CUPE 4163 thanks CUPE 917 & 951

philipcox bargaining

This letter was sent to all CUPE 4163 members over the weekend:

Bargaining dates for CUPE 917, 951 and 4163 are set for this week.  All three locals are hopeful that the University will come to the bargaining table prepared to address the union’s outstanding non-cost bargaining proposals in a meaningful way.  If we are successful in getting the non-cost issues out of the way, financial (or cost) issues will be all that is left to bargain.

CUPE  4163 thanks CUPE  917 and 951 for their resolve to picket, which has put pressure on the employer to come to the table. It is through this “no local left behind” solidarity that we will reach a positive long term solution for workers and students at UVic.

Thank you CUPE 917 and 951 – We support your efforts.

For your information – Monday’s picket activity at the University of Victoria:

CUPE 917 and 951 will be picketing at the Bookstore, Finnerty Express coffee shop and the  Residence-Housekeeping.

CUPE 917 and 951, in making the decision related to Monday picketing, said , “We do understand that these actions will have an impact on students yet we expect this impact to be minimal. The maximum impact will continue to be on administration, disrupting the Bookstore’s revenue stream and renovations, and requiring exempt managers to clean the residence common areas when housekeepers withdraw their services.”

In addition to picketing to bring attention to the issues at the bargaining table, the bookstore line will also highlight the privatization of cell phone procurement at UVic.  The new “private” Bell kiosk thrust into the middle of a CUPE workspace is seen as the first step of UVic privatizing CUPE jobs.

CUPE 917 and 951 are inviting all members of CUPE who are able to join the lines on breaks or between classes to start UVic’s  50th Birthday Celebrations early Monday.  Bring your noisemakers, guitars, drums, pots and pans, funny hats and home-made signs .. party like it’s CUPE’s 50th to draw attention to UVic’s budget cuts and job cuts.   There will be sirens, whistles and WTF (“Where’s The Funding?”) t-shirts and buttons.

The party starts early and runs all day, building to the kickoff event for UVic’s 50th at 8pm Monday in the Farquhar Auditorium with CUPE BC President Barry O’Neill, hell-raiser and labour singer Anne Feeney, and bluesman Jim Byrnes with Steve Dawson and the hottest blues players from Vancouver.

Free tickets are at the UVic Box Office on Monday from 9am to showtime and everyone is welcome. This is CUPE bringing together the UVic community of students, faculty, staff and our friends and neighbours for a rousing good time.

I hope to see you there. 

In solidarity, 

Greg Melnechuk, President, CUPE 4163

More information on Monday night’s event https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=423362094386823&set=a.392358820820484.88308.392000684189631&type=1&theater