CUPE 1281 Rejects the Anti-Democratic Passing of the Order in Council (OIC) and Bill 168 that Silence Palestinians and Threaten, Freedom of Speech and Academic Freedom

On Tuesday, October 27, 2020 the Ontario Government made the anti-democratic choice to bypass the committee consideration and public consultations on Bill 168, the Combatting Anti-Semitism Act and instead adopted the flawed IHRA definition of antisemitism through an Order in Council. Once again, the Ontario Government has abused their power and stifled democracy by abruptly disrupting the legislative process and adopting the definition without public consultation or the due legislative process as promised.

Bill 168 aims to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism and its illustrative examples into law. The flawed IHRA definition of antisemitism and its illustrative examples conflate legitimate critiques of Israel and Zionism with antisemitism and therefore silence Palestinians and their allies, further normalize racism against Palestinians, and threaten freedom of speech and academic freedom. Antisemitism is real and deadly and its threat is increasing with the rise in white supremacy and the far right around the world. We join our allies in Independent Jewish Voices in rejecting the flawed and vague IHRA definition of antisemitism and its list of illustrative examples as unhelpful in combating antisemitism, and we stand with them in this important fight.

The Ontario Government panicked and passed Bill 168 abruptly because of the strong opposition they faced by the general public. The Palestinian Youth Movement and the Toronto BDS Network organized mass phone calls to the Standing Committee to block Bill 168 and Independent Jewish Voices Canada

organized a petition garnering thousands of signatures that targeted Members of Provincial Parliament to vote no against the bill. More than 100 Ontarians and organizations had also requested to attend the public hearings and present their views on the Bill. Bill 168 continues to have strong opposition from many academics, researchers, labour unions and community organizations, such as; CUPE Ontario, the Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations, the Candian Federation of Students- Ontario, and more.

It’s crucial that Palestinians, academics, activists, labour unions and the general public, must have the right to criticize the State of Israel for continued human rights violations, land annexations and their illegal occupation of Palestinian territory; just like we have the right to criticize Canada and foreign states.

CUPE 1281 rejects Bill 168 and the IHRA definition of antisemitism and its list of illustrative examples and will continue to act in solidarity with the Palestinian community and fight all forms of biggotry, racism and discrimination, including Islamophobia and antisemitism. 

 

Restore Services at RSU Day of Action – Wednesday, October 21st

On Wednesday, October 21, 2020, CUPE 1281 will be hosting a digital Restore Services at RSU Day of Action. The Day of Action is a part of the escalating tactics CUPE 1281 has organized in response of 5 full-time unionized employees being laid off at the RSU.

Over the course of the Spring/Summer of 2020 the new RSU Executive Committee laid off the following workers: 

  • Campus Groups Coordinator
  • CopyRITE Printing Service Manager
  • Events Coordinator
  • Graphic Design Coordinator
  • Good Food Centre Coordinator

Take action with CUPE 1281 on Wednesday, October 21 and support essential workers who have lost their jobs.

Here are 3 ways for you and your organization to participate.

1. Post your support online! Take a solidarity selfie or post online our, I Support Student Services at Ryerson graphics on your social media and use the hashtag #RestoreRSU All graphics can be found here here.

2. Sign and share our Change.org petition that goes directly to the 5 RSU Executive Committee members demanding they Restore Services at RSU and recall their 5 full-time employees. Petition can be found here.

3. Sign and share CUPE Ontario’s e-action that goes directly to all RSU Board Members and urges them to mandate the RSU Executive Committee to reconsider their decision of cutting student services and laying off workers. E-action can be found here.

Please share the graphics, petition and e-action with your colleagues, friends and family. Together we can Restore Services at RSU and support workers being reinstated into their jobs. #RestoreRSU

 

Open Letter to the RSU from the Ryerson Campus Coalition to re-open the Good Food Centre

Dear Ryerson Students’ Union,

We, the below signatories from the Campus Coalition, are sending this letter to request that the Ryerson Students’ Union consider opening the Good Food Centre for the 2020-21 academic year. We ask this with the understanding of the current climate of COVID-19, limited campus activity and the current labour disputes between the Ryerson Students’ Union and the Canadian Union of Public Employees 1281. Several students have reached out to our organizations regarding concerns about the current closure. Some of our organizations have made our positions known regarding the labour dispute, but the purpose of this letter is to focus specifically on the necessity of the Good Food Centre in building a campus that values food security, poverty reduction and anti-stigma for students and workers accessing food banks on post-secondary campuses.

