CANADIAN LABOUR:

TORONTO POLICE ATTACK YORK UNIVERSITY STRIKE SOLIDARITY DEMO:

A solidarity protest in support of striking teaching assistants at Toronto's York Univerity was temporarily disrupted yesterday as police moved to arrest four demonstrators. Here's the story from the point of view of the Inside Toronto magazine.

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NORTH YORK: Strikers clash with police during rally:
By CLARK KIM
January 27, 2009 5:39 PM
Legislation details
According to reports, the following are highlights of the proposed back-to-work legislation debated at Queen’s Park this week to end the strike at York University.
It would:

**End the strike immediately.
**Impose daily fines of up to $2,000 per
person against scofflaws who continue to strike.
Send unresolved contract
matters to arbitration
**Enable CUPE Local 3903 and the university to agree
to an arbitrator, but allow the government to name one if they are not able to
achieve a consensus choice
**Force arbitration to end within 90 days
**Empower the arbitrator to take into consideration the university’s ability
to pay, the economic situation of the province and the competitiveness of the
settlement when compared with other contracts.

What started as a peaceful rally by the striking York University workers turned violent as they marched to Queen's Park Tuesday morning to protest the back-to-work legislation put forward by the provincial Liberal government earlier this week.

About 200 members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903 gathered at the Ontario Ministry of Labour office near University Avenue and Dundas Street where the rally began.

More than 3,300 union members including teaching assistants, contract faculty and graduate assistants have been on strike since Nov. 6, effectively shutting down the campus and cancelling classes for 50,000 undergraduate students.

The protesters marched to the Legislature building with the MPPs debating the back-to-work bill that could end the strike and have classes resume Monday.

"It's about a fundamental right of labour," said Noaman Ali, a teaching assistant and graduate student at York University.

Calling the back-to-work legislation "reprehensible," he called on the province to instead force the university administration to come back to the bargaining table to resolve the labour dispute.
The demonstration, however, was disrupted when an altercation took place between a police officer and a union member who allegedly ignored police orders to stop blocking traffic.

Other protesters got involved in the confrontation with police, resulting in at least four union members taken into police custody, according to CUPE 3903 representatives.

The crowd voiced their anger toward the officers on duty, shouting, "Let them go," and chanting, "Free, free, free our colleagues."

"I have a right to be here," said Gita Hashemi, a contract faculty professor at the university. "Our members have a right to be here."

One witness said he saw the incident unfold and called the police officer's actions "appalling."
"One person was grabbed and thrown to the ground," said Ted Myerscough, a research project co-ordinator, who was looking down from the ninth floor of his work building on University Avenue. "I was just outraged."

The march eventually proceeded with the union and its supporters reaching Queen's Park where provincial NDP leader Howard Hampton addressed the large crowd.

"A bargaining contract is better than one that's imposed," said Hampton, whose party didn't give unanimous consent for the back-to-work legislation.

That prevented the expedited passage of the bill and it appears almost certain that the resumption of classes at York will be delayed until next week.

While the legislation is being debated, Hampton urged Premier Dalton McGuinty to call York University president Mamdouh Shoukri and request the administration meet with the union to "bargain and negotiate."

CUPE 3903 spokesperson Tyler Shipley applauded Hampton for his support.

"We want to make sure this thing ends with a negotiated settlement on our terms," Shipley said. "This fight is not over."

But in a statement by the administration released later in the afternoon, Shoukri said negotiations were at an impasse.

"York's bargaining team spent over 40 days in negotiations with CUPE 3903 beginning in July of last year," he said. "After six months, which included 11 weeks on strike, the union's last offer was still more than double the university's offer for settlement. That is an impasse by any standards."

The back-to-work legislation is the only certain way to get students back to class as soon as possible, he added.

"The parties are in deadlock and the summer term is now in jeopardy," Shoukri said. "We need to get these students back to class immediately."

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Here is a first hand report from one of the union members involved. The following comes via the Ontario Section of the Anarchist Black Cat discussion board.

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Toronto Police Attack Peaceful Protesters:

Tues January 27, 2009

Today at 15:38 I am writing this to share with you what really happened at the CUPE 3903 protest against back-to-work legislation at the Ministry of Labour and Queen's Park today. Most major news networks are referring to the events of today as "protesters clash with police" or "one arrested at CUPE 3903 demonstration", and so on.

