Job action begins for unionized workers across the province
By Laura Rodgers
Photos by Mark Burnham
VANCOUVER (CUP) — Many support and service workers of CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) picketed and rallied at five B.C. universities.
CUPE unions representing staff at the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, Thompson Rivers University and the University of Northern British Columbia participated in job action on their campuses.
At UBC, over 500 CUPE workers, as well as supporters from other union locals, formed a march that snaked its way around the campus at noon on Oct. 4th, ending in a rally in front of the Student Union Building (SUB). A picket line was also set up in front of various SUB entrances. The workers are planning more job action in the coming weeks.
“This is the first day of our escalating job action. We need to wake up, first of all, we need to make some noise, because I don’t think they can hear us over in Victoria,” said CUPE 116 president Colleen Garbe to a crowd of union workers outside the SUB. Since any offers from UBC are bound by mandates set by the provincial government, various CUPE unions at universities across the province are planning concerted job action to put pressure on the province.
“Yes, we’re UBC employees, and UBC is our employer, but the government has been hamstringing them and tying their hands,” said Garbe.
CUPE 116 represents Campus Security, food services, tradespeople, custodians and other support and service staff throughout UBC. Garbe said that Oct. 4th would be a one-day strike including many of their employees, and they will be back at work by tomorrow, but she added that job action will continue to escalate as long as CUPE and UBC have not reached a collective agreement.
“At 11:34 we shut down the food services in the SUB so our members could come out,” said Garbe, described the job action in a later interview: “We went over to Plant Operations and we took out all the trades, the clerical, the utilities, the mail room. We also took down our Campus Security to the essential service levels.”
Representatives from other CUPE locals also participated in the march. Barry O’Neill, president of all CUPE unions in B.C., also spoke at the rally.
“What the locals are asking for is a cost of living allowance, which doesn’t seem very outrageous to me,” said O’Neill.
The union has no future bargaining dates set up with UBC. CUPE 116 workers are asking for increased job security, cost-of-living allowances, and pensions for all of their members.
COPE 378, the union representing AMS security staff, also put up a one-day picket line outside the SUB today in support of CUPE. AMS security workers have been negotiating a collective agreement with the AMS since September 2011. COPE says that bargaining with the AMS is winding down, and the two parties’ offers are now within a dollar of each other. Their main reason for picketing was to support CUPE 116.
The provincial government has recently considered privatizing service jobs across B.C. public universities, according to Garbe. She says that the CUPE unions across B.C. will not cease their job action until the province promises that no privatization will happen.
So far, the job action hasn’t had a huge effect on UBC’s day-to-day operations, according to UBC director of public affairs Lucie McNeill.
“We have to say that service disruptions have been kept to a minimum and we’re grateful for that,” said McNeill. “Our students, and our faculty and staff who are not involved in this particular dispute appreciate the fact that they can go about their business.”
If picket lines are set up around classes in the future, students will need to notify UBC if they choose not to cross them as a matter of personal conscience. So far the university sent out a single broadcast email today about the job action on campus, but many students still aren’t fully aware of the situation.
Sauder student Krystal Ramirez said she wasn’t aware any job action was going on today until she saw the picket lines outside the SUB. “I haven’t checked my email, so probably it’s there, but I don’t know,” she said.
When a CUPE picket captain informed her of the job action underway, she opted to turn back and not cross the picket line. But she said she may not make the same choice in the future.
“I would definitely go into my classroom. I won’t miss a class just because of this, you know? Education is important, this is important for some people, but for me, education is more important.”
