ATTENTION! ATTENTION! Calling all Unit 2:

GMM Today @ 5 PM — CUPE 3903

As a humble Unit 2 member, I invite all my colleagues to attend the GMM tonight from 5 to 8 PM. The time has come for us to use our reason and vote for arbitration.

The strike has gone too far, as we all would agree; hurting many of us emotionally and financially. It has created animosity among all of us, our colleagues and York administration. We have lost our sense of collegiality! Words have being used like weapons injuring many of us through the social media; sadly showing some CUPE members losing their scrupulous, dignity, and decency. We cannot forget that we are above all EDUCATORS, mentors and role models for our students. What we have seen so far on Facebook and twitter has to stop immediately: our reputation as Educators has been tainted, not to mention York’s good name. We will see the aftermath of the strike when the new academic year starts, with many of us without students to teach.

The strike has lost its value: it has become a battlefield of ideologies, where members have lost their track because of pride. We shouldn’t put a blame solely on the Executive for all the unprofessional tactics used by some members. We should also bear ourselves responsible for those that have used harassment and bullying as tools to target our colleagues, as we have allowed some members to go too far, — by being ourselves silent, indifferent, and numb. For this reason, I call all my Unit 2 colleagues to attend the meeting this evening so that we can put an end to this strike, based on our reason and not emotions.

We should work together and not against each other. Harassment and bullying our colleagues with different views is completely unacceptable. It’s undemocratic, going against our Human Rights, which is so much cherished here in Canada. We shouldn’t allow ‘totalitarian’ discourses dominate CUPE 3903; we shouldn’t allow ‘totalitarian’ practices to punish or retaliate our colleagues for not ‘complying’ with some militants’ rules. We shouldn’t fear to speak out at the General Meeting. We all have the right of verbal expression, of agreeing and disagreeing with each other in a collegial manner. As scholars and scientists we are trained to rebut and refute in our fields, so let’s use our skills tonight, cordially!

Our membership is diverse, with visible and invisible needs. It is multilingual and multicultural. It is important that all members should be aware of this diversity, and show respect when a member speaks into a mic. Not everyone is a prolific public speaker or a proficient member in labour relations law and its jargon. Let’s make this accessible to everyone so that we can all understand what we are going to vote for without hesitations.

Let’s make this GMM accessible, collegial, and dialogic. We are intelligent individuals, Higher Education instructors, scholars and scientists. For the sake of our students, jobs, and York reputation, let’s consciously vote for arbitration and go back to work tomorrow.

So, don’t miss this GMM tonight. Make it a priority in your schedule!