This morning, MGEU President Lois Wales took part in a conference call with the National Executive Board of NUPGE in which the board unanimously voted to immediately suspend NUPGE’s participation in the activities of the Canadian Labour Congress (CLC).
Arriving at this important decision was not an easy one to make and the matter was given a great deal of consideration. But in the end, the board could no longer justify its participation in the CLC when some affiliates continue to undermine the core principle of labour solidarity by raiding and not suffering any meaningful consequences for their destructive behaviour.
Background: CLC and Raiding
In 2005, the MGEU was raided by the Teamsters and lost some 1,500 members. Despite being found guilty of raiding and sanctioned under the CLC Constitution, the Teamsters did not experience any concrete negative impact for their actions. There was, however, a great financial cost to NUPGE and the MGEU as we had to assume the cost of fighting the raid as well as the loss of dues revenue.
In protest, NUPGE began withholding a small portion of its dues to the CLC each month starting in April 2006 but the issue still has not been effectively dealt with.
The National Executive Board took today’s actions in order to send a strong message to the collective leadership of the labour movement that we simply have to find ways to stop raiding.
NUPGE has always, and will continue to be, committed to a strong and unified house of labour. However, in response to the NUPGE Executive Board’s decision, the CLC has decided to expel NUPGE and its Components from the Federations of Labour and Labour Councils (effective January 1, 2011).
That means any MGEU members currently sitting on a Manitoba Federation of Labour (MFL) committee or local Labour Council as an MGEU representative, may no longer be permitted to do so in the New Year.
The MGEU and NUPGE are currently working with local Labour Councils and Federations of Labour to find a solution to this problem and we hope that NUPGE can one day resume its full participation in all of the activities of the CLC.
Learn more about the issue:
Download The Facts concerning NUPGE’s position on raiding (pdf)