Hancock got his start with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) in 1984[3] and served as president of CUPE Local 498,representing employees of the City of Port Coquitlam,[1] a suburb of Vancouver,British Columbia for 15 years. Hancock was elected president of his local in 1993 and was subsequently elected to the executive board of CUPE British Columbia,where he served for 12 years,initially as a General Vice-President,[4] then as Secretary-Treasurer starting in 2005 and [4] finally as President of CUPE BC beginning in 2013. Simultaneously,he served on CUPE's National Executive Board beginning in 2005 as Regional Vice-President for British Columbia.[citation needed]
On November 4,2015,Hancock was elected as the sixth National President of CUPE National after defeating the President of CUPE Ontario Fred Hahn at the biennial CUPE National Convention.[5] Hancock has since been re-elected four times as National President,most recently in 2023 at CUPE's National Convention in Quebec City.[6]
In 2016,under Hancock's leadership,CUPE renewed its national bargaining policy to take a firm and proactive stance against concessions and two-tier contracts. "We bargain forward,not backward," Hancock said in explaining the policy.[8]
The policy aims to empower local unions to take a strong stance during negotiations,knowing they will have the political,material and financial support of their national union to make progress at the bargaining table on wages,benefits,job security,and workplace health and safety.
Called a "blueprint for solidarity",the policy includes templates,training and strategic resources for local unions.
The policy has resulted in CUPE locals successfully fending off concessionary demands and winning significant wages increases in the turbulent post-COVID economy. Notable examples include the 2022 Ontario education workers strike,the 2021 CUPE general strike in New Brunswick,and in 2024 when 12 municipal local unions in Alberta broke the provincial government's wage mandate,winning wage increases well above the government's 2.75% wage cap.[9]
Ontario education workers
In November 2022,55,000 school board workers in Ontario represented by CUPE defied the Ford government's Bill 28,a law that used the Notwithstanding Clause to impose a contract and make their planned strike illegal. Despite the potential for financial penalties of up to $220.5-million per day,CUPE vowed to continue its walkout for "as long as it takes".[10] Under Hancock's leadership,CUPE mobilized public and private sector unions from across Canada,and plans for a general strike were underway. The move paid off,as the Ford government repealed Bill 28 just days later - the fastest repeal of a government bill in Canadian history. "The [Ford] government blinked," said Hancock,calling it a major win for education workers and the broader labour movement in Canada. [11][12]
Fred Hahn controversy
After Hamas' attack against Israel on October 7,2023,Fred Hahn,general vice president of CUPE,tweeted:"Palestine is rising,long live the resistance."[13] 80 pro-Israel members of CUPE took Hahn and CUPE Ontario to the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal,alleging that Hahn's remarks alienated them from the union due to their political position.[13]
In August 2024,Hancock said that Hahn had been asked to respond to a request from the union’s national executive board that he resign due to a social media video post by Hahn that certain pro-Israel individuals had alleged was antisemitic.[13] Hahn said that he was refusing to step down.[13] Richard Marceau,vice president of the pro-Israel lobbying organization Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA),opined that CUPE should remove Hahn.[13] Figures in Ontario's ruling Progressive Conservative Party,such as Labour MinisterDavid Piccini and Premier Doug Fordaccused Hahn of antisemitism and bigotry.[13][14] Hancock said that if Hahn does not resign on his own,"that’ll be new ground again for CUPE and me as a national president. I will review options available to me."[15] As of August 2025 Fred Hahn remains in his position as general vice president of the union.[16]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
