Greetings CULE Sisters and Brothers;
I am seeking your support as I put my name forward to be re-elected as the President of CULE.
While I don’t have any wise statements or mantra’s to hide behind I do have a proven track record as the current President of CULE. As any union activist will attest the work that is done behind the scenes is the glue that holds the union together. I am proud of the accomplishments that have taken place since my election two years ago. These accomplishments are not only achieved at the bargaining table but in the day to day administration of your union.
I have been on the negotiation team for the last two rounds of bargaining in which our salaries have increased 10.5%; we achieved Christmas shutdown; we achieved improvements to vacation leave; we broke new ground when we negotiated a retiree’s benefit plan for CULE members that is owned and administered by CULE. It gets us in the door and provides us the opportunity to improve the plan during the next round of bargaining. Our goal is to ensure that CULE retiree’s have a benefit plan for all of their retirement years. We achieved language in the collective agreement on Career Enhancement for CULE II members; we also achieved monetary increases to our daily per diem’s, km rate, recreation allowance and vision care. All of these accomplishments were achieved without having to withdraw our services.
The daily administration of your union is challenging but rewarding. Tough decisions are made regularly and I have ensured that your Executive stands behind those tough decisions. The CULE Convention is but one example.
We also have a duty to represent CULE members when their rights are violated including 3rd party representation. We take pride in taking on this employer and have had numerous successes. Sister Owen and Brother Goy are but two examples of our success.
In closing, I would like to thank you for the support you have shown me for the last two years and look forward to continuing to be your President.
In Solidarity,
Brother Dave Jackson