There is an emergency rally tomorrow at noon outside Queen's Park against Back to Work Legislation!

When: Sunday January 25, 2009 at 12pm
Where: Outside of the Provincial Legislature building at Queen's Park (University and Wellesley Ave. Toronto)

Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced Back to Work Legislation for CUPE 3903, that has been on-strike since November 6, 2008. The provincial government parliament is meeting on Sunday January 15, 2009 at 1pm to discuss Back to Work legislation for CUPE 3903.

We have two demands:
1) That the Provincial government NOT enforce Back to Work legislation;
2) That the Provincial government place pressure on the York bargaining team to negotiate in collective bargaining

• The York bargaining team has made no effort to collectively bargain during this round of negotiations
• The Liberal party and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty have done nothing to pressure the York bargaining team to collectively bargain
• The latest move to enforce Back to Work Legislation is a serious attack to rights to collectively bargain in Ontario
• CUPE 3903 has maintained that it is willing to bargain until a negotiated settlement is reached
• CUPE 3903 urges the members of provincial parliament to allow collective bargaining to continue and refrain from interference
• Back to Work legislation is an attack on labour unions in the province of Ontario

WE WILL NOT STAND FOR IT!

Members of CUPE 3903 will receive picket pay for attending the rally.

This rally is endorsed by the CUPE 3903 Executive.

Please send endorsements to CUPE 3903 Chair Christina Rousseau at: christina.rousseau@gmail.com

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PLEASE SEND this letter to Dalton McGuinty ASAP:

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Just send this letter to the email addresses in bold (and add the other ones to the cc line).
Be sure to put your name at the bottom. And PLEASE ask as many people as you know to send this. Every bit will help!
-Victoria
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Premier Dalton McGuinty (dmcguinty.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org)
CC: Peter Fonseca, Minister of Labour; John Milloy, Minister of Training Colleges and Universities; Howard Hampton, NDP Leader (pfonseca.mpp@liberal.ola.org, hhampton-qp@ndp.on.ca, jmilloy.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org)

24 January 2009

Premier Dalton McGuinty

Dear Premier,

Your decision to enact back-to-work legislation against striking contract professors, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants, represented by CUPE 3903, at York University, sets a terrible precedent for education workers and indeed all workers across Ontario.

The CUPE 3903 bargaining team consistently attempted to negotiate a collective agreement not only throughout this 11 week strike, but also during many months preceding the strike. Unfortunately, York University administrators used every possible means to avoid negotiating with unionized workers.

On Thursday and Friday of this week, 22-23 January, the CUPE 3903 bargaining team made substantial reductions to bargaining priorities demonstrating the commitment of the entire CUPE 3903 membership to reach a negotiated settlement as quickly as possible. York University responded by holding firm to its offer that was rejected by the members of CUPE 3903 during the forced ratification vote supervised by the Ontario Labour Relations Board, on 19-20 January.

On 23 January, I observed the meetings between the CUPE 3903 bargaining team and the mediator, Reg Pearson, you appointed. It was obvious, during these meetings, that York University knew back-to-work legislation was imminent; thus, there was absolutely no incentive for university negotiators to bargain in good faith.

Your appointment of a new mediator was evidently a public relations stunt to deflect criticism of your decision to impose back-to-work legislation. There is no indication you genuinely attempted to resolve this labour conflict by using the legitimate processes of collective bargaining. This public relations stunt demonstrates contempt for all workers in Ontario and our right to collectively bargain with our employers.

Back-to-work legislation will reward York University's intransigence and show other university administrations they can also refuse to negotiate and rely on the province to impose back-to-work legislation. Your decision to impose back-to-work legislation further erodes workers' rights to collectively bargain, a precedent that will have far-reaching consequences for workers throughout the public and private sectors and the Ontario economy as a whole.

I ask that you reconsider your attack on the right of workers in Ontario to engage in collective bargaining by withdrawing your back-to-work legislation. I further ask that you send both parties back to the negotiating table to fairly negotiate a collective agreement without the prejudicial support of the government for either side.

Sincerely,

Your name
Address

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SEND THIS TO YOUR MPP (modify it a bit so it reflects yourself, either as a parent, concerned citizen, etc):

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[model email letter to your MPP from York Student- change it based on who you are]

Dear [name of MPP],

I am a student at York University currently affected by the strike of CUPE 3903. While I am being hurt by the cancellation of classes I want you to know that I do not support the proposed back-to-work legislation that would forcefully end the current job action of CUPE 3903 at York University.

The current strike of 3300 teaching assistants, graduate assistants and contract faculty is part of the protected democratic process and a legal protest against unfair employment practices at York University. The demands for fair employment include the following:

o adequate funding for graduate students to enable them to complete their degrees, including indexation to cover cost of living expenses;
o job security and pay increase for contract faculty in a spirit of pay equity.

Post-secondary education is becoming less and less accessible due to the high price-tag, turning it into a consumer commodity that leaves young people with a huge burden of debt, rather than allowing them to develop their minds and personal integrity.

Back-to-work legislation would be unfair to the expression of basic rights of our democracy and set a dangerous example, interfering in the dialogue between the two sides. You can help promote this process by asking the York administration to bargain in good faith, working together to find a fair and equitable resolution so I can go back to class as soon as possible.

I want to continue my education at York in classes with teachers who are treated fairly in terms of their pay and working conditions.

Sincerely,

Name
Address
Postal Code