RECORDING SECRETARY (Greg Flemming and Graham Potts)
Greg Flemming
Though the current labour action may appear to be over, the struggle continues: binding arbitration has yet to come to a conclusion; the issues we raised with our collective efforts are being actively concealed by our employer (see the recent insert in the Globe and Mail and the administration’s lack of desire for union involvement at ‘remediation’ events for students); and in one way or another we will be involved in the sector-wide bargaining that will happen in 2010. This is not the time to ratchet down our efforts, but to double them.
To this end I am coming forward with my abilities and experience for the position of recording secretary. I have a year’s worth of communications experience as an officer of public information with the city of Ottawa, and have also lent my expertise to the National Gallery of Canada as a volunteer copy-editor.
I have been active in 3903 since early June of last year as the steward for Social and Political Thought. I have done a lot of work with the Stewards Council in our pre-strike efforts to mobilize our strength, and much more in the day-to-day running of the strike. I have been active in debates and meetings, and will continue to do so.
I aim to work closely with the communications officer, the rest of the executive and the other bodies of the union to help build activist momentum in the directions I have mentioned. Effective internal communications demand that our own materials, including research – the co-ordination and compilation of which is also the purview of the Recording Secretary – are clearly organized and readily available. This means ensuring that minutes, up-to-date collections of bylaws and policies, the collective history of our local and current efforts are documented, well presented, and accessible. Effectively doing this work will help us, our sector and our community as we move forward.
I encourage every member of 3903 to come out and vote, and will continue to work with many of you either as a newly minted member of the executive or a rank-and-file activist.
Graham Potts
My name is Graham Potts and I’m running for the position of Recording Secretary. I think the job of a good Recording Secretary is to take and keep an open and transparent account of the meetings and business of the local, a role which I took quite seriously when I held the position on the executive in 2007-2008.
My previous involvement with the local includes being a Social and Political Though Steward since 2006, the Recording Secretary in 2007-08, VP Unit 1 in 2008-2009, and on the Bargaining Team for the current round of collective bargaining. I have sat on the CUPE Ontario Executive since 2008, and the CUPE Toronto District council as Recording Secretary since 2009. I hope to again serve the local on the executive in the next year as we move forward and seek to pressure York and the post-secondary education sector to institute positive measures for education and our work as academic workers.
I am running for the Recording Secretary position, in specific, because I believe that we need to work to find and make accessible the history of our local: our archives, our reports, our documents from the strike, and our collective agreements. Many locals have previous collective agreements accessible on their website, and one of my first undertakings would be to digitalize and make available these important documents in specific so that the local can see how they have changed over time, and so we can have a fully informed membership as we move forward from an 85 day strike.
There are a number of areas in general that I would like to push for as collective undertakings as an executive member in this year and moving forward. We need to build off the mobilization and activation of the membership during the strike into a long-term structural commitment to Union service and renewal. We need to make sure that our committee structure is reinvigorated through active participation, and especially build up the Stewards Council on department and hiring unit lines, with representation from each unit, as the University continues to restructure. Union education is key to this process so that stewards and the executive can work in a close and healthy relationship with staff as we expect a large number of grievances from both restructuring and as a result of the strike. It is also important to cement and build on the links that were made with external and internal labour, student, and other groups that were supportive of our local. I will also specifically push for an organizing drive, to expand the Unit 2 scope clause and unionize academic workers on campus who are not currently covered by the Unit 2 collective agreement, as well as to push to unionize the post-doctoral positions at the University as is currently being done at other Universities.
Communications Officer (Jordy Cummings, Cat Ashton, Martin Merener)
Jordy Cummings
In the next month, graduate student workers and contract professors at York University will be electing a new Executive Committee for our union, CUPE 3903. I have decided to ask for your vote in order to represent all of us as Communications Officer. I am an MA student and departmental steward in Political Science, in addition to which I have worked in journalism and communications for nearly ten years. I have contributed to a number of publications, both mainstream and alternative/progressive, print, new media and broadcast. Currently, I am editor of the official journal of the graduate department of political science, Problematique.
