By Aiden Farrant
Although the institutional knowledge of how to effectively strike to support substantial bargaining demands remains strong in our Local, the memory of the exact feeling of the 2022 Dalhousie strike is fading almost as fast as the print on the t-shirts that picketers wore. CUPE 3912’s executive has transformed since then, and the Dalhousie unit in particular has seen waves of Officers and Negotiators come and go, each adding unique experience and perspectives to the proposed collective agreement currently up for negotiation.
However, those of us who were key in organizing the strike and negotiating back in the time of masking, rapidly adapting course content to online formats, and the cycle of lockdowns and re-openings, have had to rapidly reconcile our sentiments towards the mechanism striking under the CUPE National banner. We’ve had to contrast our feelings of inadequate support and abandonment with the vitality and optimism of the new blood and activism-focused direction of Local President Lauren McKenzie. The air is electric with hope and willingness, rather than bitter resolve, and I thought the moment well suited to a) remind the Officer corps and Membership of the conflicts of 2022 so the same mistakes aren’t repeated, and b) to offer a wholehearted endorsement for a leadership change (and choice candidate) for CUPE Nova Scotia President that will (hopefully) improve the quality of support we receive.
CUPE 3912 is not a ‘typical’ labour union and never has been. We’ve always been one of the most outspoken and cutting-edge Locals, requiring National to adapt its policies to our needs lest they be circumvented (occasionally with prejudice). For example, the National Strike Fund regulations require that a picketer or strike volunteer picket for 5 days of 4 hours/day to be eligible for strike pay. As a Local predominantly composed of TAs who work 4-8 hours a week, we demanded accommodation to offer partial strike pay and to relax the number of days requirement so that Members could picket as much as they could (up to the maximum of 20 paid strike hours). We also had to adapt to our Employer’s policy of hiring Members working remotely, developing ‘virtual picketing’ roles to accommodate those of us out of province or out of country. In all its wisdom and for all the Locals it represents, CUPE National simply hadn’t needed to develop accommodating regulations (and therefore support materials and knowledge) for these circumstances.
The Local and its Strike Committee also faced unique challenges with little to no support from any echelon of the CUPE power structure. Myself and the Finance Sub-Committee had to develop a payroll system from scratch in three days to accommodate 500 picketers while also incorporating the mandatory paper forms to access National Strike Fund resources. The Communications Sub-Committee and Social Media Team had to develop a web and virtual campaign with no support whatsoever, requiring endless meetings to approve a single instagram post. When support from National did materialize, in the form of a communications specialist parachuted in from our brethren at CUPE Ontario, we simply received a “keep doing what you’re doing” response and praise such as “you could write the textbook for other Locals”. During a rapidly evolving strike campaign, where the Employer’s PR machine seemed overwhelming and Employer-side bargaining updates were being sent to students and alumni before our own Chief Negotiator, tangible support and experience would have been more beneficial than kind words.
Not all the blame is to be applied to CUPE NS and CUPE National, the Local at the time was mired with internal struggle and ineffectiveness. Breakdowns in communication over lack of mutual respect (to put it mildly) hindered any material or experience support. The general lack of education on the part of the Executive and Strike Committee over how to access funding support (including if it was even available) and how to document expenditures meant every expense had to be meticulously approved by multiple organizational layers, extensively justified/rationalized, and demanded by the membership on the picket lines. Something as simple as converting a solidarity donation to hot drinks on a cold rainy day took nearly as many man-hours as the sum total of those picketed before everyone went home to warm up. In the end, the Local somehow made money on the strike, through properly leveraging National Strike Avert and Strike Support funds coupled with resounding solidarity support from other Locals/Units/Unions. It certainly didn’t feel like it when myself and my colleagues bookkeeping the affair had to make a powerpoint presentation on why high-visibility vests were a reasonable expense for picketers intending to block traffic, or why buying a 20$ software license to help us print cheques was more economical than the estimated 6 hours a week writing names and amounts out longhand.
The grinding machine that is CUPE is slowly acknowledging the realities of a changing workforce and adapting to the needs of its members in the post-secondary academia sector. The wave of CUPE Locals and other unions striking at Canadian universities rolled westward from our small but important action at Dalhousie, and continues to precipitate major labour gains, new strike policies, and forms of support. However, knowledge of how to overcome these barriers and the willingness to adopt a “beg forgiveness, not permission” mentality needs to persist if successful job action is to occur at Local 3912 again. Expectations of support and experience need to be clearly articulated, and those expectations should be met (or modified based on new knowledge gained from collaboration with CUPE NS and CUPE National).
One avenue to ensure that communication remains open and CUPE 3912’s voice is heard is through advocacy for a candidate of choice for CUPE NS President. The Executive and the Membership have both moved to endorse CUPE 3912 member Christine Saulnier for the position. With Christine as President, we in the post-secondary academic sector stand to benefit from a National Executive Board member who understands the unique needs and unconventional strike action a Local such as ours must take to ensure fair wages and improved working conditions. The membership of Local 3912 need to support her as best we can, including by sending our full permitted slate of delegates at the upcoming CUPE NS Convention (where CUPE NS elections occur) and by reaching out to our CUPE brethren of other locals to showcase Christine’s unique skill set and excellent experience for the Presidential role.
We must not repeat the mistakes of 2022, instead we must strive to be better! We have shown that even at our most disorganized, this Local can strike effectively and stand firm until substantial gains are made. Imagine what gains we can make if we are fully prepared and have the backing of our endorsed Executives!
Aiden Farrant is CUPE 3912’s Recording Secretary and is a PhD Candidate in Chemistry in the Zwanziger Lab at Dalhousie University. He TA’d in the first year chemistry labs and was part of the 2022 Strike Committee. Aiden has served in various committee and executive roles within our local.