An Open Letter to Wilfrid Laurier University and the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association

Just in case you missed it, here is the Open Letter to Wilfrid Laurier University and the Wilfrid Laurier University Faculty Association:

We, the undersigned, issue this letter as the official student representatives to the Senate and Board of Governors of Wilfrid Laurier University.

The recent labour dispute between Contract Academic Staff and the University has caused immense disruption, stress, and potentially negative long-term consequences for students in classes taught, assisted, or otherwise facilitated by these staff. These problems have been magnified by a consistent lack of communication, clarity, or transparency from either side with regards to the impact that this dispute will have and what plans there are to mitigate it. This is unacceptable.

Furthermore, the rhetoric issued by both sides has given students the distinct impression that they are being used as a bargaining chip and has consistently misrepresented the realities of the situation. This is disingenuous and insulting and must stop.

As student representatives, we take no side in the labour dispute; the student body is the third side, the side that has been consistently neglected throughout this entire process. Thus we demand a course of action that minimizes any further negative impact on students. We recognize that academic integrity has already been seriously compromised, and ask that any solution err on the side of the students. Pursuant to this, we have a number of demands:

1. Every student enrolled in a course with any element provided by Contract Academic Staff should be automatically granted a passing credit (not affecting their average) with a 25 percent refund commensurate to the 25 percent of classes missed
a. Students should also have the option to drop these courses with a 100 percent refund if they so wish.
b. Any student who has already dropped a course should be able to petition for either of these options.

2. Both the Wilfrid Laurier University Administration and the Faculty Association should immediately issue letters of apology for the stress and anxiety caused to students by the rhetoric and lack of communication during the past two weeks.

3. Whatever the University decides to do, the negotiation of that decision should be done in the open, in consultation with the students elected to represent students at that relevant governing body.

4. Furthermore, in light of the poor communication that has so far been in evidence, we expect communication of the final decision to be made in all of these ways.
a. The WLU Email ListServe
b. Press releases on the WLU Website
c. Advertisements in the Cord Weekly
d. Posters placed around campus
e. WebCT announcements.

5. Students should not be expected to hand in assignments due during the strike period or write exams in any class with elements provided by Contract Academic Staff, for the following reasons:

a. Students require class time and professor feedback in order to complete assignments and prepare for exams. It is unacceptable to expect otherwise.
b. In absence of a clearly defined and publicized course of action for students, it is perfectly reasonable to expect that they may not have completed the work.
c. There are students who do not want to cross picket lines. This is their right and must be explicitly respected.
d. Students have had absolutely no say in the decisions to collect course work as assigned.

6. Any course of action should minimize the number of students who are compelled to pursue petitions. Furthermore:
a. All petition fees in these cases should be waived.
b. Senate or Senate Executive must also approve any extraordinary petitions procedure.

7. No academic decisions should ever be announced to the community or made formal without the explicit input from and discussion by students.

If the above necessary actions are not taken, it will be taken as a clear indication that neither party in this dispute is sufficiently concerned with the interest of students at Wilfrid Laurier University.


Sincerely,

Josh Smyth, Senator
Bryn Ossington, Senator
Rachael Baker, Senator
Mark Ciesluk, Senator
Saad Aslam, Senator-Elect
Janice Lee, Senator-Elect
Paul Laanemets, Senator-Elect
Colin LeFevre, Senator
Culum Canally, Governor
Keren Gottfried, Governor
Matt Park, Governor
Jon Champagne, Governor-elect

Well spoken, I think every student will approve.

Three Words

It's about time!

The Student Union is amusing but not surprising. Back in the day of trying to prevent a strike - holding booths, attending dozens of classes, gathering the most successful petition in history (and then having it spit at by the administration), holding rallies, quiet sit in, and etc. The Student Union pretended that we are not here and that there is no problem. One of us was declined an audience with the Board of Directors before she was not "unbiased," and our warnings that have come true - the strike and the unfortunate results for all of our educations went ignored.

I guess things don't often disappear when you ignore them, huh?

Of course then, for over a week of canceled classes and picket lines the best the Student Union could say is "Play nice kids." Only afterward, when the strike prolonged from being uncomfortable to being scary, that they decided to actually do something... Only a month too late.

Of course, we support them all the way on this venture (though find it questionable as to their "neutral-activism"), better late than never I guess. Oh, but how typical is this of [student] politicians.

Back to Brantford on Monday

WLUFA is hosting a rally at Brantford on Monday at 1:30. Facebook-wise, there seems to be a big group attending, and a gang from Waterloo is going to be there. We've got three cars now and if you need a ride there, message me (Anatoly Venovcev) on Facebook or e-mail me at tolyv@hotmail.com. It would be good to have a good presence at their rally to show support, once again, for the Brantford people and organize a sister solidarity group there.