The organizers of the protest began by getting all of the necessary permits to have the rally, and did notify the city and the police in accordance with the law. We began the rally at the Ministry of Labour, and upon completion we marched down University Avenue to our final destination, Queen's Park. During the protest we listened to speeches, yelled chants, and sang songs amidst journalist-provocateurs which we responded to by yelling our chants even louder, or ignoring all together.

When we were marching down University Avenue the police kept screaming at us to get off the road, when our permit proved that we had a legal right to be there! We only stayed on the side of the street designated to us, and refrained from stepping onto any private property because we wanted our demonstration to be peaceful! After screaming at us, some police officers started to shove some of the marshalls. When one girl yelled at a police officer for shoving her, he responded by yelling "Stop resisting you stupid bitch!" and hit her in the face with his baton. Bleeding, she was dragged by two male officers to the police station. Police officers then arrested four other protesters, two of which I saw being held on the ground, their faces being crushed into concrete and piles of sharp ice and gravel. One protester's forehead was bleeding from being forced down into the ice. As he was lifted up and put into the back of the police car the officer yelled to the crowd that the protesters were armed!! The police officer had confiscated his CUPE flag, so was the officer referring to a large pink flag being a lethal weapon? Ridiculous! While the police were forcibly restraining the protesters, we circled the police, shouting "LET THEM GO! LET THEM GO! POLICE BRUTALITY! POLICE BRUTALITY!' A group of us then sat in front of the police car that was holding the protester who had a bloody forehead as a means of peaceful resistance against police brutality. The police then felt a need to call in backup of at least 10 more police cars, plus a troop of cops on horses to intimidate us. From my understanding a good portion of these events were caught on film on video tape, and it is my hope that we have enough evidence to help our colleagues who were unjustly injured and arrested today.

When we tried to continue the march to Queen's Park, the police blocked the road with their cruisers, not allowing us to pass. This happened in front of a hospital and they then had the audacity to accuse us of obstructing emergency vehicles when it was their cruisers that were blocking the road!! Finally the police unblocked the road so that we could pass and continue on with our rally.

We did make it to Queen's Park to finish the rally, and were met with support from CUPE Ontario who are going to pay the lawyer fees for those who were abused by uniformed police officers, and the NDP caucus who have been the only party in Ontario to fight against back-to-work legislation. We did find out that that McGuinty is supposed to be calling York administration back to the bargaining table today, in a last ditch effort to end the strike without back-to-work legislation!!

It is my hope that those who were injured by the police today video tape their injuries and send the pictures to the media, put them of facebook, and put them on youtube to show the public how Toronto police are guilty of brutality!"

Apparently, passerbys agreed. A number of construction workers joined in at the impromptu rally outside 52nd division and here's a quote from one of the articles:

"One person was grabbed and thrown to the ground," said Ted Myerscough, a research project co-ordinator, who was looking down from the ninth floor of his work building on University Avenue. "I was just outraged."

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Finally, as I prepare to put this blog to bed comes news today that CUPE Local 3903 has decided not to try and challenge the back to work legislation being prepared by the Ontario government. members of Local 3903 plan to return to work on Monday. Taken in its broadest context this means that the strike has essentially been lost. There is an inevitably hard road to travel in any strike in the public sector as trike breaking legislation is an ever present possibility. rumour has it that striking transit workers in the Ottawa area are also to be legislated back to work in the near future. Molly has no quick and easy answers to this problems, though it is obvious that winning any public sector strike depends much more on winning the battle for public sympathy than a strike in the private sector does. That is where the questions should be asked. Anyways, here from the Strike Site of Local 3903 is the announcement.

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YORK UNIVERSITY WON’T BARGAIN:

CUPE 3903 TAKES HIGH ROAD, HOLD’S LAWSUIT, TO ALLOW RESUMPTION OF CLASSES:
JANUARY 28, 2009 , TORONTO, ON – After waiting in vain for the past critical day and a half for York University to negotiate an eleventh hour settlement, the union representing striking contract professors and teaching, graduate and research assistants says it is shifting gears and preparing for members to return to the classroom.

“It is obvious that the York administration has no desire, indeed has never intended to reach a negotiated settlement,” said CUPE 3903 spokesperson Tyler Shipley. “We have done everything in our power to stand up for the quality and accessibility of education at York in this round of negotiations but, for now, it’s time to get our students back to class. Our local has decided not to pursue a legal challenge to Premier Dalton McGuinty’s back-to-work legislation at this time.”

