Not Alone

The Faculty Association at Brandon University announced that they are going on strike on Monday September 29.  As soon as I caught word I called and emailed the President of the Brandon students' union to talk - whenever he has time.  

There is no way to know how to deal with these sorts of situations.  There is no instruction manual that gives a step by step breakdown explaining what to do.  There are no files in my office that offer wisdom from past presidents who experienced this.  

I even made my way down to the UWSA archive room to see if I could find minutes from the council in 1982 when the last faculty strike of 6 days took place.  The extent of my findings was the following:

Sac B of D Minutes September 8, 1982

Page 2

5.0 Other Business

Professors' Strike:  It was made clear that the professors are now in a legal position to strike.  We have an assurance by the administration that there will be no strike.  Jim mentioned that the administration has been very cooperative.

What is the role of the Students' Union in a faculty strike?  My guess is as good as yours.  Perhaps when this is over I should make it my thesis.  

The formula I have come up with is as follows:

1. Meet with both parties and gather information 

2. Plead both parties to reach a fair agreement that recognizes the fiscal restraints of the institution

3. Write formal letters to the government, both parties, and both negotiating teams

4. Ensure the impact being felt by students is well known by both parties

5. Hold a demonstration/rally to inform/involve the student body

6. Solicit support from students' unions from across Canada

7. Investigate legal options 

Repeat 1-5 until agreement is reached.  In case of stalling substitute 7 for "Implement legal options"

8. Post agreement:  Demand student involvement in back to work protocol

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The faculty association donated $5000 + to an emergency student strike fund.  If you have ideas as to how we should distribute the money please make them known, our board will be meeting soon and would appreciate your input.

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There will be another demonstration on Monday at 2:30pm.  The council has planned a memorial service for the education we have lost.  We will also be signing a petition to be presented to the ministry who seems to be ignoring our letters.

At 3:30pm on Monday Dr. Wildeman will be hosting a briefing for UWSA, GSS and OPUS elected representatives.  The UWSA reps will make ourselves available at 5pm in the pub for an informal discussion about the briefing.  If possible we will see to it that this briefing is recorded and made available on our website.

Expectations

When I was first elected I spent quite a bit of time imagining what this year would look like.  I imagined the challenges we would face carrying out our plans to improve services.  I wondered how I could be the strong voice needed to represent the students on this campus at the administrative level.  I searched for the student issues that needed to be answered and began formulating a plan to fight institutional racism, provide support for students living off campus, and bring an environmental sustainability officer to our campus.  Of course I imagined different issues would come up throughout the year, but nothing could have possibly prepared me for this catastrophe.  What's worse is the fact that what is going on is so completely out of my control.  It doesn't matter what I do, how many hours I put in (9am-1am), or how hard I work:  This strike will continue until the Administration and WUFA reach an agreement.  

 

Theodore Roosevelt once said:

 “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly. So that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

 

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Memo I sent to the chief negotiators for both teams (and each member of the teams), Alan Wildeman, Brian Brown: 

 

I am writing to you within my capacity as President of the University of Windsor Students’ Alliance on behalf of 12,000 undergraduate students.   

From what I have come to understand the University left the last offer on the table and is waiting for a counter from WUFA.  I have also been informed that WUFA has prepared a counter to the offer and is ready to return to the negotiating table.  As far as I am aware the mediator has been informed that WUFA is prepared to resume talks and has informed the University of this fact. 

If all of this information is true, and both negotiating teams are at the hotel or within 15 minutes of the hotel what is stopping the bargaining process?   

Thousands of students have invested millions of dollars into their education at this institution.  

Please go back to the bargaining table and end this strike immediately.    

I have the utmost respect for each and every one of you; all I ask is that you step up to the plate right now and set a time to resume talks. 

Our education is at stake; please do not take that lightly. 

Sincerely,  

Tiffany Gooch  

President  

University of Windsor Students’ Alliance  

 

Responses:

 

Dear Tiffany,

Thank you for your email.  Please rest assured that our negotiating team and I did everything in our power to avert the strike.  We scaled down our expectations and our proposals significantly before the strike deadline.  The University administration then gave us what they called their best offer on tuesday just before the strike deadline.  It was an all or nothing offer.  There were too many features - including clawbacks  - that the Union simply could not accept.  

On Sunday evening I indicated to the mediator that we were willing to come back to the table with our entire team and we had a written counter that we were willing to table.  The Administration team has not expressed a willingness to return to the table.  Currently we are communicating through the mediator.  We remain totally committed to attaining a fair and equitable collective agreement because that is in the interests of everyone in the University, students and faculty and librarians alike.

Please feel free to contact me if I have not been clear on any aspect of what is going on.   All of us on our side of the table are professors/librarian.  We are as anxious as you are to return to school.

