Government bullying sends universities into industrial turmoil

Australian universities have been plunged into uncertainty as the Howard Government today announced its radical and draconian plans for unprecedented intervention in Universities and their dealings with staff.

Reforms announced today include requiring universities to offer individual contracts to every university staff member by 31 August 2006 in order for cash strapped institutions to beg for increased funds. This will force some universities to negotiate up to 5,000 individual contracts to cover their staff.

NTEU members on rotating strikes

Australian University Union Central member Unions conducting Rotating Strike Action

The unions are running short or one day strikes to maintain and improve working conditions at a variety of their Australian Universities.

National Tertiary Education Union [Australia]

The counterpart to our Union [CUPE] for the Post-Secondary Sector in Australia is the National Tertiary Education Union.

The NTEU has members organised in Universities, TAFE colleges, Research Institutes, Adult Education providers, Student organisations, University and College Companies and commercial arms, and independent post-secondary education providers.

Think of Primary, Secondary, Tertiary as the three levels of education in Australia.
Whereas, in Canada we tend to speak of Primary, Secondary and Post-Secondary as the levels of education.

European Digital Library Is Proposed

PARIS (AP) - Six European leaders jointly proposed Thursday that works contained in European libraries be made accessible online, in what they called a "European digital library."

Read the whole article in the link.

This will have effects on the staff of universities over time as the physical moving of paper books will be changed to maintaining the electronic equipment in ever greater proportion of the staff and duties.

International Workers' Memorial Day

Worldwide millions die each year as a result of workplace hazards. Most don't die of mystery ailments, or in tragic "accidents". They die because an employer decided their safety just wasn't that important a priority. The global trade union movement wants employers to be accountable for workers' health and safety. Get active on International Workers' Memorial Day.

URGENT ACTION . . .

Ed Gould of CAW 199 has requested that all take the following action:

It is extremely important that we support the deal worked out between Paul Martin and the NDP's Jack Layton. This is exactly how minority government are supposed to work - and we just got the best of both worlds: more money for extremely important (and very popular) policy areas and a reduction in tax cuts for the whiners on Bay Street.

The deal is under relentless attack in the media, by Bay Street and Stephen Harper. It is up to us to defend it.

WRITE LETTERS IMMEDIATELY -- YOU KNOW IF YOU DON'T DO IT NOW, YOU PROBABLY WON'T DO IT AT ALL -- SUPPORTING THE DEAL AND/OR CHASTISING BIG BUSINESS FOR THEIR SELFISHNESS AND WHINING.

Just in case you do not have the e-mail addresses for the Party leaders:

Paul Martin pm@pm.gc.ca

Gilles Duceppe duceppe.g@parl.gc.ca

Steven Harper harper.s@parl.gc.ca

Jack Layton layton.j@parl.gc.ca

SOME OF THE FACTS/ARGUMENTS BEHIND THE ISSUE:

• When the Gomery report comes out people will be held accountable - in the courts and at the ballot box. In the meantime, we need government that responds to the needs of Canadians and their communities.
  
  
• Between 60-70% of Canadian have consistently said they don't want an election. WHY? Because the chose a minority govt for a reason - they don't want another electoral dictatorship by either Martin or the conservatives. Layton has it right: Canadians want the govt to work for people.
  
  
• All the items of the deal are things the Liberals said they would invest in but failed to do so - the NDP is just keeping them honest.
  
  
• During the last election the Liberals attacked the Conservatives for suggesting more tax cuts - promising not to cut taxes further because this would be irresponsible. The corporate tax cut was never part of the Liberal election platform.
  
  
• The federal cooperate tax in the US is 34% and in Canada it is 21%. We already coddle our large corporations with taxes that are 50% less than those in the US. In addition, we have all kinds of corporate tax breaks not available to US corporations so that our "effective" tax rate (taxes actually paid after the loopholes are used) is even lower.
  
  
• The whole issue reveals exactly where Stephen Harper sits on the political spectrum: he would rather hand over $$$ to his pals on Bay Street than provide decent funding for the things Canadians say they want.

_/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/ _/

There are a number of major initiatives in the agreement worked out between Jack Layton and Prime Minister Martin.

Major gains are:

1. $100 million into a fund to protect the pensions of workers who become victims of companies that close or go bankrupt.
   
   
2. $1.6 billion to build public, affordable housing for Canada's poor and elderly
   
   
3. $1.5 billion to assist university and college students
   
   
4. An increase from 5 cents to 6 cents per litre from the federal gas tax for Canadian cities
   
   
5. Additional funds to spur energy efficiency with incentives to help low-income Canadians to retrofit their homes
   
   
6. $500 million more in foreign aid to assist the poorest nations in the developing world

These initiatives clearly improve the quality of life for Canadians.

Please take the time now to e-mail Steven Harper (with copies to the other leaders) and Tories in your area (see attached e-mail and address list of Ontario Tory MPs) to demand that they put people first by voting to keep the government working to help Canadians and not the large corporations.

The Tories oppose a national childcare program, same sex marriage, Kyoto - they support U.S. missile defence and want to move closer to U.S. President Bush, they supported the Iraq phoney war on "weapons of mass destruction," etc.

We must get a strong message to the Tories that we want the government to work.

Some Solidarity for Argentinians

The workers in the Zanon ceramic factory in Argentina were faced with a
challenge which is familiar to so many workers these days. Their
factory was closing down. They were about to lose their jobs. They
took matters into their own hands, occupied the factory and began
running it as a co-operative. Their heroic struggle was the subject of
a recent film, "The Take".

But recently, the workers have come under increasing attack, with death
threats now a part of their daily experience. The wife of one worker
was kidnapped and had her face and chest slashed. And now the courts
are considering ways to take the factory (and the jobs) away from the
workers.

Please send your message of protest and solidarity today. Go here:
http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/
show_campaign.cgi?c=49

Unions to have Papal Advocacy?

The disconnect of the workers from society and capital are concerns to the Vatican according to the International Herald Tribune article that is linked above.

Short Strike at Uniden in China has Problems

Seems the Japanese owners were still capable of exerting sufficient pressure on the Chinese authorities to cause the stiffling of a strike at this supplier of electronics to WalMart and others.

Will the Argos still come to York?

A statement on the stadium at York University

York University issued the following statement on Friday:

York University was surprised to read today that the Argos owners may be considering an offer to play rent-free at the Rogers Centre. The stadium at York University has been planned as the premier venue for soccer in Canada and host-site of the FIFA World Youth Championship Canada 2007. We have been working diligently and professionally for the past several months with Soccer Canada and the Argos and this project was proceeding on budget and on time. York remains committed to providing a first-class venue for its 50,000 students and the youth of the local community.

York’s President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden stated, "We remain deeply committed to our students, the local community and to making the FIFA tournament happen here at York. At this point we are reviewing our options and will be discussing the matter with our Board of Governors."

The University would like to correct an unsubstantiated report that costs for the stadium had climbed from $70 to $75 million. The project partners working with their expert consultants have developed a range of options that are well within the established budget and timelines for the stadium.

Marsden added: "York University is committed to doing the utmost to bring the benefits of a superb new athletic facility to this part of the GTA and to hosting the FIFA 2007 under-20 world soccer championship, with the support of our partners."

The construction of a new stadium at York University, located in the heart of the GTA, would bring an estimated economic impact of around $105 million. When staging and spending in the region resulting from the hosting of this international event are included, overall economic impact projections are estimated to be in the region of $168 million.

Comments welcome

Toronto Zoo and Union at an impasse; deadline extended

Two of the old protaganists from the Zoo are involved at York University this year Matt Graves on the labour side and Bob Smith on the management side.

TORONTO – The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 1600 and the Toronto Zoo agreed to extend a lockout deadline by seven days following a long day of bargaining. Talks ended just before midnight last night.

The parties have agreed to resume negotiations next Sunday, May 2. If they fail to reach an agreement by 12:01 a.m., Monday, May 2, zoo employees could be locked out and the zoo shut down.

The current contract expired on March 31, 2005. CUPE Local 1600 represents approximately 170 permanent employees and 200 seasonal and casual workers at the zoo, many of whom earn wages as low as $9 an hour.

-30-

Many Ivy League Schools in Organizing Mode

This is a posting of numerous links recently received on this general topic.

Stanford - includes a BC TA's comments

CUNY Grad Students in turmoil with Labour Board

Problems at Yale

Ivy League TA's Striking

Yale and Columbia in TA Strikes Ended


The Nation has uncovered a damning internal memo on union-busting at Columbia

Université de Yaoundé on Strike

The link is in french.

The University is in the Cameroon. The strikers have had support from others on the picket lines.

Lock-out au Collège Notre-Dame-de-Lourdes de Longueuil

The link above contains the article in french.

A rough translation states that some 800 students are affected by the lock-out of 49 professors. [excuse any errors]

Woe the White-collar Union Organizer

An article discussing the organizing efforts of unions at MicroSoft, IBM, and academics in the US.

Perhaps they should look towards our experiences at York University where just about all of the university's workers are organized, even many of the contractor's workers.
There are some legal hurdles to get any further than what exists currently [pretty well only management are excluded.]

250 Yale TAs Complete 1 Week Strike

See the AP story posted on newsday.com

Canadians Prefer Social Responsibility in Companies

The news article refers to a survey conducted for HP Canada.

UC Santa Cruz - 19 arrested in Protest

University Police arrested 19 Protestors in a Tent City. They were protesting for pay increases for the university's workers.
This is an on-going saga at the University of California. See our earlier posting.

Ontario should put JobsNow money into municipal employment services, not private company

Hey Sid, the same goes at Universities too!

TORONTO — The Ontario government should expand municipal and community-based employment services, not pay a private for-profit company to do the same work, says Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Ontario President Sid Ryan.

Community and Social Services Minister Sandra Pupatello revealed today that the province has contracted with WCG International to run six JobsNow pilot projects across the province. The company will do the work already performed by municipal Ontario Works staff and some not-for-profit community agencies, but will have a longer period of time in which to help long-term unemployed individuals find and keep jobs.

“Helping people get back to work might be good social, economic and fiscal policy like the minister said,” Ryan commented. “Paying a private, for-profit company to do it is not. If the six months of job retention supports provided now by Ontario Works is not enough, give them the resources to do more.”

