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Well, the votes are cast, the ballots boxed, but where are the results of the vote on TA unionization? It may be months before we find out what we all voted for, whether for or against unionization. If the University has its way, perhaps we never will. Many of us showed up Thursday to vote, and repeatedly, valid TAs had their votes challenged by the University, and these voters had to place their ballots in a sealed envelope. How could an administration that supposedly knows what its TAs want not even know who they are? Queen’s TAs provided a confidential list to the Ontario Labour Board of the people who signed cards; the administration provided the Board a list of all supposed TAs, a list which omitted many TAs, while including many others who are not. This leaves the representatives of CUPE and the administration in the position of trying to sift through the administration’s problematic list with the Ontario Labour Board.

Principal Bill Leggett e-mailed us all last week about the vote—not just TAs and Teaching Fellows, but office administrators, secretaries, technicians and others. He warned that the TA union hoped to “capture” all non-unionized employees of the University. It was not just the suspect list of TAs on the day of the vote that was a problem but the administration attempting to parachute secretaries and technicians into the list of eligible voters in order to be able to declare that the 40 per cent of TAs who signed union cards needed to have a vote would be insufficient to legitimize the results. This error was retracted by the administration later, but not before considerable confusion was achieved. Undergrads who were not TAs, office administrators and technicians showed up to vote too. In the midst of this orchestrated chaos, CUPE’s request to have two polling stations was refused, restricting voting to one room in the JDUC. The long lines and confusion of that day were not the only problem.

Another ugly scene at the polling station was the university-hired security guard, walkie-talkie in hand, sent to stand inside the polling station until the Ontario Labour Board ejected him from the room. This ugliness, not isolated, was repeated by an administrator from Richard Weatherdon’s office of Human Resources, standing behind voters at their booths, before she too was ejected by the Labour Board. Could a university be so unaware of the fundamental ethics of secret democratic voting and the threat that intimidation has upon a democratic process? Other facts of this vote corroborate such a morose conclusion, such as the taking of student and staff numbers by administration of the voters who showed up.

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Sounds like a rather chaotic and hostile behavior from a supposedly "enlightened" academic employer.

[ 10 February 2004: Message edited by: robbie_dee ]

And it doesn't surprise me that Bill Leggett is behind all the confusion. I can't find enough slanderous or rude words to describe the dumbass. He's the guy who tried to petition the government to deregulate arts and science tuitions, and he's nothing but a neo-con jerk.

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Originally posted by robbie_dee:
Sounds like a rather chaotic and hostile behavior from a supposedly "enlightened" academic employer.

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Queen's University Intervention in Union Certification Vote May Have Violated Labour Law - CUPE Investigates on Behalf of University Teaching Assistants

KINGSTON, Feb. 17 /CNW/ - The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE, acting on a request by a group of teaching assistants (TAs) at Queen's University, is looking into the legality of an intervention by Bill Leggett,Principal of Queen's University, three days before a vote to certify the union.

On Thursday, February 5th, TAs at Queen's University participated in a certification vote for a new union that would represent them. The ballots have not been counted due to a procedural challenge by the university.

What is also at issue is an e-mail sent on the Monday, before the vote.

The Principal "spammed" university staff and TAs with an e-mail urging them to vote. (a copy of the e-mail follows this release). While CUPE and Queen's University TAs do not question the administration's right to encourage people to vote, some aspects of Leggett's e-mail are extremely problematic.

The graduate student government at Queen's has also written a letter expressing their dismay at the Principal's conduct during the week of the vote.

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Click here to read the full press release

[ 19 February 2004: Message edited by: robbie_dee ]