CUPE 3903 Chair Christina Rousseau noted that the local’s 3300 members “have fought a courageous fight against an administration who put their own narrow vision ahead of the interests of students, academic integrity, job security and workers rights.”

Shipley added, “Our members have shown tremendous determination, but they are tired of waiting for York to take the process seriously. Undergrad students are looking for some assurances. We aren’t going to let the university’s game continue. It is time for someone to take responsibility for getting campus life back to normal.”

The Liberal government should not imagine that back-to-work legislation resolves any of the key issues in the strike, particularly the reliance of universities on underpaid, contingent workers to do most classroom teaching.

“Our concerns are not going away, they are systemic and go well beyond the York campus,” noted Shipley, adding that the local will continue to address the trend to insecure teaching jobs, the need for minimum funding guarantees for graduate students, and the value of coordinated bargaining through other channels.

“These issues are still alive at York and across the province. We’ll be working with our sister locals to make sure they are addressed in ways that protect the interests of workers, students and hardworking parents who are being asked to shell out more tuition fees every year,“ said Rousseau. “Unless administrators change their priorities and the Ontario government invests in our universities, they should brace themselves for more job actions in the coming years.”
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For more information, contact:

Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903 Spokesperson, 647-295-1674

Christina Rousseau, Chair, CUPE 3903, 416-347-4502
DOWNLOAD a PDF version of this release.

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CANADIAN LABOUR:

CUPE TO YORK UNIVERSITY-"STOP WASTING BARGAINING TIME":

The weeks long strike at York University continues, and the university management continues to stall and engage in legal manoeuvre rather than bargain. Here's the latest from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) on management's tactic of calling a forced vote on an offer already rejected by a general meeting of the union.

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Forced vote on York University offer wastes valuable bargaining time, union says:
After five days of negotiations that brought the two sides significantly closer together, CUPE 3903 is frustrated and disappointed by York University administration’s decision to walk away from the table and call for a forced ratification vote on an offer that a general membership meeting rejected last night by nearly 90%.

“Our members agreed that the university’s offer is inadequate and does not address several key priorities set out by the membership,” said spokesperson Tyler Shipley.

In particular, CUPE 3903 members are deeply concerned by the administration’s unwillingness to maintain a historic commitment to converting contract professors into tenure stream jobs, especially in context of more than 100 retirements that have occurred in the tenure stream.

“York’s lack of commitment to conversions not only creates hardship for contract professors but also institutionalizes the casualization of university teaching,” said Maria Wallis, a contract professor. “Teaching at the university level should not be a ‘McJob.’”

This tenth week of the strike marked the first time that York could be persuaded to stay at the table with the union’s bargaining team, Shipley said. Prior to Jan. 3, there had been only five days of bargaining. Though both members and leadership are disappointed that this recent period of fruitful negotiations has come to an end, Shipley said they are confident that a ratification vote will only reiterate the union’s strong commitment to its priorities and to its members’ ability to provide a high-quality education at York.

According to Ben Nelson, a teaching assistant and York University senator, “The resumption of negotiations as soon as possible is the best and quickest way to end the strike.”

CANADIAN LABOUR:

YORK UNIVERSITY RESUMES NEGOTIATIONS WITH STRIKING WORKERS:

The following information is from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). It seems that the public support for striking workers at York University has had an effect, as the Administration has decided to return to the bargaining table.

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York U starting year off right; agrees to resume talks with CUPE 3903:
TORONTO, Ont. – After weeks of waiting, CUPE 3903 has finally heard from the provincially-appointed mediator that the York University administration is ready to resume talks aimed at ending the strike that began almost two months ago.

“We have done our work to revise our proposals and have been ready to meet for more than two weeks,” said Graham Potts, lead negotiator for the union. “We can only hope that the university’s negotiators have done the same kind of work and are ready to move toward a settlement.”

The main issues in the strike are job security for contract faculty, restoration of benefit and other funds to 2005 levels with indexation to growth in membership, and improved wages. The total increase in the cost of the CUPE 3903 collective agreement for the union’s proposals would be 11% over two years, according to Potts.

“We were ready to bargain anytime over the holidays, so are looking forward to a return to the table on January 3 and settling on a fair collective agreement so we can all get back to class,” he said.
For more information, contact:


Graham Potts, CUPE 3903 Lead Negotiator, 416-570-5187

Lykke de la Cour, CUPE 3903 Unit 2 (Contract Faculty), 416-454-8314

Pat Daley, CUPE Communications, 416-616-6142

CANADIAN LABOUR:

SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS AT YORK UNIVERSITY:

The following is an appeal from the Canadian Union of Public Employees(CUPE) Local 3903 who represent teaching, graduate and research associates at York University in Toronto. These workers have been on strike for two months now, and the university administration has finally agreed to return to the bargaining table. Please read the following and send the administration a note in support of these workers.