The government should not draw too much from the British Columbia experience with WCG International and its JobWave program, he said. While the province pays WCG about $3,400 for each person placed in a job for at least 19 months, about 70 per cent of that money is paid out after nine months, according to media reports.

“This government is following the privatization road paved by Mike Harris and privatizing services rather than keeping its promise to revitalize public services,” Ryan said. “With today’s announcement, they have put a price tag on the futures of people who are already struggling to be independent.”

-30-

Even a Unionized Starbucks Now!

Sodexho at U of T Join UNITE SEIU

Nearly 240 employees at the University of Toronto unionize with UNITE HERE, SEIU TORONTO – Another 238 Sodexho cooks, servers and cashiers in Toronto have voted to unionize after a joint campaign run by UNITE HERE and the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Canada.

“These Sodexho workers will join their brothers and sister at Christie Gardens and St. Michael’s College in improving their working lives,” says Alex Dagg, Canadian Director of UNITE HERE. “This vote is the culmination of over a year of hard work by these new members to form a union. We are proud that they have chosen UNITE HERE.”

The application for certification was filed with the Ontario Labour Relations Board on April 12. The vote was held on April 19 for Sodexho employees working at New College, Medical Sciences Building (MSB), Robarts Library and the Starbucks outlets across the campus, among other work sites.

“Our two unions have again demonstrated how solidarity helps working people improve their lives,” says Sharleen Stewart, International Canadian Vice President with SEIU. “SEIU would like to congratulate the Sodexho workers at the University of Toronto on their decision to form a union.”

“Sodexho is a successful multi-national company and all Sodexho workers contribute to that success,” says Ali Shahbazi, who works at the Robarts Library. “Having a union means having a voice, better wages, better working conditions and ensuring we are always treated with respect.”

Sodexho is a large, multi-national corporation that provides food services and facilities management to corporations, schools and health-care facilities. The company boasts over $5.5-billion U.S. in annual sales and employs 130,000 workers at 6,000 locations in North America.

UNITE HERE is a union representing over 50,000 members in Canada and more than 440,000 people across North America.

SEIU is North America’s largest and fastest growing union. SEIU represents 1.8 million members, with 93,000 in Canada.


-30-

Minnesota TA’s Reject Union

By a substantial margin, graduate students at the University of Minnesota have voted down a plan to create a union of teaching and research assistants.

GradTRAC issued a statement noting that the union drive won more votes than any previous effort. “Our growing support sends a clear message to the administration that graduate employees endorse our program for quality, affordable health care; fair salaries; annual raises and full fee waiver; job security; value and respect for our work; fair treatment for all RA’s and TA’s regardless of citizenship.”

Dual Book Launch: Jean-Claude Parrot and Madeline Parent

Friday May 13, 2005
7-9 pm
Trinity St.Paul's Centre
427 Bloor St. West, Toronto, Ontario

Join Madeline Parent and Jean-Claude Parrot as they celebrate the publication of two books that look at their lives and contributions to their unions, in particular, and the labour movement as a whole - Madeline Parent: Activist edited by Andrée Lévesque (Sumach Press) and My Union, My Life by Jean-Claude Parrot (Fernwood Publishing).

JEAN-CLAUDE PARROT was National President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers for fifteen years and its chief negotiator for eighteen. When Pierre Trudeau decided to make the post office a crown corporation Parrot was there to guide the transition. He was also there to oversee the merger of the various postal unions into "one union for all." During that time he provided the leadership which built what became Canada's most militant and democratic union.

MADELINE PARENT played a key role in the textile strikes in Quebec and in establishing Canadian unions. She has also been a champion of women's rights, active in campaigns for pay equity, for the right to abortion and for the rights of immigrant and Native women. An iconic figure in the history of Canadian political struggle, Parent has a fearless and continuing commitment to social and economic justice that continues to inspire.

My Union, My Life: Jean-Claude Parrot and the Canadian Union of Postal
Workers, Jean-Claude Parrot 288pages ISBN 1-55266-164-4 $24.95 Fernwood
Publishing

Madeline Parent, Activist, Edited and translated by Andrée Lévesque.
204 pages ISBN 1-894549-46-5 $19.95 Sumach Press

Former Vice-Chair of WalMart Investigated for Anti-Union Activity

The Chicago Tribune reported that the resignation of Tom Coughlin for mis-appropriated funds, goods, and money equivalents may be partially tied to anti-union activities.

York president is not a public official, Superior Court rules

Madam Justice Alexandra Hoy of the Ontario Superior Court ruled Monday that York University President and Vice-Chancellor Lorna R. Marsden is not a public official and cannot be sued as such, reported The Globe and Mail April 26. "Dr. Marsden is not a public officer in her capacity as president of York University," Judge Hoy wrote in her judgment, one that had been widely awaited by Ontario universities because it would have broken new ground on the issue of the legal status of university officials if York lost.

If Judge Hoy had ruled against the university, Daniel Freeman-Maloy, a York student who was banned from the campus for three years last April and who is suing the university for $850,000 even though he was later reinstated, would have been able to include the grounds of misfeasance in a public office in the lawsuit. Freeman-Maloy's lawyer had argued that, because York was created by a provincial statute that gave the university's president the power to regulate student conduct, the president was, in effect, acting as a public officer when she disciplined Freeman-Maloy and could be sued for flagrantly abusing her power as a public official.

The judge rejected the argument in her six-page ruling. "The mere fact that a statute passed by the Legislature of Ontario provides for the office of president of the university, to be appointed by the board of governors, and accords the president so appointed certain powers in respect of the university community, does not make her a public officer," the judgment said. While the law gives the president of York power to discipline students, the core functions of a university are non-governmental and "the government does not have control over how the president regulates a particular student's conduct," the judgment said.

Harriet Lewis, York's secretary and general counsel, welcomed the decision. "I am very pleased to see that the court accepted our arguments, and upheld the position that we believe is correct in this matter," Lewis said. "I think that this has a wider effect than on our particular lawsuit, and if we had lost, it would have been of particular concern to all Ontario, and perhaps all Canadian, universities."

Peter Rosenthal, Freeman-Maloy's lawyer, said the lawsuit against the University will proceed on several other grounds, including the allegation that his client was libelled by Marsden and other officials at the University.

An interesting ruling that will impact universities provincially, probably nationally, and marginally in the US and Britain.

York University Office of the Ombudsman and the Centre for Human Rights

Nasty rumour has it that all of the staff excepting Fiona Crean are gone from this office, as of Friday 22 April 2005 . We would have expected that the University would have announced that action in the Y-Files by now.

Does this action violate the many/any of the Collective Agreements at York as they refer to this office?

CUPE Local 1356 Article/clause:

3.08 The University recognizes its responsibility to provide a workplace free from sexual, gender, or racial harassment or discrimination. If an employee feels so harassed and needs to seek recourse other than with supervisory staff or a Union Steward, there exists at the University the Centres for Race and Ethnic Relations and Sexual Harassment whose mandate includes the development of policies and procedures consistent with the Human Rights Code.
Information on policies and procedures are available through the above mentioned offices or can upon request, be made available through supervisory staff or a Union Steward.

For purposes of this article the definitions of harassment shall be consistent with the Human Rights Code in force at the signing of this agreement.

The noted office has been changing lately with a new location and some newer personnel the current office has substantially been the same as the one in the collective agreement clause.

If the staffing has been let go we may have lost a great deal of the experience that an office of this type would need to be able to draw upon to appropriately handle matters.

Our union office has already felt the impact of the dismissals - in only three business days!

York University Faculty and Staff Golf Tournament

Mark your calendar and reserve Monday, May 30 for the York University Faculty and Staff Golf Tournament. This year’s event will take place at Hunters' Glen in Kleinburg, Ont. The tournament is open to serious and novice golfers, with an emphasis on team play and having fun. It will be played in the scramble format.

Join some of the Local Executives on the links.
The Local Executive chose to donate funds and also some items as prizes for this tourney, on behalf of the Local.

Employee BoG Representative Nomination closing date soon

An election will be held to nominate a full-time, non-academic employee to a position on the York University Board of Governors. The term of office is two years, beginning on July 1, 2005. The election will be conducted by mailed ballot, distributed to all full-time non-academic employees at their University workplace addresses.

Nominations are invited of full-time non-academic employees who have a record of at least five years of service at the University. Nominations opened on Wednesday, April 13, and will close at noon on Friday, April 29, by which time all nominations must be received at the University Secretariat, S883 Ross Bldg., Keele campus.

To obtain a nomination form or further information about the board, the election process or eligibility, contact the University Secretariat at ext. 55012, or visit the University Secretariat Web site.

It is just too bad that the more truly representative employee representatives are barred from being elected.

Young Mothers Conference

The Executive of CUPE Local 1356/1356-01/1356-02 is proud to be able to have donated towards this conference at a recent meeting.

Was it only a slip of the typist fingers or is it a Freudian slip to note that it is at the Atkinson "Faulty" on the April 25 Y-File:

The York-based Association for Research on Mothering will focus on the challenges of being a young mother at its next conference, May 6-8, being held at the Atkinson Faulty.

It should of course be Faculty.

United Staff of Columbia College has a Difficult Orgnizing Effort

Advocates for the union and executives of the college are, however, one step closer to resolving a dispute over which votes should be included in the final tally. Despite this, they are no closer to knowing whether the United Staff of Columbia College will ever materialize on campus, and the possibility for a new election has been left wide open.

Selling & Generating Leads Through the Internet

Discover the tools and resources you need to be a participant in the global marketplace. How to set up your website so people will be attracted to it and buy. Topics covered will cover the value of marketing, what is a good marketing website, demos of effective marketing websites, the 4 major considerations of web selling, traffic and lead generation, search engine strategies and what is pay per click. This is a marketing and business presentation rather than a technical one packed with demos, hints, tips and issues.

Date: Tuesday, May 10, 2005
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Presenter: Stephen Wong, B.S.E.E., M.C.S., President and founder of ESM Group Inc. Stephen has more than 25 years experience in the computer system development industry and 15 years of professional training as an Internet Marketing Advisor. He has developed more than 300 successful websites and been nominated five times for Business Excellence Awards. He created a website that is now number 1 in Google, Top 10 in Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and AltaVista. With 7.7 million hits a month, the site was mentioned in Cosmopolitan, and Women's Weekly.

