It’s January 2009, we’re still fighting for an equitable contract, and we want to get this done as fairly and quickly as possible so we can all get back to class. Help our fight and our struggle for quality education at York U become one of the first successes for the public good of 2009!

The pressure is strong, and your support is needed more than ever!

*** NEWSFLASH: SAT, 24th JAN. 2009 ***
ONTARIO GOVERNMENT INITIATES BACK-TO-WORK LEGISLATION … VOICE YOUR OPPOSITION !

Write to your MPP right away to voice your opposition to this dangerous precedent!

Find your local Provincial Representative HERE - don’t forget your POSTAL CODE!

Premier Dalton McGuinty
Tel: 416-325-1941 or call
1-866-699-4566 for the Premier’s answering service (a live person)
email: dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
more contact: LINK HERE for Premier’s Office contacts

Minister of Labour Peter Fonseca
Tel: 416-326-7600
email: webmin@mol.gov.on.ca & pfonseca.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org
more contact: LINK HERE for Labour Ministry contacts

Below are 5 reasons why back-to-work legislation is a bad idea:

1. Back-to-work legislation subverts our legal right to collective bargaining.

2. Back-to-work imposes binding arbitration, which York University has been using as their excuse for effectively not negotiating since September, 2008.

3. Back-to-work sets a precedent for all public sector and public service workers in Ontario, signalling that a recession becomes the justification for threatening ALL of our legal rights to negotiate, bargain and strike.

4. Back-to-work sends a message to public sector employers that they don’t need to negotiate in good faith with their employees.

5. Back-to-work sends a message to public sector workers that - even as our jobs, services, programs and institutions become critically important to support large populations enduring economic and social hardship in a recession - the government will not prioritize adequate, appropriate and necessary public funds to these sectors.

* * * * *

Since we walked off the job at 12:01 am, Thursday, November 6th, CUPE 3903 has been blessed with all manner of support and solidarity from the York Community, sister locals and unions, the broader labour movement locally, nationally and globally, as well as community groups, community-minded businesses, and incredibly thoughtful individuals.

WE THANK YOU for believing in our issues, supporting our legal right to strike, and backing us in our struggle for a fair and equitable contract that will help us deliver the quality education we want, and that students deserve!

  • SUPPORT CUPE 3903 –> come picket, contact York President Shoukri, and contact the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.