The Martlet

The labour dispute between the UVSS and striking Student Union Building workers is turning ugly. On Friday, Oct. 3, someone graffitied “Resign Now” and “Pay Our Wage, Open The Damn Bar” with red spray paint on the outside walls of the SUB.

While it is unknown who is responsible for the vandalism, acting union president Michael Ryan said the union does not support the action.

“Personally I think I understand a lot of the sentiments that drove people to write it up, but it’s not productive to the bargaining process,” said Ryan. “I can understand it, but I can’t condone it. I hope people realize that even if it was a union member it’s certainly not condoned by our organization.”

UVSS chair Caitlin Meggs, who came to school to find “Resign Now” scrawled across her office door said this is the latest in a series of vandalism acts.

“We’ve been experiencing a lot of harassment,” she said. “It’s totally inappropriate and kind of mean.”

Meggs said that the previous Friday she arrived at the office to find glue in the lock to her door, and had to call Campus Security to help her get inside. There were droplets of glue on the floor between the UVSS office door and the SUB basement where the union’s office, along with the offices of other clubs and organizations, resides. There have also been rotten fish left in the SUB and human feces on top of a toilet paper dispenser.

“It’s resorting to bullying tactics when the best way to do it would be getting back to the negotiating table,” Meggs said. “It’d be best if that kind of thing could stop and people on both sides could just be respectful to each other.”

Because of the strike, the SUB currently has no janitorial service, and Campus Security, which is also unionized, is not asking its members to cross picket lines for non-emergency services.

“Unless it’s an emergency situation, some [of our members] are reluctant to cross the lines,” said Campus Security Director Pete Zacour. “Have no fear, if we need to respond to something we are definitely going to take the appropriate action.”

Zacour said security officers are patrolling in and around the exterior of the building, but haven’t had major problems with either party.

“We’ve actually been finding that people have been pretty respectful to each other up to this point in time,” said Zacour. He added, however, that damaging property would not be tolerated.

“We would like to see everybody get back to the table,” he said.

After over a month of failed negotiations, emotions on both sides are running high.

“They obviously have a lot of emotion and it’s really hard to be out there on the picket line, and I understand that,” said Meggs. “We have a lot of sympathy for what the workers are going through even though we are on different sides of a dispute.”

“It’s frustrating,” said Ryan about the drawn-out negotiation process. “We put in an offer last week and it was turned down.”

Meggs said that on Sept. 24 the strikers put forward an offer of 75 cents for the lowest wage bracket for the first year, followed by 50 cents and 25 cents the next two years. Meggs said this was something the UVSS would have liked to work with, but the offer was turned down because it was presented as non-negotiable, and there were a few things that the UVSS felt they couldn’t accept.

While the dispute seems to be stalemated, Meggs said she has no plan to resign, despite pressure from vandals and a petition by union member José Barrios to bring the question of replacing the board to a student referendum.

“There’s a crisis. I feel like it’s my responsibility to stay in,” said Meggs. “Resigning would be irresponsible to the people who elected me.”

Meggs pointed out that a new UVSS board would find themselves in the same situation.

“Whoever got elected would still have this labour dispute and would have to settle the books,” she said.

Students have expressed support for both sides of the dispute.

“There’s been a broad spectrum of people who have been downright insulting when crossing the picket line, while other people bring in food from home and offer support,” said Ryan.

Meggs said the UVSS has also received e-mails and people coming up to offer support.

“The majority of the students are really supportive of what the board’s trying to do,” said Meggs, stating that the board’s goal is really to balance a fair wage with the other programs and services it offers.