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.”

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NO ANSWER FROM YORK UNIVERSITY PRESIDENT MAMDOUH SHOUKRI:
CUPE READY AND WAITING TO NEGOTIATE

Wednesday, January 28, TORONTO, ON – The clock is ticking on the possibility of a negotiated settlement to end the York University Strike.  CUPE’s offer to hammer out a deal with the University before back to work legislation passes third reading has so far gone unanswered.

“The University has squandered twenty-four precious hours since we put our offer out yesterday morning,” said CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan. “But with the Premier’s help we can still use the next twenty-four to thirty-six hours to make this happen.”

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Today in the question period at the Ontario Legislature premier Dalton McGuinty  responded to ontario NDP Leader Howard Hampton by agreeing to call York University president Shoukri  and encourage him to return to the bargaining table with CUPE 3903. Hampton was pressing McGuinty to use the time created by the NDP in there opposition to the McGuinty government back to work legislation to facilitate a negotiated settlement that would make the legislation unnecessary.

Earlier in the morning, representatives of CUPE 3903 and CUPE ontario president Sid Ryan held a press conference at Queen’s Park to announce that they had engaged lawyers to take legal action against the legislation should it pass.  “We believe this legislation is unconstitutional in that it erodes the collective bargaining rights guaranteed by the Canadian constitution.”  said Ryan.

However, Ryan along with Union Chairperson Christina Rousseau and 3903 spokesperson Tyler Shipley, said the preferable course of action is to use the next 24-48 hours before the legislation passes to reach a negotiated settlement at the bargaining table. “These are the precious hours that are available to us to make a win-win situation for students, union members and the university administration as we go back and resume classes.” said Tyler Shipley.  “Let’s not squander them.  We urge the university to come back to the bargaining table and negotiate this out.”

More then five hundred CUPE 3903 members and allies gathered at the ministry of labour to demonstrate there opposition to back to work legislation.  They chanted “Negotiate Don’t Legislate” and heard from allies of the labour movement and the community sector supporting our position.  As demonstrators attempted to march up University Avenue to Queen’s Park, they were violently stopped by police officers from 52 Division.  The CUPE Chief Security Marshall, along with three other demonstrators were subjected to police assault and brutally dragged away and arrested.

The union has dispatched lawyers to represent the arrested members and we will keep the public updated on developments.  Concerned members of the community should contact the police services board at 416-808-8080  and Bill Blair chief of police at 416-808-2222.

* Correction January 28: Yesterday we first reported that five members had been arrested. That number was later confirmed as four. We regret the error.

BACK-TO-WORK LAW IS WRONG WAY TO SETTLE YORK STRIKE, SAYS SID RYAN

January 25, 2009, TORONTO, ON - Premier Dalton McGuinty should be telling the York University administration to go back to the bargaining table instead of introducing back-to-work legislation to end the strike by members of CUPE 3903, says CUPE Ontario President Sid Ryan.

“We are firmly opposed to legislation that ends the collective bargaining process,” said Ryan. “There is no reason to bring that process to a close when the union has tabled a much altered position.”

Ryan welcomed the decision by the Ontario NDP to refuse unanimous consent for introducing legislation today (Jan.25).

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CUPE 3903 members vote “no” on York University offer

Union asks to go back to bargaining table

TORONTO, Ont. – Over two days of voting, members of CUPE 3903 sent a clear message to the York University administration by rejecting the offer on which they were forced to vote.  Members of all three units voted 63% to reject the offer. The union’s bargaining team has requested that the employer be ready to return to the table by 1:00 p.m. Wednesday.

“This result is not a surprise. We told York’s administration that they were wasting everyone’s time by forcing us to vote on an inadequate offer, but they insisted on putting us through this expensive and time-consuming process,” said Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903 spokesperson.  “Now that the charade is over, let’s get back to the bargaining table and get a settlement so that everyone can go back to class.”

About 2,400 members of the union participated in the two-day vote and reaffirmed their commitment to many of their key priorities, including the central questions of job security for contract professors and funding for graduate students.

Elizabeth Brule, a contract professor for more than a decade, explained her unit’s “no” vote.