I see the role of the communications officer as multifaceted. In regards to external communications, I would like to be able to facilitate better and more streamlined representation of CUPE 3903 to the broader York Community, and the community at large, including the international labour movement and progressive social movements generally speaking. I would also expand our visibility in the world of new media, using written materials well as video and sound recording. I would also like to establish, working with the stewards’ council, a permanent public relations and communications sub-committee. I am perhaps the most excited about relaunching On the Frontlines, the CUPE 3903 newsletter, which also serves a vital purpose in regards to internal communications.
In regards to internal communications, there is much work to be done, as evidenced by the scant member knowledge of union activities, meetings and events in the post-strike context. Along with the newsletter, I would ensure that all union activities are as widely disseminated as possible. This would include an improvement in the readability of CUPE News, in addition to taking advantage of new media, for example, producing short online videos (with closed captions) and sound recordings to explain our collective agreement and other means of ‘getting to know’ our local. I would also implement a policy, with the stewards’ council, of consistent postering and face to face organizing in departmental lounges and student spaces. I would pay special attention in this regard to departments that have traditionally been underrepresented and hence neglected. Working with the recording secretary/research officer, I will do much to disseminate our internal information, research and general institutional memory.
Another project in which I have great interest is the York 85 campaign and a potential York Social Forum, working conjunction with the All Unions Committee. As well, I am interested in re-incorporating communications within the stewards’ council, the activist compass of our local. As a steward and an active member of the SC in its various incarnations, I believe it is important that we maintain this space as an integral activist component of our union, open to the membership. In keeping with this tradition, I aim to make communications as member-driven as possible, and subject to constant scrutiny by the various bodies within the union.
My history with 3903 is not long but I have never felt such dedication to any institution. I was somewhat active before the strike, helping to get out the strike mandate vote. I was very active during the strike, as a picket captain at Sentinel and an activist with the SMC/SC. Though I was not a member of the communications committee, I did produce materials for various actions, particularly during the week of actions. I also helped bottom-line rallies and organizing to get out the ‘no’ vote in the forced ratification. As well, I worked with fellow unit 3s and other members to remind the general membership of the importance of our unit, which has been sometimes undervalued despite our very high ‘yes’ vote in the strike mandate vote, and ‘no’ vote in the forced rat.
At the risk of sounding excessively romantic, I will say that I am honoured to work in combination with my brothers and sisters, to ‘bring to earth a new world from the ashes of the old.’ I am very proud of how, in spite of obstacles and disagreements, we were able to remain mobilized for a tough 85 day strike against an intransigent employer. Though I am disgusted with a set of social relations that allows us to be legislated back to work over some such ‘deadlock’, I think that a lesson to be drawn is that we were able to struggle with this employer to a standstill. We need to retain that level of mobilization as we may well be in for another round of bargaining in less than two years. Part of the means with which we can retain this mobilization is through an improved communications capacity.
Cat Ashton
I’m Cat Ashton, and I’m running for a second term as Communications Officer. I’ve been the CUPE 3903 Communications Officer since October 20th of last year. This means that for three quarters of my term, I’ve been on strike. As a result, I’m still learning the ins and outs of my job. But I’m committed to continuing to learn, and to being accountable and responsive. The strike highlighted, for me, two areas in which I think communications, as I’ve been doing them, could be improved: I see the need to have more Unit 2 involvement in external communications, and I would also like to either create a forum for communication with the broader York community, or work with others to make existing forums more accessible and widely known. I’m also pleased to hear that the Stewards’ Council has resurrected On the Frontlines, and I’ll be happy to work with them on this, in any capacity that they see fit. Subject to the approval of the membership, I would also like to see us reach a wider audience by framing our relationship with York University in less adversarial terms. To be clear, this does not mean changing our position, but rather the way we express it. We are for quality education, for accessible education, for fairness to workers, against student poverty, against casualization of labour. We are fighting for things that the administration, the public, and the government have claimed to support, and I think that if we position ourselves as willing to work with them to achieve these things, we stand a better chance of getting the backing we need, and applying pressure
where it counts in 2010.
I bring what I think are a couple of valuable attributes to this position. First of all, I do have a certain level of skill with written communication. Before I went to university, I did PR work for a non-profit organization in my hometown, and prior to becoming Communications Officer, I worked with the Stewards’ Council–at the time, the Bargaining Mobilization Committee–to develop materials for tabling and postering.
