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Cupe Leader Analysis

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So tell us your name, local number, and your role in your local. Dominic Nel Jerry, I am the outside chair for Cupe Local 416. And can you tell me what your regular job is, and work place, and city you're from? My base position with my employer is gas fitter by trade; I do heating and air for Toronto community housing within the city of Toronto, Ontario. Okay, and what do you think makes a strong leader? A strong leader is somebody that puts the members first, that builds up their local, that understands the issues, and that contributes to the advancement of our movement; and our movement is defending good paying jobs, fighting employers that want to cut our wages and privatize our work, and someone who's not afraid to do the dirty work to …show more content…

We recently had a campaign to contract out an entire unit of Cupe Local 416, and the national itself kicked in a kosher campaign here at the building, Stronger locals conference where we've talked about community allies, and they brought that together. And we work with coalition groups to preserve our jobs, and to stop and push back the austerity agenda. So Cupe is a big, big part of that and we are thankful to be a part of this movement and part of Cupe in general. Okay. What makes you proud to be a Cupe leader? What makes me proud is when you get to protect jobs, when you get to defend members, when you get to stand up for somebody who not necessarily in the workplace can stand up for themselves. When I first became a steward and realized I was on an even playing field with management, that was my first taste of representation. And it made me very proud, more than any job I got previous, more than any promotion, was the fact that I was elected by a group of people that put their trust in me. And I was honored and moved, and I vowed for the rest of my life to defend them and thank them for that trust. How does it make you feel to be able to fight for people's …show more content…

It's purpose, it's drive. My previous job, as I said I was a gas fitter; went to school, got the license for it, yeah that was great but nothing like defending members. Nothing like having the trust of people who look to you to make sure that they have a job at the end of the day. And that's why we're here and it just makes me proud. And I'm very pleased; and I'm gonna work day and night to make sure I continue to defend their rights. Okay. What's the first word that comes to mind when you think of Cupe? Solidarity. Simple. When we chant it at conferences, when we say it at the footnote of every email, it's solidarity. It's when I hit a strike line and I'm defending a brother or sister that needs support. That's the word that comes to mind. Okay. Did you grow up in a union

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