Tag: strike

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Anti-strike students raise awareness

Several groups of dissatisfied students have surfaced in response to last week’s undergraduate general assembly organized by the Concordia Student Union, which saw those present vote on a strike mandate to begin this Thursday.
Students who feel they haven’t been adequately represented by their student associations and the CSU, and who disapprove of the strike itself, created the “Concordia students against a strike” Facebook page.
CSU President Lex Gill met with representatives of the group to discuss the issue on Monday. They have been looking into renaming their Facebook group because it has proved to be misleading to some. The students involved are not all against the strike itself, but are dissatisfied with the manner in which the strikers are protesting and the way the strike vote was conducted, explained CSAS spokesperson Taylor Green.
“We are against this process, the way it’s being done,” said the second-year urban studies student.
The group is also behind a petition that has been circulating online aiming to put a stop to the strike.
Roman Zmeev, a commerce and international business student, signed the petition because he’s graduating and is concerned about the semester being extended.
“I understand that no one wants to pay more for their semester, but having to deal with balancing your finances is part of being a student,” he said.
CSAS members have argued that the voting process for the strike was biased and non-representative. According to Green, his umbrella group unifies people on both sides of the tuition debate in a joint effort to keep the student government accountable.
“I say we are against a strike, because the way the strike has been presented to us, this particular method, the tactics that are being employed, are unacceptable,” said Green.
During his meeting with Gill, Green presented alternatives and more creative ways to protest.
Anti-strike groups have also appeared on Twitter, notably one called “StriketheStrike,” which also aims to inform fellow students why it is important to fight the strike against tuition hikes.
“We represent not only Concordia’s student body who is opposed to the strike, but society in general that will have to pick up the bill for us,” said a student identifying himself as Tim, a spokesperson for StriketheStrike.
During an interview with The Concordian, Tim went on to say that the movement is “fighting to make the rest of the student body understand how their demands are not economically responsible, and the greater injustices it would lead towards.”
StriketheStrike has openly challenged CSU President Lex Gill via Twitter to a public debate on the issue, which she has tentatively accepted.
“I’m really hoping that there is some healthy, positive dialogue around this issue, but at this point, I haven’t heard back from this person,” said Gill. “As far as the CSU is concerned, this is completely welcome.”
Also involved in the anti-strike movement is a newly-formed coalition called the Coalition étudiante pour l’association libre, who say they are concerned with the divisions that have been emerging across Quebec campuses in the fight against tuition hikes. CÉPAL is offering students who don’t support the strike a way to opt out of their student unions.
“We oppose that general student associations, that represent all students, take political positions,” said Philippe-Olivier Daniel, a law student at Université de Sherbrooke and spokesperson for the CÉPAL. “This will also promote a diversification of political opinions within the student body,”
The proposed CÉPAL reform aims to separate political activities and student representation into two different sectors.

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Faculty show support for general strike online

An online declaration calling for support from Concordia’s faculty in the fight against tuition hikes has already gathered more than 160 signatures in less than three weeks.
The Concordia Declaration was drafted by the Concordia Student Union, the Graduate Students’ Association and a number of faculty members consulted in the process. It was posted online on Feb. 17, asking university professors, research assistants and teaching assistants to accommodate students who may miss class or assignments due to their involvement in a potential general strike.
“The declaration was a response to faculty talking to [the CSU] and saying they wanted a way of making sure students know that they support them,” said CSU President Lex Gill. “Since we put the declaration online, signatures have been growing really fast. It’s really exciting, we did not expect so many signatures.”
Gill explained that the declaration could play a crucial role in influencing the provost’s decision to grant an amnesty as “it shows faculty members on Senate that [a general strike] is something faculty, research and teaching assistants clearly support.”
Gill added that there were more signatures pending approval on the website’s account.
Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota, however, pointed out that an academic amnesty could not be granted by the provost, nor the Senate, “because no one and nobody has the authority to require that [faculty] abide by one.”
“When I spoke with [Graham] last week, he was of the same opinion that he was in the time of Nov. 10, even after knowing about the declaration,” said Mota. “The situation is very clear: faculty are expected to teach and professors are expected to come in and do their jobs. We need to keep providing services for those who choose to continue studying.”
Graham could not be reached to comment directly on the declaration.
Mota added that for those who choose to “boycott” classes, some individual accommodations could be made “for a day or two,” but something at the level of an academic amnesty is not being considered right now.
The Concordia Declaration, which can be found on http://concordiadeclaration.wordpress.com, asks for every signatory to leave name, position and comments if desired.
Teaching assistant and GSA President Robert Sonin said he signed because he did not want to see Concordia turn into a university “in name only, a for-profit diploma mill with no academic integrity or legitimacy.”
“The strike against tuition fee increases is not merely about money,” Sonin said. “It is a struggle against a trend that is cheapening what we do, that is undermining the seriousness and value of higher education and academic research, and that can only value things — including human beings — in terms of money.”