Reaction from the picket

I was sent a reaction from the picket line. One of our CAS member took time to send in a email describing CAS sentiment about what is happening:

"I spent seven hours on the picket line yesterday, and I feel that I must share with you a few things about this whole strike situation:

1) None of us out there likes the idea of freezing on the roadside.

2) Spending time as street walkers isn't what we dreamt of the night after we defended our PhDs. We all feel displaced and would much rather be in our classrooms.

3) We teach because we want to share our passion with you, not because it is lucrative. If we wanted to be rich, we would have chosen a different career.

4) Also, the nature of our work is such that it never ends. Even though we are paid part-time, we spend most of our waking time thinking about our classes. No class is like another; no lecture is identical to the one last term. One of my colleagues told me it takes him at least six hours to prepare one fifty-minute lecture, and this is normal.

5) Quite apart from the lecture preparation, we also spend a lot of time just getting to Laurier every time we have a class. As part-timers, we don't know if we would be re-hired next term, so it doesn't make much sense to uproot our families and move to Waterloo. As well, many of us have other jobs at other locations in Ontario. I commute from Toronto three times a week; I take Greyhound because it is cheaper than driving and it also allows me to mark papers or prepare classes while getting there; on my teaching days, I spend six hours just traveling to and from Laurier. I meet a number of my colleagues on the coach: to be there, we all get up at 5 am after only 3 to 4 hours of sleep. I assure you: this does take some commitment. And no, Laurier doesn't pay for our commute or even for the GRT.

6) You ever wondered how your part-time profs earn money during the summer? Better not ask: PhDs serving tables at Wendy's is by far not the worst scenario.

7) Lastly, don't think that strike only impacts students. We lose our April salary, all of it. We also jeopardize our chances of being re-hired next year.

As far as I am concerned, strike pay is not even going to cover my daycare expenses, which is why I can only afford to picket once a week, doing two shifts back to back. Which brings me back to point one. I do not like being cold. I do not like being called a full-time whiner. I do not strike because I don't feel like teaching. I did count on the April money, especially so because I will have no income over the summer. But I do support the strike because, regardless of whether I am re-hired next term or not, my colleagues are wonderfully warm, knowledgeable, hard-working people who deserve to be treated as professionals rather than casual workers and who depend on their wages to feed their children, so job security is probably as important for them as fair wages. "Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise."

Why do I write all this? Because I had a chance yesterday to see that many, if not most of you, understand and support us, even if you do not know all the details. Yes, there were some students who turned away from us, or even muttered insults, but they were only few. I cannot start telling you how heart-warming it was when you honked, or shoved hot coffee into our stiff hands, or dropped off steaming pizzas, tomato soup, or home-made cookies. Or simply walked the line with us for half an hour. This means a lot to us, and for all this I want to tell you my sincere, heartfelt THANK YOU!"

Academic Credits

For all those who haven't checked, the university posted information to might what happen with our terms.

Now why didn't they have this up two weeks ago?

No, it's not negotiating in bad faith about speculating about the repercussions of a strike.

Strike!

As of 6:00 am this morning our part-time faculty hit the picket lines.

So Max Blouw, within his first seven months in office got a labour action his hands... sad. Information on the legal obligations of students is posted on the Laurier website.

You're under no barriers to continue your classes with your full-time profs. The representatives of the CAS would also like to say that any student that wishes to join them on the picket line, can. I'll be there. But whether or not you choose to, is up to you. Their new office is at 255 King St. N. unit 6.

Tuesday

Whatever this day will bring - we'll keep on fighting till the end.

Quiet sit-in in the hallway leading to the administration offices today between 10:00 and 4:00 - feel free to come and leave at any time.

Stance on Strike

We have reiterated this many times but for the record let it be done so again:

No, we do not support a strike.

We support our part-time faculty.

The Strike Vote has Passed

From the WLUFA website:

The CAS Strike Authorization ballot was completed today.

89.4% voted in favour of authorizing the WLUFA executive to call a strike if necessary.

The teams will be in mediation on Monday March 17th and Tuesday March 18th. The Bargaining Unit will be in a legal position to strike as of 12:01 am on Wednesday March 19th.

Now, before anyone panics let it be emphasized - this does not mean there will be a strike. It only gives the executive power to call for one if mediation on the 17th and 18th fails. If anything, this vote says that a strike may be averted because it puts more pressure on the administration to settle. Also, look at that number and what it is saying - there are 365 CAS/part-time profs now at Laurier and 89.4% are fed up with the way they are being treated by the administration, so much so, that they are willing to do the most drastic labour action they can to fight for their livelihood. If all 365 of them voted, 326 of them are fed up with their working conditions to that point - that's a lot of our profs very, very upset.

