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HAMILTON, ON, March 21 /CNW/ - Part-time custodians and grounds workers at McMaster University voted unanimously in favour of joining the Service Employees International Union today, in the face of attempts by the University to crush their union drive with mass firings.

On March 18th, just three days prior to the union vote, the University sent a letter to all 31 employees who were eligible to cast ballots in today's vote advising them that their employment had been terminated. Despite the
University's actions, a majority of those employees showed up to cast ballots which the Ontario Labour Relations Board ordered to be counted.

"Today's vote should send a strong message to McMaster University that their 1930's style union busting tactics will not deter us from exercising our democratic right to join a union" - Diane Coventry, McMaster worker

The union has filed a complaint against the University with the Ontario Labour Relations Board and is planning a public campaign to win the reinstatement of all of the terminated employees. On March 23rd, at 7:00 pm, McMaster University workers and their supporters will meet at the Hamilton and District Labour Council Hall, located at 1130 Barton St. East, to plan a campaign that could include setting up picket lines at the University.

"If the University is not going to respect the rights of its employees then they can expect picket lines to be in place as early as next week" - Tom Galivan, SEIU Organizer.

SEIU Canada represents 93,000 workers from coast to coast, including over three hundred workers at McMaster University in the Food Services and Physical Plant departments.

For further information: Media Contact: Tom Galivan, SEIU Organizing,
(905) 870-2709
Source

[ 22 March 2005: Message edited by: robbie_dee ]

quote:

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Originally posted by charlieM:
I'll find out some more about this, ro at least try to. I live in Hamilton and know many people who go there. Though, many students (sadly) could careless about the ground-works there.

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I work at McMaster and was at the meeting.

Despite the rotten weather the meeting was well-attended. It is clear that the labour community in Hamilton is firmly behind these workers.

The administration is in full spin trying to "clarify" what is going on.

Here is what I know:

On Friday the workers received, via courier, their termination notices. The university claims this was a weird sort of courtesy and that since they were contingent workers management was under no obligation to tell them they were terminated-- they could simply never call them into work...

There may be developments Thursday (tomorrow/today) but there is a press black-out until then. If the developments are not favourable, the workers are ready to picket at a moment's notice.

It will be interesting to see how this plays out. I know the headline on the article in the Hamilton Spectator that read, "Mac Denies Union Busting" displeased the university administrators. McMaster never, ever gets unfavourable press these days. Indeed, Peter George, the president of Mac just received Hamilton's "Spirit of the Community" award.

quote:

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Originally posted by charlieM:
Good to know someone so deeply involved can enlighten us on the situation. My friend told me about the TA's almost going on strike. He casually mentioned that Mac seems to have very bad labour relations, maybe he was just going on these two issues.

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There was a meeting this morning (Thursday) between Mac administration and SEIU. The terminated workers have been reinstated and plans are underway to negotiate a collective agreement. McMaster has issued a press release to that effect:
Mac Daily News

As for labour relations at McMaster there have been significant improvements in this regard since the mid to late nineties. There was a TA strike in 1999/2000 (five weeks December-January) and the McMaster University Staff Association struck in 2001. Other bargaining units went on strike before that.

In 2001, following the MUSA strike there was a complete overhaul of Human Resources and I believe that this was done in a genuine effort to improve labour relations at Mac. The effort was largely successful and since that time there have been several collective agreements negotiated and no strikes. (It is important to note that many jobs have been lost through contracting out. Many custodial staff positions have gone. It is also important to note that the faculty at McMaster are not unionized.)

quote:

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Originally posted by charlieM:
how is that when compared to other universities of the same calabar in Ontario?

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It's hard to say, charlieM. I know many people active in the labour movement on various campuses and they all face similar challenges.

University administrations are all using the same playbook these days. Increasing corporatization, increasing private funding, increasing contracting out, increasing class-sizes, increasing attention to the new "management-speak" in order to reassure workers and students that senior personnel have the interests of us all at heart.

I'm certain, however, that there are universities in this province with senior personnel who would have just gritted their teeth, refused to meet the union and refused to reinstate the workers. Mac deserves some credit for handling the problem the way they did after the fact.

I think McMaster's senior leadership has a genuine desire to do what is best but there are two problems:

1)Their idea of what is best is sometimes mistaken or at least their priorities are misplaced;

2)There are a few arrogant types amongst senior personnel who can only be described as callous and entirely self-serving. (I am NOT referring to the President here.)

So Mac is much the same as any comparable institution although it does seem slightly more attentive to its goal of being an "employer of choice" than other universities. That may have to do with its increasing importance to Hamilton's economy thanks to the decline in the manufacturing and industrial sector.

Since Mac is so interested in preserving and enhancing its public image, what do you think as a Hamiltonian who doesn't work or study there?

[ 25 March 2005: Message edited by: Phil ]

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Originally posted by Phil:

I think McMaster's senior leadership has a genuine desire to do what is best...

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There was an info picket at McMaster this morning around this issue. Apparently my optimism was misplaced.

SEIU's media advisory

quote:

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Originally posted by skdadl:
Sorry to hear this, Phil.

Dratted managerial-think. Horribly contagious. Probably terminal.

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Definitely contagious and probably terminal until the labour movement itself starts bidding on those contracts....

Anyway, there were scores of SEIU Justice for Janitors picketers since the CLC is having a school at McMaster this week and all the attendees showed up to picket in solidarity.

I have no details on the contents of the agreement although the Union's position was very modest.

This was a very difficult situation but, fwiw, three points to consider:

1)A tiny group of workers were willing to hold out on the picket lines that were set up every morning between 7:30 and 10:30 a.m. until this agreement was achieved. They did not have the numbers to run round-the-clock pickets but they certainly made their point. They were fighting to get work from the University that they had been doing for years but was now being lost due to McMaster's decision to contract out some of its custodial services. (It is to their credit that Hamilton transit, GO transit and Canada Post refused to come on campus during picketing hours. Even though there was no formal request from SEIU, a few McMaster employees refused to report to work while the strike continued. Special kudos to them.)

2)This strike--the first in five years or so at McMaster--has sparked an important debate on campus about fair employment and the issues around contracting out that promises to continue. (It has also prompted a series of reassurances about McMaster's support for its employees who seek unionization and collective bargaining rights.)

3)It is time for all unions to recognize that they have a moral obligation to represent part-time and contingent workers actively rather than just hoping that the gains they get for their own full-time, permament members will trickle down to the rest of the workforce. In this instance, SEIU Local 2.on (Brewery, General and Professional Workers Union) deserves credit for putting their money where the Labour movement's mouth is on organizing this segment of the unorganized.

(McMaster's full-time custodial and hospitality workers have been represented by SEIU in the past and became part of Local 2.on thanks to the merger between SEIU and BGPWU last Spring and the consequent restructuring of SEIU in Ontario. The workers with the contractor [Hurley] were organized a short time ago by Laborers....)