Based on the aforesaid barriers that women face, there are numerous tools that CUPE can either develop more effectively or establish to better women’s position with the union. In 2007, CUPE had 560,000 members with 67% of these members being women. Yet, only three out of the twenty-three members (or 13%) were of women. The union ranked overall eight out of nine in a comparison of women’s representation in numerous different Canadian union organizations, including CAW and PSAC. (CUPE, 2007, p.5) Therefore, it is in CUPE’s best interests to adopt numerous of the strategies that will be suggested to increase their ranking to establish a more favourable brand image of the union overall.
Strategies to Assist with Leadership …show more content…
CUPE can use its National Women’s Task Force that it has established to create an environment where women feel free to speak. As well, this task force can establish what the union can be doing in a more effective manner to further women’s equality within the workforce and within the union (CUPE, 2006). This task force operates on the obligation to advise with CUPE members on issues pertaining to women within the union, to assess the barriers that currently exist blocking women’s participation within all levels of the union, and to obtain information on how to establish change for women which will ultimately fortify CUPE as a whole. Ultimately, this task force has the role of providing an opportunity for women to strategize together and provide flexible options to ensure their involvement within the union, both barriers that have withdrawn women’s participation thus far (CUPE, …show more content…
As well, they are advocating for greater support in participation in determining the path CUPE is heading and support in fighting for women specific issues within CUPE, the labour movement, and within the communities (CUPE National, n.d.). This committee is a prime example of the emergence of social unionism, as issues will be framed beyond the workplace to include a broader social change that can be made in the interests of the working-class majority. This perspective of unionism discards the idea of sectionalism, but views the workplace as commonness between all where differences do not divide the groups of workers (Ross, 2012, p.40). Furthermore, this committee can assist in defining the female workers problems as greater than solely economic problems but problems that extend into society, a major aspect of social unionism (Ross, 2012, p.40). Thus, CUPE should continue to support this committee to allow women to access the resources they need. This committee has assisted in the struggle of pay equity and living wage as well as casualization of work for female employees (CUPE National, n.d.). As well, they create support campaigns to ensure issues that women have are heard and dealt with accordingly, such as childcare (CUPE National, n.d.). Overall, this is a