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(Toronto)- Talks between U of T Press and CUPE Local 3261 have broken off and picket lines will go up at 8:00 a.m. this morning (Wednesday, June 7) outside the Koffler Centre, facing College St.

Close to 100 part-time workers at the U of T Bookstore are looking for a first contract. The cashiers and sales staff, most of them university students, unionized last September and are looking for improvements to wages and job security in a first contract.

Their employer, U of T Press, wants to freeze their current wage of $7.25 an hour and bring in new employees at minimum wage. Ontarios current minimum wage is $6.85 an hour.

The union is fighting for wage parity with workers at the York University Bookstore. Employees there make between $8.50 and $10.00 an hour. While the U of T Press is a separate corporation, its entire Board of Directors is appointed by the university.

For information:
Mehdi Kouhestaninejad
President Local 3261
(416) 340-7844 (o), (416) 336-1598 (p)
John McCracken
CUPE Communications Rep.
(416) 292-3999 (o), (905) 508-6391 (h)

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