As Laurentian University announced a first wave of massive terminations and program cuts today, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and leaders representing University workers today warned it will take years to repair the damage that will be inflicted across Northern Ontario. “Today’s announcement represents a bleak day for Northern Ontario,” said CUPE Ontario President Fred…
TORONTO, ON – The Provincial budget tabled yesterday by Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy represents a ‘shocking dereliction of responsibility’ to Ontario’s university sector by the Ford Conservative government, according to David Simao, Chair of the Ontario University Workers’ Coordinating Committee (OUWCC) which speaks on behalf of more than 30,000 university workers represented by CUPE across…
TORONTO, ON – CUPE Ontario today called an abrupt funding announcement late last week by Provincial Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Minister Ross Romano a real-time example of just how ill-equipped the Ford Conservatives are to respond to the challenges facing Ontario’s post-secondary education sector. “Minister Romano’s announcement Friday was textbook Ford Government,” said…
Toronto, ON—CUPE 3902, the Union representing nearly 11,500 academic workers at the University of Toronto, called on all members of the campus community today to show their support for the members of Unit 1 at a socially-distanced, COVID-19-safe solidarity event taking place this Wednesday, March 24 from 1 to 3 p.m. Unit 1 consists of…
Toronto, ON — CUPE 3902 (Unit 1) academic workers have given a strong strike mandate to their Local leadership with 90 per cent voting this week in favour of job action as negotiations continue with the University of Toronto. The bargaining unit comprises about 8,000 academic workers including teaching assistants, course instructors, and exam invigilators…
TORONTO, ON – CUPE Ontario is calling on the Ford Conservative government to safeguard Laurentian University’s future through adequate public funding that will ensure continuing access to higher education for Northern Ontarians and protect jobs. The union is supporting an online petition from the Laurentian University Faculty Association (LUFA) demanding better public funding. Earlier this…
Waterloo, ON — In a clear response to unionization efforts, the University of Waterloo (UW) has provided notice that it will raise wages for graduate student workers from $33.89 to $45 an hour. The move would bring wages for UW teaching assistants up to sector-wide norms, although they would still lag on total compensation relative…
Toronto, ON — The bankruptcy of Laurentian University is an indictment of the policy failures of the Ford Conservatives, who are failing in their responsibility to ensure Ontarians have access to high-quality post-secondary education, says the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). “The chronic underfunding of post-secondary institutions has led to universities’ relying on revenues…
Toronto, ON — The ongoing COVID-19 outbreak at the University of Guelph raises questions about the role of post-secondary institutions that have been ignoring the science on transmission and neglecting workplace safety, according to the Canadian Union of Public Employees. Universities in Ontario have taken the position that COVID spreads only through droplets or contact,…
TORONTO – Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU) is an outlier among its fellow students’ unions in making cuts to vital services for students, and the union that represents RSU’s terminated workers is enlisting allies to find out why RSU has abandoned the students it is meant to serve. RSU has shuttered landmark campus hubs like Good…
