemic racism, and colonization. We recognize the profound impact of these injustices on Indigenous individuals, families, and communities.
We firmly believe that the path to healing, justice, and reconciliation requires not only reflection but also concrete actions, including ensuring that all 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission report get implemented.
On this day and throughout the year, we encourage our members to reflect on the history of injustice against Indigenous peoples and to actively participate in reconciliation efforts.
The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is a solemn reminder of the work that lies ahead in our collective journey towards reconciliation. Together, we must confront the truths of the past, listen to Indigenous voices, and work tirelessly to create a more just and equitable society.
As a labour union, we are committed to being part of this transformative process. We stand united with Indigenous communities, reaffirming our support for their healing, justice, and reconciliation.
In solidarity,
Annette Toth
President
Premier Ford and his Conservative party in Ontario are imposing unfair contracts on education workers with significant wage cuts and then to make it even worse he wants to silence workers and tell them they can’t even protest against his abusive law. This is a slap in the face to workers who have been on the front line during the pandemic and just like all of us are facing massive inflation and price increases.
This abhorrent piece of legislation saddles workers who dare to defy such ruthless and brutal legislation with hefty fines. Ford knows his legislation will break Canadian’s constitutional rights and freedoms. His legislation pre-emptively overrides the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Human Rights Code which leaves workers with no right to challenge the legislation at the Labour Board or in court.
Bill 28 is historic and precedent-setting in all the wrong ways. It seeks to attack and undermine workers and the very democratic principles and ideologies that make a civil, democratic society civil. By invoking the notwithstanding clause, Ford and the Conservative Party are seeking to trample on some of our most fundamental rights while limiting the ability of those he and his government are stomping all over to challenge him and the legislation.
As of Friday, November 4, these brave workers will be off the job and fighting for themselves and for all our collective human rights. We must support and stand with the members of CUPE OSBCU in this fight.
There are many ways you can support these workers who are bravely taking a stand.
We encourage COPE-SEPB members to show support for Ontario education workers at https://cupe.on.ca/dontbeabully/
For members in Ontario or who will be visiting:
You can find your closest picket line by using CUPE’s Picket Line Finder here: https://cupe.on.ca/dontbeabully/. You can also send an email to Ford using the email form provided on the page. For those who live closest to an NDP MPP office, please consider travelling to your nearest PC MPP’s office to picket. The NDP is standing in solidarity with education workers, and we thank them for their solidarity.
Email your MPP and let them know you’re opposed to this draconian legislation and that you stand with education workers using the OFL’s handy email your MPP tool found here: https://ofl.ca/action/email-hands-off/
COPE-SEPB stands in solidarity with education workers and all workers who are under an unprecedented attack that seeks to undermine our collective Labour and human rights. We must stand together and fight back. If history has taught us anything, the old adage remains true – the workers united will never be defeated.
The CLC and its research partners are releasing the initial findings of a national survey on workplace harassment and violence.
For years, workers and advocates have been drawing attention to the ongoing and widespread issue of harassment and violence at work. However, a shortage of Canadian-specific data made it difficult to know the extent and nature of the problem.
To address this evidence gap, in 2020, the CLC and researchers from the University of Western Ontario and the University of Toronto launched the first National Survey on Harassment and Violence at Work. Nearly 5,000 workers took part in the survey offering a clear snapshot of how workers are experiencing harassment and violence. The initial report, “Harassment and Violence in Canadian Workplaces: It’s [Not] Part of the Job,” was released today.
The results in this report are unsettling:
“The Report provides an important and sobering insight into the state of harassment and violence in Canadian workplaces today” said Bea Bruske, President of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC). “We see this as a wakeup call and as an opportunity to reassess what is and is not working. The results will give us a strong evidence-base to decide what actions we need to take next.”
The survey results tell us that workers are not experiencing harassment and violence the same. Indigenous workers, racialized workers, workers with disabilities, and workers who are a part of the 2SLGBTQI+ community are experiencing different forms and higher rates of harassment and violence.
The survey also found that third party violence from customers, clients, and patients is happening at a startlingly high rate, which means we need to do more to protect our members who work with third parties. This important finding will help unions create targeted prevention strategies to keep workers safer.
“We know there is no one-size-fits-all solution and we are ready to do the work to address harassment and violence in all its forms,” said Bruske. “We are particularly concerned by the results around reporting which shows that too few workers are reporting and those that do are often not satisfied with the outcome. Clearly, the reporting procedures that we have in place today are not working.”
The initial Report will help start conversations with members about what changes they want to see from their unions, employers, and governments. Tackling harassment and violence at work will require a commitment from all three. Canada’s unions look forward to working closely with employers and governments to build harassment free workplaces. The CLC is developing a multi-year plan to address harassment and violence that will include education programs, collective bargaining approaches, and a legislative agenda. Targeted reports will dive into the data in more depth to better understand how marginalized workers are impacted by harassment and violence. These will help develop and implement much-needed strategies to help keep all workers safe.
“We want to thank all of the workers who took part in this survey for sharing their stories and experiences. We know that this is an opportunity to create lasting change and the labour movement will not let this opportunity pass. We are prepared to do what it takes to make work safer for everyone,” said Bruske.