 

Emily Carasco

Dr. Emily F. Carasco 

Professor, Faculty of Law

University of Windsor

 

Hi Tiffany:

 

Thank you for your letter. We share your concerns and are working hard to achieve a Collective Agreement. 

Sincerely,

Gwen

Shine Day

Shine Day!!

The one day in the year when hundreds of students come together to raise money in a combined effort to fight cystic fibrosis.  Up until shine day $24,000 was raised through various fund raisers in the summer.  The shinerama committee faced tons of obstacles for their biggest fund raiser which is shine day.  On the day it was supposed to take place two weeks ago it was postponed due to the rain (which cleared up only a few hours later), and then the next week it was postponed again due to the rain.  Even though today was a beautiful day for weather, the campus is a ghost town due to the strike.  Nonetheless, shinerama carried on and raised thousands more for cystic fibrosis research.  And I got to sing!  Overall, it was a great start to the day.

I engaged in several conversations with students today about the strike and how long it could last.  Building on one another's ideas we came up with a silent rally event to be held on Tuesday.  We decided to focus on students, join all of us together regardless of our views about the strike to send a clear message: we want to get back to class.

The timing couldn't be better since there is a Board of Governors meeting to be held on Tuesday September 23 in the Toldo Health Education Centre.  We decided to hold a mass study session outside of Toldo at 3:00pm while the board members are entering the building.  

(For those of you who don't know, the Board of Governors is the highest financial decision making body at the University, it is the body that holds the administration responsible for their actions.  It is made up of various community members: http://www.uwindsor.ca/units/bog/main.nsf/inToc/68595772C935B9F985256D6D0062C1D2?OpenDocument )

We named it "Take It To The Streets: Study Session on Sunset"

The goal is to get together, bring our lawn chairs and laptops, blankets and text books and study together.  All of this to show the Board of Governors (the highest financial decision making body at the University of Windsor) that we want the education we paid for.

We will also have standardized letters to be filled out "Hello my name is ______ this is how the strike has affected me ___________".  It is clear that the strike is affecting so many students in different ways, by personalizing these letters we are able to show how important it is to each and every one of us that this is settled immediately.  

The UWSA agreed to sponsor cold drinks for the study session and the deal was done.  

Seeing as this is nothing more then a peaceful rally I hope no one attempts to change the location of the Board meeting.  We aren't being adversarial, we simply want to send the message loud and clear that an agreement needs to be reached for the good of everyone, especially students.

Anyways, I'm off to a birthday party.  I'll see you all Tuesday.

Spread the word.  

ENVER!

CBC radio woke me up at 7am Thursday  morning, not because my alarm was set to the channel but because I was scheduled as a guest on the show.  I spent a few minutes trying to get my fading voice back and woke up enough to articulate the points I needed to make.  "Students are upset! They want to go back to class! They want to see the faculty reach a fair and equitable agreement that preserves the quality of education at our institution... and quickly".

I won't lie, I was too tired to function, these late nights and early mornings aren't really doing it for me, so I slept a little longer after the phone interview before heading in to work.  And boy was the work piling high.  
I will admit I was happy when I noticed a message from Clayton Smith in my inbox stating that classes were cancelled.  Not because the classes were cancelled of course, but because of the time I received the email: 3:02am.  This was a full 6 hours earlier then the email I received Wednesday which spurred my urgent request that Clayton inform students of cancelled classes as early as physically possible from that point forward.

I spent some time replying to emails from students and returning calls before heading out to deliver the promised Pizza to the strikers outside. 

They were incredibly grateful to receive the Pizza, not only because it was delicious (made at the pub!) But because it was a validation of the support students had for them.  I most enjoyed the time I spent on south campus with the drama faculty who lifted my spirits as they thanked me for my kind words of support on the radio and in the newspaper.

By the end of the night I made my way to the theater to see "The Dark Knight" for it's last night in theaters.  I hadn't seen it yet and I couldn't find one of my friends who hadn't seen it at least 3 times in the theaters so I just went alone.  Don't feel bad for me, I've never really considered the movies a "social" outing, it's not like you can talk during it anyway.  As expected it was amazing!

Today was action packed beginning for me with the rally outside of Chrysler Tower.  I was amazed to see so many other students there supporting WUFA.  About halfway through the speeches from other faculty unions from across the country, I realized there was a possibility that Brian Brown (President of WUFA) might invite me to the microphone for a few words.  This shouldn't have come as a surprise since I am the "Official" spokesperson for the students, but I was incredibly intimidated to be speaking after a variety of incredibly charismatic speakers.  I formulated a few key points in my mind and readied myself in case I was called on, "These empty buildings surrounding us are not the University, the people behind us in this building in particular are not the University... WE are the University".  "Get back to the table, so we can get back to class" So maybe it was cheesy, but true nonetheless. 

