COPE 15 Members vote 93% in favour of merger

To all COPE 378 members: 

I am pleased to report that members of COPE 15 have voted overwhelmingly in favour of merging with COPE 378.

With a vote of 93% in favour of the merger, COPE 15 members have given a strong mandate for unity, and we are pleased to have received such enthusiastic support from members.

COPE 15 members have embraced an opportunity to make our organization stronger and more unified, and I would like to express our appreciation to those who took the time to engage in this process.

The merger has also received the unanimous endorsement of both the COPE 378 Executive Board and Executive Council.

The question of the merger will now proceed to a vote by delegates at COPE 378’s Convention on November 2. As the question thus far has been received with unanimous votes at COPE 378, we do not anticipate anything less than enthusiastic approval by convention delegates.

The final step will be the approval of the COPE/SEPB National Executive, which meets the first week of December. Having received such wholehearted support from COPE 378 and COPE 15 members, this step will likely just be a formality.

The merger will come into effect on January 1, 2010, with a transition period that has been agreed to by both Locals. The merger agreement that we signed earlier this year can be viewed on both the COPE 378 and COPE 15 websites.

The members of Locals 15 and 378 have worked very closely for many years, and we both look forward to the opportunity to work even more closely in our united Union. We have no doubt that bringing together the leadership, experience, and dedication of our two Locals’ members will make us a stronger Union that provides improved services and representation for our members. 

Andy Ross,

President