To Organize or Not? Is this really a question?

Later this week, I'll be headed off to the CUPE Ontario Convention in Windsor. I was recently looking on-line at the resolutions booklet, and came across a very peculiar resolution. Needless to say, I'll be lined up at the 'nay' microphone to speak out against these shenanigans proposed by CUPE Local 4400. Hopefully the resolutions committee will have already recommended non-concurrence. The resolution reads:

RESOLUTION #15
SUBMITTED BY LOCAL 4400

CUPE Ontario will:

1. Immediately communicate with National Executive Council and National Executive Board for continued support for organizing child care workers in the non-profit sector only, as part of a comprehensive strategy leading to coordinated bargaining structures for both workers and employers; and

2. Immediately request that the organizing department stop all organizing in the for-profit child care sector and allow no more certifications; and

3. Reaffirm its policy calling for public funding to be directed to building a universal, accessible, high quality non-profit child care system.

Because:

· Organizing for-profit child care undermines the dual strategy of increasing unionization rates in the sector and bringing employers together in coordinated bargaining structures to improve our bargaining strength; and

· Organizing in the for-profit child care sector undermines CUPE’s ability to work effectively with our coalition partners in calling for government funding for regulated, high quality, non-profit child care.

I can certainly appreciate the spirit of aggressively promoting non-profit child care-as I myself actively oppose for-profit service delivery, but to suggest that CUPE refrain from organizing in the for-profit sector is ludicrous. On a purely pragmatic level, CUPE should keep in mind that other unions will be happy to organize these unorganized workers if CUPE decides not to organize them.

Furthermore, to deny these workers the union of their choice- assuming that CUPE is strong in the sector- is a shameful act. We all know that unions offer workers protection, and CUPE should actively look to protect these workers.

However, on a more practical level, organizing in the for-profit sector might actually help promote the non-profit sector. Here's why.

If workers in the for-profit sector remain unorganized, it is likely that they will be exploited and used as a cheap pool of labour, which will urge neo-liberal politicians to continue the acceleration of for-profit delivery. However, if these workers are organized, it is less likely that they will be used as cheap labour. If we ensure that they are organized in CUPE, we can ensure wage parity with their fellow workers in the non-profit sector, thus making the for-profit sector less lucrative as a means to find cheap labour. CUPE 4400 really ought to have thought a bit more critically before submitting this ill-conceived resolution. Hopefully it will be defeated.