York University Cross-Campus Alliance Stands in Solidarity with College Faculty at Seneca College and Across Ontario

The Cross-Campus Alliance at York University stands in solidarity with OPSEU college faculty members at Seneca College and their colleagues across Ontario who are currently bargaining a new province-wide collective agreement, and who have set a strike deadline of 12:01 a.m. on Monday, October 16, 2017.

OPSEU college faculty members are bargaining for a fairer college system that provides good, secure jobs, high quality education for students, and democratic decision making on campuses. We stand side by side with OPSEU in calling for equal treatment for all faculty members by levelling up working conditions of part-time and partial-load contract faculty members to those of their full-time colleagues, providing secure employment for all while enabling faculty to offer the highest quality instruction to students. We also support OPSEU’s position that faculty and students must have a meaningful say in the academic decisions that impact students’ education.

Contract faculty members with OPSEU 560, who work for Seneca @ York, are located on York University’s Keele campus where the majority of our members work and study.

In the event of a strike, we will immediately marshal our resources to support OPSEU 560 members on their picket lines in any way possible. We will announce the picket locations to our members, encourage all our members to attend, and coordinate regular solidarity activities. 

Further, we will vigorously defend OPSEU members’ right to peacefully picket on and/or near York’s Keele campus as they see fit. The Supreme Court of Canada has recognized peaceful picketing in the context of a labour dispute as part and parcel of the constitutionally-protected right to free expression. We firmly reject any attempt by the York University administration to characterize York University’s campuses as private spaces where picketing can be lawfully and legitimately prohibited.

We encourage all our members to show their support for the college faculty by following this link to send a message immediately to 24 Ontario College Presidents. 

The York Cross-Campus Alliance represents tens of thousands of students, staff, and faculty at York University. The Cross-Campus Alliance includes: