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> AN APPEAL TO PROGRESSIVE ACADEMICS AND WORKERS AROUND THE WORLD > > Please forward to any progressive lists or individuals who might be > interested. > > From: Dr. James Winter, professor, author, member of the University > Senate and Faculty Association Council, at The University of Windsor, > Ontario Canada. > > The administration at the University of Windsor is attempting to > break a campus union in order to contract out their jobs. Initially, the > administration demanded a 27 percent pay cut from the (predominantly) > women part-time workers on campus, which led to the strike. At the same > time they have negotiated a pay increase of 4 percent for faculty and > management, and initially offered a 3 percent pay increase to the > (predominantly) male members of the same union, contingent on the > rollback to the women!!! > > This week, students, faculty, secretaries and other unions have > joined the picket lines in support of their co-workers, in response to a > call to shut down the university until a settlement is reached. > > Please draft a brief note of support for 270 co-workers at local > 1001 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), who have now been > out on strike for one month. These people are custodians, maintenance, > and food services workers at the University of Windsor. > > Classes will end in a couple of weeks, and the strikers will be > hung out to dry. Thanks to labour law changes by Ontario Premier Mike > Harris, in five short months, (mid-August) the administration will be > able to contract out the workers' jobs with impunity. There will be no > recourse for these workers. > > Ironically, on Thursday March 20 the University Senate will > consider final approval for a new programme in Labour Studies!!! > > All universities in Ontario have been drastically cut back by the > policies of the Harris government and the Liberal government of prime > minister Jean Chretien in Ottawa. But this is no excuse for taking it out > on the people who can least afford it: predominantly part time women > workers, struggling to support families. In the past six years, food > services has made about a half million dollars annually for the > university, money which has been used to renovate many existing > facilities on campus. Food services has a current surplus of about $650,000. > > Please contact university president Ron Ianni, and tell him what > you think of all this. By his actions he is besmirching the name of our > institution and academia in general, around the world. Please show him > that the international community will not stand for his sexist, > union-busting tactics. Send e-mail to: Ron Ianni, [log in to unmask] > And/or fax him at: 519-973-7070, or call him at home 519-256-4152 or > office: 519-253-4232, extension 2000. If you are able, copy your > correspondence by e-mail to: The University of Windsor Faculty > Association, [log in to unmask] and/or fax to CUPE Local 1001, at 519-971-3665. > If you have questions or suggestions and comments, please contact > me at: [log in to unmask], or 519-977-7079. > >