Too many of us know what it costs to speak up—and what it costs to stay silent. Together, we can build a union where every member has a voice, leaders answer for their decisions, and solidarity means standing beside one another when it matters most.
Many of us want change. We talk about it privately, support one another, and see the same problems. Then comes the moment to speak openly or cast a vote—and fear sets in. Fear for our jobs, our relationships with coworkers, or being left to face the consequences alone.
That fear is understandable. We know how quickly someone asking uncomfortable questions gets labelled “difficult.” How their character becomes the subject of discussion instead of their question. How people who agreed privately fall silent when others are listening.
We know how quickly someone asking uncomfortable questions gets labelled “difficult.”
Every one of us joined a union for protection. To stand together for things that are hard to defend alone. Every voice must have a place here—including voices the leadership would rather not hear.
We are ready to take responsibility for change—and to answer for the work.
The two-year term being decided at this convention should come with clear expectations. Rebuilding our union will take more than two years. Even three may not be enough. But members are tired of promises. They deserve results, and they deserve an opportunity to assess those results after the first year.
The main task of that year must be to work with members on a new Constitution and By-Laws, bring them forward for discussion and a membership-wide vote, and establish the rules that make this participation possible.
We also need an electronic voting system
We also need an electronic voting system so every member can participate, wherever they work. Its safeguards and limitations must be explained honestly. Members need protection for the secrecy of their ballots and a way to verify that votes are counted correctly.
We need to remove the mechanisms that allow membership to be used as a means of pressure - to expel someone, silence them, or shut them out of decisions.
Staffing policies and agreements with other unions also need a full review. The principle is clear: the people working for HEU and making decisions within HEU should be HEU members.
After one year, we should demand a new convention.
After one year, we should demand a new convention. Its purpose would be to ratify the membership’s decision on the new Constitution and By-Laws, assess the work done, and give members the opportunity to confirm or replace the elected leadership under the new rules. Everyone elected today must be ready to answer: What has been done? What remains unfinished? What prevented it from being done? That includes those proposing these changes.
The union belongs to all its members. Convention, the Provincial Executive, and local leadership exercise authority entrusted to them by members. They must remain accountable to those members.
Power for its own sake holds no value. What matters is what remains after us.
The next generation should be confident that their union will stand beside them. They should never have to see it as another freeloader, another organization taking money from already painfully low wages while failing to protect the people paying those dues.
Our union must be our defender. Every member should feel that in their working life.
If we win, we will have the opportunity to turn our struggle into lasting change. If we do not win, that struggle will still not have been in vain. We have found one another. We know that we are not alone.
And we will no longer allow anyone to manipulate us, intimidate us, or bully one of us into silence while the rest stand by
The voting will end. Our solidarity will remain.
The days when fear could decide for us are over.
Now is the time to show our strength—the courage to stand together, the strength of our spirit, and the power of our voices.