We understand that there is a desire to reduce operations during the reduction in campus spaces but we implore the Ryerson Students’ Union to consider creative and safe approaches to maintaining operations for the food bank as several other post-secondary students’ unions have implemented, such as pre-booked appointments, curbside pick-up or deliveries. For instance, the York Federation of Students is currently providing food hampers on specific days (http://www.yfs.ca/food-support-centre). We also implore the Ryerson Students’ Union to maintain the Good Food Centre Coordinator to ensure health and safety protocols and procedures. The RSU collects a semesterly fee for the Good Food Centre, in the same way that fees for the Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support are collected, explicitly for the reason to provide these services with a full-time and part-time staff component that focuses on providing food relief services to students. COVID-19 means our members need us more than ever before, particularly members facing food insecurity.

All of our organizations recognize and respect the autonomy of the Ryerson Students’ Union to determine their own operations – which is why many of us supported the campaign to Rebuild the RSU. We ask that you take these considerations to heart and consider the re-opening of the Good Food Centre for the Fall and Winter terms.

Thank you for your time and we are happy to discuss further.

Continuing Education Students’ Association of Ryerson

Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3904

Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1281

Ryerson Faculty Association

TAKE ACTION: Sign the Restore Services at RSU Petition

On Sunday, September 13, 2020 CUPE 1281 released a petition
calling on the Ryerson Students’ Union Executive Committee to restore their services and reinstate their employees now!

During the tenure of the new RSU Executive Committee 5
full-time unionized employees have received layoff notice. This includes; the Campus Groups Coordinator, CopyRITE Printing Service Manager, Events Coordinator, Graphic Design
Coordinator and Good Food Centre Coordinator.

CUPE 1281 is fighting back against these layoffs and has organized an online petition that you can sign here. Please sign and share the petition widely to let the RSU know that you stand in solidarity with workers and that you are against these layoffs.

#RestoreRSU #ServicesNotCuts

Open Letter to the RSU: Reinstate your employees now!

Tuesday July 7, 2020

Since the turnover of the Ryerson Students’ Union Executive Committee on May 1st, 2020, five full time employees who are members of CUPE 1281 have received layoff notices. The complement of full time unionized employees at this students’ union should be ten, but with two vacancies yet to be filled they are now reduced to only three. This is gutting the bargaining unit at this workplace. Two of the recently laid off members were offered to continue doing their jobs, but part-time and outside of the bargaining unit. This is union busting.

Laid off positions:

  • Campus Groups Coordinator
  • CopyRITE Printing Service Manager
  • Events Coordinator
  • Good Food Centre Coordinator
  • Graphic Designer Coordinator

    Across the university sector and with students’ unions specifically there have not been mass layoffs like this, even with the COVID-19 pandemic. The RSU has an obligation as a students’ union to adapt and continue to provide students with services and programming.

    The rationale for the layoffs was lack of work, but do students not need access to the Good Food Centre (food bank) which they pay a dedicated levy for? Is the RSU not planning on engaging students by running online events, programming, or seeking sponsorship? Will campus groups not need the normal support they receive or training on RSU procedures and good governance? Is there really a great reduction in graphics or design work to be done? Will students not need access to CopyRITE, the print shop run by the RSU or will they be ending all operations? We worry that students at Ryerson were not consulted about these drastic cuts to their services and will wonder what they are paying for. It seems that all ideas to offer alternatives to in person service or run online events were not even considered by RSU Management.

    For months now governments and economists have been cautioning against layoffs and encouraging employers to utilize wage subsidies to keep employees working as normal. This is a time where the economy should be strengthened by continuing full time employment wherever possible and yet the RSU makes this move to “restructure.” In an email to the RSU Board of Directors on June 22nd Ali Yousaf, RSU President, claims they are concerned about the RSU’s financial standing with a reduced enrollment forecast for the upcoming academic year. Remember this is after the RSU fees for the past year, which were not released by Ryerson University are now set to flow freely to the RSU because a new operating agreement with the university has been signed. The prediction that enrollment will drop in a substantial way this upcoming year is likely to be false as Ryerson saw an increase in enrollment for online courses for the Spring/Summer 2020 term. Jobs are scarce, travel is restricted, what else are people to do besides go to school and try to gain an edge with their qualifications and improve their skill sets.

    CUPE 1281 sees these layoffs as very problematic as we recently supported the RSU in their legal battle against Ryerson University, which the RSU won. Now seeing the RSU cut full-time unionized positions is beyond frustrating. Will the President of the RSU hire his friends to do these jobs? We don’t know but we urge full time students at Ryerson to monitor this situation closely. CUPE 1281 is demanding the RSU to recall our members to maintain the important services and programming they run to support students.

