(London, Ont) – Serious safety concerns have surfaced at Western University during the ongoing CUPE 2361 strike, with UWOFA (University of Western Ontario Faculty Association) Members uncovering widespread neglect of safety standards. These violations have prompted formal complaints to the Ontario Ministry of Labour, particularly in regards to critical emergency equipment like eyewash stations in laboratories and other high-risk areas. 

Spot checks of the Medical Sciences Building (MSB), Dental Sciences Building (DSB), and the Health Sciences Addition, revealed that eyewash stations had not been tested nor inspected since the strike began on August 30, 2024. These stations are required by law to be inspected weekly, and failure to maintain them in working order poses a significant health risk to faculty, staff and students. UWOFA has documented at least 20 uninspected stations with photographic evidence, which was included in formal complaints to the Ministry of Labour. Other safety infractions include replacement workers failing to wear proper or adequate personal protective equipment, raising concerns about adherence to Western University’s own safety regulations. Appropriate maintenance of fire extinguishers and safety showers is also a concern, as they are required to be checked monthly and will fall out of compliance if not checked by September 30th. 

Maintenance neglect has been reported in student residences, where unresolved issues like malfunctioning HVAC systems have caused discomfort for students during recent warm weather. Reportedly, lighting in the Visual Arts buildings has also not been repaired, creating challenges for students in studio classes that rely on proper lighting for their work. UWOFA is further alarmed by the potential for asbestos exposure in older buildings, where water and steam leaks occur frequently and require special precautions that may not have been properly communicated to replacement contractors. This poses an unacceptable risk to those workers. These lapses indicate a broader disregard for the health and safety of the campus community and beyond.

As the fall weather approaches, UWOFA is also concerned about deficiencies in areas that need to be constantly maintained, such as wet floors at building entrances and in common areas.

UWOFA will continue to closely monitor our work environment and we have asked Members to help us in documenting and reporting violations. If left unchecked, the failure to uphold safety regulations could have catastrophic consequences. As UWOFA President Johanna Weststar stated, “For a replacement worker, the difference between a sneaker and a safety shoe is very significant when a heavy or sharp object falls on their foot. A malfunctioning eye wash station could mean blindness for faculty, staff or students who work with hazardous substances. Western works because CUPE 2361 workers do.  We need them back now.”

UWOFA is calling on Western University to return to the bargaining table and conclude a fair, timely settlement with the essential workers of CUPE 2361 who work to uphold the proper standards of cleanliness, maintenance and safety of campus facilities. The current lack of inspections, improper safety training, and other violations highlight the critical role these workers play in maintaining the high standards Western claims to uphold.

Contact:
Bethany Taylor, UWOFA Communications and Engagement Officer
outreach@uwofa.ca
519-661-2111 x. 87965

By: David Heap

When I was a kid, my dad worked as a printer-slotter in a cardboard box factory, and when he was on day shifts, I knew he would be home around the time I got back from school. At one point, he started coming home later as well as leaving earlier in the morning, and he explained to me why: there was a strike by another union (operating engineers) at the same factory, and while his union (Canadian Paperworkers Union) could not strike during their contract, he would arrive 30 minutes early and stay 30 minutes after his shift, to picket with the other workers who were on strike and show them that they were not alone. Picketing together helped members of the other union achieve a better settlement sooner, and building solidarity between the two unions would help his union the next time they bargained.

This early lesson has stayed with me: when any group of unionized workers takes the initiative to strike to improve their conditions and defend their rights, joining their picket line is a concrete act of solidarity that makes a real difference. Since then I have made it my habit to join striking workers on their picket lines, sometimes on my own, and sometimes with others from the London & District Labour Council, where I am UWOFA’s official observer (the LDLC is a great place to learn about local labour struggles). Lately, I haven’t had to go far to find picket lines, since our Employer at Western has precipitated three strikes in less than 11 months. 

Last October I joined members of the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) as they picketed at Western in defense of their right to a fair contract. Their local bargaining unit has only 12 members, so extra picketers were useful in convincing bus drivers from the Amalgamated Transit Union (Local 741) to get London Transit Commission buses detoured from campus, which in turn contributed to the quick settlement of the IUOE strike. 

When the Graduate Teaching Assistants of the Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC Local 610) struck for a fair contract at Western earlier this year, many UWOFA Members joined their lines in solidarity. Some, like the librarian and archivists bargaining unit and FIMS faculty, organized group pickets with their colleagues to support the GTAs, while others turned up on their own to join PSAC lines, and at support rallies with UWOFA, CUPE 2361 and others. While that strike lasted longer (from April 11 to 29) than the IUOE strike, it was clear that seeing UWOFA members join them on the line helped keep morale up for striking PSAC members.

As the cleaning, groundskeeping, skilled trades and arena workers of CUPE 2361 face the fourth week of their strike at Western, it is more important than ever to join their picket lines. I can tell you from direct experience that these employees, whose work keeps our workplaces safe and clean, are often pleasantly surprised to see faculty, librarians and archivists who care enough to walk the line with them, even for a short time. CUPE 2361 picket shifts start as early as 7am and run as late as 6pm: locations vary but there is usually a group picketing along Western Road, at Philip Aziz Drive (Sarnia Rd) and/or at the Springett parking lot entrance.

We have all seen the increased traffic congestion around campus, so as we walk and talk with CUPE 2361 picketers, we can recognize that our Employer has made things worse by closing the roads through campus. And most importantly, our support helps their demands for a fair and timely contract at Western.

I began writing this reflection on the train returning from a CAUT “flying picket” at the McGIll law school strike in Montréal. As UWOFA members, we all contribute dues to the Canadian Association of University Teachers Defense Fund, which provides strike pay and other benefits to member associations when and if they decide to strike. The Defence Fund also brings colleagues from faculty associations across Canada to support striking faculty associations as “flying (or driving) pickets”, once a week as long as a strike lasts. Our UWOFA librarians and archivists benefited from this support when they struck for two weeks in 2011. Our colleagues in the Association of McGill Professor of Law are striking now (the continuation of a strike they began in the spring and paused over the summer) for recognition of their union: their intransigent Employer has yet to even come to the table to negotiate a first collective agreement. Facing what appears to be an Employer bent on breaking their union before it starts, our striking colleagues welcome the support from faculty associations from across Canada, as well as from members of other unions in the Montréal area. 

As James Compton, FIMS faculty and past UWOFA president as well as past president of the Canadian Association of University Teachers, says “Joining a solidarity picket is an act of enlightened collective interest. We are all stronger together, and, therefore, more capable of pressing for, and achieving our legitimate goals as workers. ”

James adds “When joining CAUT Flying Pickets, as I’ve had the honour of doing many times, there is a joy in greeting colleagues from around the country who are genuinely elated to experience the solidarity brought to the picket line. In Montréal this past week I joined solidarity pickets for striking law professors at McGill and for striking support staff at Concordia. Unions from around the city came together and marched through the downtown core between the two campuses in a display of shared collective interest. This is what solidarity looks like.” Amanda Gzryb, also of FIMS, comments on her experiences as part of CAUT Flying Pickets:  “For me, solidarity picketing with striking faculty members at other universities is fundamentally about recognizing about how our struggles – to protect academic freedom, to fight for an end to precarious labour and exploitation of sessional instructors, to challenge the increasingly neoliberal policies of university administrations – are linked across the country. Their fight is also our fight.”

Peter Chidiac, UWOFA steward in the Pharmacology and Physiology Department (Schulich) explains why he attended last Friday’s downtown rally in support of CUPE 2361 strikers: “It puzzles me why Western’s upper management chooses to have adversarial relationships with labour groups that contribute to the mission of the University. Though Shepard et al. are nominally academics, I feel that I have more in common with our colleagues who ensure the functionality, cleanliness and safety of our campus, and I sympathize with their desire to earn a fair wage with reasonable benefits.”  Kim Verwayen of Gender Sexuality and Women’s Studies who also attended the rally Friday, adds that: “I​​t’s hurtful to see our friends and co-workers from CUPE 2361 having to fight so hard simply for the basics of fair wages and a fair deal. ALL of us who work and study at Western rely on their services!”

Whether you join CUPE at a community solidarity rally or on one of their picket lines, or if you have the opportunity to join another picket line in our community or elsewhere, you should remember this: our collective interests are tied to theirs. Helping win better contracts for other unions at Western and for other faculty unions across Canada helps further the interests of UWOFA’s faculty, librarians and archivist Members.

