I think we forget that some of these secretaries do have higher degrees, but might not be able to find a job within the field they graduated in, or it's just a transition stage.

However, I've no idea what kind of lives these people have, so it doesn't make so much sense to comment on it. An administration is dependent on all parties involved and work together like a system, so if the secretaries do go on strike, it won't bode well for the university. What sort of consequences and impact it will have on the university, and to what degree it is impacted, I'm not sure of.

It is a relief all the same that classes will most likely go on without interruption.

lol, just as a quick example

the housing lady at the keyes service desk told me the thermostat in my room did not control the temperature in my room, but was there only for "decoration"... direct quote.

haha

UPDATE:

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca /story.cfm?id=6297

tentative agreement reached

the thermostats in the residences aren't necessarily "decorations". In some buildings they will vary temperatures in rooms in a slight manner and in other buildings they probably once served a purpose but don't anymore. The temperature is largely controlled by the boiler room at Mac so that all buildings can be monitored and adjusted externally.

as for the strike, classes may carry on but I think that strike won't go unnoticed. For example, there are 3 other people sitting next me right now who are in charge of making sure all the tradesmen get paid. If CAW strikes, these people won't be in the office. The tradespeople will likely still get paid but the whole process might take way longer. It will also affect the registrars office, Accounts payable, Student accounts and cashiers, etc. I would predict that the university will come to a slllooww crawl and we WILL see a difference, despite the fact that the profs will still be in class.

I lived in Keyes, my bedroom controlled the temperature for the A/B side of the room.

Im fairly positive it was not "just for decoration" and that the lady was in fact a dumb B!tch lol.

Originally Posted by zango

UPDATE:

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca /story.cfm?id=6297

tentative agreement reached

That's good

The tentative agreement only applies to CUPE Unit 3 (Post-docs). CUPE Unit 1 (TAs, RAs) and CAW (Non-academic staff) don't seem to have reached an agreement yet. :(

I suppose what frustrates me in this whole discussion is that everything is directed solely at the union and there's very little critical assessment of the University's choices. People have repeatedly stated that we - the students - pay the salaries of the people in these unions. Remember, the university chooses how to allocate student tuition money. And it's possible that the unions might be upset about where they've chosen to allocate that money. For instance, building a stadium, hiring a larger number of vice-presidents, deans and associate deans and so on.

Might the concerns of the union be linked to the notion that it's somewhat jerky to lay out a series of capital projects, hire a raft of highly paid executives, attempt to fund a satellite campus that many faculty voiced their opinion against (anticipated budget: $26 million) and then turn to the unions and say "If we're going to get everything we want, YOU'RE going to have to make some sacrifices?"

This is a two way street here, and placing blame on the union without looking at the choices of those who control the purse-strings is odd to me.

Yeah, I still don't get the sense of the Burlington Campus in times like these(Recession). We are no way upto the financial level of Uoft to be able to have sattelite campuses! I realize McMaster is getting crowded with so many people coming in but another choice could be to ramp up the entrace requirements(Especial ly for Arts, they should be at Par atleast with Life Sci if not Health Sci!). 26 Million is alot of money, and I will once again re-iterate the fact that it takes around 7-8k to hire a prof for a session(Sessionals) and we have layed off over 200 apparently for financial reasons! I understand that long term Capital Projects raise the prestige and status of the University more then the education experiences of students who will be just a statistic in a few years time but still I really don't think anymore that every descision by the admin is done with the student's best interest in mind!

Originally Posted by Taunton

But apparently they're going to, since the university has no plans of closing or stopping classes in the event of a strike.

The university will most likely redistribute staff who aren't striking to departments that need to be open during regular school hours (ie. Centre for Student Development). Not every staff member in the non-academic offices are CAW members. Most are, but not all.

So it will be possible for the university to continue running. It will just be very difficult.

Originally Posted by HeatherH

The university will most likely redistribute staff who aren't striking to departments that need to be open during regular school hours (ie. Centre for Student Development). Not every staff member in the non-academic offices are CAW members. Most are, but not all.

So it will be possible for the university to continue running. It will just be very difficult.

There will not be a strike on September 1st. Quorum is 65% of staff members under the CAW union and it was not reached. There will be three more negotiation dates taking place on August 19, 20 and 31.

Let's pray a deal is reached! *scared*

Originally Posted by ferreinm

There will not be a strike on September 1st. Quorum is 65% of staff members under the CAW union and it was not reached. There will be three more negotiation dates taking place on August 19, 20 and 31.

Not exactly true. CAW called their last meeting at a pretty bad time - people on vacation etc. They are apparently making another push for a strike vote very soon and are visiting workplaces and what not to make sure people are informed about it.

Originally Posted by deadpool

Not exactly true. CAW called their last meeting at a pretty bad time - people on vacation etc. They are apparently making another push for a strike vote very soon and are visiting workplaces and what not to make sure people are informed about it.

I've heard people complaining because of the fact that everyone was on vacation and it was an inconvenient day and they couldn't vote. However, at Career Services we haven't been informed of another strike vote occurring at this point. Yet, I'm pretty sure that they'd be happy if another strike vote occurred.

Originally Posted by ferreinm

I've heard people complaining because of the fact that everyone was on vacation and it was an inconvenient day and they couldn't vote. However, at Career Services we haven't been informed of another strike vote occurring at this point. Yet, I'm pretty sure that they'd be happy if another strike vote occurred.

Yeah, from what I hear, there isn't a concrete plan in place, but they are working on informing staff to find the best date.