The second skill set is actually not directly related to the position of Communications Officer, but even on those days during the strike when as a communications person I was feeling inadequate, ineffectual, and inept, it still made me feel like I was doing some good. Simply put, I’ve tried to let people know how valuable they are, and how valuable their work is. Since the beginning of my involvement in the union, members at every level, of every persuasion, have gone out of their way to do that for me, and it’s only fair that I should treat others with the same level of kindness and respect. Moreover, as a member of the exec, I’ve seen it as my duty to represent everyone to the best of my abilities, no matter who they are or how they vote, and to remember that they have very good reasons for taking the positions that they take, whether I agree or not. I might have slipped–in fact I’m sure I slipped, especially in the early days, when we were all running on absurdly little sleep, and I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to be doing or where I would be effective–but when I realized that stress levels were high and tempers were flaring, I saw something that I could do to help. Since then, positive interpersonal relations have been very high on my list of priorities, and I think that’s something that will benefit our local.
Chief Steward Unit 1 (Christina Rousseau, Sebastien Rioux)
Christina Rousseau
Why Chief Steward Unit 1?
My name is Christina Rousseau. I am a second year PhD student in the Division of Humanities, and I am asking you to consider me as your candidate for the position of Chief Steward Unit 1. This is the role I always saw myself taking up in terms of an executive position within the local. I stepped into my current position as Chair of the local this past fall because I saw a space that needed to be filled. Serving on the executive has taught me a lot over the past few months, and I would like to continue to do work for this local.
We saw some great mobilization from different departments during the strike, and this is something that we need more of. I would like to see that kind of mobilization continue in this local through departmental outreach, training new stewards, doing workshops and skill sharing together, as well as working together as a local on joint projects we can all mobilize behind.
Why would I be qualified?
My involvement in this local has been admittedly short – I only became involved in this local this time last year. My involvement in the local began largely through involvement with various committees (Extended Health Benefits, Professional Development Fund, Elections Officer, Ways and Means), but also with the work of the Stewards Council. I saw the Stewards Council as a space where people with similar goals could come together and work, despite coming from different backgrounds and with sometimes different political perspectives.
While my ‘active’ time in this local has been short, I have been enthusiastically involved with various projects of the local. I have been a steward for my department and have committed myself to learning about our rights as workers so that I can help people in my department with their concerns, and also help fellow union brothers and sisters from different departments.
I was very active in the summer months in terms of bargaining mobilization and preparing for the incoming members of this local. I was a key person involved in putting together this year’s Member’s Manual and I have also been involved with putting together On the Frontlines. I helped to organize departmental orientations at the beginning of the year, largely doing outreach to science departments and departments with no stewards. I was part of a group of people involved in the planning/execution of TA Day (organized in conjunction with the Centre for the Support of Teaching). As bargaining moved on into the fall, I helped mobilize for the Strike Mandate Vote and helped to get our strike off the ground by coordinating with members around securing food, transportation, and other logistical matters.
In short, I am dedicated to doing work for this local and hope to continue working with you all towards building union solidarity within this local and working towards common goals together.
Chief Steward Unit 2 (Lykke de la Cour, Roxanne Power)
Chief Steward Unit 3 (Chelsea Flook, Saad Sayeed)
Chelsea Flook
Hi 3903
I’m an MA Candidate in Critical Disabilities studies. Our wee strike has ensured that I won’t finish my one year MA on time, so I’m throwing my name in the mix for election.
As a relative newcomer to the 3903 nexus, I’ve enjoyed my time as a rank and file organizer, working amidst some of the finest organizers this town will ever know. But I’ve seen some of the issues that are alive in our union, and I think I’m a good candidate to come in and work on them.
My experiences and involvement in this union are limited to this year and the strike, and as such I have, so far, been working in a variety of ways. I’m a big fan of the approach of doing something when you know something needs to get done. On that note, I’ve participated on the strike committee for Chimneystack as well as the 9th line, the accessibility committee, and the food committee, to name a few. I also bottom-lined random tasks when I felt it was appropriate and helpful.
