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WINDSOR, Ont. – Negotiators for Local 1393 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE 1393) remain on standby and available to bargain at a moment’s notice despite the University of Windsor’s most recent refusal to return to the bargaining table.
“We’re incredibly disappointed that the university has chosen not to return to the bargaining table, the only place where this dispute can be resolved,” said Dean Roy, President of CUPE 1393.
Roy’s comments follow a decision by university management yesterday to not resume bargaining, following a day of proposals by the union to get both sides back to the table.
“We indicated to the university that we were prepared to move on all of their issues of concern. Our proposals would have saved the university considerable sums of money, but in the end, the university said that wasn’t good enough,” said Roy.
“We were told that unless we accepted – as is – a proposal that would gut a key component of how we determine the value of the jobs our members do, then the university wouldn’t sit down to bargain,” he added.
Local 1393 members went on strike two weeks ago. Since then, a number of high-profile incidents of unsafe work practices have occurred, including one in which three students were ordered to transport a large tank of liquid nitrogen against a traffic light across a busy city street.
“If the university would simply return to the table prepared to negotiate, rather than dictate, I know this dispute could be resolved,” said Roy, who is urging students, parents and the public to contact University of Windsor President Alan Wildeman directly to urge a resumption of bargaining.
CUPE 1393 represents 280 skilled trade and professional staff at the University of Windsor, who perform a wide range of tasks from plumbing and carpentry to nursing, graphic design and hazardous materials handling on campus, to name a few.
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For more information, please contact:
Dean Roy, CUPE 1393 President, 226-347-1063
Kevin Wilson, CUPE Communications, 416-821-6641
