Solidarity Bulletin

Dear members,
 
The APUO has sent a letter to the Garderie Bernadette Child Care Centre’s (GBCCC) Board of Directors expressing our support for the efforts of the Centre’s staff to unionize. The GBCCC’s Board is currently refusing to recognize the Bernadette Workers Union and is pursuing legal action aimed at putting an end to the staff’s efforts to certify their union. 
 
We urge the Board to voluntarily recognize the Bernadette Workers Union and to provide its members with fair and equitable working conditions. 
 
You can view the APUO’s letter of support here. We encourage members who use and/or have previously relied upon the services provided by the Garderie Bernadette Childcare Centre to also write its Board (conseil.gbccc.board@gmail.com) to convey their support for the unionization efforts of these early childhood educators. 
 
Scholars at Risk
 
Scholars at Risk is an international network of postsecondary institutions whose objective is to host threatened scholars and, in so doing, ensure their safety and uphold their right to academic freedom. 
 
The uOttawa program of Scholars at Risk is currently engaged in a fundraising effort to host Afghan scholars whose livelihoods and freedoms are threatened. The Central Administration continues to refuse to donate to the program. The APUO has made a $5000 donation and calls upon the Central Administration to reconsider its position on this matter. We likewise encourage members to consider donating to the uOttawa Scholars at Risk program through the following link.
 
Solidarity with UOITFA
 
Members of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology Faculty Association (UOITFA) recently voted 90% in favour of striking if the Ontario Tech administration continues to refuse to agree to a fair deal. The vote comes after six months of bargaining during which the UOITFA has been urging the Ontario Tech administration to take action on issues relating to faculty burnout, workload, mental health, pay equity, and pension issues. UOITFA members care deeply about student learning conditions and faculty working conditions which is why they voted so strongly in favour of striking should the Ontario Tech Administration fail to address these issues.
 
You can show your support for the UOITFA, today, by sending a letter to the University of Ontario Institute of Technology administration at: https://www.uoitfa.ca/take-action/
  
Together, we can support UOITFA in avoiding a strike and in improving both faculty working conditions and student learning conditions.
 
Support for the Syndicat des professeur et professeures de l’Université Laval (SPUL)
 
The Université Laval Central Administration recently tabled reforms to its institution’s governance structure. These proposed changes severely undermine collegiality and democratic decision-making, the independence of the Conseil Universitaire (their equivalent of our Senate), and the working conditions of faculty. They also jeopardize the institution’s capacity to recruit and retain faculty which, in turn, would negatively impact the quality of education and research at l’Université Laval. The APUO has sent a letter of solidarity to the Université Laval Central Administration expressing our concerns and supporting the SPUL’s struggle against these reforms.
 
University of Manitoba Faculty Association on strike
 
The University of Manitoba Faculty Association (UMFA) has been on strike since November 2. At the heart of the impasse between the University of Manitoba Central Administration and UMFA is the former’s refusal to table an offer that is equitable, and which provides its faculty with working conditions that are competitive with those at other Canadian universities. In addition, the Central Administration has tabled salary increases below the rate of inflation. 
 
The APUO strongly supports UMFA members in their strike for working conditions that promote high-quality education and research. As per our Strike Donation Policy, we are making a $1,500 donation to UMFA’s strike fund for each week of the work action.