Looking forwards, I am of the opinion that 3903 is in a very important stage of renewal right now. There are internal and external matters that need to be challenged and effectively worked on. To me, accessibility goes far beyond physical barriers. Social attitudes towards difference is far more disabling than the bodies upon which difference is acted out against. This needs to be confronted in our union through and through. From a planning perspective, this entails a strategy around organizing and empowering members by organizing spaces that are more accessible. On the ground, this entails the facilitation of decision-making in a manner that refuses either/or action scenarios and a serious commitment to strategic differences as a valuable thing. A Chief Steward mobilizes and facilitates energy and time of members; so long as the memberships energy and time doesn’t run out, I really do believe that anything is possible.
Given the space restrictions and nature of a statement, there’s much more to say and not enough space to say it. Please visit my election website to get a better idea of some of the concrete things I’d work on as Chief Steward Unit 3.
[http://chelseaflook.wordpress.com/]
if you facebook, follow the action at “chelsea flook for chief steward unit 3: CUPE 3903”
[http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=52561759929#/group.php?gid=53890863889]
Grievance Officer (Mary Anne Coffey, Reza Rahbari, Cheryl Cowdy Crawford)
Mary Anne Coffey
As a trade unionist serving with public and private sector unions in Canada and the U.S., and a more than 20-year history with CUEW/CUPE, I am a candidate for Grievance Officer. I was grievance officer from 2003 to 2006. During that time, I attended all arbitrations and worked with members of all units and the staff to bring grievances to a successful conclusion. During bargaining in 2005, I was the Chief Negotiator, and we made substantial gains for all units. In previous years, I have served on the Labour Management Committee, the Research Grants Committee, the Joint Task Force on Unit 2 job ³predictability,² the Sabbaticals Committee, and was also Unit 2 Chief Steward. I have been a worker-member of the Joint Health and Safety
Committee since 2007 and am a member of the bargaining team.
Before the amalgamation of CUEW with CUPE, I was the National Treasurer, a member of the Executive Board from 1986 to 1990, and an active member of Local 7 (OISE). Prior experience includes working as Assistant to the President of the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO, and organizing my workplace for OPSEU. Walking the line for the rights of migrant farm workers, marching for the cause of contract faculty members, or teaching York¹s first lesbian studies college course, I have lived my commitment to social justice and equality.
At York, I have completed two degrees, and worked as a GA (before unit 3 was organized) and TA. Although I have been a member of Unit 2 since 1984, it was only in 2002 that I received full-time work at the cap. I am concerned with the issues for all units, and am especially interested in working on pension issues and in increasing the participation of contract faculty in our Local.
Treasurer (Charles Battershill, Amrit Heer, Baris Karaagac)
Charles Battershill
As the next Treasurer of our local I will apply my skills and experiences to further our members’ interests. In 1980 My career at York began with an MA in York’s Dept. of Sociology. As a GA and TA, I walked the picket line during the strikes of 1981 and 1984. Ending up as anything but a tenured professor never entered my mind. I finished my Ph.D. in 1989, teaching in Unit 2 and publishing until 1994 when there were no Course Directorships available to me. At that point, I entered the business world wide-eyed, gaining a new perspective on what makes the world go round from Bay Street. I returned to York in 2003. Today, my teaching involves courses on labour and economic globalization, international political economy, work and industry, and on the corporation. For love and justice I teach Marcuse, Foucault and Wallerstein.
Universities now rely on contract faculty like never before. I see much that is good and solid in our union. I am grateful for all it has done to improve my life, partly because of my experience teaching at four other universities and two community colleges. In addition to the diversity of my past and present academic roles, today I offer considerable experience with managers and management culture. I am more than familiar with financial statements and strategic business planning.
I also bring experience in federal politics as a candidate and have been 3903s rep on the All University Pension Committee these last two years. I actually operate a small financial planning business for individual clients like contract faculty.
I picketed at the Main Gate, took part in the downtown job actions in December and made a small contribution to U2s communication efforts. I witnessed President Shoukri’s blathering idiocy in Senate on Dec. 6th. I volunteered for the Unit2 telephone tree which defeated the forced ratification vote. I was in the gallery at Queen’s Park and heard the NDP members’ valiant defense of our rights as workers and our human rights against corporate hegemony. Meeting our extraordinary grad students and other contract faculty, whom otherwise would be unknown, was a personal highlight of the strike.
Overall, I will serve our membership with a unique mix of experience, skill and a profound sense of solidarity with all our diverse members.
