Strike possibility for Western, Carleton
TORONTO (CUP) — Two
Ontario universities are teetering
on the edge of a strike, with faculty
unions at both schools voting overwhelmingly
in favour of walking
off the job.
The faculty association at the University of Western Ontario voted 87 per cent in favour of a strike on October 1, Helen Connell, the associate vice-president of communications for the university, confirmed.
The union represents more than 1,400 full- and part-time faculty members at Western.
James Compton, president of UWOFA, said the key issue for faculty is a series of proposals put forth by the university that centralizes administrative control over yearly faculty reviews and make them subject to performance management techniques that are counter to scholarly practices.
These proposals would have a centralized board overseeing faculty reviews, rather than the reviews being considered individually within each discipline. Tenured professors who receive a bad review in one area, for instance, could be disciplined or even dismissed.
"This would weaken the role of peer evaluation and collegial selfgovernment," said Compton. He adds that the proposal would also weaken the tenure system, which is a major support of academic freedom.
"Professors that have precarious employment are going to be less likely to speak out and do research and teaching on controversial topics than they would otherwise," said Compton.
"And that is bad for the university, it's bad for students, it's bad for classrooms, it's bad for the broader community, because that is the major public good that's produced by the university. It's what separates universities from high school."
Western also faces the prospect of a staff strike, after the union representing close to 1,200 administrative and technical staff voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike on October 5 and 6, said Deborah Novakowski, the union president.
Novakowski said the staff union's chief concern is job security.
Both the faculty and the staff union have been bargaining with the university since their contracts expired in spring. Both will be in a legal strike position come early November, after filing "No Board" reports with the Ministry of Labour.
A No Board report recommends that a conciliation board should not be appointed because the two sides are not ready to reach a settlement.
There is a waiting period of 17 days after the report is approved before the union can strike or the employer can lock out workers, said Connell.
Novakowski said the staff union's report was approved on October 18. The faculty association's report is still pending approval.
But a No Board report does not mean that a strike is going to occur, it just means there's increased pressure for a settlement to be reached. In fact, Compton is confident that a strike will not occur.
"The history at Western is that we have strike votes and we ask for no-board reports, and we bargain right up to the end and a deal is achieved. But it does seem to require going up to the deadline, and us preparing for the worst," said Compton.
These preparations include renting out the strike headquarters, which the union has already done.
The faculty union has also received a $1-million cheque from the Canadian Association of University Teachers' strike fund, according to a written statement on UWOFA's website. The money will be used for strike-related costs such as rental of the headquarters and strike pay.
Meanwhile, professors at Carleton University in Ottawa voted 88.5 per cent for a strike mandate on October 4 and 5, the union's website asserts.
But Jason MacDonald, director of communications at Carleton, said the university does not believe that the union has the right to strike in this round of bargaining.
According to the current collective agreement, the union should have filed their intent to reserve the right to strike three months before their contract expired, something that they did not do, said MacDonald.
In the event that an agreement cannot be reached, the parties should proceed to binding arbitration, he added.
Neither Western nor Carleton would divulge whether or not classes would be cancelled in the event of a strike, leaving many students anxious.
Nicole Lippay, a fourth-year English student at Western, is scared that a strike might prevent her from graduating.
"I've worked so hard to get this far," said Lippay. "And now at the last possible minute they're going to go on strike?"
Lippay rents a room in a house in downtown London. If a strike does occur, she will have to continue to pay for that room — even if she wants to go home to Uxbridge, Ontario to work. She will also have to scramble to find somewhere to stay if the semester gets extended, as her lease is up at the end of April.
Lippay is concerned that a condensed semester would sacrifice the quality of education that she will receive; however, she also sympathizes with the faculty's issues around academic freedom.
"Most of the professors I've had are very passionate about what they talk about. They talk very freely about what's concerning them, and they make an effort for students to get involved in the discussion," said Lippay.
Negotiations at both universities are ongoing. Connell said that Western has several negotiation dates set, including November 1 and 2, when both sides will meet with the provincial mediator who has been appointed to assist them in reaching a settlement.