CLARIFICATION: In a previous version of this article, Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota indicated that the decision for imposing academic amnesty was solely up to Provost David Graham. After following up with Graham, Mota later told The Concordian that no one has the authority to grant a ‘blanket’ amnesty. Instead, faculty members, as long as they are abiding by regulations set by Senate, can deal with individual cases in their class themselves.

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU votes down minimum agreement

A resolution proposing accepted terms between student associations to improve common action against tuition hikes triggered a heated debate during the Concordia Student Union council meeting last Wednesday.
After CSU VP external Chad Walcott and councillor Irmak Bahar went off on a lengthy exchange of arguments about the pros and cons of what is known as the “minimum agreement,” the motion to support it failed to pass, with 11 councilors voting against, three in favour and one abstention.
The minimum agreement was a proposition brought up during a national conference in May 2011 and consists of three clauses: solidarity, non-recommendation and non-denunciation.
The minimum agreement would have required, among other things, that the union not negotiate with the government unless all umbrella student groups were present, and that it not criticize the actions of other student associations in the fight against tuition hikes.
At the beginning of last week’s council meeting, Walcott read a recommendation to the council pointing out the inability to reach consensus over the three clauses and the outdated aspect of the resolution.
“Since the Nov. 10 protest, national student movements have developed parallel campaigns, and collaboration on a single campaign is no longer needed,” said Walcott. “There is a conflict in the goals of national associations and the minimum agreement is no longer an issue in the student movement.”
On the other hand, Bahar insisted the resolution would help student associations coordinate their efforts on a national level without necessarily hindering each association’s goals.
“I think we have different perceptions of the level of autonomy stated in the minimum agreement,” said Bahar about Walcott’s point of view. “The resolution is an act of good faith to show solidarity, to stand united in the movement and avoid denouncing each other’s actions in the media.”
The Association pour une Solidarité Sociale Étudiante is in line with Bahar’s point of view, saying the three clauses would help students all go in the same direction.
“The question of autonomy has never been an issue for us, as we understand each association’s autonomy in the strike,” said ASSÉ press officer Mathilde Létourneau. “It was a resolution created to establish a sense of harmony in the movement.”
During Wednesday’s meeting, Walcott used the example of a group of students who, two weeks ago, used a UQÀM student association’s name and logo to jokingly promote kidnapping and infrastructural damage. Walcott explained that the CSU and other student associations should be able, in a similar situation, to have the ability to speak out against such practices, something the minimum agreement would prevent them from doing in his opinion.
“It’s not meant to censor anyone,” replied Bahar. “It’s not a binding contract to stay quiet about other student associations’ actions but its purpose is to show we’re on the same page.”
At last May’s national meeting, the three clauses received a majority support by the associations present. Three out of the four associations that represent Quebec students on a national level still support the minimum agreement. Concordia is affiliated to the fourth one, the Fédération etudiante universitaire du Québec.
The FEUQ, a group representing 15 student associations, declined to comment or to take position on the minimum agreement resolution. They said they wanted to respect each student organization’s sovereignty as the decision came within the competence of local associations.
“We will take position whenever we get the final word of each association,” said FEUQ press officer Mathieu Le Blanc.

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Concordia Student Union News

CSU in brief

Simone de Beauvoir Institute supports general strike

The last CSU council meeting began with a presentation from two representatives of the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, a Concordia college dedicated to studying feminism and questions of social justice. The institute announced its full support for the fight against tuition hikes. The representatives said the institute “as a whole” decided to support the general strike set to take place by the end of March.
The two representatives said it was the first clear feminist approach to the general strike.
“What we really wanted to bring to the forefront was the impact of the tuition increase on women,” said SdBI representative Gabrielle Bouchard. “Women today still make less money than their male counterparts so the impact of the tuition increase on women will be significant.”
Bouchard added that the stance will make the institute’s job easier to openly side with the students and to encourage other departments to join them in supporting the general strike. Several councillors congratulated and thanked the SdBI for their decision.

Two fee levy questions approved

Two new fee levy questions will appear on students’ ballots during March’s CSU general election.
CSU council approved the fee levy questions of Le Frigo Vert and the 2110 Centre for Gender Advocacy. The former is asking for an eight-cents increase in its fee levy, from 25 cents per credit to 33 cents, while the latter is asking for a jump from 29 cents per credit to 39 cents.
Le Frigo Vert said they were delighted by the council’s decision to put their question on the ballot, as they are currently struggling with increasing rent and other fixed costs.
“We don’t get a university space and our landlord keeps increasing the rent every year,” said collective member Bronwen Agnew. “The CSU’s decision is a big relief.”
During the meeting, CSU VP finance Jordan Lindsay said the anti-mainstream food industry cooperative offered “the best food on campus.”

New appointment procedure adopted for BoG student rep

The CSU adopted a new procedure for selecting the two representatives on Concordia’s Board of Governors. CSU President Lex Gill, who currently sits on the BoG, reported that the student body at large will not have its say on the selection anymore. Student representatives will be appointed directly by CSU council, but will not necessarily have to be councillors. “The representative could also come from the student body at large,” said Gill. The BoG voted in September to decrease the number of undergraduate student governors from four to one, with an “alternate” governor being added with speaking rights only. The changes come into effect July 1.

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“Anglo-Franco committee” holds protest against tuition hikes

French and English CEGEPs and universities protest to show solidarity in the fight against tuition hikes
French and English CEGEPs and universities protest to show solidarity in the fight against tuition hikes - Photo by Navneet Paul
Hundreds of students yelled and chanted their way across downtown Montreal on Feb. 2 to protest against tuition hikes — and when they did, they made sure their voices were heard in both official languages.
In an effort to show unity between French and English schools in the fight against the proposed $1,625 increase in tuition fees announced by the Liberal government last March, more than 300 students from various Montreal CEGEPs and universities gathered at Concordia’s Hall building. From there, they started marching towards the Université de Québec a Montréal, shouting their way through McGill University and the Vieux-Montréal CEGEP.

“This protest is the outcome of several inter-university meetings we held at the end of last year,” said Rushdia Mehreen, formerly of the Graduate Students’ Association and member of the Mob Squad, a student group that has given itself the mandate of staging protest and demonstrations against tuition hikes. “In these meetings, we wanted to find out a way to build more ties between francophone and anglophone universities and CEGEPs.”

The idea of demonstrating French and English came shortly after the incident that took place at McGill University last Nov. 10, when several students faced police brutality after the massive rally that saw 30,000 students against tuition hikes flood the streets of Montreal. The group of protesters was attacked by anti-riot police and sought refuge in McGill premises where the police followed them and continued to fight them back.

The incident sparked the movement “We are all McGill,” inspired by the Egyptian movement “We are all Khaled Said,” a movement created in Jan. 2011 condemning police brutality.
Students from various schools in Montreal felt the need to express their support furthermore and decided to meet last December in order to find an effective way to demonstrate unity and to solve a potential miscommunication between francophone and anglophone schools.

“On s’en calisse [we don’t give a damn] about which language we speak,” exclaimed Frank Lévesque-Nicol, one of the event organizers and member of the Comité sur la lutte sociale of the UQÀM student union. “We have to put aside these futile language quarrels and go beyond these usual divisions. We are subjected to the same threat and we are fighting the same struggle.”

The slogan of Thursday’s protest symbolically alternated between French and English, with flyers reading: “Don’t fuck with notre éducation.”

When marching through the McGill campus, protesters honoured those affected by last year’s police brutality by chanting: “Who’s McGill? It’s our McGill!”

Some organizers joked by informally calling the group who organized the protest the “Anglo-Franco committee,” but Levesque insisted that the protest was organized by concerned students and was not to be affiliated to any group or association.

However, the wish to remain a grass-rooted movement slightly backfired for Concordia organizers as only a few Concordia students showed up to the protest, with the Concordia Student Union making no publicity of the event.

“I know very little about what’s going on today,” said CSU VP external Chad Walcott, former head of the Mob Squad, who was not participating in the protest. Walcott said the CSU was not entirely informed about the protest and that it was “purely a Mob Squad initiative,” adding that he still supported the protest.

Mehreen explained that the Mob Squad was an entity made out of concerned students and that it was autonomous from any unions.

Thursday’s protest came only a day after the UQAM Faculty of Arts and Science voted in favour of an unlimited general strike set to take place next March. A similar vote will take place at Concordia during a general assembly on March 7 where undergraduate students will decide whether or not they want to go on a general strike.

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Admin to students: business as usual during strike

Concordia’s administration has issued a very clear position on any potential student strike in March, saying that the university will continue to operate as usual and students will still be expected to attend class and hand in their assignments on time.

Concordia’s Provost David Graham released an open letter to students, faculty and staff outlining the university’s stance last Wednesday.

“Regardless of the outcome of the March 7th vote, Concordia intends to continue operating as usual,” it reads. “All instructional activities, including classes, tutorials, labs and studio sessions, will be held as scheduled.”

The document explains that students who choose to miss class or refuse to take their exams will be subject to the standard academic consequences. Graham goes on to list possible negative outcomes for students, such as the risk of being de-registered by not paying tuition, losing visa status or health insurance for international students and failing to meet graduation requirements.

Concordia Student Union President Lex Gill called the letter “fear mongering” and stated that “the dangers [Graham] expressed are worst case and highly unlikely.”

Gill said that the CSU felt “blind-sided” by the timing of the Provost’s letter. VP external Chad Walcott arranged a meeting with the administration which was pushed back for unrelated reasons, she explained.

Gill went on to say that the letter also failed to mention that historical precedent was on the student’s side. “Since the 1960s, there have been eight major general strikes and universities have never cancelled sessions before. They just aren’t equipped to handle it,” she said.

Following the letter’s public circulation, Gill and Graham exchanged a number of tweets. Gill called the Provost’s actions “disingenuous” and stated that she was “deeply unimpressed.”

Graham voiced complaint that he had only heard about the strike vote through the media, to which Gill replied, “nevertheless, you know my extension and it would’ve made a massive difference to talk about that email together.”

Members of the CSU are scheduled to meet with senior administrators in the next two weeks, and Gill is hopeful they will be open to talking. “I would like [the administration] to accommodate the democratic will of students, should this strike happen,” she said.

Graham explained that he chose to write the letter in order to “be pro-active and reach out to faculty and staff.”

His goal was to emphasize that should there be a strike, faculty are still expected to provide the same services. “The most important point at the moment is that we do have a duty to teach for students who choose to attend classes.”

“[The faculty] can exercise leniency if they wish to do so,” he continued. “It’s their decision.”

When asked about the possibility of giving amnesty to students participating in the strike, Graham stated that “there hasn’t been any request for amnesty that I’m aware of.”

Robert Sonin, the bargaining officer of Teaching and Research Assistants at Concordia (TRAC), explained that a student strike would put students employed by the university in a difficult position.

“Members of TRAC need to remember they have a role as an employee which is different from their role as student,” he said. “We support the idea of a strike as a whole, [but] we don’t have the right to go on strike.”

Members can strike as students and not attend classes if they wish, but they are expected to continue with their other duties, he explained.