Baris Karaagac
My name is Baris Karaagac and I am a 6th year Ph.D. candidate in Political Science. I have been an active member of CUPE 3903 for 7 years and served as treasurer in 2002-03. This year I am running for treasurer again.
The reason why I have decided to run for this position is twofold. The first one is regarding the position of the treasurer per se. I have assumed this responsibility before and I am full aware of the challenges that the treasurer faces in our local. It will be my priority to make this position and all the responsibilities/tasks associated with it as transparent and accessible to the membership as possible. I will make sure that a comprehensive report on the financial activities of the local be presented to the membership on a regular basis and that the treasurer along with the executive committee as a whole be held accountable to the membership as regards the financial decisions they make and the actions they take. Also, the strike has once again reminded us of how important it is to do budget-planning and to do it in time. Based on my past experience as treasurer, my involvement in the local as well the training I am willing to undergo during my term, I will work towards developing a long-term budget plan, which will make life easier for us especially in dire times.
The second one is regarding rebuilding and revitalizing the local in the post-strike period. I have three priorities:
First of all, we need a comprehensive analysis of the pre-strike as well as the strike period. We have faced a very unfortunate outcome, which will negatively affect both our local and our sector as a whole for years to come. Now is the time for self-reflection. The state’s involvement, its anti-labour bias, and subsequent legislation that forced us to end the strike and go back to work have undoubtedly played a decisive role in our failure to achieve a fair and well-deserved collective agreement for our members. We acknowledge that factors external to our union have thus been a major determinant of this unfortunate outcome. But it is also quite important that we question and analyze how we handled the strike during which we have been isolated by the employer- as opposed to us isolating them- and to a great extent failed to first identify the employer’s strategy and then develop the necessary responses and strategy. This analysis should eventually produce a comprehensive report, which will become part of our collective/institutional memory. Such a report will be functional in providing us guidance in the upcoming rounds of bargaining. How the examination should take place and the report be produced shall be decided by the membership.
Secondly, there have been concerns among the members for some time regarding alienation within the union and the inclusiveness of the union space or lack thereof. We need to open up a space for discussion as to how we can make our local more inclusive and less alienating. Besides the already active members, we should particularly focus on the new members, international students, and science students who have been historically underrepresented or whose voices have been heard much less in the local for different reasons. These reasons need to be identified and then addressed in a constructive way so as to broaden the active members’ base and thus avoid potential divisive tendencies without, of course, closing the space for disagreement and discussion. In short, we need to put an end to having GMMs with only 20-25 people outside the bargaining and strike periods.
Quite related to the previous two, my third priority will be to work towards closer cooperation with both our natural and potential allies on and off campus. As a local, which is founded on progressive principles and which prides itself in them, it is both our responsibility and in our interest to develop closer relations with other progressive forces. This cooperation, when achieved, has strengthened our local in its struggles. When we have failed to achieve and sustain closer relations with our allies, this has led to the weakening and isolation of our local in times when we needed broader social support the most.
Thank you for taking the time to read my statement and your consideration.
Amrit Heer
Hello, my name is Amrit Heer, and I wish to be your Treasurer for 2009-2010. I am new to this union, but have been active since September through Bargaining and Strike mobilization, Picket Captaining (at Main Gate), Strike Committee organizing, being a Flying Squad coordinator, 9th Floor Sit-in organizer and media spokesperson, and a Bargaining Team member since mid-January. I have
experience with finances and budgets both through my work on the board of OPIRG-Toronto, and through handling and keeping in order the budget of the Flying Squad for the duration of the strike.
As a Treasurer, much of my work would involve the strict adherence to the requirements of this position as set out by our By-Laws. However, there is a particular vision I would bring to my role and to policy decisions, if elected. This can be understood through three broad principles: “Accountability and Transparency”, according to which I will facilitate the external audit and
ensure all financial records are always available for reference and are presented regularly to the membership; “Responsibility”, in which I will ensure that the union remains in budget and that spending of earmarked funds, where not already subject to specific criteria, are distributed according to the value of equity; and “Political Solidarity”, in which I will aim to ensure CUPE 3903’s support of vital community and social justice groups continues and that a broad range of such groups is supported.
