I am writing to express my concerns over the mass termination of 12 workers by the Ryerson Students Union, after the workers demanded unpaid wages and the right to a respectful workplace.
I believe that the mass terminations, which included both unjust firings and the premature cancelations of contract work, were a form of collective punishment designed to intimidate and silence workers who stood up for their rights.
These workers are from the most vulnerable class of workers on a university campus, the part-time student labourer. It is unconscionable that a student union would facilitate a fearful and poisonous work environment. The situation is more galling given the strong progressive credentials of the RSU management, including long-time activists from the student movement and union president.
It is even more upsetting to see that the RSU has chosen to dramatically cut funding to the Working Students centre, the platform through which the coordinators attempted to improve their working conditions, from 10,000 dollars to 2,300 dollars.
I believe to make this situation right, the RSU must restore the full funding to the Working Students Centre. They must also implement policies to ensure that they treat student labour is real labour.