And the Winner is… OUR UNION!

Everywhere we look these days, bad news is hitting us hard. It’s easy to get discouraged when workers’ struggles all over the world are being met with fierce resistance.

In times like these, let’s remember the victories that union members can achieve by upholding our collective agreements in the workplace. Some of the recent grievances and arbitrations that CUPW has settled are big wins for workers. As union members, we often hear that “an injury to one is an injury to all.” By the same logic, a victory on a grievance means we all win.

Grievances and arbitrations are a fundamental part of the union’s daily business. It takes patience and time to learn and deal with the legalese, hearing dates, arguments and technicalities. But a collective agreement needs to be enforced. Without a strong collective agreement, we are all vulnerable to the whims of the boss. We need to keep resisting all violations of the collective agreements that we work so hard to negotiate. The daily vigilance of activists and stewards on the shop floor is essential to keep our Union strong.

Victories deserve to be celebrated. This issue of the SAB is dedicated to all members, nationally, regionally and locally, who have helped to protect and strengthen our union’s collective agreements by bringing our grievances and arbitrations forward.

To read the entire publication, please download the PDF version below.