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POST-SECONDARY CAUCUS: GETTING ORGANIZED FOR MAY 1

April 1, 2022/in Provincial Election 2022, Uncategorized/by Tracy Cochrane

Join the province-wide post-secondary caucus to get organized for the May 1 Day of Action!

The caucus is open to anyone who studies or works at a college, university, or any other post-secondary institution in Ontario.

What is the May 1 day of action?

On Sunday, May 1, thousands of people in locations all over the province will take action for a better Ontario. The day of action is part of a growing province-wide movement to challenge the harmful policies of the current provincial government and to raise our shared demands for what our campuses and communities need. Watch a teaser video about May 1 here.

post-secondary caucus

Link the Watershed

April 1, 2022/in Did you know?/by Tracy Cochrane

The following is a proposal to link our communities with a network of four new conventional transit routes operated by our existing municipal urban transit providers (Brantford Transit, Grand River Transit, and Guelph Transit) as soon as possible; with additional service changes to the rural transit services Brant Transit, Wellington RideWell, Ride Norfolk, PC Connect, and GOST to create a highly integrated network of rural and urban transit services and linking the Watershed.

With close to 1 million people expected to live in Watershed Region by 2030, it is critical that we work together to make travel in the area easier for everyone.

Link the Watershed Transit

University and PSAC reach tentative agreement for Graduate Teaching Assistants

March 24, 2022/in Did you know?/by Tracy Cochrane

Sent on behalf of Pamela Cant, Chief HR & Equity Officer

I am pleased to advise that Wilfrid Laurier University and the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) have reached a tentative deal for the first collective agreement for Graduate Teaching Assistants (GTAs). PSAC represents approximately 338 graduate teaching assistants in Waterloo, Kitchener and Brantford.

The agreement was reached on March 23, 2022 following 25 meetings between the parties, and most recently with the assistance of a ministry appointed conciliator.

The tentative deal will be reviewed for ratification by the university’s Board of Governors and PSAC members. Both parties have agreed to recommend ratification of the tentative agreement. The details of the tentative agreement are confidential until both parties ratify.

The university is grateful to both bargaining teams for the hard work and goodwill they invested within a challenging financial and legislative landscape to reach an agreement they are each pleased to recommend.

Pamela Cant, MHRM (she/her)
Chief Human Resources & Equity Officer

Human Resources Department

How to Choose the Right Vehicle

March 10, 2022/in OTIP/by WLUSA

When it comes to finding the right car for you, there are pros and cons to both new and used vehicles — but ultimately, your decision will likely come down to budget and your driving habits. So how do you choose the right vehicle for yourself? Consider these factors before deciding.

GIG WORKERS’ BILL OF RIGHTS

February 9, 2022/in Uncategorized/by WLUSA

Gig workers played an essential role keeping our neighbours safe and keeping the restaurant industry afloat during the pandemic, yet they are denied basic rights at work available to all other employees. Now the Ford Conservatives are attacking all Ontario workers. Recommendations from the Ontario Workforce Recovery Advisory Committee would create a third class of worker with less rights than full employees.

This is a Bill of Rights created by gig workers endorsed by Gig Workers United (CUPW), Uber Drivers United (UFCW), and the Ontario Federation of Labour to outline what minimum rights our governments must guarantee to ensure fairness and non-discriminatory treatment for gig workers.

A worker is a worker; Full employment rights with no carve-outs from minimum wage, sick leave, vacation pay and other minimum employment standards.
Payment for all hours of work: Paid time from when workers sign in until they sign out of the app with a clear and concise breakdown of how pay is calculated.
Compensation for necessary work related expenses to ensure gig workers’ real wages are not reduced below the minimum wage
Full and equal access to regulated benefits programs like Employment Insurance (EI), Canada Pension Plan (CPP) and injury compensation (WSIB).
Data transparency: access to all data collected and how the algorithm affects workers, including any forms of discipline.
Make all work count: gig work must count towards Permanent Residency applications.
Put onus on employers to prove that workers are not employees, instead of workers proving that they are not independent contractors. Enshrine the predictable and purposive ABC test for employment status.
Recognize gig workers’ right to form a union, with the union they choose, to have a collective voice at work.
Workers must have the right to negotiate for livable wages and benefits with their employer. Real, worker-led sectoral bargaining to enable meaningful collective bargaining to raise industry standards
An end to arbitrary deactivations and fair compensation for glitches: Just cause protection against deactivation, access to a clear and free process and enforcement mechanisms for minimum standards. Compensation for technical issues on the platform’s end.

Sign on to support the Gig Workers’ Bill of Rights.

Taken from: https://ofl.ca/action/gig-workers/

Why Organize UW?

February 9, 2022/in Uncategorized/by WLUSA

The University of Waterloo is one of the last universities in Canada without a union for graduate student teaching assistants, research assistants, contract faculty, technicians, and other academic research and teaching staff positions.

The lack of a union has meant diminished ability to affect our working conditions, get fair wages, lower health and safety protocols, no clear or consistent hiring processes, unchallenged harassment, and no support for mental health services, and dealing with problems with work/overwork alone.

The only way to address these issues and advance the rights of graduate student and other academic workers on campus is to organize a union and negotiate a collective agreement with the university.

Our goals are:

Fairness: Transparency, clarity, and standards at work
Equity: Enforceable protections for all
Security: Job security and clear rules for access of work
Safety: A safe and healthy workplace
Respect: Recognition as essential academic workers
Support: Proper training & supervision
Dignity: Improved mental health supports
Democracy: A collective voice for graduate workers over working conditions

Together, we can make the University of Waterloo a better space for academic workers.