As an Executive Member, there is again a vision I would bring to my role that I hope would address the places in which our union could grow and rebuild itself after a long strike. There are three areas where I would like to see our energies focussed:
- Strengthening the internal structure of our union through better mobilization of stewards and committees. This should be addressed through outreaching to both science students and to Unit 2 members. We can only build our union in the sciences by asking these members: what are your concerns withregards to working conditions? What would make the union meaningful andrelevant to your lives and work? Opening the spaces for Unit 2 engagement –such as organizing consultation sessions at the beginning of the year – is vital to maintain the momentum and mobilization that the strike afforded. As well, the formalization of Unit 3 is a huge issue, and fighting for a clearer sense of what Unit 3 job descriptions and working conditions should be is clearly a priority.
- Strengthening our social justice spirit through reemphasizing our local’s commitment to working with community and activist groups around campus, the city, and internationally. At York specifically, working together with undergraduate and faculty groups (such as with the York Social Forum or the YUFA ad-hoc Democracy Committee) are ways that a culture of activism can engage the whole university community.
- Strengthening the local labour movement and taking a leading role in the mobilization of trade unions. Organizing workers within the university, both academic and non-academic (e.g. food service workers), is one such way of connecting our union to our site of struggle more concretely. Promoting membership-driven unionism both within our union and across CUPE and other university-sector locals is one such way we can live up to our ideal as a leader within the labour movement.
Thank you for your consideration.
Amrit
Vice President Unit 1 (Alban Bargain, Tanya McFadyen)
Alban Bargain
My name is Alban Bargain. I am a third year PhD candidate in History. Last April I was elected steward (Unit 1) for my department, a position which increased my involvement in our local. In the months that led up to the strike I devoted a lot of time to informing and mobilising fellow graduate students. I also shared some responsibility in the founding of the Glendon picket line and captained at Founders Gate for the duration of the labour dispute.
My motives for running for Vice President Unit 1 are the direct consequence of the last strike, in the course of which the membership was often divided on both strategic and ideological issues. Picketing, attending GMMs and other meetings gave me fodder for thoughts and ideas regarding the future of 3903. The result of those long, both frustrating and enriching weeks consists in a series of observations, which can be condensed in a three-point programme:
Three-Point Programme
- On the strike per se: Given that the 2008-2009 strike has set quite a precedent in our local’s history as well as in the province at large, it is paramount that we seriously analyse what happened during both the pre-strike bargaining phase and the strike itself. CUPE 3903 should strike an ad hoc committee to produce a comprehensive report about the strike.. The purpose of such a work would by no means be to glorify and/or mythologise the strike, but rather to draw lessons from the experience and to provide institutional memory for future members of the executive.
- On consistency and better coordination between our committees and other internal bodies: Questions regarding our demands and strategies should not be left aside during non-bargaining years. Members should be periodically encouraged to take the CUPE Provincial bargaining course and join a roster of ‘shadow bargainers’ who would not only prepare themselves for the next round, but be ready to replace resigning members.
Establishing a permanent media/public relations committee (associated with the Communications Office) is another matter of urgency. This committee would reduce the chances of being caught off-guard next time we go on strike – for we do have to admit that we lost the early PR battle.
Regular tutorials for chairing general membership meetings and the formation of ad hoc think tanks which would periodically review the constitution would also be beneficial to optimise our local’s operations. - On financial consistency and transparency: The need for automatic yearly external audits (under the direction of the executive and/or the GMM – notice the difference with Article 10. ‘Treasurer’ (h)]) and regular, monthly reports based on careful and consistent bookkeeping ought to be reasserted.
Tanya McFadyen
Union Members,
My name is Tanya McFadyen, and I am running for CUPE 3903 Vice President Unit 1 (alongside Alban Bargain). I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself to union members who have never met me before.
I am a mother of two children, a Teaching Assistant in the Faculty of Education, and in my first year of a Ph.D degree (I took my M.A. in Women’s Studies here at York University).
Before I moved to Toronto, from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, I worked for the University of Winnipeg Student’s Association (UWSA) where I was taking my B.A. Honours in Women’s Studies, as Vice President Internal. During my two terms in this position, I was part of the bargaining team during negotiations between the UWSA staff and employers.
