The local union is the key level of activity for CUPE members. Our unions were formed because a majority of employees decide to join together to use their collective strength to make management negotiate what their rates of pay should be, under what conditions they should work and how they should be treated.

Employers are bound by law to bargain collectively when employees express a wish to do so.

It is within the CUPE local that employees decide what improvements they should seek.  Members of the local elect a bargaining committee to present their proposed changes to management and explain why they are needed.

Management is persuaded to make changes when the local union has effectively informed its members of bargaining developments and won the backing of a majority in support of these changes.

A contract is arrived at through a process of give-and-take with management.  It's known as collective bargaining.  Only after it is approved by a majority of employees does a contract go into force and become the collective agreement (or contract) which governs the workplace. 

Collective agreements usually cover:

• wages
• hours of work
• job security
• vacations
• holidays
• pension plans
• insurance lans
• maternity leave
• work load
• promotions
• unfair discipline and termination
• and any other aspect of work that local members deem important

Once the collective agreement is signed, it is the job of local union members to see that it is enforced and not ignored by management. To effectively enforce the contract, members in each department or unit should elect a shop steward.  This is someone you can go to if you feel you have been treated unfairly. The shop stewards and members work together to make sure the employer follows the contract.

A collective agreement contains a formal procedure, called a grievance procedure, to raise problems and violations of the collective agreement with management.  Some problems may be resolved through the grievance procedure.  In some cases, members may decide other actions are needed to get management to resolve the problem.

Ultimately, it is through the active involvement of members in the union that problems are effectively addressed and the collective agreement is enforced. 

In order to organize effectively in the workplace the local needs funds.  Money is raised by dues at an amount that is set by the local members themselves.  Locals pay a per capita amount each month to CUPE.  This pays for all of the services provided by the Union, including strike pay.  The balance of the dues remains with the locals to finance their operatons.

On rare occasions when strikes are deemed necessary, the decision to call them is made at the local level by a vote of all union members.

Strikes by CUPE members are always a last resort, forced by management abuse or intransigence. On average, 96% of  collective agreements are signed without a strike.