Campus Food Bank and Health Services at Risk as Employer Seeks to Roll Back Worker Rights

TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Workers at the University of Toronto Students Union (UTSU) may be on strike this month as they fight to protect family time and vital services for students, say members of CUPE 1281.

The workers plan Orientation, escalate health and dental claims, operate the only Food Bank on St. George Campus and facilitate a wide variety of other services and advocacy for undergraduate students.

“It’s really disappointing that the UTSU executive is letting this happen. A lot of them are involved with progressive organizations, but at the same time their organization is making the same sorts of attacks on workers and work/life balance that we see from corporate bosses,” said Marco Hernandez, a CUPE 1281 member who also runs the campus food bank.

The student union currently has five employees represented by CUPE 1281, which wrote to the Ontario Labour Relations Board on Monday night, setting a deadline for job action later this month.

Their employer’s concession demands have the potential to significantly affect workload and scheduling. Forty percent of the workers are parents, and these changes will negatively affect not only the workers, but their families as well.

“We work with students every day. We know and share their struggles and challenges and want to continue providing services they and the UTSU rely on. The employer has been pressing workers to take on multiple roles, which is bad for us, but also bad for the quality of services and programs for students,” said Wafiyah K, a CUPE 1281 member who helps connect students with a host of services.

The workers are calling on UTSU to drop their concession demands, respect the family and childcare responsibilities of workers, and provide a fair wage increase.

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