Campus Safety Workers At Carleton University Vote In Favor Of Strike

The majority of Campus Safety workers at Carleton University in Canada have voted in favor of a strike should one be necessary, Ontario Public Service Employees Union announced Monday.

Nearly 97 percent of Campus Safety workers said they were willing to go on strike if the university refuses to negotiate a reasonable contract.

"It is unfortunate that labor relations at Carleton University have come to this," OPSEU President Warren Thomas said in a statement. "It's time for the University to make some serious decisions about commitment to campus safety."

Campus Safety Workers at the university have called in a conciliator to help with ongoing contract negotiations.

Their union, OPSEU, has also filed an Unfair Labor Practice complaint on Feb. 4 against Carleton University after the employer began targeting workers who wear union buttons and stickers. The school declared that union buttons and stickers do not conform to their uniform policy, however OPSEU believes this claim is simply anti-union.

"I do not believe for a minute that Carleton University is acting out of concern about their uniform policy. This employer is attempting to undermine contract negotiations," Thomas said.

Brent Gobeo, bargaining team chair and OPSEU Local 404 vice-president, said he has been told to remove his union button.

"Yet my employer has never had a problem with me wearing a pin or ribbon before. First we had to call in a Conciliation Officer to help with our contract negotiations, and now the employer is being openly anti-union. This is not the best way to arrive at a collective agreement with your staff," he said in a statement.

On Feb. 5, numerous student groups and unions representing workers at Carleton University attended an information picket, including OPSEU local 404, CUPE 4600 and the Graduate Students Association.

Carleton University Safety Workers include special constables, dispatchers, campus safety officers and student safety patrollers.

"To our knowledge, Campus Safety workers have never been on strike in all of Canada. This would be an unfortunate way for Carleton University to make history," Gobeo said.