Drupal empowers CUPE, the Canadian Union of Public Employees, Canada’s largest union, to modernize its digital presence with a scalable, multilingual, and accessible platform. By migrating nearly 30,000 pages to modern Drupal, re-architecting Drupal Commerce, and streamlining dozens of custom modules, CUPE gains a sustainable solution that reduces technical debt and future-proofs its digital infrastructure.
Evolving Web led the redesign and migration work, delivering a mobile-first design that authentically reflects CUPE’s brand while providing editors with 13 flexible content types and 32 reusable components. Hosted on Pantheon, the new platform integrates with CUPE’s internal systems, powers advocacy tools, and strengthens connections with 740,000+ members nationwide. The Drupal migration ensures that CUPE has the tools to engage members, amplify their voices, and sustain a cost-effective digital presence for years to come.
About the project
Goals
CUPE set out to refresh its website to reflect a dynamic, human, and impactful brand. The union wanted a redesigned website that highlights members, amplifies their collective voice, and provides clear pathways for action. Other goals included migrating all content, integrations, and member services to a modern, future-ready Drupal platform, without interfering with the day-to-day operations of the website. We also wanted the new Drupal platform to provide a more flexible and powerful editorial experience for CUPE staff.
Challenges
The previous version of CUPE’s website included extensive customizations, particularly in search, commerce, and integrations with internal databases. Replicating and modernizing these while reducing technical debt presents a significant challenge. The migration also required careful evaluation of 29,000+ pages and dozens of content types to streamline the content model for Drupal. In parallel, the Drupal Commerce architecture had to be rebuilt to accommodate the major platform changes. The project demanded balancing technical precision, brand storytelling, and accessibility.
Solutions
We migrated CUPE’s website to the latest version of Drupal, introducing a modern design, improved content management tools, and a more streamlined architecture. By reducing the number of modules and leveraging more of Drupal’s core functionality, we helped lower the website’s cost of ownership. Evolving Web also provided maintenance and an improved architecture for the organization’s WordPress multisite that supports almost 350 local sites.
Our work included:
- UI workshops, creative direction, and art direction aligned with CUPE’s values.
- Bright, accessible visual identity featuring CUPE’s magenta brand colour, bold typography, and authentic photography of members.
- Three design territories: Empowering the Collective, Empowering through Action, and Strength in Numbers were used to balance CUPE’s identity as both a strong campaigning union and a supportive organization for members.
- Automated migration of 29,826 pages, plus users, taxonomies, media, commerce data, and webforms to a new Drupal platform
- Migration and re-architecture of Drupal Commerce, including products, attributes, and variations.
- Rationalized content model: merged redundant content types, introduced 13 streamlined types and 32 reusable components.
- Apache Solr faceted search with automated related content linking.
- Bilingual site with full English and French translation.
- Custom integration with CUPE’s internal database to power newsletters, petitions, and the Union Education Catalog.
- Editorial workflows with granular publishing permissions.
- Tools for advocacy campaigns, petitions, and local engagement.
- Maintenance and upgrades for 350+ WordPress local union sites.
Outcomes
The redesigned CUPE website includes more than 29,000 pages, which were automatically migrated to preserve critical content and streamline the overall structure. The new content model introduces 13 content types and 32 reusable components, giving editors powerful tools to publish and design with flexibility.
The new Drupal-based corporate site reduces technical debt and leverages core functionality. In parallel, CUPE’s 350+ WordPress local union sites have been upgraded to improve usability and security, ensuring consistency across the network.
The platform integrates CUPE’s internal systems, automates content relationships, and enhances search functionality, giving members faster access to local information, collective agreements, and educational resources. The result is a scalable, cost-effective, and accessible digital presence that reflects CUPE’s identity, while empowering members with a stronger sense of community and connection.
Why Drupal was chosen
Drupal provides CUPE with the flexibility, scalability, and long-term sustainability needed for an organization of its size and complexity. As a union with over 740,000 members and 2,363 locals, CUPE requires a platform that can support:
- Complex Integrations: Drupal’s API-first architecture makes it ideal for connecting with CUPE’s internal systems, databases, and third-party tools.
- Multilingual Content: With full support for English and French, Drupal ensures CUPE can deliver content that is accessible to all members across Canada.
- Content Flexibility: Drupal’s content model and reusable components empower CUPE editors to manage diverse types of content, from collective agreements and petitions to events and educational resources.
- Scalability: The platform handles CUPE’s large volume of content (29,000+ pages) while supporting long-term growth.
- Accessibility & Compliance: Drupal’s strong support for accessibility standards ensures CUPE’s site remains inclusive and user-friendly for all audiences.
- Sustainability: By reducing reliance on custom modules and leveraging Drupal core, CUPE lowers its long-term maintenance costs and ensures ongoing platform support.
Together, these strengths make Drupal the natural choice for CUPE’s corporate website, while WordPress continues to provide a solution for CUPE’s 350+ local union sites.
Technical Specifications
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