David Heap is UWOFA’s Mobilization Chair and a faculty member in the Department of French Studies and the Interfaculty Linguistics Program

(London, Ont.) — The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) is encouraged by the recent decision of the administration at Western University to withdraw the controversial Policy 1.1.1 (Prohibition of Camping on University Property) and Procedure 1.1 (Obtaining Authorization to Hold a Demonstration). This decision follows substantial pushback from students, faculty, librarians, and archivists, who were rightfully concerned about the lack of consultation and the potential infringement on academic freedom and free expression.

While UWOFA welcomes this move, we disagree with the administration’s characterization of these procedures as merely a codification of existing practices. This misrepresentation does not align with the experiences of our members or the broader campus community, who viewed these measures as an overreach that threatened fundamental rights.

“We remain committed to ensuring that any future policy developments involve comprehensive consultation,” said Johanna Weststar, President of UWOFA. “We will continue to safeguard our collective agreement rights, which include meaningful involvement in decisions that impact academic freedom and the campus environment.”

UWOFA has retained its active grievances related to these procedures and will remain vigilant throughout the consultation process to come. We will work to ensure that any new or revised policies not only respect our collective agreements but also incorporate the perspectives of other key campus stakeholders in accordance with the University’s own MAPP 1.51 policy.

Contact:
Bethany Taylor, UWOFA Communications and Engagement Officer
outreach@uwofa.ca
519-661-2111 x. 87965

(London, Ont. ) — The University of Western Ontario Faculty Association (UWOFA) strongly opposes Western University’s recently implemented Policy 1.1.1 (Prohibition of Camping on University Property) and Procedure 1.1 (Obtaining Authorization to Hold a Demonstration). These measures, quietly put into effect on August 29, 2024, without appropriate notice or consultation with campus stakeholders, represent a significant threat to academic freedom and freedom of expression on campus. 

The new procedure is alarmingly broad, targeting not only large-scale protests but also individual actions such as leafleting. This overreach severely restricts the rights of faculty, staff, and students to engage in peaceful assembly and express dissenting views.

The Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) criticized the policy, noting that it “conflicts with the University’s mandate, and undermines free expression and academic freedom by creating unnecessary barriers for peaceful assembly and expression.”

“We’re very concerned about the scope of this procedure as it unduly restricts fundamental rights on campus and violates other important elements of our collective agreement pertaining to consultation,” said Johanna Weststar, President of UWOFA. “Given the scope, this does not seem to be about clarity and consistency to ensure safety—it is a violation of an academic institution’s core principles of fostering debate and dialogue over difficult issues. This procedure also goes further than anything seen in past practice. It’s nonsensical and arbitrary in many ways. If it really is about safety, why is it unsafe to have a demonstration in the morning?”

The policy contradicts Western’s own Freedom of Expression Policy (MAPP 1.54) and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. UWOFA is committed to defending these fundamental rights and will explore all available options to protect these rights and academic freedom. UWOFA has today filed a policy grievance under each of our collective agreements.

UWOFA urges Western University to retract these policies and procedures and engage in meaningful dialogue with the campus community to both maintain a safe environment and uphold the principles of academic freedom and free expression that are essential to the university’s mission.

Contact:
Bethany Taylor, UWOFA Communications and Engagement Officer
outreach@uwofa.ca
519-661-2111 x. 87965

CUPE 2361, representing custodial, maintenance, grounds and arena staff at Western University have been on strike since August 30th, 2024. These workers are critical to the day-to-day operations of the University, ensuring that the campus remains clean, safe, and well-maintained.

On Friday, University administrators began circulating requests for UWOFA Members to “remove any waste in private offices and areas to the waste and recycling stations that are currently available in the public hallways, during this labour disruption.”

UWOFA President, Johanna Weststar, wrote immediately to the senior administration at Western stating that:

“UWOFA takes this as a formal request for UWOFA Members to do the work of striking CUPE 2361 workers and we hereby officially and collectively decline under clause 5 in the No Strike or Lock-out Article in both of our collective agreements.”

Clause 5 explicitly states that “Members have the right to decline to perform the normal duties of striking or locked-out employees of the Employer during a legal Strike by another Bargaining Unit of employees of the Employer or during any Lock-out of another Bargaining Unit by the Employer.”