    RSU we are calling on you to reinstate your employees now!

    Signed,

    Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 1281

    • COVID-19 Community Resources

    Since the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across Ontario have come together in solidarity to support one another through resource sharing. If you know any additional groups to add to our list please contact us at communications@cupe1281.ca.

    Brampton

    CareMongering-Brampton

    Durham Region

    CareMongering-Durham

    Guelph

    CareMongering-Guelph

    Hamilton

    CareMongering-HamOnt

    Kingston

    Caremongering-YGK/Kingston

    Kitchener-Waterloo

    CareMongering-KW

    Mississauga

    CareMongering-Mississauga

    Niagara Region

    CareMongering-Niagara

    Oakville

    CareMongering-Oakville

    Orillia

    CareMongering-Orillia

    Ottawa

    CareMongering-Ottawa

    Peel

    CareMongering Peel

    Peterborough

    CareMongering-Peterborough

    Sudbury

    CareMongering-Sudbury

    Toronto

    CareMongering-TO
    The People’s Pantry

    Windsor

    CareMongering Windsor

    York Region

    CareMongering York Region

    CUPE 1281 Convention

    *Updated as of May 14, 2020*

    The CUPE 1281 Convention will take place on Monday, July 20, 2020 from 10 am to 4 pm. The CUPE 1281 Executive have made the tough decision to hold Convention online this year to ensure the safety of members and so that online preparations for the meeting can begin.

    Who can attend the CUPE 1281 Convention?

    Each sub-unit delegation consists of the sub-unit delegates elected from among the membership of the sub-unit. One delegate position is held by the Steward, and the others are determined according to the PBUs (number of positions in the bargaining unit ). Please see below for how many delegates your sub-unit is permitted to bring.

    1-5 PBUs = 1 delegate
    6-10 PBUs = 2 delegates
    11-20 PBUs = 3 delegates
    21-40 PBUs = 4 delegates
    41-80 PBUs = 5 delegates
    Sub-locals with 80 PBUs or more are entitled to 6 delegates

    Example: if your sub-unit has 15 members total (including the Steward), you are entitled to your Steward’s attendance plus 3 additional delegates, i.e. your total voting delegation will consist of 4 people.

    What elections and appointments will take place at the CUPE 1281 Convention?

    CUPE 1281 Executive positions

  • President
  • Vice-President
  • Secretary-Treasurer
  • Recording Secretary
  • Two (2) Co-chief stewards
  • Communications Officer
  • Equity Officer

    CUPE 1281 Committee appointments

  • Membership Committee
  • Governance Committee
  • Organizing Committee

    CUPE 1281 Trustees

  • Trustee (Three-year position)
  • Trustee (Two-year position)
  • Trustee (One-year position)

    Delegates to District Labour Councils and CUPE Council

  • Toronto & York Region Labour Council (1 positions)
  • Ottawa District Labour Council (2 positions)
  • Hamilton District Labour Council (2 positions)
  • Peterborough District Labour Council (3 positions)
  • Guelph District Labour Council (3 positions)
  • Waterloo Regional Labour Council (1 position)
  • St. John’s Labour Council (1 position)
  • Kingston District Labour Council (1 position)
  • Windsor District Labour Council (1 position)
  • Peel Regional District Council (1 position)
  • Central Western Ontario District CUPE Council (Guelph and Waterloo) (2 delegates + 1 alternate)
  • Eastern Great Lakes District CUPE Council (Kingston) (4 delegates, unlimited alternates)
  • Durham Region Labour Council (2 positions + 2 alternates)
  • Halifax-Dartmouth District Labour Council (3 positions)
  • Toronto District CUPE Council (4 positions)
  • Ottawa District CUPE Council (4 positions)
  • Hamilton District CUPE Council (President + 3 delegates + 4 alternates)
  • Windsor District CUPE Council (2 positions)
  • Durham & Northumberland CUPE Council (4 positions, unlimited alternates)
  • Niagara District CUPE Council (2 delegates)
  • Region of Peel CUPE Council (3 delegates)

    Delegates to CLC events, CUPE events and committees

  • Canadian Labour Council Conference (1 delegate)
  • CUPE-Ontario Convention (President, 4 delegates, 1 retiree delegate)
  • CUPE-Ontario Racial Justice & Human Rights Conference (4 delegates)
  • CUPE-Ontario University Workers’ Coordinating Committee (2 delegates + 1 alternate)
  • CUPE National Convention (President + 2 delegates)

    The full listing of the CUPE 1281 Election Positions can be found here.

