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Hunting on campus... for parking spots. Are you frustrated? Lance reporter Travis Fauteux is.
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It’s Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and Canadian Blood Services wants you to donate.
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Kids with cancer got a chance this weekend to soar above the city.
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Check out our stories and galleryies of this weekends Shoes of Erie and Coming Home festivals.
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Your c ampus and community newspaper // september11 2014 // Vol. #87 Issue #2 // uwindsorlance.c a
WUFA
Strategic Strike Plan Comes Full Force Monday
travisfauteux News Editor __________________________ With fall classes fully underway, faculty is beginning to implement strategic work stoppages. The Windsor University Faculty Association (WUFA) announced Sept. 5 that unless contract negotiations are settled, a one-day strike will be held on Monday Sept. 15. “Believe me, we are not a group of employees that wants to go on strike,” said WUFA president Anne Forrest. “Which is why we’ve been so reluctant to make this decision.”
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Forrest said faculty members are in “an impossible dilemma,” as they thoroughly enjoy the work they do and don’t want to make life more difficult for the students. However, Forrest said they won’t let the administration continue on the route they’ve taken without a strategic course of action. “In conjunction with that,” Forrest said, “we have to take into account that we don’t have a collective agreement and what we do have is an imposed set of terms and conditions of employment and for an employer to impose terms ... unilaterally like our employer has is ... unprecedented and it’s outrageous.”
We’re hoping that this process leads to a collective agreement so that we don’t have to take the full stoppage, which of course will have a definite impact on students education.... — Anne Forrest
Members and supporters of The University of Windsor Faculty Association (WUFA) rallied out front of the Chrysler tower back on Aug. 8 concerning bargaining with administration. They have not been back to the bargaining table since July. [Photo by // Jolene Perron]
University administration imposed new terms and conditions of employment on its faculty on Jul. 28, four weeks after the previous contract expired. The two parties have not sat at the bargaining table since, although both faculty and administration insist they are willing to get back to the bargaining process. “We are very close to a deal and we are confident that, if the University administration returns to the table in a spirit of compromise, we could have this issue resolved without impacting classes,” said Forrest.
Wildeman said administration did not walk away from the bargaining table in July, but said he has not recently been in direct contact with Forrest. “We simply were at a position where they were not on the same page vis-a-vis understanding what the fiscal realities facing the university are,” said Wildeman. “I understand that they’re very keen to get back to the table now and we’re certainly very open to getting back to the table and having a realistic conversation about our finances.” Monday’s one-day strike will be
followed by “rotating half-day strikes (a.m/p.m)”, which will be announced two hours in advance, according to the union. If a deal is not reached by Oct. 1, WUFA will implement a full work stoppage. Forrest said the union is trying to send a message to administration without having a devastating effect on students. “Our goal is ... to have a minimal impact on students’ education,” said Forrest, “and we’re hoping that this process leads to a collective agreement so that _____________ cont’d, strike page 05 w