Via Amy, UTM’s CUPE rep extrodinaire:
This email is to let you know of how you can help to mobilize UTM in this upcoming week. This week is very important because it is our LAST week before reading week! Our last week to interact with undergrads! The email is quite directive, which is not normally my style, so apologies! I sense, though, that people are looking for ways to plug in to what needs to be done, so I thought I’d outline some of the things I think it would be great to make happen. I’d like to do lots of “on the ground stuff” (ie stuff at UTM) and with a bit of support, I think we can really make an impact.
There are three groups of people we need to target: undergrad students, members, and faculty. Below are a list of things I would ask that you help with in the upcoming week.
1) Tabling from 11-1pm on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. If you are free during this time and can come help ask undergrads to sign a letter to the admin, that would be great. Sign up on this spreadsheet.
2) Discuss the strike with your students in your tutorial. We have buttons and flyers that you can give out to your students. If you want to grab some, please let me know and I’ll arrange a time for you to pick up some materials from me (ex: I’ll be around Mon, Wed and Thurs from 11-1pm in the cafeteria if you want to come by). We are also making T-shirts that will probably be ready on Wed that you could wear to your tutorial. Here are the things to bring up in your tutorial/class:
-if we go on strike it would start the week after reading week
-the two main things we are striking for are 1) better funding for grad students and 2) smaller labs and tutorial sizes
-we are having a rally on Thurs, Feb 16th at 3:30 at Simcoe Hall (St George) to tell the Admin that we are serious about our proposals and to ask them to bargain with us in good faith. If students want to come, we are arranging travel to St George from UTM
3) Deliver letters to faculty inboxes. We have written a letter informing faculty of their rights and expectations. We need to get this into faculty inboxes, so if you could grab some from me (again, get in contact with me to give you the letters) and put them in your department faculty inboxes, that would be AMAZING. Please email me afterwards to tell me which departments you’ve put the letters in.
4) Door knocking. I’m going to spend some time walking around to departments and seeing if grad students are around. I’m going to do this from 9:30-11am on Monday, and 9:30-11am on Wednesday. If you are free at this time, please let me know!
5) If you have any other ideas about how to get people at UTM informed (undergrads, grads, faculty), please let me know! We are ALWAYS looking for ideas. If you don’t like this plan, let me know of suggestions you have. If you any thoughts like “why doesn’t the union just to _____” just tell me and we can make it happen.
To summarize, the things to be done are:
-tabling 11-1 on Mon, Wed, Thurs
-tell you students about the strike in tutorials
-put letters in faculty inboxes
-walk around UTM by yourself or with me talking to grad students
If you are interested in doing any of these things please let me know!
-Amy
