CUPE National President Paul Moist walked picket lines and brought solidarity to striking support staff at Ottawa’s Carleton University this morning.
Over 200 people, including 100 students in support, rallied at the University’s main entrance at noon today.
Moist called on the university administration to get back to the bargaining table and stop the “games” it is playing. The employer – while shying away from the bargaining table – has resorted to posting its offers on the university’s website in an effort to present its side directly to students.
“We can’t settle a reasonable collective agreement with games like that,” Moist charged. “This is not how you bargain in good faith!”
Last week, the school even tried to force the student representative on the school’s governing council to resign. She refused to bow to their intimidation.
Moist said that the employer side was lacking in leadership in bargaining, noting that the university, which has seen 3 presidents in the past 2 years, “goes through Presidents like I go through socks”.
Moist encouraged the striking workers to remain firm in their determination to reach a good collective agreement. He welcomed the support of the student and academic staff unions, which have all pledged their support to CUPE 2424.
Support staff have been on strike since September 6 in their struggle for a fair contract. CUPE 2424 represents over 700 support workers providing a wide range of services on campus, from running registration and library services to accounting and campus health services. A CUPE 2424 member touches almost every aspect of a student’s daily life.