Sign a card today.

about us fairness anti-racism health and safety access to work workplace democracy working environment

Committee to Organize uWaterloo

supported by CUPE

The Committee to Organize uWaterloo is a grassroots campaign to unionize the academic workers at the University of Waterloo. The campaign is supported by the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), Canada’s largest union.

Taken from: https://organizeuw.org/post/whyorganizeuw/

Leasing vs. buying a car: What’s best for me?

February 9, 2022/in OTIP/by Tracy Cochrane

Both leasing and buying have their benefits and drawbacks, so the right choice all depends on your budget, driving needs and lifestyle. We’ve outlined some of the key factors to consider when deciding between leasing versus buying your next vehicle to help you determine which option is best for you.

Students and Workers Demand Safer return to campus

February 2, 2022/in Covid/by Tracy Cochrane

Students and Workers Demand Safer return to campus

The Ontario University and Colleges Coalition echoes the concerns of students and workers across the province about unsafe and rushed plans to return to campus. With notice of returning back to in-person learning for some institutions as soon as January 31, students are nervous about inadequate safety plans, the accessibility of continuing with online learning and academic penalties for those who do not feel safe being back on campus. Without access to critical PPE such as N95 masks, uncertainties about ventilation, lack of routine reporting of COVID-19 case counts, and no physical distancing practices, students and workers know that such an abrupt plan to return to campus is not conducive to learning, and it seriously jeopardizes the safety of all campus community members.

Due to college and university administrations lobbying the Ontario government for campuses to have an exemption from capacity limits and physical distancing requirements, students and workers have been apprehensive of the rationale to allow overcrowded classrooms such as 500 person lecture halls with no restrictions being deemed as safe . Students and workers have witnessed the detrimental consequences of disregarding scientific evidence and loosening restrictions too soon. Additionally, many ventilation systems on campuses have not been properly updated or improved to help stop the spread of COVID-19, nor have standardized ventilation improvements been adequately reported.

It is vital that the decision to return to campus respects individual comfort, safety and wellbeing. Although there are students and faculty who are looking forward to returning to campus, others are not confident due to a lack of strong health and safety measures and are nervous and do not feel safe returning to in-person learning. Many students and faculty who are immunocompromised or live in a household with immunocompromised individuals, are not reflected in their administration’s plans to return to campus. Many workers who have continued to be on campus throughout the pandemic also have health and safety concerns that have not yet been addressed, and these must be addressed before campuses are opened to in-person learning.

With little notice, those who do not currently live in the same region or close to their college or university now have to scramble to find adequate and affordable housing, which was challenging before the pandemic. International students are amongst the worst affected as they continue to face barriers like sporadically changing travel advisories and bans, and difficulties in finding housing in the city or regions of their institutions.

Students, faculty and workers demand action from the Ministry of Colleges and Universities and the Minister Jill Dunlop to address the numerous health and safety concerns of the plans to return to campus. The numerous health and safety concerns on campuses need to be addressed, and alternative plans must be made available. The following demands should be met before resuming in-person learning on campuses across the province

The Ministry and institutions need to ensure equitable access to personal protective equipment, vaccines, and COVID testing
Institutions should ensure consistent reporting of COVID-19 case counts, ventilation reports, and all public health guidelines
Workers and students should have the right to refuse mandatory in-person classes and have the option of attending online classes without any penalty or wage loss
A safer return to campus means students should have longer, more flexible deadlines to drop courses without academic penalties.
Institutions are to ensure sick days without academic penalty, mental health accommodations without a medical diagnosis requirement, and flexibility between in-person and virtual classes
Institutions must communicate a clear plan and threshold for a switch to remote-learning or a campus closure plan that is informed by public health guidelines
Institutions must ensure faculty, staff, and students have access to all the resources to ensure high-quality education for both in-person and online learning.
The provincial government must increase public funding for more teaching assistants and lower class sizes

In solidarity,

Canadian Federation of Students–Ontario (CFS-O)
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA)
Ontario Public Sector Employees Union (OPSEU) – College Faculty, Support Staff, and University Sector
Ontario Secondary School Teachers’ Federation (OSSTF)
Public Service Alliance of Canada Ontario (PSAC Ontario)
unifor
Ontario Federation of Labor

Taken from: https://campuscoalition.org/post/oucc-safe-return-2022/

Message to university sector members from the OSSTF/FEESO Provincial Executive

January 31, 2022/in OSSTF, Uncategorized/by Tracy Cochrane

January 31, 2022

To the university sector members of OSSTF/FEESO

Over the coming weeks, Ontario Universities are returning to various forms of in-person work and/or learning, and we want you to know your union is here to support you as you face uncertain days and weeks ahead. Our membership is diverse, and so are the work environments at each of your respective post-secondary campuses.

University students and faculty continue to receive the support and services they need throughout the pandemic because of your dedication. Universities continue to function because of your work and commitment to education.

Many members are feeling nervous and frustrated in light of the provincial government’s actions and inaction throughout the pandemic. We want you to know that amidst this chaotic response, your health and safety, as well as the health and safety of colleagues, students and families, continues to be OSSTF/FEESO’s priority.

As in the past few years, we continue to be a trusted voice advocating for workers, students, communities, schools, and campuses. Your efforts and our collective strength will be critical over the next year. Please continue to seek out assistance and support from your local leaders.

We know the rest of the academic term will be a difficult time for all university sector members, their institutions, and the students they serve. Together, as a united membership, with your dedicated local leaders, we will overcome the challenges that lay ahead.

OSSTF/FEESO Covid-19 Update

January 14, 2022/in OSSTF/by Tracy Cochrane

OSSTF-FEESO-Covid-19-Update-27-1 Download

supported by CUPE

Students and Workers Demand Safer return to campus

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