CUPE Ontario and the Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee (OUWCC) have expressed their shock and dismay at the horrifying and violent act that took place yesterday at the University of Waterloo.
On behalf of CUPE members, 30,000 of whom work in Ontario’s universities, CUPE Ontario President Fred Hahn and OUWCC chair David Simao expressed their sympathy to the victims of the incident:
The professor and students who were injured in this attack are in our thoughts, as are all the students, staff, and faculty of the University of Waterloo. It is tragic that such violence can intrude on places of higher learning and have such devastating effects on everyone in the university community.
CUPE members stand in solidarity with all those affected by this terrible event, which police are calling a hate-motivated crime.
This deplorable assault took place in a class on gender studies, and during a time of rising hate and violence against women, Black and racialized people, and the 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. It serves as a reminder to us all that none of us can sit idly by during these challenging days. Our union in particular must live up to our members’ demands that we stand together to actively fight hate and violence with love and solidarity.
Some of CUPE’s newest members are the sessional instructors at the University of Waterloo, who organized to ensure they have a strong collective voice on all issues that affect their working lives.
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