PSAC 610 stands in solidarity with the University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) in their fight for a fair collective agreement that improves working conditions and addresses longstanding inequities for all faculty members at Western University.
Following an overwhelming mandate in which faculty members voted 91% in favor of taking strike action if there is not sufficient progress on key issues at the bargaining table, UWOFA will be in a legal strike position as of 12:01am Sunday, November 13th and Western will be in a legal position to lock them out.
As GTAs and postdocs at Western who work closely with faculty members, we are concerned about the Western’s continual rejection of the proposals put forward by UWOFA to improve working conditions for contract faculty. We are especially disappointed by Western’s refusal to redress the inequities in treatment across faculty members.
Western has not committed itself to ensuring job security for precarious, part-time faculty; they are yet to respond to UWOFA’s proposal for health benefits for Part-Time faculty, something that is currently only available to their Full-Time colleagues; and they have made no effort to solve the growing workload burden of Full-time and Part-time faculty, despite acknowledging that it is a significant problem.
At a time when Western is operating on $576.6 million in surpluses accumulated within the past 5 years, we believe it is unconscionable that the university has continued to impose strict budget cuts on faculty, resulting in expanded class sizes, job losses and further strain on resources. We believe the reasonable demands being made by UWOFA will go a long way to improve the quality of education for all students at this university.
We urge Western to meet the concerns of faculty members who are worried about their precarious working conditions at this institution, and to reinvest in a more sustainable future for the university’s core mission of teaching, learning, and research. In the event of a strike, PSAC 610 commits to supporting UWOFA in words and action.
What should TAs and Postdocs do in the event of a UWO Faculty strike?
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Go to work. TAs are not on strike and are still contractually obligated to perform their work.
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Do not do any work that is meant for faculty. Any extra work beyond your duties as outlined in the Duties Specification Agreement should not be performed. If you are not provided with instructions, just show up for work and await instruction.
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Join UWOFA’s picket lines outside of your work hours to show your support and solidarity.
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If you have any questions or if you’re being asked to do extra work, bring it to the union’s notice. Write to your Divisional Chief Steward or the President (prespsac610@gmail.com)
In solidarity,
The PSAC 610 Executive.