The experiences I had working for the UWSA were invaluable because they provided me with the skills to self-organize on a limited budget, advocate for students and community groups, learn tools for union negotiations, realize my role in the greater student movement and most of all to be accountable and responsible to the members I represented, in all areas of my work. I believe I can utilize these skills, along with a strong desire to help build a united, strong, equitable, and groundbreaking CUPE 3903.
One of the many opportunities the strike gave me was that I was able to meet so many union members, on the picket lines, the HQ office, at rallies, in meetings, and at Tim Horton’s (the main gaters refuge from the cold wind), and was grateful to connect with fellow union members in such a personal way, which I hope we can continue to do, meeting each other, sharing experiences together, because what effects one of us effects all of us.
Even if I am not elected for this position, I’m glad for the chance to introduce myself to other members of my union.
VP Unit 2 ( Sharon Davidson, Manuel Luna)
Sharon Davidson
Why after a difficult, stressful bargaining process, would I consider running for a position on the CUPE 3903 executive? – a question that I have asked myself and have been asked by others. In the course of this round of bargaining I have be encouraged by the number of Unit 2 members who voiced ideas and opinions concerning their working conditions and the politics of this local. I was also heartened by the Unit 1 and Unit 3 members who supported Unit 2 job security demands and continue to support these demands because they see the connections to their own positions as educational workers and students. As a VP for Unit 2, I would like to continue to build relationships with other employee groups on campus largely through involvement on the All-Unions Committee. Our local’s involvement on this Committee in the months leading up to the strike and during it was critical in identifying the kind of pattern bargaining that all unions are facing. This Committee is going to be critical in rebuilding and redefining community at York. I would also like to work more closely with other CUPE locals through the O.U.W.C.C. At the recent conference in Windsor, Lykke and myself proposed a two-day conference to deal specifically with issues facing sessional workers. As VP, Unit 2, I would continue to advocate for members’ rights under the CAs through the Labour-Management Committee. Issues such as class size and workload can be addressed through this Committee. I bring many years of experience to this position: I was the Internal Representative for two years under the old CUEW executive structure, and Co-Chair of Women’s Caucus for five years, first under CUEW and subsequently under CUPE. I have served as a Unit 1 representative on PDF and Ways and Means and as a Unit 2 representative on the Labour-Management Committee and the Restructuring Committee, and most recently as a Unit 2 representative on the Bargaining Team. I look forward to a vigorous executive election process as a sign of renewal within our local.
VP Unit 3 (Xavier Scott, Sarah Sackville Mclauchlan)
Xavier Scott
My name is Xavier Scott and I am running for the position of VP unit 3. I’m currently MA 1 in the department of Social and Political Thought. I became active in the Union as a picket captain and car-talker at the York boulevard picket line. I was on the line nearly everyday (except for a few I missed due to illness) and developed a good rapport with many people, both in our Union and in the greater York community. Dealing with police, the media, undergrads protesting our picket, and especially with the drivers coming through our picket line each day gave me an understanding of the importance of the Union’s image to the greater public, the Union’s effectiveness in mobilizing broader support, and what sort of messages improved the public’s attitude towards us and which did not.
In running for VP unit 3 I hope to develop a much stronger network with other Universities and locals in Ontario. As the strike came to a close it became increasingly clear that the burden of the recession is going to be hoisted onto the backs of the working class and that in an effort to cut costs education would be one of the first things the government would put on the chopping block. If we hope to galvanize support against that then we need:
- first , to explain the strike to everyone. There are so many misconceptions about the reasons for and outcomes of the strike that we need to be explaining CUPE 3903’s position to everyone who is willing to listen as far and wide as possible.
- secondly, we need alternative forms of media on our side (new media, local press, word of mouth) to combat the administration’s/government’s control of mainstream press.
- finally to strengthen our contacts with other locals and student organizations, who need to be encouraged to write their campus newspapers, speak out on our behalf on campus radio, and come picket with us (should we be on strike again). The money and support we received from such groups during the strike was immensely helpful – but we could still have used more. Furthermore, we need to recognize that these relationships are two way by letting all our supporters know (individually and as personally as possible) the difference they made. Taking on their struggles as our own (something 3903 seems already to do) is another way to gain support. Such a network is indispensable for the future of unions in general, especially with the 2010 negotiations looming over us.