Negotiate, Don't Legislate

York University's administration has consistently refused to bargain with CUPE Local 3903, thereby leaving 50,000 students out in the cold. Though CUPE 3903 dropped its demands several times in order to reach a negotiated settlement, York did not move an inch. Now, the Liberal government of Dalton McGuinty is rewarding York for being intransigent and refusing to bargain by legislating the workers back to work. This is a dangerous precedent and an attack on the collective bargaining process: All employers have to do to win strikes is to wait until the province steps in to force workers back.

We demand that the Provincial Government not enforce Back to Work legislation; and that the Provincial government place pressure on the York bargaining team to negotiate in collective bargaining to reach a fair and meaningful settlement.

Write to Your MPP Now

Date: May 19, 2012

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Premier McGuinty's 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.

It was obvious, during the meetings between the CUPE 3903 bargaining team and the mediator, Reg Pearson, appointed by Premier McGuinty, that York University knew back-to-work legislation was imminent. Thus, there was absolutely no incentive for university negotiators to bargain in good faith. The Premier's appointment of a new mediator was clearly a public relations stunt to deflect criticism of the Premier's decision to impose back-to-work legislation. There is no indication the Premier genuinely attempted to resolve this labour conflict by using the legitimate processes of collective bargaining. This public relations stunt demonstrates the Premier's contempt for all workers in Ontario and their right to collectively bargain with their 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. Premier McGuinty's 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.

As a constituent of your riding, I ask that you and your caucus continue to support the right of all workers in Ontario to engage in collective bargaining by using all means possible to resist the passage of back-to-work legislation against the education workers at York University.

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Negotiate, Don't Legislate

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