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Help CUPE 3903 win a fair contract and settle the strike at York University!:
More than 3,000 teaching, graduate and research assistants and contract faculty at York University have been on strike for two months. The university administration has finally agreed to return to the table on January 3.

You can help CUPE 3903 in their fight for a fair wage increase and cost of living allowance, restored job security for contract faculty, and increases in funds for extended health benefits, child care and other measures to match the increase in membership.

You can help CUPE 3903 by sending a message to York’s administration and bargaining team. Please go to http://cupe.ca/action/3903-york to send a message to York's administration and bargaining team.

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Please go to THIS LINK to send the following letter to the administration at York University.

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THE LETTER:

I am pleased to hear that York’s administration has indicated its intention to return to the bargaining table and its willingness to negotiate with CUPE beginning on Saturday, January 3. It is my hope that the administration’s bargaining team will present CUPE with a progressive offer: one that has been developed with the sincere aim of ending the strike and helping all of us at York return to the important work of teaching, learning and research.

As you know, the union is eager to settle the strike, and committed to negotiating a set of collective agreements that will improve job security for contract faculty, increase funds to match the growth in our membership, and provide all our members – who do the majority of teaching at York as well as a good amount of its research – with a fair wage increase and a total compensation package that is tied to inflation.

Undergraduate and graduate students, faculty, and the York community as a whole are hopeful that this opportunity to reach a negotiated settlement will be used wisely and well. I urge you to do your part to see that York’s administration bargains seriously and in good faith with CUPE, beginning on the 3rd and until this dispute is brought to an equitable and productive end.

CANADIAN LABOUR:

CUPE 3903 RALLY FOR STRIKE AT YORK UNIVERSITY:

Yesterday hundreds of people rallied outside the Ontario offices in charge of universities in support of strikers at that institution. Here's the story from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).

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Hundreds rally in support of CUPE 3903 strike at York:

December 5, 2008

Hundreds of members of CUPE 3903 and their supporters rallied outside the offices of the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities in support of the month-old strike at York University and against precarious work in the post-secondary sector.

“This strike will not end until we get job security,” said Lykke de la Cour, who works as contract faculty at York. She described the constant uncertainty of academic workers who must re-apply for their jobs every term.

Precarious work is not just an issue at York, said Deena Ladd of the Toronto Workers Action Centre.

“We have a labour market where over 37% of workers are in precarious jobs,” she said. “Your struggle is our struggle.”

“We’re not just talking about job security,” said CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan. “We’re talking about dignity and respect for workers, about equity in the workplace.”

Arthur Hilliker, president of the York University Faculty Association, said his association continues to support measures to facilitate the movement of contract faculty into YUFA positions. He said the association has told the university that they are willing to go to the table for trilateral negotiations on that issue.

Meanwhile, the CUPE 3903 bargaining team continues its efforts to bring the university administration back to the bargaining table.

CANADIAN LABOUR-TORONTO:

RALLY IN SUPPORT OF CUPE LOCAL 3903 AT YORK U.:

CUPE Local 3903, representing contract faculty, teaching and graduate assistants at York University in Toronto, has been on strike since November 6. Tomorrow there's a solidarity rally in that burg. Here's the announcement from the Linchpin site.

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Solidarity Rally with CUPE 3903!:
Start: 11/12/2008 - 13:00
Timezone: Etc/GMT-4
Solidarity with CUPE 3903!
Wednesday, November 12th

1PM

at Main Gate of York University — York Boulevard and Keele
Please come out for a Solidarity Rally with striking CUPE 3903 workers at York University.

CUPE 3903, the union of Contract Faculty, Teaching and Graduate Assistants at York University, went out on strike at 12:01am Thursday November 6th, 2008.

We rejected a concessionary offer and are fighting for job security, decent wages and benefits and accessible education for all! We will be holding a rally at 1pm Wednesday. We are calling on all unions, allies and supporters to please come out to the picket-lines to show your solidarity.
Check out the union’s strike website: http://www.3903strike.ca/

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And here is a report from CUPE on the solidarity rally held yesterday.

