Dear fellow Unit 1 Members,
We wanted to take a moment to acknowledge and celebrate all the hard work that you have been doing these past three days. Your willingness to step up and fight for a better deal for all of us has been inspiring.
That said, we also know that strikes are hard. If the strike is weighing on you, especially for financial reasons, your Union is here to support you. Remember:
As long as the term is completed, you will be paid the full stipend for your TAship: TAs are paid a flat stipend for all responsibilities relating to a course – as long as the responsibilities are complete and grades assigned, Carleton must pay you the full amount. Deferred wages are not lost wages. Administration is not in a position to cancel the term until the 11th calendar day of a strike, a step that would require the assent of the Senate (where faculty hold the majority) to do so.
Your March 30th pay was deposited into your bank account, in full, as scheduled: your Union confirmed this fact with the employer in the days before the strike deadline. If you did not receive your full paycheque, email VP.Unit1@cupe4600.ca.
We realize, too, that you might not yet be seeing the impact your actions are having–it is hard to see the full picture when you are on the line. But we want to assure you that the Executive and the Bargaining Teams can see that your efforts are having a huge impact, one that is likely to force Carleton back to the bargaining table sooner rather than later:
Other unions, including campus unions, are flocking to our side: we are in daily communications with CUPE 2424 and CUASA, for instance, who are eager to support us. At noon today, members of both those unions marched to President Bacon’s office, chanting and demanding better treatment of Carleton’s CIs. Today at noon, we will have a solidarity rally at the Bronson gate—members from unions across the city and province will be there, including CUPE National.
On social media, our members are undermining Carleton’s communications, winning students to our side: we have broken through with our messaging like before. If you need a boost, check out the Carleton subreddit, and especially our member Andrew Robinson’s spectacular AMA (‘ask me anything’) thread from yesterday. Carleton’s students see that administration is not telling them the full story, and they are actively looking to our members for the truth.
IMPORTANT: if you submitted the Payroll Continuance form, it’s not too late to join your fellow TAs on strike!
Carleton sent out multiple emails that suggested that we were required to sign the Payroll Continuance form - this was a direct attempt to undermine the power of our strike, and to intimidate you all to keep working against your own interests.
Working during a strike means you have no protection under the collective agreement; you have no recourse for any sort of disciplinary action taken by the university, and they may unilaterally increase your workload or hours with no notice.
Striking is your legal right. You will not lose your scholarships/funding, and you cannot have your student visa revoked (for international members). Carleton is trying to bully you, just as they tried to bully your negotiating team into accepting a sub-par deal on your behalf.
The sooner you join your fellow TAs and CIs on the picket line, the sooner this strike can be resolved. It’s not too late to be on the right side of history.
To withdraw your Payroll Continuance Form, fill out this form and send it to both humanresources@carleton.ca and payroll@carleton.ca - email VP.Unit1@cupe4600.ca if you are concerned in any way with the university’s response to your request.
In these times, now more than ever, solidarity is vital. It is only by staying united that we can force Carleton to bring a fair deal to the table. Stay strong. Trust and support each other. We can and will prevail over Carleton’s callous treatment of us.
In solidarity, Zoë Abernethy
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