The CUSW National Constitution Committee facilitates the clarification, education and improvement of the CUSW Constitution and Policies. 

It was exciting to attend the 9th convention for CUSW at Niagara-on-the lake April 27th and 28th, 2024.  Convention happens every three years and is an opportunity for members to submit changes they would like to see in our constitution. These suggestions are reviewed thoroughly prior to convention then brought forward to be voted on by delegates attending conference. These delegates represent general members as well as individuals holding past and present positions within the union, and members who serve on National Committees. There were 31 resolutions brought forward and it was quite the democratic process to see!

Many of the resolutions brought forward were centered around the use of technology in the voting processes of the union. This means that since all our voting is done online now, the use of “mail-in ballot envelopes” and “individuals to count the ballots” no longer made sense and any references to this process was changed.

Other items included:

• A new item added was the oath of committee members and workplace representatives. This aligns with the values and beliefs we as members strive to uphold.

• The Apprenticeship committee was renamed to Apprentice committee. This will eliminate some confusion around who the Apprentice is accountable to in their Apprenticeship as they fall under the Apprenticeship Governance Council.

• Establishing units following the provincial guidelines and labour laws of that particular province they are being formed in and forming more workplace committees to give better representation at a unit level for members in need.

There was a lot to talk about and vote on. Changes that were approved by our delegate have been incorporated into the Constitution, available on the CUSW website and in hardcopy.