This is an archive of news stories and research from the National Union of Public and General Employees. Please see our new site - https://nupge.ca - for the most current information.
"As one of the first persons with a visible disability to play a leading role in the labour movement, he has acted as a role model to many of us who have come along in the years since Derek joined the movement."
 |
Ottawa (21 March 2013) – The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) congratulates Derek Fudge, NUPGE Director of Public Policy and Development, on being awarded the Canadian Labour Congress' Carol McGregor Disability Rights Award.
This award recognizes the outstanding contributions of workers who have made an impact in the union and/or the community by promoting and defending the rights of persons with disabilities. This year, the CLC is recognizing the contributions of three exceptional people who represent three different kinds of activism:
- a shop steward who leads by example and fights for inclusion at his workplace;
- a longtime disability rights activist and policy analyst who was the first chairperson of the CLC’s Disability Rights Working Group; and
- a passionate advocate who has made a remarkable contribution to deepening our movement’s understanding of the Duty to Accommodate.
"It is with considerable pride that we congratulate Derek on this achievement," said James Clancy, NUPGE National President. "Derek's commitment to equality and human rights is evident in every aspect of his work. As a life-long trade unionist, his contributions to disability rights have had a huge impact on the working lives of people across this country."
Derek has worked for NUPGE for 32 years.
He authored Together for Social Change: Employing Disabled Canadians, a national study analyzing employment services for Canadians with disabilities.
Derek’s areas of expertise are in the fields of labour law, pensions, human rights and international solidarity. He is the author of Collective Bargaining in Canada: Human Right or Canadian Illusion? published in August 2006 and Future Considerations: A Pension Manual for Union Activists published in November 2007. Derek has also had several research papers and articles published in labour and social policy journals. He has been a guest speaker at a number of national and international conferences.
In November 2000, Derek was elected as the first-ever Canadian Labour Congress Vice-President (Persons with Disabilities) and served as a member of the CLC Executive Council for four years. As Chair of the Disability Rights Working Group, he was instrumental in developing the group’s focus around “disability rights” and played a leading role in developing the MORE campaign.
Derek also serves on the Canadian Foundation for Labour Rights (CFLR) as Secretariat staff to the Board of Directors. He has been active in the NDP for over 30 years and is a member of the NDP Federal Council.
Says his nominator, “I believe that as one of the first persons with a visible disability to play a leading role in the labour movement, he has acted as a role model to many of us who have come along in the years since Derek joined the movement."
Érik Desjardins, Teamsters Local 931 and Conni Kilfoil, Canadian Union of Public Employees were also award recipients.
NUPGE
The National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE) is one of Canada's largest labour organizations with over 340,000 members. Our mission is to improve the lives of working families and to build a stronger Canada by ensuring our common wealth is used for the common good. NUPGE