On Tuesday, March 10 on the Sentinel picket line a group of picketers repeated lyrics of a song being played which included explicit racial language.
The People of Colour Caucus of CUPE 3903 sees the casualization of racial slurs as part of a colonial and white supremacist power structure which Canada, York, and the local are part of.
The issue of racism is a reality in our local. In the lead up to and during our strike, members have raised issues of racism at membership meetings and most recently raised Tuesday’s events to the Strike Committee meeting.
As members of the same union local we must commit to creating spaces which not only claim to be welcoming but are also spaces where members feel welcomed.
We call all self-identified Indigenous, Black and People of Colour members for a meeting this weekend (day, time and venue to be announced shortly). This would be a space for us to come together, share our experiences and strategize ways of fighting white supremacist and colonial violences within our local, and perhaps beyond. Please e-mail 3903POCcaucus@gmail.com for more details on Saturday’s meeting. We have set up a list serv, to join it please email kasim@riseup.net to join.