Common Errors & Misconceptions in Starting a New Business

80% of small businesses fail in the first 5 years. Learn the common mistakes and misconceptions in starting a new business. Learn the practical side of running a new business. Go beyond what the general business procedures or the textbooks say. Develop the right entrepreneur attitude and mindset. Replace the job mentality with a business mentality. Avoid these costly mistakes and gives your business the best possible chance to succeed. Topics will include: the wrong reasons for getting into business or the wrong business, putting common sense into your business plan, how to think Big while so small, differentiating job mentality from business mentality, and misconceptions about pricing and what to do when people aren’t buying or listening to you.

Date: Tuesday, May 3, 2005
Time: 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m.

Presenter: Stephen Wong, B.S.E.E., M.C.S., President and founder of ESM Group Inc. Stephen has more than 25 years experience in the computer system development industry and 15 years of professional training as an Internet Marketing Advisor. He has developed more than 300 successful websites and been nominated five times for Business Excellence Awards. He created a website that is now number 1 in Google, Top 10 in Yahoo, MSN, AOL, and AltaVista. With 7.7 million hits a month, the site was mentioned in Cosmopolitan, and Women's Weekly.

Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart

We are launching our “Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart” campaign and we are inviting you to join.

Mother’s Day is all about honoring our Moms. Unfortunately, Wal-Mart’s idea of honor and respect for women includes unequal wages, fewer promotions, and inadequate health care.

As a special treat, we are going to send Lee Scott, Wal-Mart’s CEO, the “Mother of all Mother’s Day Cards.” With your help, Lee Scott will receive what may be the largest Mother’s Day card in America – maybe in history. Add your name to that card by signing the “Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart” pledge now:

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/mom/pledge.html

Together, we can send Wal-Mart a message that it’s about time to Wake-Up and do the right thing. No women worker, or Mom, deserves to be treated so poorly.

We need you – and your friends and family – to sign the ”Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart” pledge to not buy any gifts for Mother’s Day at Wal-Mart.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/mom/pledge.html

On our Mother’s Day web site, you can also send Mother’s Day e-cards, download Women and Wal-Mart fact sheets and flyers, and purchase discounted flowers. Sign the pledge now and view our Mother ’s Day Specials.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/mom/pledge.html

Just think about what women at Wal-Mart - the largest employer of women in the United States with over 700,000 female employees – face every day:

1. Gender Discrimination: Wal-Mart is currently involved in a gender discrimination lawsuit affecting more than 1.5 million women. The case is the largest class action lawsuit in U.S. history. The suit documents Wal-Mart’s systematic discrimination against women for lower pay and unequal promotion.
   
2. Lower pay: Women earn from 5% - 10% less than men at Wal-Mart for the same work. This equates to nearly 40 cents less per hour for female hourly workers or nearly $5,000 less per year for female managers.
   
3. Fewer Promotions: Despite making up 72% of Wal-Mart’s hourly workforce, women only account for 33% of managers and only 15% of store managers.

http://www.wakeupwalmart.com/mom/pledge.html

The “Love Mom, Not Wal-Mart” campaign is our first step towards our goal of changing Wal-Mart by building local coalitions at every Wal-Mart in America.

Thank you for all that you have done and all that you will do to make this campaign a success. And remember to honor your Mom this Mother’s Day by shopping at a store that honors her too.


Paul Blank
Wake-Up Wal-Mart Campaign

2,000 Student Employees Join Union at UQUAM

The link above is entirely in french.

2,000 research assistants and similar graduate students have joined a union at University of Quebec at Montreal.

Quebec Colleges Face Labour Strife

The link above is entirely in French.
A number of colleges face difficult times with professionals as they are staging rotating strikes among a variety of regions within Quebec.

Grad Employees Walkout at UMass Amherst

On April 21st 2005, GEO, along with The Massachusetts Society of Professors, Take Back UMass/ staged a Walkout/ Boycott at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, to show support for:

* FAIR CONTRACTS for ALL Campus Unions
* STUDENT CONTROL of Student Organizations
* A SUBSTANTIAL INCREASE in the number of Faculty in Classrooms and Labs
* The COMMUNITY ACTION DIVERSITY PLAN, rather than Chancellor Lombardi’s plan
* NO CUTS in Real Wages or Benefits for ANYONE on Campus

The link on the title has numerous links including mp3 and streaming video.
Even more info here http://www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~geo/ or http://www.geouaw.org/

OUWCC members should recognise our slogan from a few years ago "Universities Work because we do" slightly modified on their home page.

Washington University Hunger Strike Ends

Some students have been camped out in the admissions office since April 4. Twelve of the protesters began a hunger strike last Monday. They said they want the university to negotiate a living wage for the school's lowest-paid workers, such as groundskeepers and food service workers.

Workers Rights Consortium

York University is one of the few universities in our geographic area that is NOT part of this consortium!

The Worker Rights Consortium (WRC) is a non-profit organization created by college and university administrations, students and labor rights experts. The WRC's purpose is to assist in the enforcement of manufacturing Codes of Conduct adopted by colleges and universities; these Codes are designed to ensure that factories producing clothing and other goods bearing college and university names respect the basic rights of workers. There are more than 100 colleges and universities affiliated with the WRC.

They should be ashamed to NOT be part of this noble statement of principles that even Queens and University of Toronto have signed agreement. This is not the first time this issue has been raised at York University as it has been discussed in the university's newspapers in some form or other over the last 15 years.

MPs reject private member's bill banning the use of replacement workers

GATINEAU, April 13 /CNW Telbec/ - Private Member's Bill C-263, seeking to amend the Canada Labour Code to ban the use of replacement workers during a work stoppage, was rejected by Members of Parliament in the House of Commons today. The Honourable Joe Fontana, Minister of Labour and Housing, did not support the private member's bill, which would have introduced an ad hoc amendment to Part I of the Canada Labour Code, the legislative framework that governs labour relations in the federal private sector. Specifically, the Bill contains serious flaws that would weaken workers' rights within the collective bargaining system, rights that are currently enshrined in part I of the Labour Code.

"The issue of replacement workers is very divisive within the labour relations community. The current provisions of the Canada Labour Code, which were introduced in 1999, seek to accommodate the competing interests of labour and management, and represent a compromise coming out of the last review of Part I of the Canada Labour Code," indicated Minister Fontana.

Minister Fontana further stated: "As Minister of Labour, I have committed to re-examining the issue but only in the context of a broader review of Part I of the Canada Labour Code, which would involve extensive consultations with
all client groups, rather than the ad hoc approach taken with this bill."

Part I (Industrial Relations) of the Canada Labour Code elaborates procedures governing the collective bargaining process in the federal jurisdiction, including dispute resolution through conciliation and mediation as well as preventive mediation and grievance mediation. Part I of the Canada Labour Code is administered jointly by the Labour Program, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada ( http://labour.hrsdc-drhcc.gc.ca ) and the Canada Industrial Relations Board (CIRB). The CIRB is an independent representational quasi-judicial tribunal. Its mandate is to interpret and apply the provisions of Part I of the Canada Labour Code dealing with bargaining rights and unfair labour practices ( http://www.cirb-ccri.gc.ca ).

For further information: Peter Graham, Director of Communications,
Office of the Minister of Labour and Housing, (819) 953-5646; Elizabeth
MacPherson, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, Human Resources and
Skills Development Canada, (819) 997-1118

Union to Picket Award Ceremony Featuring McMaster University President Peter George

HAMILTON, ON, April 15 /CNW/ - The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) will launch its Justice for Janitors campaign -- which aims to pressure McMaster University into providing work for 31 custodians who were terminated last month -- by picketing an award ceremony featuring McMaster University President Peter George.

On Wednesday, April 27th, Peter George will be awarded the Hamilton Safe Communities CH - Community Spirit Award at the Carmen's Banquet Centre.
McMaster University employees and their supporters will gather outside the banquet hall at 4:45 pm and will picket for the duration of the event.

In March, the University fired all 31 of its part-time custodians just days before they were to vote on whether or not to unionize. The Ontario Labour Relations Board proceeded with the vote and the University workers voted unanimously in favour of unionizing. Following the vote, the University agreed to reinstate all 31 employees. However, since that time workers have discovered that there is very little work available because the University has contracted out the work they previously performed.

"They reinstated our employment on paper only. What good is having a job when you never get called into work." -Colleen Hamilton, McMaster University Custodian

The picket is the first in a series of actions the union plans this summer as part of its Justice for Janitors campaign.

"We are going to be very active over the next several months particularly in the lead up to Jean Chretien's appearance at convocation ceremonies"

-Tom Galivan, SEIU Spokesperson

Service Employees International Union represents over 1.8 million workers in North America in every sector of the economy.


For further information: Media Contact: Tom Galivan, Service Employees
International Union, (905) 870-2709

Would a Hard Hat have helped?

Woman killed in fire extinguisher accident

A freak accident at a truck and transport business claimed the life of a 32-year-old woman, hit in the head by a flying fire extinguisher yesterday morning.

thanks to:
Health and Safety NewsWire from Hazards and LabourStart

Workers Health & Safety Centre links

This is one of the most extensive link pages I have come across for labour and related topics!

Volunteers for Occupational Intake Clinic

Request for volunteers:

On April 23, 2005 from 9 am till 6 pm the Electrical Workers Local 353
are holding an Occupational Intake Clinic with the help of the Building
Trades and assistance from other key organizations such as OHCOW, OFL
and WHSC only to name a few. Some volunteers have already come forward,
although we still require several more. The clinic is only weeks away
and we are trying to put together the final preparations, so please
contact us and sign up too volunteer as soon as possible.

At our clinic last June the volunteers turnout was truly amazing and we
are hoping to duplicate similar numbers if not exceed them. Events like
this can only be successful with the dedicated efforts from the people
who give there precious time to volunteer. Last year we took great
strides in creating awareness to Building Trade affiliates; through that
awareness we are pleased to be holding the first of several Occupational
Disease Intake Clinics for participating affiliates. Although this time
we have decided instead of having one large clinic we plan to hold the
following clinics for one union at a time.

The IBEW will have some hotel rooms available for those coming in from
out of town, if you require a room please contact me and I will make the
arrangements for you. There will be a Training session on April 22, 2005
at 7:00 pm at the IBEW hall located at 1377 Lawrence Ave East which is
the same location as the clinic. Pizza and refreshments will be served
the night of the training and lunch will be served the day of the
clinic.

As stated earlier this clinic will be a little different then the last
one as it will be strictly for current members as well as retiree's of
Electrical Workers local 353. Thank you in advance for offering your
time and service, your participation is greatly appreciated. Please fill
out the attached volunteer registration form and fax (416 449-5124) to
the Central Ontario Building Trades attention James.

Training Date April 22, 7 pm till 9 pm

Clinic Date April 23, 9 am till 6 pm

Location 1377 Lawrence Ave East, IBEW Hall ( just East of the Don Valley
on the south side of Lawrence)

Thank you,
James St. John
Business Representative
Central Ontario Building Trades
Tele. 416 449-5115
Fax. 416 449-5124
Toll Free. 1-800-700-3795
j.stjohn@cobtrades.com

Union Research Summer School

Registration Deadline is May 2

The AFL-CIO and Cornell University are sponsoring a Strategic Corporate Research Summer School on June 12-17 in Ithaca, New York.

The course (credit or non-credit) is designed for undergrad and grad students who’re interested in working as strategic researchers in the labor movement.

The registration deadline is May 2.

Detailed information including a registration form is available at http://www.sce.cornell.edu/sp/scr.php.

Link: Mike Harris with Walmart Dirty Tricks in 90s?

The premier of Ontario has been asked to call a public inquiry into the activities of Wal-Mart Canada and whether a covert campaign to bust a union at a Windsor Wal-Mart in the 1990’s might have subverted the integrity of Ontario labour laws and even touched the office of then Premier, Mike Harris.

see the UFCW story and the pdf of the charges

Strange! Factory where workers wear condoms on duty

This is an Occupational Health & Safety story in Nigeria.

Thanks to:
Health and Safety NewsWire from Hazards and LabourStart

Thousands of Higher-Education Workers Urgently Need Your Help

This is of such high importance that it is being posted a second time with another urgent message to take actions

Dear Jon,

Thousands of higher-education workers are asking for your help.

Graduate employees at Columbia and Yale universities are
fighting to have their union recognized. More than 4,000 workers
at CUNY and SUNY research foundations in New York are trying to
form a union. CUNY faculty members are struggling to win a fair
contract. But everywhere, higher-education employers and their
subcontractors run anti-worker campaigns and flagrantly violate
the spirit and letter of our labor laws.

The use of fear and intimidation by higher-education employers
is unacceptable, objectionable and hypocritical - think of the
union movement's long record of support for education and the
social mission of higher education. It is time institutions of
higher education adopt a core set of principles that allow
workers to freely decide for themselves whether to form unions.

Please click on the link below to sign the Declaration of
Principles and tell these schools to uphold strict standards
that respect the will of the majority of workers and honor their
decision to have a union.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/
GradEmployees/wnw3af7bme7t

Employers' coercive tactics and legal delays deny
higher-education workers a free and fair choice, and our system
of labor laws no longer protects the freedom to form unions. In
fact, the Republican-controlled National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) is part of the problem. Recently the Board denied Brown
University graduate student employees the protections to form
unions under the National Labor Relations Act.

But the NLRB's ruling in Brown in no way bans graduate employees
from organizing or universities from recognizing their unions.
And their rights are recognized by the Universal Declaration of
Human Rights (1948), the International Covenant on Civil and
Political Rights (1966), the International Labor Organization's
Declaration of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work (1988),
and all the other leading human rights charters.

So graduate employees at Columbia, Yale and elsewhere continue
to form unions despite the NLRB's lack of support, and it would
be perfectly legal and appropriate for university leaders to
recognize their democratic longings. Click on the link below
right now and urge the Yale and Columbia university presidents
and the chancellors at SUNY and CUNY to respect the decision of
workers to form a union - without harassment, intimidation or
coercion.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/
GradEmployees/wnw3af7bme7t

Please ask 10 friends right now to tell these institutions of
higher learning to adopt clear sets of standards that respects
the basic and fundamental human rights of freedom of association
and collective bargaining.

Click below to ask your friends to take action:

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/
GradEmployees/forward/wnw3af7bme7t

Together we will win.

In Solidarity,

Andy Levin
Director, Voice@Work Campaign
AFL-CIO

GAs at Yale and Columbia are less than people?

Send President Bush and the two university presidents your message from here

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights says that "everyone has the right to form and to join trade unions for the protection of his or her interests."

But the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in the United States doesn't agree. And in a recent ruling, it decided that graduate teachers at universities are not "everyone". They don't have the right to form and join unions.

Their decision reversed a four-year old ruling that did guarantee such rights. It is part and parcel of a much broader attack on workers' rights being carried out by the Bush administration.

The NLRB decision affects graduate teachers at all universities in the USA, including the ones at the school President George W. Bush himself attended -- Yale. Ironically, teachers at that university, together with their colleagues at Columbia University, have decided to challenge the government ruling in the most dramatic way possible: with a joint strike at both schools next week.

Their union, which is affiliated to Unite HERE, has asked us to help spread the word, and to launch a global campaign of support for the striking graduate teachers.

You can send your message to the two university presidents, and to President Bush, by going here:

http://www.labourstart.org/cgi-bin/solidarityforever/
show_campaign.cgi?c=47

Please do that today -- but don't stop there.

We need to send a loud and clear message to President Bush that workers' rights are human rights. Everyone has the right to form and join trade unions, period. No exceptions.

International pressure is particularly important, as universities like Yale have global ambitions. A flood of messages from all over the globe will have an impact.

You can do your bit by forwarding on this message to other members of your union, to colleagues at work, to students, to mailing lists you subscribe to. Spread the word!

Thanks -- and have a great weekend.
Eric Lee

and we thank you Eric Lee for bringing this to our attention

Kansas City AFSCME Local 500 settle

Negotiators for Kansas City and a union representing more than 1,700 city employees have reached a tentative agreement on a pay-for-performance wage plan. It would be the first such plan for non-management city workers.

The settlement includes an incentive plan which then begs the question:
How will they be able to prevent favouritism?

The usual reasons for NOT agreeing to such a plan is that they are rife with the opportunity to have individuals passed by for increases even if they were the "better" employee, with the "bad" employee that did all of the show work garnering the favours [but none of the underlying effort to get the job done].

Look elsewhere if this is the type of agreement you are interested in obtaining!

Occupational Disease Priority Voting

Vote for priorities for occupational disease in the areas of:

• occupational cancer
  
• respiratory diseases
  
• musculoskeletal injuries
  
• infectious diseases
  
• stress
  
• occupational disease in general

by clicking on the following: http://forum05.ccohs.ca/survey/

These priorities were established by the 350 participants in the Canadian Centre for Occupational Health & Safety (CCOHS) recent conference on occupational disease. You've got till the Day of Mourning (Workers' Memorial Day) April 28th, to submit your votes.

Activist School Newsletter #2

Spring 2005

1. Introduction
2. Pilot Wave Events this Summer
3. Curriculum
4. Fundraising
5. Resources
6. Getting involved

1. Introduction

Welcome to the 2nd e-newsletter of the Centre for Living Democracy: the Activist School*! It's been awhile since you last heard from us - we've been tilted into the wind completing proposals to secure some funding support - it's slow going.

This newsletter will be short and sweet. For more information, visit the website at http://www.democracyschool.ca/ . New content for the website is currently awaiting translation and will soon be uploaded onto the site.

We welcome your feedback and your participation in the growing dialogue about what the Activist School must be to serve the needs of social movements. Please send your thoughts to info@democracyschool.ca

[We are still in search of a new name. For now, we are using the "Centre for Living Democracy: the Activist School". Please let us know if you have ideas for a new name. Send your suggestions to info@democracyschool.ca ]

2. Pilot Wave Events - Summer 2005

As you may recall, in Montreal last August the Activist School Steering Committee endorsed the development of several pilot projects during the coming year. One of these is a "wave" of multi-day political education events, with one each in Atlantic Canada, Quebec, Ontario, and the Prairies or BC. These will be organized regionally, but will have some shared programming.

The "wave" events will in some cases build on existing programs and in other cases (such as in Ontario and in the Maritimes) create wholly new programs and curricula. We plan week-long schools hosted by the Tatamagouche Centre and the Dalhousie Black Student Advisory Centre in Nova Scotia in June 2005 and in Ontario hosted by the Catalyst Centre in July 2005. A two-day course co-sponsored by the Prairie School for Union Women and the Activist School will be offered in Regina in June. We are also exploring a weekend-long mini-school in Ontario or Quebec in late summer of 2005. This event will serve as a collective evaluation of the "wave" series and a planning session of the launch of the pan-Canadian Activist School in the summer of 2006. All of these plans are, of course, dependent on funding that has yet to be secured. More details on these regional activities will be made available in future e-newsletters.

Two additional major projects were approved by the Steering Committee last summer: 1) reclaiming Black activism in Canada and 2) developing English as a Second Language (ESL) curriculum with a community engagement focus:

Akua Benjamin and Nathan Okonta have led an active group that is organizing for Black History Month and beyond. The multigenerational organizing group has been meeting regularly to discuss a number of projects and events related to reclaiming black activism. The group has persuaded the City of Toronto to put out a poster on Black activism and These were launched at an event on February 10 in Toronto. The poster has been designed and a prototype printed and plans for a booklet on the history of Black activism are underway. Research funding requests are being prepared for a full-scale book. There is a speaker's list and speakers will go to schools and organizations over the coming year, leading up to a planned conference on Black activism in 2006.

A working group has recently begun meeting to implement a project to gather past and present curricula related to ESL and political education. The group plans to build upon past work done in this area by labour, community groups, and ESL instructors and develop new ESL curriculum with a community engagement focus. The working group is being led by Amy Go of CCNC and is supported by the Catalyst Centre and a number of other individuals and organizations with experience in this area. If you know of past and present curricula (across Canada and elsewhere) relevant to this project or have experience in this area & would like to get involved, please contact Jin Huh ( jin@catalystcentre.ca).

