strike
Last week, the Quebec student strike was scaled back to make way for a provincial election, which saw a Parti Quebecois minority government take centre stage. Despite some gains by students, there is still much more work to be done. The final count for seats in the Quebec legislature stands as follows: 54 for the PQ— a left-centrist, sovereignist party— 50 for the exiting Liberals— who triggered a massive student uprising through proposed tuition fee increases— 19 for the Coalition Avenir Québec— the right-leaning, mainstream party— and two seats for Québec Solidaire— the far left party that proposed to abolish...
… as student strike falters Ian Clough LANCE WRITER [UPDATE: Sept. 6, 2012] Parti Quebecous has been elected to a minority government in Tuesday’s provincial election in Quebec, coming in with 54 of 125 seats. Premier-delsignate Pauline Marois, leader of the PQ, said her party would repeal the controversial Bill 78 and use a government degree to cancel the tuition hike. Using such a decree would avoid the legislature, where opposition parties could block the decision. The Quebec Liberal party won 50 seats, though former premier Jean Charest was defeated in his home riding of Sherbrooke. Coalition Avenir Québec and...
Darryl Gallinger NEWS EDITOR ntario students are training to match Quebec student protesters’ successes in engaging and mobilizing students against tuition hikes. Post-secondary students in Quebec went on strike in February to oppose a $1,778 tuition increase over seven years. Students gained public support after Quebec passed Bill 78, an emergency law that limits protests and punishes violations with severe fines. The University of Toronto Graduate Students’ Union hosted an Ontario Student Strike Training Camp from July 27 to 29. The conference consisted of a series of discussion groups and workshops designed to teach students how to hold general assemblies...
Darryl Gallinger NEWS EDITOR tudent activists involved in ongoing Quebec student strikes will descend on UWindsor’s campus on July 16. A panel presentation and question and answer period will take place in CAW Student Centre commons July 16 at 5 p.m. The event, part of a tour across Ontario, will also be held in Ottawa, Kingston, Hamilton, Niagara, London, Guelph, Toronto and Peterborough. “It’s a really great opportunity to hear the experiences of folks … organizing and opposing a regressive policy as well as a drastic tuition fee hike,” said event facilitator Sarah King, chairperson of the Canadian Federation of...
Natasha Marar EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Windsor University Faculty Association has reached a tentative deal with the University of Windsor administration over a new collective agreement, putting to rest concerns over a possible strike on Oct. 19. All classes and campus operations will operate as usual. WUFA members and the university’s Board of Governors will ratify the proposed agreement soon, but a date has not been set. Details in the new agreement are not available at this time. WUFA members, which include nearly 1,000 professors, instructors and librarians, voted in favour of a strike mandate back in September. The union voiced concerns over...
Stephen Hargreaves NEWS EDITOR On Wednesday, Oct. 19 at 12:01 a.m., the Windsor University Faculty Association will announce if facility will strike. In a letter to the WUFA membership, the union expressed hopes for a “negotiated, fair, and equitable contract before the strike deadline.” The negotiation process was actively underway at the time of printing. WUFA members appeared in good spirits as they left negotiations late Monday night. The faculty association was scheduled to continue talks with a mediator on Tuesday and Wednesday. According to the WUFA, the mediator is unavailable the following week and her subsequent availability was in...
WUFA negotiations continue this week Natasha Marar EDITOR-IN-CHIEF The union representing professional, trades and technical staff at the University of Windsor has accepted the latest offer by administration, narrowly avoiding a strike last weekend. Canadian Union of Public Employees 1393 was set to go on strike at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, but the decision was deferred when the university brought forth an offer late Friday. The union accepted the offer after a vote by 252 CUPE members at the Odette School of Business on Saturday. CUPE 1393 and the university’s administration held a final round of negotiation sessions from Sept....
History repeating? The scene during 2008’s WUFA strike. • photo robert woodrich WUFA and CUPE 1393 request strike deadlines Rahul Radhakrishnan NEWS EDITOR More than half of all university employees are set to go on strike in the next two weeks if upcoming negotiations with administration fail. Windsor University Faculty Association, which represents approximately 1,000 professors, librarians and instructors, has requested a no board report from the Ontario Ministry of Labour after collective bargaining with the university administration concluded on Sept. 23. According to a Sept. 23 update by the university’s bargaining team, the administration is still waiting on the...
The ongoing arm-wrestle between UWindsor faculty and administration Rahul Radhakrishnan NEWS EDITOR Natasha Marar EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Windsor University Faculty Association heads into collective agreement talks with university administration this week after its nearly 1,000 members voted in favour of a strike mandate last Thursday. WUFA members, which include professors, instructors and librarians, voted 90 per cent in favour of a strike mandate signifying their concerns over concessions and clawbacks including job promotions,cutbacks in pension plans, the Windsor Salary Standard and equity and pay standards for sessional professors. “I think it is very important for students to understand that this is a...