It's paramount now that we stand behind them in this time of need and much still depends on us, the students, who have a big stake in these negotiations - we must pressure the administration to settle, the profs need our support. So, even if it's for a few minutes, show up to our demonstration on Monday 17th at noon - it will be leaving from the Dining Hall, concourse, and the Science Building atrium to gather in the quad outside of the Fred Nichols Campus Centre by about 12:15-12:30. We need more people there to show that Laurier stands united behind the part-timers!

Do the Math

From Herbert Pimlott, Media and Public Relations executive of WLUFA, a little math lesson:

There are 1300 classes taught by CAS.

In those classes, the average amount of students is 49 per course.

Let's say 40 students, since some classes in the music department are more individualized.

40 x 1300 = 52,000 "bums in seats" in CAS classes.

Each student pays 507.35 dollars per half credit course. Let's say 500.

500 x 52,000 = 26,000,000 (26 million) dollars from students taking CAS classes.

The government subsidizes the same amount (actually more). So 26,000,000 x 2 = 52,000,000 (52 million) dollars.

A CAS person makes 6,000 dollars for teaching a classes, there are 1,300 classes. So - 1,300 x 6,000 = 7,800,000 (7 million) dollars.

52,000,000 - 7,800,000 = 44,200,000 (44.2 million) dollars, and that's rounding down. That's what the administration makes from CAS profs. Where is the rest of that money going?

The current CAS proposal will shift 1,500,000 (1.5 million) dollars to them. So the administration will still have 42,700,000 dollars... and they are refusing to agree to that?

What can you do?

Dear students,

Don't panic. Don't fret. Fear is not good for the soul.

The feeling of powerlessness is what drives us into apathy. When we let ourselves think for one moment that we can be pressured into being afraid, then we start shifting into that dangerous territory where we lose what we have. Right now, we have a negotiation that is moving at a turtle's pace, and an administration who won't release details on what will happen to us.

What exists here at Laurier is a strong community. Whether it is an issue like the Hawk, supporting our amazing sports teams, ecological responsibility, a stance on the war, the creation or maintenance of a club, the election of WLUSU representation, or any other undertaking, we come together in a unique fashion. We often rely on each other. This is where our strength lies.

We need to demand two things:

1. Honest answers about what will happen with our term if strike or lockout happens.
2. A speedy resolution where CAS will be valued.

The administration needs to hear from us. Send emails, call them, send written letters, drop by and see them... Do remember to always stay respectful in your requests. It is important that we are taken seriously.


There will be a peaceful demonstration on Monday (heck, I am even bringing my three-year old son!). It will be leaving from three locations at noon:

1. The Science Atrium
2. The Concourse
3. The Dining Hall

We will walk about, and hopefully gain momentum. We will congregate in the Quad. We will have cameras on hand, with local and maybe even national media coverage.

I hope this empowers you. We want students to see that we are important, and that we are stakeholders in this. Without us, there would be no Laurier.

Sue Horton on our Courses

So after being unresponsible, being irresponsible, being downright dishonest. We get one tiny bit on inkling from the administration of what might happen if our part-time faculty goes on strike. From this week's article in The Cord:

“I’ve been through strikes at other universities and there is inconvenience,” explains Horton.

“It’s annoying, it causes delays in things but ultimately the students are our paramount concern here. We do not want to have students losing their academic credits ... so we will work absolutely with your interests in mind.”

Her dismissive attitude toward human beings fighting for their livelihoods aside... you know, that minor little bit about the "inconvenience" of profs not having enough to afford the basic necessities for life and her typical promise of "best interests" when the administration has done nothing but stagnate these negotiations, refuse to compromise, oh and lie to us on several occasions right through their teeth (like about the implications of the conciliator coming in). Look at the bold emphasized phrase - students losing their academic credits.

This is the first bit of information she gave us on what will happen and there it is - we might lose our credits if they go on strike. We didn't say it - she did! Behold the wonders of this relic of the Rosehart regime, it's a wonderful thing that Dr. Max Blouw sacked her to the symbolic position of the grand old lame duck of the administration. I can see why our faculty hates her.

In better news, one of the awesomest supporters created a youtube video, it's worth a watch and a share with everyone:

Strike Vote Today

Today was the day. In fact, tonight was the night. The CAS would have gone into a meeting understanding one thing about their reality, and left perhaps moving on to another.

What everyone needs to understand is that this is just another step in the process and by no means a reason to panic or think that anything has changed. This vote may or may have not put them into strike position. This doesn't mean that strike will absolutely happen next week, but it means that if they have strong enough support, they could. This also doesn't mean that there isn't the chance that Laurier won't lockout. This is, and has always been an option as soon as the "No Board" report is delivered.

This is now our chance to move. We can use this time to act. I do still believe that the students can apply pressure to motivate action on the behalf of the administration. We have always proven that we can inspire movement, and I think we can inspire more. Come to the general demonstration on Monday, March 17th. This is a key day: a day of mediation. Let's make noise, and show our outrage in an extremely visible way.

Terre