Violence erupted Tuesday on picket lines between striking teaching assistants and students heeding York University’s invitation to return to class despite the continuation of a labour dispute.
With picket lines still in place, union organizers are concerned about the safety of those on strike after reports of heated confrontations and say the university’s decision will create a tumultuous environment for both picketers and students trying to get to class.
“Opening classes before reaching a settlement will create chaos and confusion among students, who should not be pressured to cross picket lines,” said Faiz Ahmed, chair of CUPE 3903, in a statement.
That warning appeared to prove true Tuesday afternoon.
Warning, video contains explicit language.
A video first posted to Facebook, shot at the campus’ Sentinel Road entrance, shows drivers attempting to exit the university grounds getting into a heated confrontation with picketers.
In the three-minute video, a swath of picketers is seen standing on the road in front of several stopped cars as a man and a woman shout at them to “get out of the f–king way.”
The driver of a blue coupe is then seen exiting the vehicle and forcibly dismantling a barrier, shouting and grappling with picketers along the way. A third man is then heard saying, “I swear to God I’ll come back and lay shots.”
No security personnel can be seen intervening in the short clip and the clash continued uninterrupted until the car was able to pass through the picket line.
A second angle of the confrontation, also shared on Facebook, shows the man grabbing barriers put in place by the picketers and throwing them off the road.
York University spokesperson Janice Walls confirmed the school’s security personnel responded to “an occurrence” at the Sentinel Road picket line Tuesday afternoon and relayed that information to police. Walls added that campus security has been monitoring the picket lines, including with personnel posted at gates, mobile personnel in vehicles and closed-circuit television.
Toronto Police also said there have been extra uniformed officers on campus for several days.
The university has also set up a labour disruption information website for students and parents, including a hotline for anyone experiencing problems crossing picket lines.
An open letter shared on Facebook reported another incident at the Chimeneystack Road picket line. According to the letter, a driver insulted and threatened picketers, saying he would return later to shoot them. The letter said the incident was reported to police and the man was subsequently arrested but Toronto Police corporate communications was unable to confirm the report and 31 Division declined to comment.
“York should not put me or any other members of CUPE 3903 in any further danger for exercising their rights by allowing classes to restart,” the letter’s author, PhD candidate Mary Franks, wrote.
Two units of CUPE 3903, representing teaching assistants and graduate assistants, have been on strike for two weeks. Contract faculty had also been on strike, but struck a deal on a new collective agreement with the university last week.
In a statement posted online and sent to York students on Monday, the university’s provost and vice-president academic announced classes would be resuming in select faculties, even as the strike persists.
“Our most immediate priority must now be finalizing plans to allow as many students as possible to return to their studies in order to complete their terms,” said Rhonda Lenton in the statement. “This in no way diminishes the imperative of resolving the labour disruption as soon as possible.”
CUPE 3903 released its own statement, expressing dismay that York chose to resume classes before the strike ends.
“We need York to come to the bargaining table and negotiate a fair deal,” said Ahmed, chair of CUPE 3903, adding resuming classes so soon “also runs the risk of prolonging the strike unnecessarily, by taking a business-as-usual approach.”
The union also sent a letter to students, reminding them they have the right to refuse to cross picket lines without suffering academic penalty. A petition on Change.org expressing solidarity from undergraduate students with those on strike has reached nearly 5,200 signatures.
Teaching assistants at the University of Toronto’s three campuses, represented by CUPE 3902, have also been on strike for two weeks. So far, there does not seem to be an end in sight for either dispute.
Original Article
Source: nationalpost.com/
Author: Lauren Strapagiel
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