OTTAWA – In an open letter to be published in Ottawa newspapers today, representatives of staff, contract instructors, and teaching assistants together with the students’ unions are requesting a meeting with John Milloy, the Ontario Minister for Training, Colleges and Universities, claiming that the Carleton administration’s “scorched earth” approach in dealing with its campus stakeholders is jeopardizing the province’s plans for the university sector in Ottawa.
The dismal handling of labour and student relations by the Carleton University administration is threatening the University’s own goal of becoming a designated research university say representatives for students, administrative staff, teaching assistants, and contract instructors.
Carleton University is vying for the prestigious designation as a “research intense” university that would bring both academic clout and funding resources to the university.
“For Carleton to achieve this goal, they need support from all major groups on campus: the faculty, the contract instructors, staff, students and TA’s,” said Wiz Long, President of CUPE 2424. “All employee and student groups have heartily supported achieving the designation. But Carleton has alienated all of us by fomenting extreme acrimony and fuelling labour instability by months’ end. And the province needs to be made aware of this.”
The Canadian Union of Public Employees representing office and professional staff (CUPE 2424) and teaching assistants and contract instructors (CUPE 4600) and CUASA representing faculty have all reported that their current round of collective bargaining with Carleton University have been marked by acrimony. CUPE 4600 and CUPE 2424 will both be in a strike position later this month. CUASA only called off its strike deadline on Sunday.
The Carleton University Students Association and the Carleton Graduate Students Association are locked in a dispute with the University over the University’s refusal to forward to them the student association fees collected on their behalf.
“It’s not just leadership in research that Carleton should be impressing on the Ministry of Colleges and Universities (MCU). They should also be showing the province that they work well with all campus stakeholders and can deliver labour stability to ensure the province’s investment in research is realized. Carleton has yet to see the value in the employee resource right under their nose,” says James Meades, co-president of CUPE 4600.
For more information:
Susan Arab, CUPE National Representative, 613-769-7553 (cell)
Wiz Long, CUPE Local 2424 President, 613-866-2871 (cell)
James Meades, CUPE 4600 Co-President, 613-520-7482
Kelly Black, VP Operations, Graduate Students Association, 613-282-2484
Alex Sirois, President, Carleton University Students Association, 613-520-2600 x 1603
