Media Advisory - Press conference on Ford government's "back-to-work" legislation

TORONTO, July 16, 2018 /CNW/ - Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) 3903, CUPE Ontario, the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association are holding a joint press conference Monday morning to respond to legislative interference in collective bargaining at York University. The coalition is urging MPP's to support workers' Charter rights by opposing Premier Ford's "back-to-work" legislation, and warning the people of Ontario about the serious consequences of this new government's actions for accessible, quality post-secondary education.

The Facts:

• CUPE 3903 represents Teaching Assistants, Graduate Assistants and Contract Faculty at York University. Approximately 2,000 members are on legal strike, all of whom are precariously employed and full-time graduate students.
• The union's outstanding proposals are: 1) Reverse the cut of more than 800 Graduate Assistant jobs; 2) Establish better support for survivors of sexual assault; 3) Stop cuts to graduate student funding.
• The right to meaningful collective bargaining and the right to strike are protected by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
• In 19 weeks of the strike, the employer has only met with the union twice of their own volition.
• As a consequence of underfunding post-secondary education, today 53 per cent of post-secondary workers in Ontario experience one or more indicators of precarious work (CCPA).

SOURCE Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)