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Tug of war, Concordia style


Springtime is often associated with the notion of new beginnings and at Concordia, this year will be no exception. Collective agreements for some of the university’s largest unions are expiring and the time has come to head back to the negotiating table. Union contracts may seem a little dry at first glance, but if history is anything to go by, collective bargaining season is going to be anything but.

Concordia’s part-time faculty association (CUPFA) president Maria Peluso calls complicated labour disputes “a chronic pattern at Concordia.”

CUPFA will begin negotiating a new contract with the university in August 2012. Last time their agreement expired, it took seven years to finalize a new collective agreement.

“The delays are unreasonable to achieve any closure or conclusion […] and the lengthy nature of negotiations speaks to whether there is good faith in such protracted negotiations,” Peluso said.

She explained in an email that multiple campus unions complained of similar experiences, such as the university cancelling meetings at the last minute and not being properly prepared.

Extended negotiations between CUPFA and the administration began in 2002 and lasted six years, leading to a costly arbitration and rotating strikes. The conflict went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada and culminated with judges ruling in CUPFA’s favour in the 2008/2009 academic year.

“What is the point of negotiating a collective agreement that is not sustainable, gets ignored, and then it costs money just to handle all the conflict and grievances?” said Peluso, referring to the extensive legal fees involved in a court case of this level.

Concordia’s full-time faculty association (CUFA) has already begun meeting with administration to develop a new collective agreement. So far things are going smoothly, but union president Lucie Lequin said it hasn’t always been that way. Generally, negotiations last six to eight months—the last time around it took CUFA two-and-a-half years.

“[The negotiator for the administration] showed a lack of organization, lack of good will, and lack of efficiency,” said Lequin. She cited the unpreparedness of the administration’s team as the main reason for the process dragging on for so long.

After two years of waiting, CUFA requested a conciliator to help them come to a solution.

Now facing another round of bargaining, Lequin said she is not hopeful, but would like to see “a real commitment to see negotiations completed in a timely fashion.”

Concordia spokesperson Chris Mota confirmed that CUFA and the administration have already met five times and have a schedule drawn up. “The bottom line is moving forward. The goal is to arrive at a collective agreement as soon as possible,” she said.

Mota did not want to address the past difficulties between the union and administration, calling the discussion “not fruitful.” She said the administrative negotiators are looking to the future.

“Everyone is bargaining in good faith, and fully committed,” said Mota.

Another negotiation worth keeping an eye on is the United Steelworkers local 9538, which has been without a renewed collective agreement for the past five years. Members of the USW walked out Sept.7 to show their dissatisfaction with the administration.

Concordia VP institutional relations Bram Freedman confirmed in a press release that a conciliator has already been appointed by the Quebec Ministry of Labour. Should both parties fail to come to an agreement, USW does have a strike mandate. The USW could not be reached for comment.

Definitions

Collective Agreement: the contract made between an employer and a union on behalf of all the employees.

Good Faith: legal obligation in collective bargaining in which both parties must try to reach an agreement.

Arbitration: a single arbitrator hears presentations by both sides and then issues a final and binding decision that establishes a new collective agreement.

Conciliation: a form of “outside help” which involves the appointment of a government employee known as a conciliation officer who tries to bring the two parties together.

Grievance: a wrong considered as grounds for complaint launched through official channels.

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Semester in preview


 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A new president

THE FACTS: Come April, Concordia may have a final candidate to replace interim President Frederick Lowy as president and vice-chancellor of the university. The presidential search committee is scheduled to meet again before the end of January to review and finalize a short list of candidates. The committee’s work is confidential, so no names have been released. However, university spokesperson Chris Mota wrote in an email that “a recommendation will be ready for the Board of Governors for April 2012 with the candidate to take office, ideally, as of August 1, 2012.” The university hired consultant Laverne Smith & Associates Inc. to pre-interview candidates.

WHY IT MATTERS: Other than being the highest ranking position at the university, the president’s office has seen enough controversy in recent years to deserve a critical eye. Concordia’s previous president, Judith Woodsworth, was dismissed by the Board of Governors in 2010, while her predecessor Claude Lajeunesse left office halfway though his five-year contract due to conflicts with the administration.

