Will there be a strike? What can we do?

UWOFA and UWOSA have reached tentative agreements with the administration, but the union membership still may decide that they haven’t received a fair deal.

If there is a strike, there will be many more updates, posted here. We plan to call meetings to draw together people who want to help support campus employees, from outside of UWOFA and UWOSA.

This site is part of our preparations.

UWOSA is ready to picket, if necessary

The Staff Association are prepared to go on strike, at any time, if campus staff do not receive a fair deal from the administration.

Since 12:01AM on Thursday, UWOSA has been in a legal strike position.

The staff will have access to strike picket toilets that currently are in place at the campus -

Here are more photos.

President Chakma’s Compensation

2009-2010

Base Salary: $440,000 per year
10% performance bonus: +44,000
Gibbons Lodge (free): + 42,000
Leased Car (free): +12,000
Annual Research Allowance: +15,000
Legal or financial advice: +3,500
Annual Employer Pension (8.5%): +37,400
Special Executive Pension: +8,830

Grand Total for Compensation for year 2009-2010: $602,730

Also:

He received moving expenses of $25,000

All travel is Business Class
and he can take his spouse with him at no extra charge

At the end of his term, he gets to automatically become a tenured professor at 80% of his final salary.

GTA agreement ratified — with very little support

62.4% of the GTA Union members who attended the two voting sessions chose to vote in favour of the tentative agreement.  However, only a small minority of the Union members have actually voted. A lack of advanced notice and information clearly has knocked some members out of the voting process.

The threatening and invasive “Conflict of Interest” article now is part of TAs’ Collective Agreement.

UWOFA is prepared

The union already has installed strike porta pottys. Here are a few photos (from this album) -

Corporate Education and the Fight for Academic Freedom at UWO

Chris Hachey on London Fuse

On Wednesay, at 12:01 A.M., the UWOFA may decide to officially go on strike. UWOFA represents all full-time non-clinical faculty members, and all part-time non-clinical faculty members teaching a minimum of one full course. What this means is, for the most part, classes will be cancelled for thousands of UWO students.

The UWOFA, who have been negotiating since May, and without contracts since June, are disputing with the UWO Administration over sweeping and monumental changes to how professors will have to behave, and how students will learn in their classrooms.

As posted on the UWOFA website:

No corporate education: Support UWOFA

A photo from a banner action at the Convocation ceremony -

UWOFA vs. UWO management

Dear Colleagues,

We should know for certain some time today or tonight, but it appears probable that a faculty strike at Western is on the horizon.

The overarching issue, in all labour negotiations presently underway — both at Western and at other universities — is the growing culture of control on the part of university managements. With respect to labour negotiations presently underway at Western, this growing managerial grip is evident in at least two respects:

1. Management demands that would significantly erode the tenure and promotion process and, therefore, academic freedom.
2. Management demands that would broaden surveillance and regulation over employees’ lives — both on and off campus.

Proposed CA for TAs

Dear Colleagues,

While I appreciate the work of our TA union representatives, and I generally trust the competence and values of our union’s leadership, I must oppose — in the strongest of terms — the proposed Collective Agreement. In particular, Article 28 is extremely concerning.

I offer my opinion as a long-time student representative with involvement in many student organizations locally, provincially, and nationally. In addition, I have experience in negotiating collective agreements from my time as a Trustee of the Toronto District School Board, and also as a former General Manager of the University of Toronto Students’ Union. I share such personal details only to lend credibility to my opinion; i.e., to assure you that I am both experienced and informed.

The GTA Union is siding with the administration’s culture of control

The following policy articles are part of the tentative GTA Union agreement for teaching assistants. This new agreement would put in place the same surveillance and the same arbitrary discipline that the faculty union has been challenging. While UWOFA mobilizes against those measures, the GTA Union have attempted to prevent any dialogue about a tentative agreement, which TAs have been given almost no time to review.

This tentative agreement was sent to TAs on the day of the first of two voting sessions (on Monday). The second of those two voting opportunities is on the following day (Tuesday). Even if there weren’t 20 pages of tentative agreement documents to wade through, TAs would not have been given enough notice to leave room in their schedules for these voting sessions.  Yet, there are 20 pages of documents — with invasive and threatening measures buried in them.

Verbal responses from TAs are not permitted at the voting sessions.  Any TAs who can attend at all only will be permitted to ask questions, and vote.

Monday leafletting

We are leafletting and canvassing in support of UWOFA and UWOSA in anticipation of the strike. Everyone is welcome to come join us. We are meeting at 3:30 under the apple tree on UC Hill (near the Ivey building).

Please spread the word. We need fellow students and other concerned parties to help leaflet.