The Ottawa CUPE District Council is fully in support of CUPE 4600 and its members in their efforts to prevent massive cuts to contract instructor at Carleton University.
On December 13th, 2024, members of the Carleton University Administration, in particular the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, expressed a stated goal of reducing reliance on contract instructors by 50%.
To have unilaterally brought forward this proposal without going through the processes within the Collective Agreement and not communicating within the context of union bargaining, while also making such public statements prior to any negotiation taking place, shows a complete lack of respect for all members of CUPE 4600, and in particular contract instructors who have worked hand-in-hand with teaching assistants, postdoctoral fellows, and tenured faculty to ensure Carleton’s long-term success.
As the Carleton University Academic Staff Association noted in their statement of support, “all significant budgetary sacrifices have been cuts to the numbers of educators on campus.”
The Ottawa CUPE District Council commits to supporting CUPE 4600’s efforts to protect their members in the face of bad faith action from their employer.
In Solidarity,
Ottawa District CUPE Council, Local 9125