CUPE NATIONAL – EQUALITY STATEMENT

CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all sisters and brothers deserve dignity, equality and respect.

Union solidarity is based on the principle that union members are equal and deserve mutual respect at all levels. Any behaviour that creates conflict prevents us from working together to strengthen our union.

As unionists, mutual respect, cooperation and understanding are our goals. We shall neither condone nor tolerate behaviour that undermines the dignity or self-esteem of any individual or creates an intimidating, hostile or offensive environment.

Discriminatory speech or conduct which is racist, sexist, transphobic or homophobic hurts and thereby divides us. So too, does discrimination on the basis of ability, age, class, religion, language and ethnic origin.

Sometimes discrimination takes the form of harassment. Harassment means using real or perceived power to abuse, devalue or humiliate. Harassment should not be treated as a joke. The uneasiness and resentment that it creates are not feelings that help us grow as a union.

Discrimination and harassment focus on characteristics that make us different, and they reduce our capacity to work together on shared concerns such as decent wages, safe working conditions, and justice in the workplace, society and in our union.

CUPE’s policies and practices must reflect our commitment to equality. Members, staff and elected officers must be mindful that all persons deserve dignity, equality and respect.

OCEU/CUPE 1750 – RESPECT STATEMENT

For OCEU/Local 1750 respect is about every union representative working together to build a trade union in which we can respect one another – where disrespectful behaviour is rare and tackled effectively, and where we can work in a positive supportive environment toward the goal of improved working conditions.

Our culture of respect will:

Move forward in a positive way where different opinions are valued;
Show tolerance, acceptance and common decency towards the people around us by seeking to understand others, fostering equality among representatives, and
Consider the consequences of our behaviour for others by using positive body language, engaged listening, honesty with one another, communicating with a positive tone whether via emails, phone or in person, honouring privacy and confidentiality.

For many unionist’s respect for others is automatic and ingrained in the habits of our everyday lives. But when respect for self and others breaks down, we all suffer. Understanding and adopting a code of respectful behaviour is what makes our union stronger and better able to effectively represent our membership.