Former CUPE President honored for lifetime contribution to social justice

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Former CUPE National President Paul Moist is this year’s recipient of the prestigious Errol Black Award, presented to him by the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives-Manitoba and the Errol Black Chair in Labor Issues, last Sunday in front of a crowd of over 300 people at the Winnipeg Fairmont Hotel.

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The award is “in recognition of a life dedicated to improving the lives of workers”.

For over 30 years, Moist worked full time in the labor movement, serving as president of CUPE Local 500 from 1993 to 2003; president of CUPE Manitoba from 1997 to 2003; executive member of the Manitoba Federation of Labor from 1983 to 2003; and national president of CUPE, Canada’s largest union, from 2003 to 2015.

During all these years and since, he has been a staunch and effective promoter of union values ​​and workers’ interests.

He has always believed in the importance of unions working closely with other progressive social movements. A wonderful local example was his crucial support and that of CUPE – and other locals – of Cho! Ces in the early mid-1990s in Winnipeg. In particular, CUPE supported last year’s Errol Black Award recipient Shirley Lord to work with Cho! Ces, and her organizational skills were crucial to the success of this remarkable organization. As president of CUPE National, Moist has worked closely with the Council of Canadians, the Canadian Health Coalition, various environmental organizations and, of course, the Canadian Center for Policy Alternatives.

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In 2015, Moist retired as president of CUPE National. However, he continued to contribute in multiple ways to progressive causes.

For example, within a week or two of his retirement, he had become a regular member of the CCPA-Mb steering committee and chair of the Errol Black committee of CCPA-Mb. Over a period of five years, Moist made a major contribution to the work of both.

He played a key role on the committee that organized the wonderful 100th anniversary of the 1919 general strike in Winnipeg. In fact, Moist is an expert on the history of the 1919 General Strike, and he continues to educate on the subject through public lectures and his groundbreaking tours in Brookside.