Strong strike votes signal possible labour disruptions at Queen’s University in the new year

KINGSTON, ON – Members of three union locals representing more than 1000 workers at Queen’s University delivered overwhelming majorities in strike votes held this week. “Queen’s has been neglecting its workforce, its students and its facilities,” said Steve Senechal, a millwright and president of CUPE Local 229. “On campus, many workers don’t earn a living…

Will Western students find picket lines when they arrive on campus?

LONDON, ON – Western University students may find picket lines on move-in day, after negotiations between the institution and its caretaking, landscape services and trades workers were unable to reach an agreement. Following a frustrating day of negotiations aided by a ministry-appointed conciliation officer, the workers, represented by CUPE Local 2361, filed for a “no…

Tentative agreement at York University

TORONTO – For the first time in seven weeks, there is a potential deal in sight for workers on the picket lines at York University. The bargaining team representing academic workers at the university reached a tentative agreement with their employer Sunday night. Details of the agreement are not being released pending ratification. Members of…

Conservative funding announcement just political theatre, say university workers

TORONTO – The Ontario Conservative government’s post-secondary funding announcement is political theatre and nothing more, say representatives of CUPE Ontario university workers. ”The announced funding is less than what the Conservatives have already cut from university budgets, and will not change Ontario’s last place in per-student funding compared to every other province in Canada,” said…

It’s time for a living wage, say 8,000 University of Toronto workers as they set the clock ticking on a strike

TORONTO – Today, two locals of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), representing about 8,000 academic and support workers at the University of Toronto filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board (OLRB), setting the scene for a possible strike later this month. “U of T workers face serious struggles, whether working in a classroom,…