Wynne looks to go out on an anti-worker note

The Wynne Liberals put York University faculty on strike through years of underfunding, then failed to get them back to the bargaining table for weeks. Now, Kathleen Wynne is trying to ram through Conservative style back-to-work legislation at the eleventh hour – and students remain caught in the middle.

“The York University strike is the direct result of the Liberal government's underfunding of our college and university system. Hard-working students and faculty deserve so much better,” said NDP Labour critic and MPP for Welland Cindy Forster. “We want students back in class and faculty back to work – and Wynne’s tactics today do literally nothing to accomplish that.”

"With just a day left before the legislature dissolves for the election, Wynne knows she can’t pass her anti-worker back-to-work legislation and force faculty back to work without a deal.

“Apparently, she just wanted to use her final hours in the legislature to make an anti-worker statement,” said Forster. “This is really a final insult to anyone who fights for students, and anyone who has ever organized for better working conditions.”

For 10 years, Ontario has had the lowest per-student funding in Canada, and faculty jobs have been shifted to include more and more lower-paid, unstable, contract jobs.

“Underfunding and the shift to contract work hurts students. it hurts the staff, and it hurts the quality of education the faculty want to give their students.”

The Liberals created the needless dispute by failing to respect workers, but Doug Ford's promise to cut more than $6 billion dollars will make things even worse in Ontario’s universities and colleges, guaranteeing more labour unrest, more disruptions and more lost semesters.

Only Andrea Horwath and the NDP have a plan to convert contract and part-time faculty positions to full-time positions. Her platform’s faculty renewal strategy will ensure students can learn from educators who are there for the long-term — who they can seek out to take more classes, and reach out to for letters of recommendation.

Horwath’s plan will mean that instructors aren’t rushing off to their next part-time gig right after each class, and that Ontario can attract the best academic talent the world has to offer.

In addition an NDP government is committed to: