Classes suspended, convocation could be disrupted as strike hits Capilano University
Summer semester classes at Capilano University in North Vancouver were suddenly suspended Tuesday morning after more than 300 administrative staff members walked off the job.
The union representing the workers rejected the employers' last contract offer, which included a 12 to 13 per cent pay increase, because it didn’t include language Move Up Local 378 had requested around remote and hybrid work, which has existed at Cap U since 2020.
“They can come to us any time and say we are pulling everybody back to work, and everybody’s life gets turned around again just like at the start of the pandemic,” said union spokesperson Christy Slusarenko.
The university said it was one of the first post-secondary institutions to develop a hybrid work program, and it’s committed to keeping it. But the union wants it in writing, and wants members to be able to grieve work-from-home decisions made by managers, with a resolution handled by a third party.
In a statement, Capilano University said that is " inconsistent with the common approach and has the potential to compromise service delivery.”
“They have said unless we don’t materially revise our stance on the work from home language, then they’re not interested in coming to the table,” said Slusarenko.
The union issued a 72-hour strike notice on Friday and began job action Tuesday morning, with a picket line and large rally on campus.
“The faculty union, they’re out joining us as well they have shut down their classes for us,” said Slusarenko.
That meant students were on their way to Cap U or already on campus when they got an email saying classes had been suspended.
“When we were on the bus we opened Outlook and it said today there is a strike and you don’t have to come to Capilano University and classes are cancelled, so we were surprised and quite shocked,” said business student Jaideep Nagra.
“It is okay for one or two days, but if this continues for a week or two weeks, then it’s totally difficult,” said fellow business student Harpreet Singh, who added final exams are scheduled for late June. “If we cannot attend classes, then we will not be able to take the exam, then we will not get our credits.”
It’s not just summer semester students who will be impacted by the strike action. On Wednesday, Capilano University begins three days of convocation ceremonies for graduating students. The union says unless a deal is reached quickly, the picket line will be there.
“We will be letting them through, but it will be a disruption I’m sure,” said Slusarenko.
The union is making no apologies for disrupting convocation and classes, in search of a better contract that cements work-from-home guidelines.
“Unfortunately, they’ve left us with no choice,” said Slusarenko. “When we are backed into corner and we know something is this important to our membership, we are going to continue to fight for it.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
'Anything to win': Trudeau says as Poilievre defends meeting protesters
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is accusing Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre of welcoming 'the support of conspiracy theorists and extremists,' after the Conservative leader was photographed meeting with protesters, which his office has defended.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
"It's a bit of a complicated pattern; we've got a lot going on," said Jennifer Smith of the Meteorological Service of Canada in an interview with CTVNews.ca on Wednesday. "[As is] typical with weather, all of these things are related."
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Police tangle with students in Texas and California as wave of campus protest against Gaza war grows
Police tangled with student demonstrators in Texas and California while new encampments sprouted Wednesday at Harvard and other colleges as school leaders sought ways to defuse a growing wave of pro-Palestinian protests.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.