Free CUPE member Cihan Erdal!

CUPE 4600 member, Cihan Erdal was arrested on September 25th by Turkish police on unspecified charges related to social unrest in 2014. Erdal is one of 82 people issued arrest warrants in relation to alleged incitement of protests in 2014 which were violently repressed by Turkish police. These arrests are part of a broader effort…

As campus COVID cases climb, Ford Conservatives need to stop pointing fingers and start protecting Ontarians

Toronto, ON– With COVID-19 cases spiking on multiple Ontario post-secondary campuses, Premier Doug Ford’s Conservative government needs to move past deflecting blame for its own failures and focus on keeping Ontarians safe, the Chair of CUPE Ontario’s University Workers’ Coordinating Committee (OUWCC) warned today. “Time and again, in recent days, we are seeing the Ford…

As universities eye reopening, student and worker safety taking a back seat, warns CUPE University workers

TORONTO, ON – As universities across Ontario begin planning for reopening in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the health and safety of workers and students appears to be taking a back seat to other considerations, the Chair of CUPE Ontario’s University Workers’ Coordinating Committee (OUWCC) warned today. “Over and over again, we are seeing…

University ‘re-opening’ announcement yet another abdication of responsibility by Ford Government

Toronto, ON — An announcement earlier this week by Ontario’s Minister of Colleges and Universities is yet another abdication of responsibility by the Ford Government, according to the leader of university workers within CUPE Ontario. “Once again, we see the Ford Government announcing with much fanfare the resumption of a vital public service, with few—if…

Statement from David Simao, Chair of OUWCC Re: Canadian Emergency Student Benefit

TORONTO – The Federal Government’s announcement this week of further supports for the post-secondary education sector across Canada is a step in the right direction. The Government’s inclusion of new financial benefits for university students is a welcome, albeit overdue recognition that students and workers in the post-secondary education sector have not been immune from…

Ontario’s University workers and students need more than ‘window dressing’ from Ford Government to get through COVID-19 crisis

TORONTO, ON – In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, workers and students at Ontario’s post-secondary institutions need more than ‘window dressing’ currently on offer from the Provincial Government, the Chair of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario University Workers’ Coordinating Committee (OUWCC) warned today. “Ontario’s Universities are by no means immune from…