The CUPW Vancouver Local has a rich and lengthy history, dating all the way back to the 1965 strike that formed the Union as we know it today. A lot of what has transpired in our past had a profound effect on the state of our Union today, and the direction it’s heading. In this bulletin, we offer a retrospective look at our Union office and local dues assessment in the context of past, present and future.
1980 – CUPW is a separate Union from LCUC (Letter Carrier’s Union of Canada). The Vancouver Local of CUPW passes a dues assessment of $4.50 per month ($16.57* in 2023 dollars)
1997 – It’s been 10 years since the merger of CUPW and LCUC. The Vancouver Local Executive put forward a motion to purchase a building in Vancouver for $1,000,000 ($1,711,902 in 2023 dollars). The General Membership Meeting where the motion was to be debated did not achieve quorum. Without a motion to purchase the building, another buyer snaps it up. The Vancouver Local rented an office downtown, and then when the lease was up, we moved to Burnaby. At the end of that lease, a flood in the office is accompanied by a noticeable odor of mold.
2017 – The Vancouver Local signs a lease at the Maritime Labour Center for a below-market rate of $6,331.
2022 – The Vancouver Local is given notice by the Maritime Labour Center that our lease is ending, with no option to renew. The Local has $1,600, 000 in Reserve and Building funds. After a careful consideration of the costs of renting versus owning, the Local Executive recommends that the funds be used as a down payment on a building. The Local presented the motion at the January GMM and it was debated on and passed at the February GMM, authorizing the Holding Society to spend up to $1,000,000 on a down payment. This would allow them to make an offer on a building without having to wait for the next meeting, running into the same problems faced by the executive almost 30 years prior. After viewing several potential buildings throughout the spring and summer, we finally found a home for our local and our offer was accepted in September 2022.
2023 – The present day. We are now the proud owners of #109 – 4238 Lozells Ave. in Burnaby. The cost of owning is on par with renting, including the cost of the mortgage and other expenses associated with building ownership. Once the mortgage is paid off, the members will own the building outright and all the money we would normally set aside for it will become money we can spend on Organizing, Education, Advocacy and all the other functions of the Union. The membership will own an asset currently valued at $2,880,000 in 2023 dollars, the value of which has always historically outpaced inflation.
However, the sweetheart deal we received at the Maritime Labour Center was not forever, and we are faced with the same increasing costs regardless of if we were to rent or to purchase. Our local needs the means to provide for its members, and if there is no increase in funding, there can be no increase in activities and services.
Please, do not confuse the purchase of the building with the need for an increase. If we were to rent instead of own, we would still need an increase, but we would not have the stability and security that comes with ownership. Unlike residential tenancy, commercial landlords can raise the rent to whatever amount they want at the end of the lease with no cap. The Vancouver Local Executive has been extremely diligent in protecting the financial interests of the local, and every department has tightened its belt. We do not want to limit what we can do, rather, we want to expand on it. We need the resources to fight for our members and ensure the financial stability of the local for generations to come.
Your Local Executive Committee worked hard to find a home for our local, explored every option and found the best home for our members.
In Solidarity,
The Vancouver Local Executive Committee