3. Curriculum

The Curriculum Committee is compiling a list of curriculum resources (courses, workshops, and manuals) to be used in the planning of the "wave" of activities taking place this summer. These resources are being organized according to curriculum themes, identified at the curriculum meeting held in March 2004, such as Vision(ing) for the Movement We Want; Thinking Strategic / Planning Strategy; Analysis Of Power; Creating Real Links / Coalitions; Movement History; and Understanding Economics, to name a few. From this organizers of the regional activities will gain a better sense of the wealth of resources available across the country and can draw upon them as needed. At the same time, the Curriculum Committee will identify the gaps in available curriculum resources based on needs identified during Consultas, where communities express their educational and organizing needs. To meet these needs and fill the existing the Curriculum Committee will work in collaboration with the regions to design new curriculum that can be shared across the country.

4. Fundraising

The Activist School received $20,000 from the Atkinson Charitable Foundation (http://www.atkinsonfoundation.ca) to continue the development of the Activist School and to prepare a business plan. We will be seeking funding from a few sources for an 18-month development phase which will support national activities in the summer of 2005, evaluation of the successes, failures and best practices in the fall of 2005, and the design and planning for the launch of the pan-Canadian Democracy School in 2006.

5. Resources

Some links to resources and websites relevant to the Activist School:

Colours of Resistance
http://colours.mahost.org/index.html
Colours of Resistance (COR) is a grassroots network of people who consciously work to develop an anti-racist and multiracial movement against global capitalism. They offer a number of excellent "Organizing Tools" and "Articles and Analysis" on their site.

Activism with Heart: The Voices Against Violence Project
http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archive/66canavan.php
For all those interested in how Theatre of the Oppressed can be used to examine important social and political issues this article is worth a read. It describes a project in which an educational psychology class at UT Austin used Theatre of the Oppressed to examine sexual violence on campus.

Its About Time: The Coolest Portal on Fighting Hate Crime
http://www.cassa.on.ca/iat/intro.htm
This is the Council for Agencies Serving South Asians (CASSA) portal on hate crimes, where you can learn about hate crimes, order resources and also to report hate crimes. This is one of the resources developed during the course of the 'Say No To Hate Crimes' project, funded by the National Crime Prevention Strategy.

The Story Revolution: How Telling Our Stories Transforms the World
http://www.communityarts.net/readingroom/archive/66goldbard.php
A speech by Arlene Goldbard, a leading American thinker and writer on community arts, advocating a new center for local stories at Ukiah Players Theater in California.

"Action Will Be Taken" Left Anti-Intellectualism and Its Discontents
http://www.lipmagazine.org/articles/featfeatherstone_activistismp.shtml
Some provocative thinking about the relationship between activist action and the need for critical reflection by Lisa Featherstone, Doug Henwood & Christian Parenti

Popular Education For Social Change - Part I: Theory/Practice
http://www.catalystcentre.ca/Resources/Curricula/FES/FES6150Fall04.htm
This is the syllabus for an annual course in popular education given at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. The Catalyst Centre was contracted to deliver the course for the third time. Excellent reading lists.

BLOGS TO WATCH OUT FOR:

Ten Thousand Stories: Judy Rebick's Blog:
http://www.penguinblogs.ca/rebick/

Comeuppance
http://comeuppance.blogspot.com/
Thoughts on popular education, storytelling and activism for a possible better world

6. Getting Involved

Contact the following for more info:
Atlantic Canada -- Steve Law, Tatamagouche Centre sunroot@ns.sympatico.ca
Quebec - Corvin Russell, corvin@catalystcentre.ca
Ontario - Catalyst Centre: matt@catalystcentre.ca or corvin@catalystcentre.ca
Prairies -- contact Matt Adams @ Catalyst for now matt@catalystcentre.ca
BC -- Karen Mahon, Hollyhock Leadership Institute karen@hollyhockleadership.org

Job Posting Millenium Research Project

Employment Opportunity

Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation

Pilot Project Manager, Millennium Research Program

The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is accepting applications for the position of Pilot Project Manager within the Foundation's Millennium Research Program.

Reporting to the Director of Research and Program Development, the Manager's primary responsibility is to manage, in conjunction with outside partners and contractors, a new four-year policy research experiment designed to evaluate programs intended to improve access to post-secondary education for Aboriginal youth in Manitoba, and to ensure consistent, timely and cost effective implementation of this experiment. The Manager will also work with the other pilot project managers to achieve the Foundation's objectives of evaluating the relative effectiveness and efficiency of different types of early interventions intended to encourage greater participation in post-secondary education among selected groups of students.

In order to be considered, candidates should have:

§ knowledge of the main issues relating to Aboriginal education in Canada, especially at the secondary and post-secondary level;

§ familiarity with social sciences methods, including knowledge of statistical analytical tools and techniques and protocols for conducting research experiments;

§ experience in forging and managing partnerships

§ knowledge of the policies and practices for public tendering and project management;

§ strong oral and written communication skills to prepare complex reports, make presentations, and guide and persuade partners, contractors academics, government officials, volunteers and agencies involved in post-secondary education programs.

The position requires fluency in English at a level appropriate for senior-level business, government and academic exchanges and some knowledge of French. Knowledge of an Aboriginal language is an asset.

Candidates should be predisposed to working independently and showing initiative while at the same time working cooperatively within a small team and being sensitive to the needs of the project partners.

The Manager is based in the Foundation's office in Montreal but will be required from time to time to travel to project sites in Manitoba.

This is a full-time position with competitive salary and benefits.

The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is a private, independent organization created by an Act of Parliament in 1998. It distributes $300 million in the form of bursaries and scholarships each year throughout Canada.

The Millennium Research Program was launched in 2001 to assist the Foundation in carrying out its mandate to improve access to post-secondary education and provide students with the educational opportunities they need to prepare themselves for the future. The Research Program advances the study of barriers to post-secondary education and the impact of policies and programs designed to alleviate them. It ensures that policy-making and public discussion about opportunities in higher education in Canada can be informed by rigorous analysis and empirical evidence.

For more information, visit the Foundation's Web site, www.millenniumscholarships.ca.

Letters of application, including curriculum vitae and the names of three references, should be sent by mail or fax to:
Dr. Andrew Parkin
Director, Research and Program Development
Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation
1000 Sherbrooke West, Suite 800
Montreal, Quebec
H3A 3R2

Tel.: (514) 284-7239 / 1-877-786-3999
Fax : (514) 985-5987

Applications by email will not be accepted.

The position is currently open and the Foundation wishes to fill it by May 1, 2005.

CUPE at York will be Negotiating Many Agreements this Summer and Fall

Besides the Excalibur article below, CUPE Local 1356 will also be negotiating two agreements that end on August 31, and another that ends on December 31.

Excalibur
06 April 2005

CUPE 3903 will be bargaining soon

CUPE 3903, the union that represents York's contract faculty, graduate
assistants, teaching assistants and research assistants, is heading for
bargaining this summer.
Issues of job security, wage equity and benefits were some concerns raised
by their communications officer, Isabel Macdonald.

"Contract faculty members have to re-apply every year for their positions,"
says Macdonald, adding that there is no guarantee they will be rehired.

Macdonald also indicates that the University has been shifting on their
commitment to provide summer employment for PhD candidates who are teaching
assistants, "leaving them broke in the summer and overworked during other
times of the school year".

Another issue Macdonald stresses is health insurance for international
students, who are not fully covered under their benefits.

According to Macdonald, equity for Graduate Assistants (GAs) is also of
grave concern.
"GAs get paid much less than TAs and have fewer access to benefits in
comparison," says Macdonald, further adding that GAs "don't get full amount
of a tuition rebate as TAs".

Their current collective agreement expires August 31 and CUPE 3903 will be
bargaining throughout the summer.

Measuring the Quality of Post-secondary Education: New Tool Points the Way

Measuring the Quality of Post-secondary Education: New Tool Points the Way
Friday, April 8, 2005 - A new paper from CPRN ventures onto contested turf to propose a new approach to help measure the quality of post-secondary education (PSE).
A number of actors - governments, media outlets, consumer organizations, and educational institutions themselves - have tried to measure the quality of education offered by Canada's universities and colleges. The results have been controversial.
The different players have competing agendas and don't agree on how to define "quality". The resulting measures are often partial and misleading, if not inaccurate. What's more, they may be less than transparent, with many not even made public.
Measuring the Quality of Post-secondary Education: Concepts, Current Practices and a Strategic Plan, by Ross Finnie, of the School of Policy Studies at Queen's University, and Alex Usher, of the Educational Policy Institute, makes progress on this front while adopting a neutral stance among the warring parties.
Finnie and Usher assess current practice in Canada and abroad, review the range of factors affecting PSE quality and outcomes, and propose a conceptual framework for improving quality measurement in future.
"We choose not to join the debate over the purpose of the PSE system," says Finnie. "We concentrate, instead, on developing an analytical approach to help identify the factors that limit or contribute to better PSE outcomes."
The Finnie/Usher framework is straightforward, capturing the PSE experience as a story of inputs and outputs whose narrative flows like this:
* Beginning Characteristics - the characteristics and abilities of incoming students that affect the quality of their educational experience and the outcomes.
* Learning Inputs - the institutional financial resources, material inputs and the organization of those resources - comprising the determinants and characteristics of individuals' learning experiences.
* Learning Outputs - the "skill sets" or any other attributes of graduates arising from their educational experiences that help determine final outcomes.
* Final Outcomes - the more specific "ultimate ends" to which the educational system may contribute - everything from employment, income and job satisfaction, to civic participation and continued education.

"This notion of quality focuses on the value-added of the educational experience," says Finnie. "The 'higher quality experiences' are those that result in superior learning outcomes, and better final outcomes."
Finnie and Usher demonstrate, with the help of their new framework, the limitations of a number of "quality measurement" exercises, from the annual Maclean's university issue to the self-evaluation exercises undertaken by institutions.
"Each of these carves out a limited part of the overall quality assessment framework. They fall short in terms of their samples, the specific data they collect, and so on," says Usher. "Many of them ignore students' beginning characteristics, for example."
The authors find significant gaps in the data sources available to flesh out their framework. Even so, they argue, enough data are available to estimate many of the empirical relationships the model suggests and advance the cause of measuring educational quality.
For the longer term, Finnie and Usher recommend further data collection to fill the gaps. The goal is a database that is longitudinal, with full sets of information on beginning characteristics, inputs, learning outcomes and final outcomes. They conclude with suggestions for how that database might be constructed, presumably under the direction of Statistics Canada.
"There is no 'silver bullet' in looking at educational quality," says Finnie, "There are no simple measures you can point to and say 'Yes, there is quality. Let's have some more of it.' But our framework does help us think about this important and difficult issue in an intelligent fashion. It will advance the cause of a better, more accountable education system more than all the smoke, mirrors, and hot-headed debates that have characterised 'the measurement of quality' to date."

Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc. - 600-250 Albert Street, Ottawa, ON K1P 6M1
Tel: (613) 567-7500 - Fax: (613) 567-7640 - Web site: www.cprn.org

courtesy of
Teresa Healy

University, Inc.

Teresa Healy supplied this item

This is a great article reflecting on problems with intellectual property rights and corporate involvement in US campuses. Thanks to Erika Shaker, CCPA, for finding and distributing it.

1. http://www.corpwatch.org/article.php?id=12066

University, Inc.
An Interview with author, Jennifer Washburn.

In 1998, the University of California at Berkeley struck a deal with
Novartis, a Swiss agricultural-biotechnology firm (now called Syngenta). The
agreement required Novartis to fund one-third of the research budget of a
department within the university¹s College of Natural Resources.

CAUT Joins EI Lobby of World Trade Negotiators

CAUT joined an international delegation last month in an intensive three-day lobby of senior trade negotiators at the World Trade Organization headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.
Organized by Education International, which represents 350 teachers' organizations worldwide, the lobbying meetings focused on persuading key countries not to make trade commitments on education and other public services during the current negotiating process to expand the controversial General Agreement on Trade in Services.

Alejandro Jara, above, chair of the WTO's Trade Services Committee & the person responsible for overseeing the GATS talks, met with CAUT's David Robinson & the EI delegation in February.
David Robinson, associate executive director at CAUT, who was invited to take part in the lobby by EI's deputy general secretary, Elie Jouen, was joined by Carolyn Allport of the Australian National Tertiary Education Union, Angela Roger of the U.K. Association of University Teachers, Ann Shadwick of the U.S. National Education Association, EI's chief coordinator for Africa, Assibi Napoé, EI's coordinator of education and employment, Monique Fouilhoux and Mike Waghorne of Public Services International.
"While education isn't the most important issue in the current round of talks, it's nevertheless one of the key sectors that governments in developed countries are putting on the table in an effort to open up markets in the South," Robinson said.
He said that in 1994, when the GATS was first implemented as part of the so-called Uruguay Round negotiations, many developing countries made commitments to opening up trade in education services, granting foreign providers almost unfettered access to local markets.
But faced with an influx of private providers of dubious quality, many of those countries are now wondering whether that was a wise decision.
Ransford Smith, Jamaican ambassador to the WTO, told the EI delegation that while he's not certain that his country's decision to open up education services in the GATS has had any direct negative consequences to date, he did admit there was little consideration given to the long-term impact of trade liberalization on Jamaica's education system.

Ambassador Ransford Smith & foreign service officer Cheryl Spencer, left, talk to the EI delegation about Jamaica's decision to open up education services in the GATS.
"The fundamental problem is that there is a lack of technical capacity when it comes to negotiating trade agreements in the less developed countries," Smith said. "Consequently, I think it's safe to say that some less developed countries were not aware of what they were doing when they made commitments under GATS in the last round of talks."
Pakistan's negotiator, Shaista Sohail, said her country was experiencing "a real lack of technical expertise when it comes to assessing where and how far we should liberalize."
Sohail said her ministry turned to an outside consultant to provide advice on whether to make GATS commitments on education services. The consultant recommended that Pakistan fully liberalize its primary, secondary and higher education sectors.
Robinson says when the EI delegation asked about the potential impact of GATS commitments on specific educational policies in Pakistan, Sohail admitted further consideration would have to be made before an official offer was tabled.
Other countries, however, will not have the luxury to second-guess the advice they've received. On Feb. 21, Indonesia tabled its initial GATS offer, opening its education and health sectors to foreign service providers.
"Many developing countries are being told that if they make GATS commitments, more foreign providers will be encouraged to set up shop and that will help meet the educational needs of their citizens and promote development," Robinson said. "But what they aren't told is that GATS commitments seriously narrow the policy space that governments need in order to regulate in a way that best meets their development needs. And the influx of private and for-profit providers just undermines an already weak public education system in these countries."
For these reasons, Robinson said, some countries he met with in Geneva, such as Brazil and South Africa, have publicly declared their opposition to including education in GATS.
"The cornerstone of our position is that the GATS should not apply to public services like education," said Audo Araùjo Faleiro of the permanent mission of Brazil. "There are just too many ambiguities and uncertainties in the GATS. In our view, GATS rules badly need clarification to reaffirm the right of states to regulate and set policy."
For many industrialized countries, however, the GATS is seen as one way to open up a whole new frontier of commercial opportunities in the developing world by allowing their providers access to compete in sectors that have traditionally been seen as public services like education.
"We don't have a purely commercial interest, but it's no secret that exports of education services are quite significant and important for us," said William Thorn, education counsellor with the Australian delegation, when he met with the EI group. "We are simply asking that other countries do as we do and provide our exporters with secure market access."
Along with Australia, the United States, New Zealand, Norway and Japan have also requested that countries make GATS commitments on education services.
Canada, by contrast, remains one of the few developed nations to date that has refused to negotiate education services.
"We will make no commitments on education services and have made no requests of other countries," said Bernard Li, deputy director of Canada's Services Trade Policy Division. "There are a number of countries who are very interested in the education sector. We have received requests from a number of them for us to make commitments on education services. We have said no and will continue to say no."
Over the course of the three days of meetings in Geneva, the EI group met with a dozen official country delegations and with Alejandro Jara, chair of the WTO's Trade Services Committee and the person responsible for overseeing the GATS talks.
In a surprisingly frank exchange, Jara admitted that negotiations were proceeding sluggishly for a number of reasons, including problems with the GATS itself.
"GATS is a young agreement, and as such it contains many ambiguities that we will probably need to clarify," Jara said. "There's also a need, I believe, to look at the quality of the rules. Now, when you couple this with the fact that we simply don't know how to negotiate services in an efficient way and that we are ill-equipped to deal with the fine policy matters in the area of services, it's not really a surprise then that we're facing an uncertain future."
However, Jamaica's ambassador went further, saying the talks may have reached an impasse.
"My view is that perhaps services liberalization may have gone as far as it can or should for now," Smith said.
Despite the slow pace of progress, however, CAUT's Robinson warned that EI and its affiliates need to continue their lobbying efforts both nationally and internationally to ensure more countries keep education services out of GATS.
"There can be a real snowball effect when even one country says it will not make a commitment on education," he said.
With this goal in mind, EI is planning a special seminar on the GATS and education at UNESCO headquarters in Paris in April.
As Elie Jouen of EI points out, "We've talked to the trade representatives. The next step at the seminar will be for us to talk to each country's education representative for UNESCO."

OUWCC Petition Read into Ontario Hansard

Several Toronto OUWCC [Ontario University Workers Co-ordinating Committee] reps, Mary Catherine McCarthy and CUPE members from U of T met with Mr. Rosario Marchese last Friday and on Monday April 11 he read into the House of Commons the following CUPE petition OUWCC created:

Ontario Hansard - 11-April2005
POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION

Mr. Rosario Marchese (Trinity-Spadina): "To the Legislative Assembly of Ontario:

"Whereas rebuilding our post-secondary education system is critical to the
future of our communities and our province; and

"Whereas high tuition user fees are resulting in massive student debt;
and

"Whereas Ontario ranks second-last among all provinces in terms of total PSE
budget received from government grants and has the highest percentage of total post-secondary education revenues from private sources; and

"Whereas working and learning conditions must be healthy and safe, because
working conditions are learning conditions; and

"Whereas the deferred maintenance cost at Ontario university campuses is estimated to have already reached the $2-billion mark;

"We, the undersigned, support the Canadian Union of Public Employees' call
on the provincial government to invest sufficient public funds that will:

"(1) Restore public money cut from operating funds since 1995 and bring Ontario up to the national average for funding post-secondary education;

"(2) Finance the $1.98 billion needed for deferred maintenance; and

"(3) Provide the funding needed to continue the tuition freeze beyond 2006
and increase grants to working-class families."

Urgent reform needed after Tiger Brand Knitting allowed to close, say Steelworkers

TORONTO, April 12 /CNW/ - United Steelworkers Ontario/Atlantic Director Wayne Fraser is calling for immediate changes to Canada's bankruptcy laws after a decision yesterday by Ontario Superior Court Justice Colin Campbell approved the sale of Cambridge-based Tiger Brand Knitting Company Ltd. to a numbered company, which will close the plant and move clothing production to China.

The company has been under bankruptcy protection through the Companies' Creditors Arrangement Act (CCAA) since September 2004.

"There's something fundamentally wrong with the process when the rights of ordinary people can be ignored by the greedy money lenders," said Fraser. "The judge ignored another offer that would have kept the plant operating and people working because of procedural technicalities. Instead, GMAC Commercial Finance Corporation, Tiger Brand's principle secured creditor, will walk away with better than 90-cents on a dollar of what they are owed. And the former owners have secured management positions for themselves in the new company. Our members are left without a job, a source of income, termination pay and severance pay.

"A private member's bill has been introduced that would change the current imbalance and put workers' interests ahead of big banks and well-financed creditors in proceedings surrounding bankruptcy and restructuring," said Fraser. "It must become a public policy priority to minimize the economic impact of bankruptcy on the workers caught up in them. Workers should be first on the list to recover their lost wages and income from the assets of a bankrupt employer, instead of the last.

"With the loss of more than 300 jobs from the local economy, hopefully Cambridge's Conservative MP Gary Goodyear will get behind the bill and offer his constituents some support."

The union has opened Transitions Action Centre for TBK Employees in Cambridge (7 Grand Ave.) to assist employees in finding other work.

Tiger Brand employees are members of the Steelworkers' Local 862. The company has operated in Canada for over 120 years. Employees work in the knitting, cutting, sewing and dyeing facilities.

