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McMASTER UNIVERSITY'S STUDENT NEWSPAPER
FROM CAMPUS TO YOU AND BACK AGAIN
EST. 1930
THURSDAY, JANUARY 13, 2011 / VOLUME 81, NO. 16
Servers on strike Mac’s food service workers hold out for better offer from University SAM COLBERT
SENIOR NEWS EDITOR
Getting McMaster’s food workers back on the job won’t be easy. The latest contract, offered to the university’s roughly 170 unionized hospitality and food service employees on the afternoon of Jan. 5, closely resembled one offered, and subsequently rejected, on Dec. 6. “They pretty much admitted across the table that it is substantially the same document,” explained Ted Mansell, Executive Vice-President of SEIU Local 2 Brewery, General, and Professional Worker Union. Ninety per cent of the union voted against the deal on Jan. 6, triggering a strike which began early the following morning. While food service has decreased on campus, Centro, East Meets West Bistro, Tim Hortons in the Student Centre and Williams Café in the Health Sciences Building will remain open and accepting student cards to serve the many students in residence. Establishments not managed by Hospitality Services, including The Phoenix, TwelvEighty and Union Market, will also be open. “McMaster has a moral and ethical obligation to the broader Hamilton community to preserve well-paying jobs, or at least decent- Member of SEIU Local 2 picket paying jobs,” said Mansell. “That’s what this strike is all about.” Mansell explained that “What that says to the satthe SEIU is fighting to prevent its ellite employee, what that says to workers from losing the opportun- the part-time employees is, wait a ity for full-time employment with minute, there’s never going to be a benefits, and protecting them from job here that pays benefits? I’ve got becoming part of Hamilton’s “work- a family and I accepted employment ing poor.” The union’s previous here five, 10, 15 years ago on that contract states that casual employ- understanding,” said Mansell. ees may be hired to fill in for empty The university, meanpositions, but only after unionized while, contends that, when put into employees have been offered their context, its offer is a reasonable full-time and part-time hours. Hos- one. pitality Services’ business has been “We think that the settleso successful, explained Mansell, ment offer presented a good balthat about 180 ance of both of casual workmonetary and ers are on staff. If you look back over a other consideraH o s p i t a l i t y ’s that were longer period of time, tions total staff numin line with McMaster has not had other bers around 350. agreemuch in the way of M c ments that have Master represigned strikes ... The majority been sentatives have at the univerby far of the bargaining sity and market proposed to we do results in success- c o n d i t i o n s , ” remove this requirement, put- ful collective agreements said Andrea ting no limit Farquhar, Mcthat are approved by on the number Master’s public the membership.” of hours that relations direc-Andrea Farquhar tor. This was is can be filled by Mac PR Director in reference to casual workers. The union has the university’s fears that, if this provision is taken cleaning staff, which is also part of out, unionized employees could be SEIU, and recently accepted a similaid off and replaced with cheaper lar-looking deal. casual labour. “The $15.02 [hourly] rate Another contentious ap- for general workers, which under pendix in the previous contract this proposal would go up to $16.25 explains that, of the unionized an hour, is certainly higher than workers, at least one third must be similar jobs would be paying out in employed full-time with benefits, the community,” Farquhar added. while the others may be part-time McMaster’s budgetary or so-called “satellite” workers. documents from the past few years Recent contract offers have omit- have included stern warnings of fited these conditions, according to nancial struggle unless serious cutthe union. All current full-time staff backs are made. But, as Mansell will retain their hours and benefits, pointed out to the Silhouette, Hosbut no one will move into their pos- pitality Services has actually been itions after retirement, meaning that a revenue generator for the school, the mandated ratio would not be rather than a financial burden in maintained. need of attention.
CHRISTOPHER CHANG / SENIOR PHOTO EDITOR
at the Sterling St. entrance to campus. The union has been on strike since Jan. 7. “There is no moral or ethical or economic justification [for the University] other than greed,” he said. Due in part to negative budgetary projections, labour disputes have been frequent in McMaster’s recent history. Cleaning staff, sessional lecturers and Teaching Assistants have all either gone on strike or come close to doing so in the past year and a half. “I think there’s been a huge and concerning shift in the senior administration of this university,” said Mansell. “They are treating the university more like a corporation than public institution. They are treating it as a profit-making or profit-generating enterprise, as opposed to an institution that should be providing education to society and providing good jobs in the community. It’s very disheartening and ... I think that it’s not by accident, it’s by design.” “There certainly have been additional pressures put on these rounds of bargaining,” said Farquhar in response to those allegations. “I think traditionally, if you look back over a longer period of time, McMaster has not had much in the way of strikes ... The majority by far of the bargaining we do results in successful collective agreements that are approved by the membership.” Farquhar was unable to speculate at how long the strike would last, but noted that McMaster has “been focused on making sure that students with meal cards have access to the meals that they need.” While the union and the university spent some time away from the bargaining table during the earlier portion of the strike, a provincial mediator was to bring the two sides back into talks on the morning of Jan. 13.
Voices from the picket lines
“We’re not asking for more money. We’re not even asking for more wages. All we’re asking for is job security.” Troy Meade - Chef
“I’m here for the students... I don’t want the kids to be angry with me.” Mariana Drunghas - Cashier
“Unfair. They need to come back with a fair and decent contract that they would want to sign themselves.” Debbie Rogers - Satellite Worker
“I think it’s terrible what the university is doing to us... you can’t live life off of part-time hours” Giovanna Aguilar - Supervisor PHOTOS COMPILED BY FARHANG GHAJAR / SILHOUETTE STAFF
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