Governance
CUPE 2278 is a democratic union. Its leaders are elected members of the union who are all academic workers at UBC and UNBC. It is governed by general membership meetings, a Local Executive Committee, and Component Leadership Committees.
CUPE locals are largely autonomous. Members of local unions elect their leaders, make their own financial decisions, and vote on their own agreements. However, all locals are obligated to follow the CUPE National Constitution as well as their local bylaws.
Local 2278 is ultimately governed by meetings of its members. In between membership meetings, the “business” of the union is managed by the local executive and the component committees. Only a meeting of the membership can approve the annual budget and elect the local executive. The local executive can approve expenditures within the set budget. Components can make decisions that affect only their component, and can only spend funds from within parameters established by the membership.