TSSU sets up picket lines for first days of classes

» Union decides to increase pressure on university following unproductive day at the bargaining table

Allison Roach
The Peak

he Teaching Support

Staff Union (TSSU) has
announced its intention to set
up picket lines at SFU Burnaby

of the Fall semester.

The day of the
announcement, the TSSU and
SFU had just completed the
first of three scheduled days
of mediated bargaining, from
Wednesday through Friday, in
the hopes of reaching a collective
agreement, the first bargaining
in six weeks. The mediation was
overseen by the Labour Relations
Board.

In a statement sent out to
union members and posted on
their website on Wednesday
evening, the TSSU expressed
that “SFU Administration is still
stalling and is still unprepared
to negotiate,” leading them
to believe that “even more
pressure is required to reach a
fair Collective Agreement.” The
mediation was cut short after
two days, with the parties not
returning to the table on Friday.

“On the first day of
mediation, SFU Administration
did not bring a single proposal to
the table,” stated George Temple,
TSSU spokesperson. “After six
weeks to prepare for mediation,
SFU Administration brought
excuses instead of proposals. In
light of that, TSSU announced

week.”

Kurt Heinrich, director of
University Communications,
emphasized the difference

: between advocacy and disruption :
: in his response to the TSSU :
: decision.

He stated, “We are

: disappointed that the TSSU is

: targeting students, and even

: impacting the livelihood of their
during the first two days of classes } OWN members, in an attempt to
: influence their own negotiating

: position.

“The University is hopeful

that the TSSU will ultimately
: decide not to disrupt the first
: week of school.”

The picket lines are

: scheduled to be set up around

: the Applied Sciences Building

: from 7:30 a.m. until noon on

: September 8, and around the

: Academic Quadrangle beginning
: from 4:30 p.m. until 10:30 p.m.

: on September 9, coinciding with
: SFU’s 5oth anniversary “Celebrate :
: and Savour” event, an evening of
: entertainment anddining to be

: held in the AQ Gardens well into
: the night.

Picket lines were also set up

: during orientation day, the week
: before classes.

Going into mediation, both

: the university and the union
: “prepared and shared confidential :
: briefing documents outlining

: their positions and proposals,’

: according to Heinrich. The

: university stated that they tabled
: five new proposals during the

: two days of mediation, two of

: which the TSSU replied to in

: manner that suggest that they

: are “unwilling to work towards

that picket lines would begin next : Consensus.

Heinrich also emphasized

: the university’s commitment to
: coming to a mutual agreement
: with the TSSU, pointing to

: the fact that SFU has recently

: agreed ona tentative Collective

: Agreement with CUPE 3338 and
: have made “significant progress”
: in bargaining with the SFU

: Faculty Association.

There are no upcoming

: mediation sessions scheduled
: thus far.

The TSSU is asking all

: its members to respect and

This strike escalation builds

: on the withholding of grades,

: which began in late July. The

: union stated that grades will

: “remain sealed and will not be
: released until an agreement is
: reached.”

Students were invited by

the TSSU to apply for their

 

: grades to be released if special

: circumstances existed. Ina

: letter sent out by the TSSU to

: applicants to graduate, the union
: outlined that the university

: does have measures in place to

: allow students to be considered

: for graduation without their

: transcripts being completed, and
: therefore won't be releasing the

: grades of those students.

: participate in the picketing, which :
: may cause class cancellations for
: students’ first days back to school, :
: dependent on individual faculty
: members, teaching assistants,

: and other class facilitators.

A grade appeal process for

: those cases of students who are

facing immediate deportation—

: within the next 30 days—is now

: in effect, though the union warns
: that it may no longer be possible
: to process grade requests as all

: the withheld grades are currently
: sealed within the SFU Archives.

“We feel that ending the

: grade appeal process will force

: SFU Administration to deal with
: the problem now,’ said Temple.

: “We don’t want to drag out this
disruptive job action for another

Image by Phoebe-Lim

> semester.”

Heinrich stated: “The

: University is committed to

: protecting the interests and

: experience of SFU students, and
: will do all [they] can to minimize
: disruption and impact on SFU

: students.”

Mitigating actions by

: the university have included

: academic advisors working one-
> on-one with students concerned
: about their grades, creating

: formal letters of explanation

: of the current labour situation

: to be given to external agencies

: and other universities, and

: encouraging students who have
: questions around their progress
: to reach out to their instructors
: for verbal feedback.

Heinrich concluded, “We're

hopeful that we will be able to
: get a fair and respectful deal soon
: with the TSSU.”

 

Going Green with Kyle Routledge

» A spotlight on New Westminster-Burnaby’s Green Party Candidate

Mercedes Deutscher
News Editor
M4 news@theotherpress.ca

Cee has already

experienced an eventful
election season, and there’s
undoubtedly more to happen
over the next six weeks before
voters head to cast their ballots.
Many voters will become so
sensationalized with a party’s
leader that they may forget to
become informed about the
workings of their riding’s MP
candidates.

One of those candidates is
Kyle Routledge, the Green Party
candidate for the riding of New
Westminster-Burnaby.

Routledge places an
emphasis on issues of student

  

ss
Kyle Routledge

: concern, particularly the ability
: of post-secondary graduates

: to be able to find work in their

: field. Routledge says that he

: understands the struggle that

: many graduates find upon

: completing their education, as he :
: graduated from post-secondary
: in 2008 and had difficulty finding :
: ajob in his field until three years:
: later.

Photo via Kyle Routledge

In relation to the Green Party :
: platform, Routledge desires for

: students to have easier access to

: post-secondary education. The

: educational platform includes

: abolishing tuition fees for

: low-income students and loan

: forgiveness for student loans that
: exceed $10,000.

Transportation is an issue

: that Routledge recognizes

: resonates with New Westminster

: residents. Routledge has taken

: note of the growing population

: of New Westminster as a factor to
: consider with the development

: of further transportation

: infrastructure, focusing on public
: transit and the Pattullo Bridge in

: particular.

“I would be a champion for

: the people of New Westminster

in Ottawa to improve our public

: transit system, and to look at

: all the different improvements

: we need and see how we can

: implement them through federal
: funding,” Routledge explained to
: the Other Press. “I realize that the :
: need for growth is there.’

Another issue Routledge

: wishes to tackle as an MP is

: the export of US thermal coals,

: particularly by train, through

: New Westminster. Routledge is

: the only candidate in the New

: Westminster-Burnaby riding

: who is in opposition of shipping
: these coals, as opposed to other
: candidates who wish to deliberate :
: another option and to conduct
: environmental assessments.

“I do environmental

: sos ”
> assessments for a living...

: explains Routledge. “T will tell you
: that it does not matter how well

: the assessment is done or what

: changes are made to the system,

: nothing will change the fact that

: the people of New Westminster

do not want this coal dust

: blowing into our communities.”

Routledge also explained

: how the Green Party functions,

: in particular to voter autonomy.

: Unlike other national parties,

: Green Party MP’s are not required
: tovote alongside party lines.

“That’s one of the great things

: about the Green Party; they truly
: represent their constituents.”

Those who wish to know

: more about Kyle Routledge, other
: candidates, or the Green Party in
: general, can visit the Green Party
: website: greenparty.ca