    • COVID-19 Resources for Workers

    We are living in challenging and fluctuating times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Responses by the government and our employers mean major impacts will be felt by all workers in Canada. 

    Here are some resources that will help you navigate some of the issues. If you have any specific concerns regarding your CUPE 1281 Collective Agreement and a situation with your employer, please follow up with the Local or your Staff Representative.

    CUPE Coronavirus fact sheet: https://cupe.ca/coronavirus

    Government links

    Union COVID-19 resource links

    Related resources

     
    Self-isolation

    This is a check list for people in work that is necessary for operations to continue, where there is the expectation from the employer to continue to go to the workplace, or for work to continue remotely but you cannot maintain full levels of productivity. Even though we disagree with the direction such as this, workers should be following directives from their employer to file sick leave, vacation, sick bank, overtime bank, personal days, and the like to stay home and not work if they are needing to.

    Direction to employees in this position:

    1. Collect all correspondence with employer.
    2. Mark every day why you are home and why the employer thinks you are at home (sick leave, vacation, personal days, etc.)
    3. Mark why you decided to stay home (childcare, self-isolation, sick, etc.). This will not be shared with employer, but the union will be collecting the information to file grievances and other complaints later.

    The goal is to get those days back from the employer.

    Employment Insurance

    Official Employment Insurance links

    The federal EI program has waived the one week waiting period and have set-up call lines to deal with the influx:

    •         Canada EI Notice on COVID-19
    •         EI Sickness benefit
    •         Make sure the local reviewed the CA and ensure the employer is following it.
    •         Be advised that there is already a delay receiving EI payments.
    •         The length of time will impact members depending on how long the wait is to receive the ROE and start receiving EI payments.

    Questions to ask Employers

    1.   How long will it take for ER to issue ROEs?
    2.   Has the employer announced a full closure or is this just a group?
    3.   Who will be providing this service if the employer is still open?
    4.   If this is an outsourced service, how will the central employer be continuing to provide this service? How?
    5.   Will laid-off employees be approached to provide in-house services?

    Additional resources

    CUPE Ontario University Workers Coordinating Committee

    Statement regarding Ryerson University’s termination of RSU Operating Agreement

    February 11, 2020

    CUPE Local 1281 strongly condemns the actions that Ryerson University has taken to sever all ties with the Ryerson Students’ Union (RSU). This drastic measure starves the RSU of the fees that full time undergraduate students and all graduate students pay to their students’ union.This action also prevents these students from accessing advocacy services, important equity service centres like the Centre for Women and Trans People, Rye Pride, the Racialised Students Collective, Rye Access, Centre for Safer Sex and Sexual Violence Support, and the Good Food Room are all jeopardy. 

    Ryerson University, because of their extreme decision to terminate the operation agreement with the RSU, is attempting to force the dissolution of a decades old community stronghold that employs eight full time staff who are members of CUPE 1281. Employees of the RSU are the original chartered members of CUPE 1281 from 1974. Our members should be able to continue to do their jobs; it’s inappropriate for the university to intervene this way and to put their jobs at risk.

    We stand with Ryerson students who deserve an autonomous students’ union that’s free to critique and challenge the University administration. Currently, Ryerson University is trying to set up a new student “government” with appointed students to determine it’s organizational structure, while the RSU is running it’s annual general elections without access to it’s membership lists because the university will not release them. This is a problem.

    We call on Ryerson University to re-open communications with the RSU, to fairly negotiate an operational agreement, and release the levy fees to the RSU so that their important services and advocacy can continue to support Ryerson students and the community at large.

    —

    For more information contact Lyndall Musselman, President of CUPE Local 1281

    president@cupe1281.ca 

    CUPE 1281 response to concerning CMG emails

    On Friday December 20, 2019, outgoing members of the Canadian Media Guild (CMG) executive board made a number of incendiary and unfounded allegations against our unionized CMG staff, CUPE 1281 and our CUPE National Staff Representatives.  Such needlessly inflammatory statements do nothing to bring the Parties closer to concluding a  Collective Agreement that’s been outstanding since 2016 nor to repair a relationship frayed by months of hard line concessionary bargaining that took aim at cornerstone entitlements such as severance on retirement and sick leave. 

    Unionized workers are entitled to mobilize for a fair deal. Union staffers are no exception. Our campaign, which focused on the personal experiences of our members was true, accurate and always respectful. We continue to stand by the campaign and our members at CMG as they continue to bargain for a fair deal in the New Year, with a new CMG management team. 

    For more information, please contact CMG 1281 CUPE Steward Deb Hong at CMGSteward@gmail.com.