For further information: Wayne Fraser, (416) 577-4045

Closing the Quality Gap: The Case for Hiring 11,000 Faculty by 2010

OCUFA Report on the link above

Globe & Mail Article

quoted from the Globe and Mail read the whole article from the above link Ontario's universities have the worst student-faculty ratio in the country and unless the provincial government allocates millions of dollars to hire professors, students will receive a second-rate education, warns a new report.

PACE Members Vote to Merge with Steelworkers Union

Las Vegas, Nevada, April 12, 2005—Over 1,600 delegates from the Paper, Allied-Industrial, Chemical and Energy Workers (PACE) Intl. Union voted overwhelmingly today to merge with the United Steelworkers of America.

“This is truly a great moment in our union’s history,” said PACE President Boyd Young. “Our members have voted to secure the future for themselves and the next generation of workers.”

“This merger rings in a new day for the labor movement in the U.S. and Canada,” said Leo Gerard, president of the Steelworkers. “Our members’ hands will be greatly strengthened in bargaining with multinational employers, and politically we’ll have considerably more clout in combating the assault on workers’ rights that is threatening to undermine decades of social and economic progress in both countries—especially among the thousands of unrepresented workers we’re determined to organize in both countries.”

The new union will be called the United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers Intl. Union or the USW for short.

The combined union will have over 850,000 active members in over 8,000 bargaining units in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It will be the largest industrial union in North America, and will be the dominant union in paper, forestry products, steel, aluminum, tire and rubber, mining, glass, chemicals, petroleum and other basic resource industries.

“By joining with the Steelworkers, we will have greater resources to organize in our key sectors, influence bargaining and create cooperative partnerships with companies that recognize the benefits of a productive labor-management relationship,” said Young. “This merger gives our members much more power in the workplace.”

USWA President Leo Gerard will be the president of the USW. Young will be the executive vice president.

Under the merger agreement, PACE will continue to have an office in Nashville, Tenn., for the next ten years.

31 Custodians Fired by McMaster University Await Re-call - Union Plans Campaign

HAMILTON, ON, April 12 /CNW/ - Despite promises made by McMaster
University that it would re-hire 31 custodians terminated just days prior to a
union vote, many of those workers say they have not received a call to return
to work. Those that have been called say they are receiving only a small
fraction of the hours they worked prior to being terminated by McMaster.
On March 19th the University sent termination letters to all 31 of its
part-time custodians, just three days before a vote was to be conducted by the
Ontario Labour Relations Board. The vote proceeded and workers voted
unanimously in favour of joining the Service Employees International Union
(SEIU). Following the vote the union initiated legal action against the
University and threatened to set up picket lines. The University subsequently
agreed to reinstate the terminated workers in negotiations brokered by Wayne
Marston, President of the Hamilton and District Labour Council.

"We reached a deal with McMaster University based on their assurances
that people would be called back to work. McMaster hasn't delivered.
Many employees have not received a call to return to work. Those that
have are only getting an occasional shift. This is not what the
University promised."
- Diane Coventry, McMaster University Custodian

In response to the University's actions, SEIU plans to launch a campaign
under the banner "Justice for Janitors" aimed at pressuring the University
into recalling the terminated custodians.

"We plan to take our message to all of the University's functions.
Whether it's the arrival of the Tiger Cats on campus or the awarding
of an honorary degree to Jean Chretien, we will be there, making
noise."
- Tom Galivan, SEIU

Service Employees International Union represents over 1.8 million workers
in North America in every sector of the economy.



For further information: Media Contact: Tom Galivan, Service Employees
International Union, (905) 870-2709

Lakehead Maintenance Workers on Strike

The local newspaper in Thunder Bay is reporting that the strike started on Monday as exams were starting.

The biggest issue is the replacement of retiring and leaving unionized workers, with contractor supplied workers.

Fish Farmer Workers Join Steel

Steelworkers win first-ever certification of farm fish processing facilities

PORT HARDY, BC, April 11 /CNW/ - Fish processing plant and cold storage workers have joined Canada’s largest private sector union. Late last week the BC Labour Relations Board (BCLRB) granted the United Steelworkers’

Local 1-2171 the legal right to represent some 160 employees at Pan Fish Group (Omega Salmon Group).

The certification marks the Steelworkers’ first-ever presence in the farm fish processing industry. On Vancouver Island there are over 500 workers employed in the processing part of the industry, which is largely non-union.

Local 1-2171 president Darrel Wong welcomes the new members into the union and says the Steelworkers look forward to holding elections for the plant committee, negotiating committee and health and safety committee representatives.

“We are very pleased that the workers at Pan Fish have decided to join our union,” says Wong. “There are some serious issues that must be addressed including fair treatment of workers by their employer and dignity on the job.”

The first phase of the organizing campaign began in February 2004, when the local union was part of the Industrial, Wood and Allied Workers of Canada (IWA Canada). The union applied for certification in December 2004, some three months after the merger of IWA Canada and the Steelworkers on September 1, 2004. The ballot box was closed by the BCLRB until late last week.

“Workers in this growing industry have long required proper representation when it comes to wages, working conditions and health and safety conditions,” says Wong. “We congratulate the workers for taking the necessary steps to join the Steelworkers and we look forward to working with them. This is just the start of our union’s organizing drive on the coast of British Columbia. We intend to reach out to organize workers throughout the entire fish farming and processing industries.”

The United Steelworkers represents more than 255,000 men and women in every sector of Canada’s economy.

-30-

Union Blues Lift in Chicago

Home Daycare workers in Illinois now can join a union. Read the article in The Nation.

Part-time Work Displacing Full-time Work

The Globe & Mail contained the above report including commentary from the CLC.

Sodexho workers unite

UNITE HERE, SEIU team up to unionize 120 employees at two worksites in
Toronto

TORONTO, April 9 /CNW/ - Sodexho workers at two worksites in Toronto have
voted to join UNITE HERE after a successful campaign carried out jointly with
the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Canada.
"These Sodexho workers will now have real power to improve their working
lives by banding together," says Alex Dagg, Canadian Director of UNITE HERE.
"We are delighted to welcome them to our union."
The applications for certification to represent Sodexho workers at
Christie Gardens retirement home and at St. Michael's College were filed
simultaneously with the Ontario Labour Relations Board on April 1. The votes
were held on April 8.
"SEIU and UNITE HERE have demonstrated the power of solidarity on this
campaign," says Sharleen Stewart, International Canadian Vice President with
SEIU. "We teamed up to ensure that, together, these workers will have a
brighter future."
The new UNITE HERE members work in food services for Sodexho as cooks,
servers and dishwashers.
"We decided to join the union because we all want to be treated equally
and with respect on the job," says Fernando Jorge, who works for Sodexho at
St. Michael's College. "Now, we will be able to demand this from our
employer."

UNITE HERE is a union representing over 50,000 members in Canada and more
than 440,000 people across North America.

SEIU is North America's largest and fastest growing union. SEIU
represents 1.8 million members, with 93,000 in Canada.

For further information: Media Contacts: Brad James, UNITE HERE,
(416) 510-0887, ext. 232; Bill Hulme, SEIU, (416) 458-7309; Carl
Mavromichalis, National Communications Coordinator, SEIU Canada,
(416) 951-4905

Womens Centres: Job Postings (4)

We're happy to annouce that the Centre will be hiring 2 workstudy positions this summer- a Women of Colour Equity Education Researcher and a Trans Health Equity Education and Researcher. Both positions are part-time at $15.07 per hour, and runs from May - August 2005. Check the postings below.

Also included in this email are 2 positings for Co-coordinators at the Women's Centre at the University of Toronto, St. George (downtown) campus. Please forward this far and wide.

Please note, the YWC is open during the summer. Feel free to drop-in and say hello. Currently we're planning our Summer and Fall programing, so if you have a project that you'd like to run out of the Centre or would like our support in any way, get in touch. Hope you're all savouring this gorgeous weather!

Take care,
Ash Yoon & Kemba Byam.
**********************
_______________________________________________________________________________
Trans Health Equity Education and Researcher at YORK UNIVERSITY
Deadline to apply: Friday, May 6th at 5pm.

Description:

This position will assess the systemic barriers that face trans, intersex, and two-spirited people with a focus on their access to health services and their academic experiences. Must be a Full-time York University student to be eligible for this position.

Responsibilities:

- Outreach to trans, intersex, and two-spirited people on campus and in the broader community
- Network with existing equity groups on campus and in the surrounding community
- Research and develop a summary report describing health issues pertaining to trans, intersex, and two-spirited people; available services on campus and in the broader community; barriers in accessing services; suggesting ways of overcoming them
- From the summary report, developing an educational resource for Students, Members of the community-at-large, Professors, Counselors, Administrators and Student Organizations
- Work with the Resource Library Committee to update resources pertaining to trans, intersex, and two-spirited people
- Maintain clear and open communication with other staff members, Collective members, Volunteer members and Committees at the Centre

Qualifications:

- Commitment to social justice and anti-oppression framework
- Demonstrate a feminist, trans-positive and trans-inclusive analysis of oppression
- Understandings of systemic, historical and everyday realities, barriers and oppressions
- Excellent interpersonal and analytical skills
- Experience with non-hierarchal or consensus based decision making
- Commitment to maintaining a healthy, progressive work place
- Previous experiences with working and contacting workshop facilitators and scheduling on and off campus meetings
- Maintaining feedback and evaluation forms for facilitators
- Maintain dialogue and follow-up meetings and contacts with service seekers
- Assisting clients through appointment accompaniment to outside agencies upon request
- Able to act as liaison with outside agencies and represent the Centre, its policies, procedures and programs
- Knowledge of Volunteer recruitment, development and training
- Providing input to the Collective regarding policies, procedures and training medications to suite the needs of volunteers

This position will provide the workstudy student with opportunities to develop leadership, research and facilitation skills, to build community and campus networks, as well as increase their knowledge of issues facing trans, intersex, and two-spirited people. The Centre practices equity hiring and provides opportunities for employment for Aboriginal people, people of color, people with disabilities and trans people. This position would not be available without the assistance of the workstudy program. Must be a Full-time York University student to be eligible for this position.