“We are fully qualified professors at an institution of higher learning and despite all of our years of experience we are still forced to re-apply for every single course we teach,” she said. “How are we supposed to budget for mortgage payments and child care when we have no idea what our income will be from session to session?”

The union will be available to media at 9:00 a.m. Wednesday at the Montecassino Hotel, 3710 Chesswood Drive, to address the key outstanding issues in the strike and to stress its commitment to settling the strike at the bargaining table in a manner that is fair and expedient.

CUPE 3903 represents about 3400 contract professors (Unit 2) and teaching, graduate and research assistants (Units 1 and 3) who have been on strike since November 6.

For further information, please contact:

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

Christina Rousseau, Chair, CUPE 3903, 416-736-5154

MEDIA ADVISORY: CUPE 3903 MEMBERS RALLY TO “KILL THE RAT”

Tuesday, January 13, 2009 - TORONTO, ON.

CUPE 3903 will hold a “Kill the Rat” rally Tuesday, January 13, 2009 at 12 noon to protest the latest attempt by York University administration to derail the bargaining process and cause unnecessary delays in reaching a fair settlement. The administration’s call for a forced ratification vote will postpone bargaining negotiations by two weeks.

Who: Striking contract faculty, teaching assistants, research
assistants, and graduate assistants at York University.
What: “Kill the Rat” Rally
When: 12 noon, Tuesday January 13, 2009
Where: York University, Sentinel Picket Line on Sentinel Road (North of Murray Rose Parkway)

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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 of this release.

FORCED VOTE ON YORK UNIVERSITY OFFER WASTES VALUABLE BARGAINING TIME, UNION SAYS

January 9, 2009 - TORONTO, ON.

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.”

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For more information, contact:

Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903 Spokesperson, 647-295-1674
Christina Rousseau, Chair, CUPE 3903, 416-736-5154

CUPE 3903 MEMBERS VOTE TO SEND BARGAINING TEAM BACK TO THE TABLE

January 8, 2009 -TORONTO, ON,

At a general membership meeting today, nearly 90% of CUPE 3903 members in attendance voted to send their bargaining team back to the table with York University administration with a strong mandate to continue bargaining.

Although negotiations have progressed significantly in the past five days, the union affirmed that the university’s current offer does not yet address key priorities set out by the membership. The union feels confident that further negotiation will achieve a collective agreement that addresses these needs and end the strike soon.

“We’re very anxious to get back to class,” said Unit 1 member Cat Ashton, “and we look forward to doing so as soon as York agrees to a fair settlement.”

Though the two sides have come much closer and binding arbitration has been dropped from the table, the bargaining team has identified major shortfalls in some priority areas, notably job security for contract faculty. Members spoke at length about the need for a real commitment to improving the working conditions of contract professors and maintaining the existing levels of conversions into tenure-stream positions.

The union’s bargaining team is looking forward to going back to the table first thing Friday morning, with a renewed message of strength from the membership.

“We have a great deal of faith in the bargaining process,” said contract professor Ryan Toews, “and frankly, we were a little insulted that, this far into a strike, the employer would present such a clearly inadequate offer.”

The two sides will be meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 9 to resume negotiations.

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For more information, contact:

Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903 Spokesperson, 647-295-1674
Christina Rousseau, Chair, CUPE 3903, 416-736-5154

DOWNLOAD a PDF version of this release.

January 5, 2009

TORONTO, Ont. - Beginning at 7p.m. on Sunday, January 4, 2009, 15 York University undergraduate and graduate students resumed their sit-in outside the office of York University President Mamdouh Shoukri. They had previously participated in the sit-in outside President Shoukri’s office between Monday December 15 and Friday, December 19, 2008.

The group is still committed to the same two demands: (1) that President Shoukri agree to participate in a public forum to discuss the CUPE 3903 strike that began Thursday, November 6, 2008, and the impact of the strike on quality and accessible education; (2) that President Shoukri answer 12 questions pertaining to the ongoing strike.

York student Jordana Greenblatt said that the sit-in was important to “remind the administration of its accountability to the university community as a whole.” The students plan on continuing the sit-in until President Shoukri meets with them.

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Sit-in Media Spokespersons:

Amrit Heer (416) 464-4613
Victoria Barnett (416) 721-3471

For general CUPE 3903 inquiries, contact Tyler Shipley (647) 295-1674