The faculty association at the University of Western Ontario voted 87 per cent in favour of a strike on October 1, Helen Connell, the associate vice-president of communications for the university, confirmed.
The union represents more than 1,400 full- and part-time faculty members at Western.
James Compton, president of UWOFA, said the key issue for faculty is a series of proposals put forth by the university that centralizes administrative control over yearly faculty reviews and make them subject to performance management techniques that are counter to scholarly practices.
These proposals would have a centralized board overseeing faculty reviews, rather than the reviews being considered individually within each discipline. Tenured professors who receive a bad review in one area, for instance, could be disciplined or even dismissed.
"This would weaken the role of peer evaluation and collegial selfgovernment," said Compton. He adds that the proposal would also weaken the tenure system, which is a major support of academic freedom.
"Professors that have precarious employment are going to be less likely to speak out and do research and teaching on controversial topics than they would otherwise," said Compton.
"And that is bad for the university, it's bad for students, it's bad for classrooms, it's bad for the broader community, because that is the major public good that's produced by the university. It's what separates universities from high school."
Western also faces the prospect of a staff strike, after the union representing close to 1,200 administrative and technical staff voted 95 per cent in favour of a strike on October 5 and 6, said Deborah Novakowski, the union president.
Novakowski said the staff union's chief concern is job security.
Both the faculty and the staff union have been bargaining with the university since their contracts expired in spring. Both will be in a legal strike position come early November, after filing "No Board" reports with the Ministry of Labour.
A No Board report recommends that a conciliation board should not be appointed because the two sides are not ready to reach a settlement.
There is a waiting period of 17 days after the report is approved before the union can strike or the employer can lock out workers, said Connell.
Novakowski said the staff union's report was approved on October 18. The faculty association's report is still pending approval.
But a No Board report does not mean that a strike is going to occur, it just means there's increased pressure for a settlement to be reached. In fact, Compton is confident that a strike will not occur.
"The history at Western is that we have strike votes and we ask for no-board reports, and we bargain right up to the end and a deal is achieved. But it does seem to require going up to the deadline, and us preparing for the worst," said Compton.
These preparations include renting out the strike headquarters, which the union has already done.
The faculty union has also received a $1-million cheque from the Canadian Association of University Teachers' strike fund, according to a written statement on UWOFA's website. The money will be used for strike-related costs such as rental of the headquarters and strike pay.
Meanwhile, professors at Carleton University in Ottawa voted 88.5 per cent for a strike mandate on October 4 and 5, the union's website asserts.
But Jason MacDonald, director of communications at Carleton, said the university does not believe that the union has the right to strike in this round of bargaining.
According to the current collective agreement, the union should have filed their intent to reserve the right to strike three months before their contract expired, something that they did not do, said MacDonald.
In the event that an agreement cannot be reached, the parties should proceed to binding arbitration, he added.
Neither Western nor Carleton would divulge whether or not classes would be cancelled in the event of a strike, leaving many students anxious.
Nicole Lippay, a fourth-year English student at Western, is scared that a strike might prevent her from graduating.
"I've worked so hard to get this far," said Lippay. "And now at the last possible minute they're going to go on strike?"
Lippay rents a room in a house in downtown London. If a strike does occur, she will have to continue to pay for that room — even if she wants to go home to Uxbridge, Ontario to work. She will also have to scramble to find somewhere to stay if the semester gets extended, as her lease is up at the end of April.
Lippay is concerned that a condensed semester would sacrifice the quality of education that she will receive; however, she also sympathizes with the faculty's issues around academic freedom.
"Most of the professors I've had are very passionate about what they talk about. They talk very freely about what's concerning them, and they make an effort for students to get involved in the discussion," said Lippay.
Negotiations at both universities are ongoing. Connell said that Western has several negotiation dates set, including November 1 and 2, when both sides will meet with the provincial mediator who has been appointed to assist them in reaching a settlement.