Contact Person: Attn: Hiring Committee - Trans Health Equity Education and Researcher
Telephone No.: (no phone calls please)
Apply by Email: workstudy_ywc@hotmail.com
________________________________________________________________________________
AND

Women of Colour Equity Education Researcher at YORK UNIVERSITY
Deadline to apply: Friday, May 6th at 5pm.

Description:

This position will assess the systemic barriers that face women and trans people of colour, including Aboriginal and mixed-race women and trans people at York University, with a focus on their access to services and their academic experiences. Must be a Full-time York University student to be eligible for this position.

Responsibilities:

- Outreach to women and trans people of colour, including Aboriginal and mixed-race women and trans people
- Organize and facilitate the Centre’s Aboriginal, Mixed-race Women and Trans people of Colour group
- Network with existing equity groups on campus and in the surrounding community
- Research and develop a summary report describing the barriers and suggesting ways of overcoming them
- From the summary report, developing an educational resource for Students, Members of the community-at-large, Professors, Counselors, Administrators and Student Organizations
- Work with the Resource Library Committee to update resources pertaining to women and trans people of colour, including Aboriginal and mixed-race women and trans people
- Maintain clear and open communication with other staff members, Collective members, Volunteer members and Committees at the Centre

Qualifications:

- Commitment to social justice and anti-oppression framework
- Demonstrate a feminist, trans-positive and trans-inclusive analysis of oppression
- Understandings of systemic, historical and everyday realities, barriers and oppressions
- Excellent interpersonal and analytical skills
- Experience with non-hierarchal or consensus based decision making
- Commitment to maintaining a healthy, progressive work place
- Previous experiences with working and contacting workshop facilitators and scheduling on and off campus meetings
- Maintaining feedback and evaluation forms for facilitators
- Maintain dialogue and follow-up meetings and contacts with service seekers
- Assisting clients through appointment accompaniment to outside agencies upon request
- Able to act as liaison with outside agencies and represent the Centre, its policies, procedures and programs
- Knowledge of Volunteer recruitment, development and training
- Providing input to the Collective regarding policies, procedures and training medications to suite the needs of volunteers

This position will provide the workstudy student with opportunities to develop leadership, research and facilitation skills, to build community and campus networks, as well as increase their knowledge of issues facing women and trans people of colour, including Aboriginal and mixed-race women and trans people. The Centre practices equity hiring and provides opportunities for employment for Aboriginal people, people of color, people with disabilities and trans people. This position would not be available without the assistance of the workstudy program. Must be a Full-time York University student to be eligible for this position.

Contact Person: Attn: Hiring Committee - Women of Colour Equity Education Researcher
Telephone No.: (no phone calls please)
Apply: by Email workstudy_ywc@hotmail.com

_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
2 full-time positions for Co-coordinators open at the
U of T Women's Centre

Application Deadline: April 28th, 2005

The Women's Centre at the University of Toronto is committed to providing a safe harassment-free, drop-in space for all women on campus as well as in the community. The Centre is a student-funded, volunteer driven, non-profit campus and community organization governed by Our Collective. The Centre provides support, referrals, resources and advocacy on issues of poverty, food security, health, violence, racism, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, classism, ableism and ageism, through our peer support program, food security programs, workshops and educational programming. The Centre is dedicated to creating an anti-oppressive environment, promoting space for community organizing and the sharing of life experiences. The Centre's programming is designed based on the needs of the people we serve and has included initiatives around health and childcare. The Centre welcomes ideas for building solidarity and strong sense of community both on campus and in the wider community.

Role of the Coordinators is to provide continuity and stability within a continually changing environment. The Coordinators carry out the responsibilities that maintain the integrity of the organization, support students and clients through peer support, case management, workshops and training as well as referrals, assist with volunteer development and provide connections to the community.


1. Women's Centre Co-Coordinator - Administration and Peer Support

Start Date: May, 2005

Position Status: Full time permanent position at 30 Hours per week occasional evenings and weekends

Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 11am - 6 pm , Friday 11 am - 4 pm

Starting Salary: $19.00 per hour + benefits

The Women's Centre practices equity hiring and strongly encourages people who are surviving racism, colonization, poverty, transphobia, homophobia, ableism and sexism to apply for paid positions, to be a member of the collective or to volunteer at the Centre.

Qualifications and Essential Skills:

- Life and work experience or equivalent post-secondary degree social sciences,
social work or a related field
- Strong interpersonal & oral communication skills, writing, analytic and
organizational skills
- Ability to work well both independently and in groups a must; experience working in a collective setting an asset
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple demands
- Experience working with varied communities
- Group facilitation and supervisory skills
- Knowledge of issues pertaining to women and gender
- Understanding of and experience working within an Anti-Oppression framework
- Experience writing grant applications and proposals
- Experience in Financial Management and Accounting; experience with QuickBooks is an asset
- Background and experience in counseling and knowledge of Toronto Social service agencies
- Knowledge of food security issues; an interest in food preparation is an asset
- Knowledge of community/campus issues an asset
- Knowledge of Microsoft Office and computers an asset

Responsibilities:

Financial Management and Fundraising
Manage all financial aspects of the Centre including:

Design and update budget to present to Collective and funders
Bookkeeping, Banking, preparing for the audit for the Centre
Payroll and Purchasing for the Centre
Write all grant applications, including work-study, special projects, and summer
career placement grants
Coordinate other fundraising initiatives

Collective Management

Scheduling and preparing for Collective meetings
Follow-up on decisions made in Collective meetings
Co-organize orientations of new Collective members including developing an
orientation package

Peer Support Program
Responsible for the overall operations of this program including:
- Provide peer support, counseling, case management, referrals, and follow up for students and community members
- Training and management of peer support Volunteers and work study students
- Participate in Women's Safety Network meetings
- Ensure the Centre is stocked with relevant resource materials

Food Security Program
Responsible for the overall operations of this program including:

Coordinate the Community Cupboard and the Good Food Box
Attend Food Bank meetings
Coordinate "The Spice" (a community cooking program)

General Duties

Maintain office hours and attend collective meetings
- Liaise with campus, community groups, U of T Administration and Student Governments
- Hire and supervise part-time positions including workstudy and HRDC students
- Participate in training initiatives that are relevant to your duties at the Centre
- Ensure the general upkeep and cleanliness of the Centre

How to apply:
Applicants must provide a resume, cover letter (please state the position(s) you are applying for), and a single spaced one page statement. If writing a statement poses an obstacle due to a disability or issues around language, please advise the Centre and we will develop an alternative. The one page statement is based on the following question:

You have been given a large grant to start up a University Women's Centre. What
essential elements (programming, space usage, policies etc.) do you think are
necessary to include in your Centre?

Applications can be mailed, emailed, faxed or dropped off at the Centre.

c/o of the Hiring Committee.
womens.centre@utoronto.ca
416 978-1078 (fax)
563 Spadina Ave. Room 100
Toronto, ON M5S 2J7

No phone calls please. Only successful candidates will be contacted.


________________________________________________________________________________
2. Women's Centre Co-Coordinator - Volunteer and Communications

Start Date: July, 2005

Position Status: 1 year contract, 30 Hours per week occasional evenings and weekends

Hours of Operation: Monday to Thursday 11am to 6pm, Friday 11am to 4pm

Starting Salary: $19.00 per hour + benefits


The Women's Centre practices equity hiring and strongly encourages people who are surviving racism, colonization, poverty, transphobia, homophobia, ableism and sexism to apply for paid positions, to be a member of the collective or to volunteer at the Centre.

Qualifications and Essential Skills:

- Life and work experience or equivalent post-secondary degree social sciences,
social work or a related field
- Strong interpersonal & oral communication skills, writing, analytic and
organizational skills
- Ability to work well both independently and in groups a must ; experience working in a collective setting an asset
- Ability to prioritize and manage multiple demands
- Experience working with varied communities
- Excellent facilitation skills and experience in developing workshops and trainings
- Experience in events and campaign coordination
- Volunteer and employee management experience
- Outreach, coalition building, media and communications experience
- Excellent computer skills ; computer networking skills an asset
- Experience in web development and graphics
- Knowledge of issues pertaining to women and gender
- Understanding of and experience working within an Anti-Oppression framework
- Knowledge of community/campus issues an asset
- Knowledge of libraries an asset

Responsibilities:

Outreach and Volunteer Management
- Act as a liaison between neighboring Women's Centre, campus and community groups, U of T Administration and Student Governments, and allied organizations
- Represent the Centre at various meetings and coalitions ; respond to media inquiries
- Maintain Website, bulletin boards, displays and tables
- Compile and send out e-Newsletter Â
- Correspondence (email and phone)
- Design promotional material, annual report, press releases and other printed
material
- Recruitment, orientation and supervision of new volunteers
- Maintain volunteer database
- Attend Health and Safety meetings
- Maintain child space, breastfeeding area, and kitchen area
- Maintain room bookings and act a liaison with outside groups who use the space

Collective Management

Ensuring Collective Meetings engage in Consensus Decision Making and effective,
collective-style meeting facilitation
Co-organize orientations of new Collective members

Campaign Coordination
Responsible for the overall programming including:
- Coordinate skill training and education programming of various Centre campaigns including Women of Colour and Trans awareness programs
- Coordinate annual events i.e., Take Back the Night, December 6th, International Women's Day
- Coordinate special events

Resource Centre

Participate in the Resource Centre committee (the committee is run jointly with
OPIRG; it coordinates the functioning of the Resource Centre and its programming)
Ensure the archiving of Centre programming

General Duties

Maintain office hours and attend collective meetings
Hire and supervise part-time positions including workstudy and HRDC students
Participate in training initiatives that are relevant to your duties at the Centre
Ensure the general upkeep and cleanliness of the Centre

How to apply:

Applicants must provide a resume, cover letter (please state the position(s) you are applying for), and a single spaced one page statement. If writing a statement poses an obstacle due to a disability or issues around language, please advise the Centre and we will develop an alternative. The one page statement is based on the following question:

You have been given a large grant to start up a University Women's Centre. What
essential elements (programming, space usage, policies etc.) do you think are necessary to include in your Centre?

Applications can be mailed, emailed, faxed or dropped off at the Centre:

c/o of the Hiring Committee.
womens.centre@utoronto.ca
416 978-1078 (fax)
563 Spadina Ave. Room 100
Toronto, ON M5S 2J7

No phone calls please. Only successful candidates will be contacted.