We requested that the administration cease in making any further requests to our Members to undermine the CUPE 2361 strike. However, our Members have continued to receive messages which suggest or intimate that we could handle our own garbage. This is a shameful and underhanded attempt to pressure you to do work that is not your own and divide the workers on this campus. We are actively in the process of filing a policy grievance on this issue.

CUPE 2361 workers are on strike for a decent living wage and the staffing complement necessary to properly care for this campus. The more of us who stand in solidarity with them, the shorter their strike will need to be. Our collective strength and respect for our collective agreements are vital in ensuring that all workers at Western University are treated fairly.

We continue to expect that Members use their garbage bins and the University space as usual and decline to perform any work normally carried out by CUPE 2361 Members. This includes Members who may volunteer at Care Hubs and those who may be hosting in-person events that require clean-up. Report any problems with overfull or unsanitary bins or lack of event clean-up to your Dean. We have been informed that Facilities Management has assigned a senior staff member as a lead contact for each faculty to attend to such concerns. 

Please see our updated FAQ for details. Continue to send any Employer requests to outreach@uwofa.ca. 

Take action now by signing the CUPE 2361 petition here and joining the picket line in support of our fellow workers. We are stronger together.

Updated September 30, 2024

Trades, Landscapers and Caretakers at Western who are members of CUPE local 2361 have been on strike since Friday August 30th at 12:01 AM.

We will continue to update the membership as the situation unfolds. Please refer to the FAQ and additional resources below which we are continually updating and adding to.

• CUPE 2361 Strike FAQ
• CUPE 2361 Petition
• CUPE Support Poster 1
• CUPE Support Poster 2
• CUPE Support Zoom Background 1
• CUPE Support Zoom Background 2

Author: David Heap

More than just the last long weekend of the summer, the first Monday of September marks the Labour Day holiday across North America. Since the late 1800s, unions in Canada have been rallying on this date to celebrate their collective achievements and show their unity in working class struggles. In some communities the day is marked by a parade with union banners and marching bands.  In London, the London and DIstrict Labour Council holds a picnic with live music, a free BBQ and informative tabling displays from area unions and allied organizations. 

For many years, members of the UWO Faculty Association have attended the LDLC picnic, as volunteers and simply to enjoy the gathering. 

A long-time UWOFA Member and Chief Negotiator for several rounds of collective bargaining, Jeff Tennant says that he attends Labour Day events to celebrate what the labour movement has built over the years and to connect with and build solidarity with other unions. He adds: “The OCUFA* Collective Bargaining Committee’s ‘Countdown to Strong’ model of campaign-based bargaining attaches a high priority to building strong relationships of solidarity with other local unions on and off campus.” UWOFA’s Secretary, librarian Kristin Hoffman, says “UWOFA Members attend the Labour Day picnic because of the connection it gives us to the broader London community, and for those of us who volunteer and help out at the food tent, it’s a very practical and tangible way to contribute to the community.”

Though neither of UWOFA’s bargaining units is currently negotiating a collective agreement, the ongoing work of forming and nurturing relationships with other unions and their supporters is part of what we do as a Union. Meeting a cross-section of working people’s organizations helps us understand that while our struggles are specific to our workplace, they are also connected to what other unions are addressing in their workplaces.

For those faculty, librarians and archivists who are around London on the last weekend before fall term begins, this is a great opportunity to connect with the broader labour movement in an informal setting. If you are interested in joining other UWOFA Members who will be volunteering at the Labour Day picnic, please let us know by filling out the Google Form here: https://forms.gle/M4wjTVSS8fPwSDSE9

*Ontario Confederation of Faculty Associations

UWOFA continues to support the Canadian Association of University Teachers in expressing concern about the forcible removal and heavy-handed arrests of peaceful pro-Palestinian student protesters across Canadian University campuses. Such actions, when there is no demonstrable threat to campus safety, conflict with the mission of post-secondary institutions – to foster dialogue, debate, and support academic freedom and free expression. Further, in response to recent and ongoing events on our campus and on campuses across Canada, UWOFA encourages ongoing dialogue and calls on the Western administration to reaffirm its commitment to transparency and adhere to the UNPRI Six Principles for Responsible Investment, to which it is a signatory.