This weekend CUPE 2081 honours the lost children, Survivors and intergenerational Survivors of the Canadian Indian residential school system. The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation is inspired by the story of Survivor Phyllis Jack Webstad, and people across Canada have officially commemorated September 30th as Orange Shirt Day since 2013.
Public commemoration of this tragic and painful history and the ongoing impacts of residential schools are a vital component of the reconciliation process, and we trust that all members of our community will be engaging in a day of reflection to honour the children who survived and remember those who did not.
One of the ways CUPE locals can support reconciliation is by bargaining language supporting Indigenous workers into collective agreements, and CUPE 2081 is proud to have negotiated the addition of Sep 30th within Article 19.01 of your new CA.
On September 30th, and every day, let’s join together to commemorate, to honour, to demand justice, and to take action to end systemic racism and the ongoing harms of colonialism.