Tuesday, October 16, 2007

Pre-Election Posturing 02

Chantal Eustace, Vancouver Sun

Published: Monday, October 15, 2007

Mayor Sam Sullivan said Monday he expects to run next year's mayoral election against the Canadian Union of Public Employees.

Sullivan told The Vancouver Sun's editorial board he thinks this summer's civic strikes were about who runs the city and that the fight will extend to next year's elections.

"They wanted to see a CUPE mayor running city council," Sullivan said of the three CUPE locals that went on strike.

He added that he expects to run against "a CUPE candidate" next fal

"This strike will not be truly resolved until Nov. 15, 2008," Sullivan said. "I think the battle lines are drawn and it will be an interesting year. . ,"

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well, if CUPE really believed this last strike was Sam's strike and that wasn't just a picket sign slogan, then maybe CUPE's political transformation should be completed and they should run political candidates. Their campaign jingle can be; "no more strikes, 'cause will fold sooner" or, "yeah taxes will go up, but you'd just waste it on lattes anyway".

Anonymous said...

Just another attempt to deflect the public's attention away from the public health emergency that is the downtown eastside. The NPA has had two years in power and how many of the Vancouver Agreement promised 3200 homes have been built? Zero. That's with a projected Fed surplus of $23b and a 2006 BC surplus of $4.1b. People are dying in the streets and alleys of the world's number one city.

The United Nations were here today inspecting the Downtown Eastside. The UNITED FUCKING NATIONS.

That's right. Have another Kokanee.

spartikus said...

Sullivan told The Vancouver Sun's editorial board he thinks this summer's civic strikes were about who runs the city and that the fight will extend to next year's elections.

Riiiiigghhtt. Which of course explains why both Vision and Cope endorsed Foley's recommendations and 2 of 3 CUPE locals didn't. (And I'm certainly glad to see Sam isn't personalizing things and has moved to heal the rift with his workforce.)

The NPA is in trouble, big trouble, and no matter how they try to spin it the simple fact of the matter is that their number of votes never changes from election to election. They lose when the East Side comes out in force and anyone who lives east of Fraser knows no city manager came to clear the garbage for 2 months. On the 391 Bike Brigade, traveling extensively from east to west in a day, the difference was dramatic. East Van has been given a strong slap in the face to remind it as to where it stands in the NPA's worldview, and will come out in big numbers next November.

If Sam, whose approval ratings are lower than those of George W. Bush, loses the 2008 election he has no one to blame but the man in the mirror.

Anonymous said...

Well if not Sam, who? David Cadman? Please, lets be realistic, while Sam is vulnerable none of the COPE or VISION councilors makes for an attractive mayoralty candidate. Now if we could get Gregor Robertson vs Carole Taylor: NOW thats an ELECTION.

Anonymous said...

Question: Does the Mayor's statement, "This strike will not be truly resolved until Nov. 15, 2008," violate the non-retaliation clause in the new collective bargaining agreements?

spartikus said...

Now if we could get Gregor Robertson

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Anonymous said...

COPE/Vision are scrambling to distance themselves from CUPE - hence the frantic releases on Foley's recommendations. Note Vision's proposal to not take union donations yesterday. They are the ones who are running scared. Don't kid yourselves...voters will slaughter parties like COPE/Vision who backed the strikers.

Anonymous said...

violate the non-retaliation clause

After CUPE put the mayor's name on their strike signs, NOW they want non-retaliation? The truth is that CUPE has morphed from a union that battles for their workers to an organization that battles for a political ideology. CUPE's fight with Sullivan and the NPA is just the natural outgrowth of the union's socialist chip on its shoulder just daring the City into a confrontation. They got what they wanted; not a fair wage settlement, they could have had that the first week, no what they really wanted was a public battle with the mayor: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED. And if regular CUPE workers had to sacrifice 3 months pay, well sacrifices have to be made in the ongoing class warfare that characterizes modern socialism.

Anonymous said...

I don’t get where Sullivan is going with this. CUPE has always funded the politicians it feels support the CUPE cause at all elections. Always have; and likely always will unless greater accountability rules come to play.

If Sullivan has only just figured out that CUPEE spends big Union dues supporting political campaigns of candidates they endorse where the hell has he been the last few years ?

I think Sullivan is just trying to capitalize on the current anti-CUPE sentiment amongst Vancouver voters. Watch for him to carry the big evil CUPE message throughout his campaign. Assuming of course the NPA don’t figure out they need to come to their senses and toss him before November of 2008.

Anonymous said...

After CUPE put the mayor's name on their strike signs, NOW they want non-retaliation?

I'm not sure I understand. As stated there is a non-retaliation clause at the end of each agreement. This is not what CUPE wants "NOW," this is a standard clause written into almost all finalized collective bargaining agreements. It's intent is to put the dispute to rest, the battle is over and it's time to roll up our sleeves and get back to doing the work we - both managers and workers - signed on to when we were hired.

For the Mayor to state publicly that the strike will not be resolved until the next election is over might be interpreted as retaliatory. Its unfortunate if the SAM'S STRIKE picket signs were hurtful to the Mayor, but that was something done during the strike and the city's bargaining team signed a legal document which states it will not retaliate against the union for it.

It's quite simple. No amount of socialist bashing rhetoric can deny the fact that the city signed a legally binding document, part of which ensures that neither side will retaliate for non-criminal actions by the other during the strike, and before the ink is dry the Mayor is expressing his intent to fight CUPE until the next election.

With 391's ratification, the strike is over. It's time to move on.