Hot Tubbin' For Justice

Last week I had the fortune of attending two great community events that highlighted the resilience and community vibe of the Downtown East Side.  Herstory in Focus: Downtown Eastside Women's Centre (DEWC) The Downtown Eastside Women's Centre is an inclusive facility that is there to assist women and children on the DTES of Vancouver. Herstory in Focus was their second annual gala event where women from the DEWC starred in their own fashion show at the Vancouver Art Gallery.  We were treated to the Wildflower Women of Turtle Island drumming in with Women's Warrior Song. Cecilia Point, from Musqueam gave the territorial acknowledgment to open the event. There was also a live auction and greetings from City of Vancouver Mayor, Gregor Robertson.  Carol Martin, a well-known activist and worker at the DEWC emceed the fashion show. She brought a sense of fun and empowerment as she described each woman who walked down the runway. She said that the DEWC helps builds th...

People often talk fondly of libraries and their memories of them but rarely do we talk about the people who work there. October is Canadian Library month and I wanted people to know. I wanted people to connect library workers to the services and the libraries themselves. My social media game is pretty good - I enjoy sharing parts of my life with my friends and family and it's been no secret that I harbour an affinity for libraries and literacy so why not do something for library month. As I spoke with a number of library workers and allies over the past month, I reflected on my own connection(s) to "the library" and how it's been an important part of my life since I was little. My Origin Story (abbreviated): My ever-growing reading pile.... I've always been a reader. I learned to read at 4 years old. My earliest memories include my mom reading to me as a young child. I remember loving to turn the pages to see what happened next. I was ahead of my classmat...

The 2017 CUPE National Convention took place in Toronto, October 2-6. Every 2 years CUPE members from across Canada gather to set the course of the national union for the next two years. Prior to the opening of convention, each sector meets for a couple of hours to get caught up with the goings on across the country.  As co-chair of the CUPE National Library Workers' Committee I was happy to wish the convention a happy "Canadian Library Month." I decided to use the signs created by National to profile and introduce people to our members who work in libraries. Throughout the week I got to know our library workers and allies about what their work/library means to them and I invite y'all to take a look. :) Highlights: Equality Forum: Art as Resistance Against Precarity One of the best experiences in the labour movement I had was at the 2016 Summer Institute for Union Women where each session we had featured a local spoken word artist. Art allows history to...

I am so excited to seek re-election as General Vice President at our CUPE BC convention this week.  I am so proud to have the endorsement of my local, CUPE 2950 (clerical, library and theatre workers at the University of British Columbia), as well as (for the fourth time) the CUPE Metro District Council to run for re-election. At the Building Strong Locals conference in Halifax earlier this month, I was asked what made me a proud to be a CUPE member? The answer was easy. "CUPE members." The work you do is vital to the sustainability of our communities and I don't think I can say enough how proud I am to have been your GVP for the past 2 years.     I've had the opportunity to represent CUPE BC in various capacities - at the executive officers' table of the BC Federation of Labour, at various community ally board meetings (CCPA and the BC Labour Heritage Centre), community events (childcare marches, Vaisakhi, International Women's Day, p...

A couple of weeks ago I attended an event hosted by our friends at the BCGEU that featured a conversation on coalition building, community organizing and sheer determination to fight back against the austerity attack on public education. The panel was great: Glen Hansman, President of the BC Teachers' Federation Michael Brunson, Recording Secretary of the Chicago Teachers' Union Sonia Singh, Labor Notes Glen focused on the recent victory their union had in the Supreme Court of Canada - a rare decision off the bench that restored the right to bargain class size and composition. Next up are discussions with government on how they will implement the plan across the province. One thing I have learned in my time in the labour movement is that teachers are passionate about public education and their students' learning conditions. This 14 year battle united teachers giving the BCTF the best opportunity to start doing some serious internal organizing. They have been goi...