After the rally I went back to my office for the usual: return emails, return phone calls, prepare for meetings and imagine my surprise when I saw Enver Villamizar standing in the hallway!  

Enver!! The man, the UWSA legend himself!

I had never met him before but I recognized him from all of the pictures I had seen.  Call me a geeky UWSA historian but this man spent 3 years of his life serving as a UWSA executive.  One year as the Vice President University Affairs 99/00, and 2 consecutive years as President 01/02-02/03.  I spent a week going through his files in the office this past summer, and the manual he had prepared for the incoming president after he left.  It was amazing to finally meet him and Laura Chesnik (former VPUA) even if only for a brief moment.  He complimented me on my blog... Enver Villamizar read MY blog!  

Later in the afternoon I had a meeting with SAABR to work towards standardizing procedure for student groups who have events in the pub.  We came up with some great ideas and ended the meeting hopeful for some positive change working together this year.

By the evening I made every attempt to get back to work, answer some emails and hopefully get cracking on policy.  But of course I was sidetracked by various distractions: CBC called to see if students are politically active in youth parties and volunteering for local federal MP campaigns.  The reporter asked if we had anything planned for the election on campus, like a "Rock the Vote" type of event.  I let her know we were hoping to have an all candidates debate, but that the success of such an event would depend completely on the length of the strike.  (PS, if anyone is interested in assisting with organizing this event PLEASE contact me!)

Thank goodness for 24/hour Walmart!  At one in the morning I bought a minifridge!!  I filled it with healthy snacks as per the recommendation of my friend (and head bouncer at the pub)  Rob Ouellette.  "It's 80% food and 20% working out" he says.  Hopefully having fruits and veggies in my office will keep me from eating out as much.  And perhaps I'll find my way back to the gym at some point soon as well.  

That is, if I can find the time.

I know I promised a short blog entry, but in my defence, this entry represents TWO days! I'll try harder next time...

Strike 1

Hello Blog world!

While I have never been much of a blogger I am definitely a talker so I don't think this should be too difficult.

I was hoping to write a blog to keep students informed as to what I have been doing to represent them in the UWSA presidential office; hopefully through all of the craziness I'll be able to keep this up!

I've titled today's post "Strike 1" because this is day one of the faculty strike on campus, if you don't know about it yet I recommend that you check out www.uwindsor.ca/strikeinfo, www.uwindsor.ca/wufa http://www.uwsa.ca/wufa-negotiations/ and www.pastthepages.ca. Or join the active facebook group: http://www.new.facebook.com/home.php#/group.php?gid=41401863456&ref=nf (login required).

The last 24 hours have moved very quickly beginning at 8pm last night with a council meeting at which council reiterated our official support for WUFA. Stephen Pender, Clayton Smith and Anna Kirby attended the late night council meeting to answer questions from students about the strike. By the time council ended at 10:30pm it was nothing more then a waiting game to hear information about the strike. At 11:30 I contacted Wildeman to be sure that a mass email would be sent to students upon immediate notice of cancelled classes and he assured me that negotiations were continuing and that new information would be posted at 7am on the website.

Forgetting that Tuesday nights are open mic night I was pleasantly surprised as I went to the Pub to see and hear a couple friends on the microphone (Jasmine Ball and boyfriend Sam), I hung out with them for a short while before heading back to my office just in time to get the 2am phone call. I spent some time posting the news of the strike on relevant facebook groups, sending it out to anyone who I had an email for and then got some sleep.

This morning the media frenzy began much more quickly and aggressively then I expected. My phone didn't stop ringing with requests for interviews with CKLW, CBC Radio, CBC French Radio (the interview was conducted in English thank goodness), Canada post, and the Windsor star alike. They asked what students are thinking and doing about the strike, what the side effects are and how long we expecting for the strike to carry on.

After receiving the letter from Dr. Wildeman I spent some time verifying the validity of the statements with WUFA representatives and got the ball rolling on clear UWSA literature to be distributed Thursday and Friday.

By early evening I was sitting in a meeting with the UWSA exec brainstorming ways by which we each can personally show our active support to WUFA. We decided to serve pizza to WUFA on Thursday (Vegetarian for Pender) and construct witty signs to rally with everyone on Friday at 12pm.

I spent a little time stressing about whether the UWSA was doing enough to serve students and support the faculty in their plight. After a few conversations I came to the conclusion that while there is no way to please everyone - the action that is being taken by the UWSA elected officials and UWSA members this year is electrifying. UWSA students are mobilizing in support of WUFA in great numbers - Kudos to my grade school friend Emily Wunder for her essential role in this movement.

Like you all, I hope the strike is very brief. If you have comments or concerns that I can address please do not hesitate to comment below or email me at puwsa@uwindsor.ca

I assure you that my next blogs will be much shorter :P