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Students and unions back CUPE 3903 :
November 10, 2008 06:15 PM
York university student and campus unions threw their full support behind the 3,400 striking faculty, teaching and graduate assistants of CUPE 3903 at a solidarity rally and joint news conference held this afternoon.

A group of undergraduate students kicked off the rally this morning with a demonstration at the university’s main gate, and eventually joined the strikers on the picket lines.

By noon, the picket lines had grown to ten times their normal size as faculty, clerical staff, security guards and other workers on campus came down to lend support.

“There was a strong presence from faculty today. It was lovely to see them out, they were very spirited,” said Punam Khosla, a teaching assistant with CUPE 3903.

At the press conference, strikers heard words of encouragement from the York Federation of Students, representing undergraduate students; York University Staff Association, representing support and clerical staff; CUPE 1356, representing workers in trades, maintenance, caretaking, housing, grounds, vehicles and security; York University Faculty Association, the York University Graduate Student Association, and CUPE 1281, which represents small non-profit and social justice workers.

The workers of CUPE 3903 have been on strike since last Thursday, after a series of failed bargaining attempts with the university administration.

The university is using a lot of figures to mislead the public. But the administration’s latest offer refers only to proposed wage levels. When wages and benefits are factored together and set against inflation, the proposal is actually a 1.4% reduction. And despite the 28% increase in CUPE 3903 membership, the university has refused to match this with the $600,000 needed to bring benefits and support funds back to 2005 levels.
Online action:

Support CUPE 3903
CUPE 3903 strike video diary

CANADIAN LABOUR-ONTARIO:

SUPPORT A FAIR CONTRACT AT YORK UNIVERSITY:
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Molly has blogged about this before, but the strike deadline at Toronto's York University (Nov. 6) is coming up soon, and the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) is renewing their call for online support for their members in Local 3903. Here's the appeal.
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Help CUPE 3903 win a fair contract and avert a strike at York University!:
More than 3,000 teaching, graduate and research assistants and contract faculty at York University are working hard to achieve a fair collective agreement before the November 6 strike deadline.




You can help CUPE 3903 in their fight for a fair wage increase and cost of living allowance, restored job security for contract faculty, and increases in funds for extended health benefits, child care and other measures to match the increase in membership.




You can help CUPE 3903 by sending a message to York’s president, Mamdouh Shoukri and Barry Miller, executive director of employee relations.
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Please go THIS LINK to send the following letter.
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THE LETTER:
Please do not force the members of CUPE 3903 to take strike action in order to achieve a fair collective agreement.




I am urging you to work hard at the bargaining table to negotiate a collective agreement that:
* provides all the members of CUPE 3903 a fair wage increase and a cost-of-living allowance
* restores measures to improve job security for contract faculty
* increases funds to match increases in the membership of CUPE 3903 so there is no reduction in financial support.
You can avert a strike at York with your actions at the bargaining table. Do it now!

CANADIAN LABOUR:

SOLIDARITY WITH WORKERS AT YORK UNIVERSITY:

The following is an appeal from the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) for online solidarity with TAs and contract faculty at York University.

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Help York TAs and contract faculty

Aidez les AE et les professeurs occasionnels de York‏:
Help York TAs and contract faculty
Teaching assistants and contract faculty are locked in a battle with York University's administration over cost of living adjustments and work guarantees for contract faculty. Please take a moment to send an email to the administration's bargaining team to pressure them to take the union's proposals seriously.
The end of October is coming and with it CUPE 3903's strike deadline. The local would like to avoid a disruption in the academic year. With your help in putting some pressure on the administration, they can.
Send a message to York's bargainers (http://cupe.ca/action/3903-york)

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Aidez les AE et les professeurs occasionnels de York
Les aides-enseignants et les professeurs occasionnels sont dans l’impasse avec l’administration de l’Université York au sujet d’ajustements au coût de la vie et de garanties de travail pour les professeurs occasionnels. Veuillez prendre un instant pour envoyer un courriel aux membres de l’équipe de négociation de l’administration afin de les obliger à prendre les propositions du syndicat au sérieux.
Le délai de grève de la section locale 3903 du SCFP est la fin d’octobre. La section locale souhaite éviter une perturbation de l’année universitaire, ce qui est possible si vous aidez ses membres à faire pression.
Faites parvenir un message aux négociateurs de York (http://scfp.ca/action/3903-york)
Vous recevez ce message parce que vous avez participé à d’autres moyens d’action en ligne du SCFP pour soutenir des négociations.