Striking Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) support staff workers at Camosun College took job action on Tuesday November 20 and Wednesday November 21.
Signs gripped in cold fists wrapped in soggy gloves were waved through the air. Flags were raised and automobiles issued honks of encouragement. If one didn’t know better, they might mistake the rain for some sort of Marxist potion of camaraderie and workers unity workers of the world did not unite, but the Camosun support staff was joined in spirit by CUPE members from colleges all across BC, shutting down schools across the province in a stand for equality.
“All we’re asking, basically, is to be treated the same as other unions in the province,” explains Louise Oetting, chief steward of CUPE Local 2081, who is looking for a 0Đ0Đ2Đ2 percent raise increase, retroactive to 2010. This would win them a two-percent raise in both 2013 and 2014.
Jessica Michalofsky, an instructional assistant at Camosun’s School of Access and member of the support staff union, explains that not getting this raise makes everyday life a chore as a result of general inflation.
“We haven’t had a raise in two years, and I think we’re asking for a very small amount,” says Michalofsky. “The cost of life is going up and our wages aren’t.”
Oetting says that the economic stress put on the members of CUPE Local 2081 doesn’t just affect them, and not getting a settlement also holds negative ramifications for students.
“Getting a settlement of a contract provides us with more stability and a better working environment; people are a lot happier, so we can give the students a better service,” says Oetting.
While the union claims one of the goals of the strike is to provide better services for students, in the short term it’s having an immediate impact on them.
To show support for the support staff union many of Camosun’s faculty chose not to cross picket lines, resulting in about 30 percent of classes across both campuses to be cancelled over the course of two days, according to Joan Yates, executive director of communications and advancement at Camosun.
Yates says that students will receive no reimbursement for cancelled classes.
“Probably not at this juncture,” she says, “given the fact that it was two days, and especially given the fact that most of the material and content will be made up.”
When asked how Camosun will make up the lost time for students, Yates says they will do their best under the circumstances.
“This is somewhat out of the college’s control, and the best the college can do is to do our best to make sure content is not missed,” says Yates.
CUPE said in a news release that “few students crossed the picket lines.”
Richard Paul, a second-year criminal justice student, says that none of his classes were cancelled.
“All of my teachers ended up crossing the line,” says Paul. “They don’t get paid if they don’t show up.”
The Camosun College Student Society (CCSS) gave a public statement of support to Nexus while the picket lines were up.
“The student society is in support of the strike, as we are very supportive of labour unions and the rights that they fight to maintain,” said CCSS external executive Madeline Keller-MacLeod.
Oetting, who says that the union appreciates the support from both the CCSS and from the students and that the union members “sincerely don’t want to negatively impact our students,” says that national union representatives met with the deputy minister of advanced education late last week but at press time couldn’t give details on how the meeting went.
A November 23 news release from CUPE Local 2081 was positive in tone, saying that after the meeting the situation was “not at a standstill” and that things are “fluid and changing daily.”
More job action could be forthcoming if the union doesn’t get their contract negotiated. See nexusnewspaper.com for the latest information.