A general student strike vote

THE FACTS: The Concordia Student Union plans on continuing where last semester left off, launching a new campaign to protest the Quebec government’s tuition hikes and addressing the possibility of preparing for a vote to strike sometime this semester. While last fall saw some student participation in protests and rallies against tuition fee increases, CSU VP external Chad Walcott said “a student strike could be the next step in a Quebec-wide protest.”Walcott added that before anything can be done, “the movement will have to regain momentum”  lost over the winter break. A demonstration set for March 22 is already in the planning stages and members of the CSU have put together a document outlining tentative plans to be presented at council on Wednesday.

WHY IT MATTERS: Tuition in Quebec is set to raise $325 a year over five years for university undergrads, and whether or not you agree with the increase, it’s ultimately up to students to decide whether Concordia’s undergrads will be going on strike for more than just a day.

A whole lot of general elections

THE FACTS: Break out the posters and in-classroom speeches: Concordia’s student associations will be gearing up for another round of general elections this spring. The Concordia Student Union, the Arts and Science Federation of Associations, and others will all be holding elections to fill their executive positions.

WHY IT MATTERS: Spring general elections should be anything but uncomplicated if last semester’s byelections are anything to go by, between the accusations of electoral violations, mistakes caught at polling stations, and the firing of two separate chief electoral officers. Not to mention the fact that last year’s CSU general elections resulted in the CEO disqualifying both parties, only to have his decision later overturned by the judicial board and CSU council.

 


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Not all students took to the streets

There was no line at the Tim Hortons in the Hall building. There were three people to an elevator in the MB. Something was missing at Concordia on Nov. 10, and their absence did not go unnoticed.
Nov. 10 marked the student “Day of Action” organized to show disagreement with rising tuition fees in Quebec. Concordia students took to the streets in protest Thursday, marching in solidarity with students from other Quebec CEGEPs and universities.
Despite the overwhelming support displayed for the strike by the Arts and Science Federation of Associations and Graduate Students’ Association at a joint meeting in the week leading up to the rally, some Concordia students did not share their peers’ enthusiasm.
“I do believe in unions and free speech. I just think it goes against the idea of education that people chose to skip class in protest,” said Fabrizio Pantalone, an undergraduate linguistics student.
Pantalone feels that the ad campaigns launched by various student groups intentionally exaggerated facts to suit their message. “I don’t approve of some of the misinformation being used. The posters saying that Charest paid $500 for university, that’s just not true,” he said, pointing out that in order for that argument to be valid, proper allowances have to be made for inflation.
He said the student activists are using “sensationalist tactics,” and that if they wish to draw more people to their cause, they should do so by being realistic.
A business student, who wished only to be identified as Veronica, feels that some of her classmates don’t realize how good they have it.
“I think we pay the lowest tuition in Canada. I think [the strike is] a little unnecessary. I’m against it,” she said. Veronica said she pays for her own schooling and that she feels that “education is an investment.”
While some students were clearly opposed to the strike, others were unable to miss class. Vinh Ha, a student in Concordia’s accounting program, said he would have liked to attend the strike but couldn’t afford to skip class. “I have a deadline,” he said. He made it clear that he didn’t see the professor being lenient on students who were absent.
Despite Provost David Graham’s recommendation that professors be understanding of students who chose to protest, many students still felt it was not an option for them to miss the time.
“[My professor]’s going to teach anyway and I don’t want to have to catch up,” said Melanie Chabot, a business student.
Eugene Kritchevski, an assistant professor of mathematics, said that he doesn’t expect the protest will produce results. “I don’t think the strike will do anything. If students really want to force change they should refuse to pay their fees,” he said.
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MUNACA workers on strike

The first day of class for McGill University students was also the first day of a general strike for the McGill University Non-Academic Certified Association. Students were crossing picket lines as members of MUNACA gathered in front of McGill’s arches entryway last Thursday. Among other issues, they are protesting their wage scale and benefits plan, and are demanding parity with the non-academic workers at Montreal’s other universities. The union is set to meet with McGill administration in the presence of a conciliator this Thursday.  MUNACA represents about 1,700 workers at McGill. Photo by Navneet Pall

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