At the November 11th, 2022 Emergency SGMM, membership voted in favour of the following motion:
WHEREAS the Ford government introduced Bill 28, using the notwithstanding clause to pre-empt a legal strike from OSBCU workers and enforce a collective agreement on those workers, and
WHEREAS the CUPE 3903 executive moved to call for a solidarity strike action with OSBCU workers starting 14 November, with the support of CUPE National and other Ontario unions, and
WHEREAS OSBCU and CUPE have agreed to return to work starting November 7th following the Ford government’s promise to rescind Bill 28, but that bill has not yet been rescinded, leaving it possible that OSBCU may end up on strike again.
WHEREAS, in that case, OSBCU may end up being legislated back to work.
WHEREAS CUPE 3903 has been the victim of back-to-work legislation several times in the past.
WHEREAS back-to-work legislation is, like Bill 28, a violation of workers’ right to strike and a serious impediment to building working-class power in Ontario and Canada.
WHEREAS resisting back-to-work legislation would necessarily entail solidarity in order to be successful.
BIRT if OSBCU indicates a willingness to defy back-to-work legislation, the CUPE 3903 membership directs the executive committee to conduct a strike vote notwithstanding the requirement to hold two GMMs to initiate a strike vote as outlined in Article 20 of the bylaws CUPE 3903 will engage in a solidarity strike until OSBCU returns to work.
BIFRT such a strike vote would be open to all members for 48 hours through Simply Voting.
BIFRT CUPE 3903’s solidarity strike will be conditional on the following:
- That at least some other unions of comparable or greater size to CUPE 3903 also pass a similar motion to solidarity strike
- That CUPE Ontario and CUPE National commit to providing strike pay for members who participate, and to cover any legal fines these members may incur.
BIFRT CUPE 3903 call on CUPE National and Ontario to treat this as a strike with all the material support and legal defence a strike entails
BIFRT CUPE 3903 encourage CUPE National, CUPE O, and OSBCU to broaden the strike demands to include the repeal of Bill 124 and the permanent removal of the government’s ability to use back-to-work legislation on striking workers.
BIFRT CUPE 3903 call on its sister locals to pass a similar motion.