Strike Deadline Information for May 21st

Hey everyone! 

As we near the end of the quarter, all of us have remained cautiously optimistic in the hope that Western’s admin will come to a compromise and finalize our employee contract. Unfortunately, this has not been the case. Western's admin has refused to make any movement towards us on a variety of crucial articles - increasing pay for graduates and undergraduates, partial tuition wavers for undergraduates based on hours worked, and bereavement leave, among others. They've also proposed a mandatory 30-day probationary period for all ESEs, during which you could be fired at any time and would forfeit your right to just cause and union protections - a clause that no other student employee contract in the nation contains. 

Despite many attempts to reach a compromise, Western’s team has not come to the table willing to negotiate. Western is saying we are not worth the increase in pay, and that we should be happy with keeping minimum wage as our jobs are not meant to sustain us. While the bargaining committee has made significant gains through negotiation, we have reached the point at which it is necessary for us to exercise our power as workers & force Western to come to the table and meet our demands instead of brushing them aside. The strike authorization vote last week had an overwhelming amount of support, and a supermajority of our union voted that if it came down to it, they'd show up. On Monday, union members voted on a strike deadline - a hard date past which we would strike if Western refuses to move towards us.

Western’s admin team has until Tuesday, May 21 to come to an agreement on a fair contract with our union. This means that if they do not work with us to decide a contract by the end of our scheduled bargaining session on Monday, May 20, we will start striking the next day. Our power resides in our work as a collective and the more people who join in the strike, the more effect it will have. If you have questions about what this looks like, how you can support, or what concrete actions you can take, we are hosting an info session on Thursday May 16th at 1PM in the Communications Facility labs - room 162/164.

Already know that you are ready to strike? We have sign ups for the picket line set up! The more people we have on the first day the shorter the strike will be overall.

 https://www.wawu-union.org/2024/05/14/picketsignup/

Want to support Tutors? Email admin about how much support you have gained from Tutors, TA's, and graders and for them to reach a fair contact!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pTg9L7eXG-Lmf3q3zD9xNcJkhkVOp4XcaLx19Cu6zgs/edit

MAIN ASKS OF SUPPORTERS!

1. Join us on the Picket Line and express support!

2. Do not act as a strikebreaker and do additional ESE work!

3. Do not cross our picket line and do your own work!

You can still go to class! No member will prevent you from going on to campus!