Originally Posted by Anamaria

And if you drive over the people blocking your way you're breaking the law...or worse.

I'm not talking about driving. I don't drive on campus.

Originally Posted by Taunton

I'm not talking about driving. I don't drive on campus.

then you have nothing to worry about.

When do we find out if there's a strike, later today or tomorrow morning?

Originally Posted by niteskie

When do we find out if there's a strike, later today or tomorrow morning?

No, we won't find out that soon.

Later today or tomorrow morning we will find out the vote results on University's "Final Offer".
If the offer was accepted there will be no strike and the contract will be implemented pending arbitration on one or two issues.
If the offer was rejected the union will call the university back to the table for further negociations. This could take days, if not weeks.

Originally Posted by Geek

At whose expense? Sure, they can do all they want to make us aware. What is this going to accomplish? We, as students, have little to no affect on the terms of their employment, so protest to someone who can do something about it. They are far more likely to piss people off and turn them against their cause. I'd be far more likely to sympathize with them if they weren't disrupting my education, by preventing me from getting to class.

When I'm late for a lecture that I've worked hard to pay for, I really don't give a s**t about arguing the terms of pensions/employment that I have zero control over. I want to get to my class.

You took the words right out of my mouth.

This a re-posting of my earlier question.

It has been mentioned in this thread that strikers would barricade every entrance to the University. I would like to know if this includes the Go Bus area behind Mary Keyes. Will Go Bus entry to the school be interfered with by strikers?

Students (who aren't the people strikers have the problem with as has been noted) pay good money for Go Bus services to get to school, and they're taking time to commute. I would like to know if their time and money will be wasted by strikers picketing near the Go Bus entrance.

Originally Posted by sew12

This a re-posting of my earlier question.

It has been mentioned in this thread that strikers would barricade every entrance to the University. I would like to know if this includes the Go Bus area behind Mary Keyes. Will Go Bus entry to the school be interfered with by strikers?

Students (who aren't the people strikers have the problem with as has been noted) pay good money for Go Bus services to get to school, and they're taking time to commute. I would like to know if their time and money will be wasted by strikers picketing near the Go Bus entrance.

Since the GO Operators are unionized, the drivers themselves might do something... I could forsee a driver allowing a picketer on the bus to hand out flyers to everyone before letting the passengers off.

Ok someone clarify this please. I was told by some University staff that if the offer is rejected, the strike will start first thing Tuesday morning. With picket lines set up at all entrances.

Now some people in this thread are saying if the offer is rejected it could take weeks for a strike?

Is there going to be a strike or not? From my understand the offer the University most recently presented is their FINAL OFFER, so returning to the table to further negotiate isn't an option for the union right now, which means they'd have to strike. Am I missing somthing?

Originally Posted by Greco

Ok someone clarify this please. I was told by some University staff that if the offer is rejected, the strike will start first thing Tuesday morning. With picket lines set up at all entrances.

Now some people in this thread are saying if the offer is rejected it could take weeks for a strike?

Is there going to be a strike or not? From my understand the offer the University most recently presented is their FINAL OFFER, so returning to the table to further negotiate isn't an option for the union right now, which means they'd have to strike. Am I missing somthing?

As far as I know, since strike vote already happened, if the vote comes back "no", then the strike will start shortly thereafter. Negotiations continue throughout a strike.

From the McMaster Daily News:

A majority Yes vote means a new collective agreement will be implemented with all the provisions outlined in the Final Vote summary.

A majority No vote means there is no contract and a September 4th strike date.



http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca /story.cfm?id=6340

If anyone was wondering, the final offer voting ends at 5:30pm.

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca /worth....cfm?I D=5225

"A majority Yes vote means a new collective agreement will be implemented with all the provisions outlined in the Final Vote summary."

"A majority No vote means there is no contract and a September 4th strike date."

Originally Posted by Greco

Ok someone clarify this please. I was told by some University staff that if the offer is rejected, the strike will start first thing Tuesday morning. With picket lines set up at all entrances.

Now some people in this thread are saying if the offer is rejected it could take weeks for a strike?

Is there going to be a strike or not? From my understand the offer the University most recently presented is their FINAL OFFER, so returning to the table to further negotiate isn't an option for the union right now, which means they'd have to strike. Am I missing somthing?

The truth is that nobody knows for sure if and when a strike will be called. The only "knowns" are:

- the strike mandate vote passed with 58%. According to the CAW by-law this is not enough for the local union (Local 555 for McMaster) to call a strike BUT it might be approved if the Local people show compelling arguments.
- the odds for a Tuesday strike are quite low ATM in my opinion

- even if the University tabled a Final Offer - it does not automatically mean that the union has to go on strike - the University does NOT call the strike, the Union does and if the members don't approve it, there are other avenues to consider, such as mediation.

- right now it's the University who refuses to negociate further, not the union

Originally Posted by Greco

http://dailynews.mcmaster.ca /worth....cfm?I D=5225

"A majority Yes vote means a new collective agreement will be implemented with all the provisions outlined in the Final Vote summary."

"A majority No vote means there is no contract and a September 4th strike date."

"strike date" means that the union has the right to call a strike anytime on/after that date. It does NOT mean that the strike will automatically start on September 4-th.

Originally Posted by Taunton

Since the GO Operators are unionized, the drivers themselves might do something... I could forsee a driver allowing a picketer on the bus to hand out flyers to everyone before letting the passengers off.

Interesting. Thanks for the info.

Originally Posted by Anamaria

The truth is that nobody knows for sure if and when a strike will be called. The only "knowns" are:

- the strike mandate vote passed with 58%. According to the CAW by-law this is not enough for the local union (Local 555 for McMaster) to call a strike BUT it might be approved if the Local people show compelling arguments.
- the odds for a Tuesday strike are quite low ATM in my opinion

- even if the University tabled a Final Offer - it does not automatically mean that the union has to go on strike - the University does NOT call the strike, the Union does and if the members don't approve it, there are other avenues to consider, such as mediation.

- right now it's the University who refuses to negociate further, not the union

LOL, I highly doubt that McMaster would post blatantly wrong information. I'm sure that it says in the documents related to the strike mandate that there is a September 4th strike date. The University therefore would have a right to lock-out the unionized employees by that date, even if the union decides to not picket.