Office and Professional Employees International Union - Canadian Autonomy

Canadian Autonomy

Canadian members made up nearly a quarter of the union as early as the 1970s but in 2003 the OPEIU chose not to appoint a Canadian to the position of Secretary-Treasurer, the second-highest union rank. In March 2004, OPEIU President Michael Goodwin concluded that the American locals of the union had subsidized the Canadian locals by approximately $10 million. Goodwin proposed raising the per capita dues of Canadian OPEIU members by $2.00 per member per month, which, accounting for the then low Canadian dollar, would mean Canadians were paying more in dues than their American counterparts.

A measure of Canadian autonomy had been approved in 1974 and implemented in 1977. The provisions of Article XIV of the international OPEIU constitution established a Canadian national director, vice presidents and regional officers as well as various separate funds and staff.

But now the members of the 55 Canadian locals of OPEIU wished to go further, severing all relationships between the international and the Canadian locals except for the right to vote for the international officers. Goodwin responded in April 2004 with a similar proposal advocating autonomy for the American locals.

That same month, Canadian locals of OPEIU Balloting undertook a process for creating the new autonomous union under Article XIV of the OPEIU constitution. Goodwin responded that Balloting must be preceded by a Canadian Convention vote, and threatened to amend the constitution to remove all Canadian autonomy if that did not occur. The international also sued to block the Balloting in a Canadian court. But on June 3, 2004, the British Columbia Supreme Court ruled in favor of the Canadian locals.

On June 20, 2004, the Canadian locals voted 74 percent to 26 percent to form their own, autonomous union under the umbrella of the international. OPEIU Canadian delegates to the international convention, meeting in Bal Harbor, Florida, Withdrew from the proceedings and formed their own national union-the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union (COPE) and, in Quebec, the Syndicat Canadien des employees et employes de bureau et professionels (SEPB).

The international immediately sued in U.S. district court to Prevent formation of the autonomous union. The U.S. court dismissed the action on December 10, 2004, pending resolution in the Canadian courts.

The two sides met informally in December 2005, but no progress was made on the issues.

Further court proceedings in Canada occurred during mid-2006. Finally, in August 2007, the OPEIU conceded that its previously affiliated locals within Canada had indeed succeeded in severing their affiliation with the OPEIU and are now members of the autonomous union, COPE.

The membership of the OPEIU may have peaked in 2003 when the international counted 150,882 members (just prior to the Canadian locals leaving the OPEIU). Several years later, in 2005, the international office of the OPEIU could only claim 99,035 members. However, just four years later, OPEIU membership was up to 110,416, growing an average of about 2,845 members per year.