Please Click Here to find recent news, events and information from CUPE Ontario.
TORONTO, Ont. 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.
CUPE is insisting that the Premier bring York University back to the bargaining table. After all, the Province funds forty percent of the University budget which amounts to hundreds of millions of dollars every year, noted Ryan.
Local 3903 spokesperson Tyler Shipley said union negotiators are frustrated at the lack of response but are at the ready. Our local is committed to getting a deal at the table one that gets students back in the classroom, protects our constitutional right to bargain and lets all sides go back to work in an atmosphere of dignity and labour peace, he added.
Ryan affirmed that lawyers are working on preparing a legal challenge to the back to work legislation should it go through. But that shouldn’t stop us from doing everything we can, down to the last hour, to get this deal at the table, he said. The ball is in the Premier’s court. This legislation is a band-aid. It won’t make the problem go away. The issues at York will come back up in other places sooner than later.
CUPE has booked meeting rooms and negotiators are on call to be there as soon as we get a call from the University’s bargaining team said Shipley the University still has a chance to turn this bitter dispute into a dignified settlement, he added.
– 30 –
For more information:
Tyler Shipley: 647-295-1674
Sid Ryan: 416-209-0066
