Subject: UofT TA Strike, Restructuring & Busting
Date: 	Fri, 28 Jan 2000 09:03:30 -0500



As many of you know, CUPE 3902 (The Union of Teaching Assistants at the U of 
Toronto, 2400 strong) have been locked out by their employer.

There is a strong indication that the administration is trying to break the 
union, and the undergraduates are being used as leverage to this end.  As a 
result, some very bitter divisions within faculty, students, administration and 
union members have arisen.

Basically, the administration is unilaterally reconstructing all of the courses 
affected by the strike as of Feb 4.  They have announced that this restruction 
will be FINAL.  In other words, the 2400 TAs will not have jobs to come back to 
(unless the Faculty Association wins their lawsuit).  The administration is 
claiming that the reconstruting needs to take place because the undergraduates 
are demanding it (ignoring the support that undergrads have given to the 
union)(ie. they are unwilling to take responsibility for this demand, "It is 
not our will, it is the will of the Other!")(we've heard this defense 
throughout history).

Students who have, with or without supporting the union, requested that the 
reconstructions not be final and that the deadline be extended (the 
announcement was made 2 weeks into the strike) have been told that this isn't 
an option.  Either they vote on how the course is to be reconstructed or it 
will be reconstructed for them.  This is in contradiction to the spirit of the 
UofTs bylaws which explicitly state that all changes to course outlines must 
have consensus of the class.

If runs like this - by today, administators have gone into undergrad classes to 
talk about the reconstructions.  These have been collected and submitted to the 
Chair of each department by Feb 1.  On Feb 2 the reconstructions will be 
submitted to the Deans for approval.  If approved, they will be finalized on 
Feb 4.

The demands of the union are fairly straightfoward: we want parity with our 
colleagues at York University, just up the road from us - which includes a 
degree of tuition relief (some $900).

The U of T is the wealthiest university in Canada.  In the last 10 years they 
have managed to "save" $800 Million.

Last Monday, the administration offered CUPE 3902 *less* than what they had 
offered in Jan.

All of the three key administrators have publically stated that unions do not 
belong on campus (Prichard, Finlayson, Sedra).  Prichard is moving to Harvard 
in the Spring to teach Law (just in case anyone at Harvard wants some info 
about the kind of person they're getting).  A couple days ago Prichard crossed 
the picket lines and called the (legal) strikers "THUGS!"  On Tuesday, during a 
nonviolent protest, Finlayson called for the arrest and expulsion of 500 
students (grads and undergrads) (the matter was resolved peacefully by the 
police).  Prichard has stated, since then, that the leadership of the union 
would face explusion for the Tuesday rally and blockade.

Many departments have hired replacement workers.  Foreign students are 
especially at risk, and many have been pressured into performing their TA 
duties despite being locked out.  Research Assistants have also been pressured 
into running labs and tutorials.

Perhaps the most deporable element of all, the administration is 
undemocratically tearing apart the undergraduate programs in order to punish 
the union.

Any support would be appreciated.

http://www.newsandevents.utoronto.ca/strikeinfo/

http://www.CUPE3902.org

Kenneth MacKendrick
(former Instructor)

PS.  Please feel free to email me for details.  I have heard (rumour alert) 
that the administration has blockspammed their email...