Mac support workers in midst of strike vote
September 17, 2009
Carmela Fragomeni
The Hamilton Spectator
http://www.thespec.com/News/BreakingNews/article/636896
Two key employee groups at McMaster University — teaching assistants and support workers — are down to the wire in contract negotiations.
The 2,700 teaching assistants, whose counterparts shut down York University last year, are in the midst of a strike vote while their bargaining committee tackles “many outstanding issues,” according to CUPE representative Jesse Payne.
The union and university have jointly asked for provincial conciliation.
Payne expects a strong strike mandate when the last period of voting ends on Tuesday and Wednesday next week.
“The contract won’t improve unless we have a strong mandate,” he said yesterday.
Payne said it’s obvious from the support workers’ group that the university won’t take issues as seriously and won’t bargain in good faith if there is a weak mandate.
University spokesperson Andrea Farquhar disagreed, saying “I think we always bargain in good faith ... We always come to the table to find a negotiated settlement and work hard to get a deal.”
McMaster’s 2,200 support workers, represented by the CAW, rejected a final offer and were poised to strike Sept 4 just before classes were to start. But the Ministry of Labour granted the university another vote on its final offer.
Support workers this time voted 61.8 per cent against it.
The two sides have moved from conciliation to provincial mediation, starting the last round of meetings on Wednesday and are scheduled to wrap up Friday.
Farquhar said the teaching assistant situation at Mac is quite different from that at York University because that union included sessional lecturers, making the group much larger and more complex.
She said there is a heightened awareness and concern from parents and students over contract negotiations this year after what happened at York, but said “it’s just not the same” at Mac.
If a strike were to occur at McMaster, it won’t shut down the university, she said.
“You can’t make a direct comparison with York.”
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