Attendees rally outside of the Arts and Administration Building, March 6th, 2024.
This past Wednesday at noon, the Lecturers’ Union of Memorial University (LUMUN) rallied outside the Arts and Administration building. Tensions are running high as the anniversary of the 2023 MUNFA strike echoes throughout campus. With the vocal frustrations of LUMUN organizers, the precise certainty of a strike is unknown. However, little seems to be improving, which could work to prevent such an outcome, as negotiations stall and a strike deadline approaches at midnight on Sunday, March 10th. It could now be decided by the level of dread the school’s negotiators recall brought by those difficult weeks from the year now past.
Chants barraged the upper offices of a building picketed by labour activists and trade unions in a similar fashion just a year prior. Variations of the following chants were amplified at the front steps amid an enthusiastic crowd:
“LET’S GO LOKASH, LET’S GO NEIL- GIVE OUR TEACHERS A FAIR DEAL!”
“HEY-HEY, HO-HO- ADMIN BLOAT HAS GOT TO GO!”
“THE PEOPLE UNITED, WILL NEVER BE DEFEATED!”
“SHOW ME WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE! THIS IS WHAT DEMOCRACY LOOKS LIKE!”
A collection of faces familiar to audience members from the MUNFA rallies appeared before the microphone. One of the speakers was MUNFA President Josh Lepawksy, who appeared to state MUNFA’s support for LUMUN and discussed the difficulties of including the phrase “fairness” in their contract with MUN, the need to protect academic freedom, and the empowerment of workers during negotiations.
Jim Dinn, leader of the NLNDP, also took a moment at the mic to back the union’s negotiation efforts. Specifically, he criticized the maximum rate a LUMUN member can earn for their contracts- $5800 per course, with a maximum of two courses per term. He stated that the existence of these contracts was “shameful… disrespectful… [and] shows a lack of understanding or appreciation for the people who are basically here making the university operate. That is not fair.” Dinn, a former teacher himself, also spoke about the difficulty when negotiations stalled around salary “templates” stressed by the university when rejecting the demands of the union. He also mentioned plans to speak on the issue in the House of Assembly.
Bill Kavanagh of CUPE 1615 spoke in support of “solidarity amongst all of the union locals.” He also spoke on plans to bring his union members to picket during non-working hours, alongside LUMUN picket lines- should a strike unfold after the upcoming deadline.
“it is time to stop… [the] Systematic unfair labour practises of this university who… in the public eye, has a diminished reputation.”
Bill Kavanagh, CUPE 1615 President
The Lecturers’ Union has sent out a petition asking the public for support signatures, which can be found at the following link.
https://act.newmode.net/action/canadian-association-university-teachers/fairness-lumun
Is history repeating itself?
Memorial’s woes seem to be stuck on a loop, with difficulties finding permanent administrative leadership, recurring complications negotiating with labour, struggling national reputation, and financial troubles. One dominating scandal occurs nearly every semester, which often results in the firing or departure of some supposedly essential figurehead and conversion of that season’s recurring extra into a leading role on the academic melodrama that is Memorial.
While a hazardous storm makes its way towards St. John’s this weekend, this January marked the fourth anniversary of the “Snowmageddon” blizzard of 2020. During the Snowmageddon, “over 90cm of snow fell on top of nearly 100cm already on the ground.” Many are declaring that another storm may arrive in St. John’s this weekend- one which may rival the infamous Snowmageddon, bringing with it estimates of 50 to 80cm of snow. Perhaps it is a sign- the static snow brought on by the campus collectively trying to change the channel.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/newfoundland-labrador/50-80-cm-snowfall-avalon-1.7136363
Some say history repeats itself—first as tragedy, then as farce. While MUN can’t control the weather, they could certainly stop a strike and the storm it brings.