Dear CUPE 5439 members,
Congratulations! As a new member of CUPE Local 5439 at the UHN Hillcrest Reactivation Centre, you are now one of the 700,000 workers represented by the Canadian Union of Public Employees across Canada, and one of the 280,000 members of CUPE Ontario.
CUPE advocates for workers who deliver the public services people depend on. Our members work in hospitals, schools, municipalities, and many other public spaces. We help our members provide the highest level of service by ensuring they are safe and healthy at work, and that they get fair pay and benefits for the services they provide. We also advocate for better public services, like improvements to public health care and to the Canada Pension Plan, that would improve our communities and the lives of all Canadians.
As a full-service union, our elected leaders also work with the employer to resolve problems in the workplace. All CUPE members work under the protection of a contract called a Collective Agreement. Your local bargains the terms of the agreement on your behalf. As a member of CUPE 5439, you also have a direct route to influencing your own working conditions – and your community.
To participate more fully in the union, we encourage you to attend our bi-monthly Membership Meetings. Membership Meetings provide a platform to make important decisions for the local. During meetings, we exchange information, debate issues and democratically decide the best course of action. In sharing our challenges, coming up with solutions and working together as one strong united voice, we use our collective strength to ensure better working conditions.
Union Dues
CUPE maintains a centrally located office, hires staff to work on your behalf, pay legal fees, particularly for representing members through the grievance and arbitration process, print newsletters and mail information to our members. We also set aside funds to provide you with strike pay, in the event of a strike or lockout. We contribute financially to CUPE National, CUPE Ontario, the Labour Council of Toronto and York Region and other labour organizations that work on your behalf.
Each union member pays dues to help cover these expenses, which comprise 1.5% of your pay. You never have to write us a cheque – your dues come directly off your pay in the same way as CPP and EI premiums are collected. The return you get for paying union dues is excellent. The average union wage in Canada is $5 an hour higher than the non-union wage and union dues are tax deductible.
There are also a variety of web resources you can access for more information on what it means to be a part of a union:
Ontario Council of Hospital Unions: ochu.on.ca
CUPE Ontario: cupe.on.ca
CUPE National: cupe.ca