Union to hold special meeting as members question spending

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A group of members from the Canadian Association of Professional Employees (CAPE) have called for a special general meeting amid concerns about the union’s donation practices.

Over 60 people, including several Jewish Public Service Network members, signed an online petition asking for the meeting, arguing that the union has surpassed the donation amount approved by members in its budget. The petition indicates that members want clarity on the donation process and accessing contingency funds.

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According to the petition, shared on July 31, CAPE members approved a $5,000 allocation for donations for 2024.

So far this year, CAPE has spent $3,000 in donations to striking PSAC workers, $500 to the student-led group INSAF,  which describes itself as an advocacy group for “the complete freedom of the homeland, Palestine” and $1,000 to the Grassy Narrows River Run.

Earlier this summer, however, the union’s national executive committee also voted to provide funding for a member-led initiative called CAPE 4 Palestine, which includes “self-organized CAPE members in solidarity with Palestinians in their struggle for liberation.” According to the petition, that amount was $5,000.

While the petition argues that the amount is a donation and that the total has risen above budget, CAPE argues otherwise.

“The petition misunderstands CAPE’s donation policy and inaccurately characterizes funding for member-led initiatives as a donation,” said CAPE spokesperson Laura Gauthier. “Contributing resources to member-approved initiatives is a regular aspect of the union’s operations.”

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Gauthier said CAPE’s donation budget has followed the rules outlined in the union’s policy, adding that the group looks forward to discussions with members at the meeting.

The petition’s signatories are also calling for further reform of CAPE’s donation policy, which was updated on August 2.

In a resolution that will be voted on at the annual general meeting in November, they asked that donations only be made to registered charities that are at an arm’s length distance, that donations be published online, that there be at least 10 days between the publishing of the request and the vote so that members can consult, that donations are non-renewable and that any unused funds are given back to CAPE.

Members also submitted a resolution stating that members think the union has misallocated its funds.

Gauthier said CAPE can “appreciate the sentiment” that donations should only be made to organizations with charitable status but that doing so would mean that donations going back to 2019 would no longer be valid.

“Further, a guiding principle of the labour movement is to build shared solidarity with other workers and politically aligned organizations,” Gauthier said.

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An email blast from CAPE 4 Palestine dated August 9 urged to put a stop to the upcoming meeting, which it said “will attempt to restrict union funds going to all union groups,” including them.

“Fiscal responsibility language is being used by anti-Palestinian union members to conceal their anti-Palestinian racism and to try to stop CAPE 4 Palestine from organizing,” the email said. “CAPE 4 Palestine and other member-driven groups at CAPE are at risk of never being able to receive the resources we have the right to access.”

The email encouraged members to fill out a form noting their intention to attend the meeting and answer whether they’d be comfortable speaking in support of the group, register for the meeting, and “get five trusted CAPE members” to attend.

The meeting is set for Tuesday, August 20, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. via Zoom. It was postponed by CAPE earlier this month due to “scheduling conflicts in the national office.”

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