York University Strike CUPE 3903 TAs Contract Faculty GAs & RAs » 2008

Archive for December, 2008

Diary of Sit-In Week One - A Response to Shoukri

Published on 28 Dec 2008

Communiqué from the sit-in outside President Shoukri’s office, York University:
The First Week and Response to Shoukri’s Letter

December 27th, 2008

Dear all,

We are a group of undergraduate and graduate students and workers writing to you about the ninth floor sit-in, outside of York University President Shoukri’s office, which lasted from Monday, December 15 to Friday, December 19.

CUPE 3903 has been on strike since November 6, 2008. Since then, the university administration has refused to negotiate seriously. The administration has also refused to engage the university community through dialogue and discussion on the effects of the strike on education. This refusal has contributed to the disintegration of both the university’s sense of community and its claim to pedagogical soundness.

Rally December 3rd

Published on 27 Dec 2008

The solidarity and the strength of our union and our struggle is evident at this rally - the people, the energy, the speeches and the singing!

Video: A Letter to President Shoukri

Published on 26 Dec 2008

Picketers ask President Shoukri some pressing questions - when can we go back to bargaining?

Please enable Javascript and Flash to view this Viddler video.

Faces of protest…

Published on 26 Dec 2008

Above photos by redsparo

More support from undergrads!

Published on 26 Dec 2008

Above photos by the chowder

Dispatch #10 - Last Friday and the New Year

Published on 25 Dec 2008

From: Amrit
To: all students, members of CUPE, friends and the whole York Community
Date: Tue, Dec 23, 2008 at 6:59 PM
Subject: sit-in communique - until 2009

Awakened early Friday morning by security officers, we, the undergraduate and graduate participants of the sit-in outside President Shoukri’s office, found ourselves in the middle of a snowstorm. We were told that the university was to be completely shut down by 12:00pm and that the campus was losing power. Collecting ourselves, holding a brief meeting, and organizing some communications work, we set the task of staging our leave.

Still committed to our demands for a Student Town Hall with President Shoukri, our plan all along was to organize around them into the New Year. To be honest, when we first started, we thought that the President would just speak with us the first day. It would have been simple. We never thought our sit-in would have to last overnight, let alone five days and four nights. Leaving past 1:00pm on Friday, after the university had shut down, we were confident that we had built the momentum to present our demands to Shoukri again once campus activity resumes in 2009.

While our struggle continues, we wish everyone a safe and healthy holiday with friends and loved ones.

Peace.
9th Floor Sit-in Students of York University

FOR RELEASE - CUPE to York U: let’s talk

Published on 24 Dec 2008

December 22, 2008 - TORONTO, Ont.

When York University announced last week that it was ready to negotiate over the holidays in order to reach a settlement, the union representing striking contract faculty and teaching assistants tried to see it as more than a public relations move. But, it turns out that the announcement was PR after all.

“We have been ready and willing to return to the table any time, including over the holidays, but York is still saying no,” said CUPE 3903 spokesperson Tyler Shipley. “We have worked, as the mediator requested, to revise our proposals – twice. Unfortunately, York has not done the same. We don’t see how we can reach a settlement negotiating with ourselves.”

New CUPE 3903 Avatar!

Published on 22 Dec 2008

Support CUPE 3903’s strike with a new facebook or myspace avatar… you can just download the animated gif and upload it as an image on your favourite social networking site. To download just right click and “save as”