McMASTER PROFESSORS’ INSPIRED RESPONSE TO UNIVERSITY ULTIMATUM TO ITS LOWEST-WAGE WORKERS

August 3, 2014

Patrick Deane, President
McMaster University

President Deane,

The undersigned members of the McMaster University community write you today to express deep concern and strong disagreement with the ultimatum that McMaster University has delivered to its lowest-wage workers in recent union negotiations. To force some of the most vulnerable members of our community to choose between a living wage and retaining their jobs is an unacceptable tactic. The university should commit to paying all of its full-time workers a living wage immediately. There is no excuse for requiring a full-time worker to live in poverty, and as a university community dedicated to the fulfillment of human potential, McMaster University should be leading the way on this issue.

McMaster University has made strong commitments to end poverty. For example, through the McMaster-Community Poverty Initiative (poverty.mcmaster.ca), the university makes a commitment to promote a more equitable and just society. We believe in this vision, and we see this contract negotiation as an opportunity for the university to live up to this ideal.

In addition, we are deeply concerned about the gender inequalities that the university’s final best offer implies. Those workers who have been offered the lowest increase (indeed, a wage freeze for several years) are mostly women. This mirrors the larger social problem in which a majority of the lowest paid workers is female. We also believe that in accordance with pay equity legislation, McMaster University has an obligation to ensure that workers in female dominated classes, such as cleaning, are compensated equally to workers in male dominated classes. To perpetuate a structural inequality by keeping these lowest wages below the living-wage mark perpetuates gender inequality.

We want to work in a community that values all of its members. We ask you to make a firm public commitment to retain these workers, as well as to pay all full-time employees of McMaster University a living wage immediately. Paying workers enough to live out of poverty is the least the university can do.

As you eloquently stated in your Forward With Integrity letter, we must also uphold above all else the obligations of the University to serve the greater good, beginning with our immediate community…” These words have inspired many of us. This is an opportunity to put these obligations into practice.

 

Sincerely,

  • Tina Fetner, Associate Professor, Sociology
  • Stephen McBride, Professor, Political Science
  • Diane Enns, Associate Professor, Philosophy
  • Elisabeth Gedge, Associate Professor and Chair, Philosophy
  • Susie OBrien, Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Donna Baines, Professor, Labour Studies and Social Work
  • Christina Baade, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Multimedia
  • Maroussia Hajdukowski-Ahmed, Professor Emeritus, French
  • Rick Stapleton, Archives and Research Collections Librarian, Mills Memorial Library
  • Carl Cuneo, Professor emeritus, Sociology
  • John Weaver, Department of History
  • Suzanne Mills, Associate Professor, Labour Studies and Geography and Earth Sciences
  • Konstantin Kilibarda, Sessional Lecturer, School of Labour Studies
  • Tina Moffat, Associate Professor, Anthropology
  • Charlene Miall, Professor Emeritus, Sociology
Andrew Colgoni, Services Librarian, H.G. Thode Library of Science and Engineering
  • Brigitte Sassen, Associate Professor, Philosophy
Richard Harris, Professor, School of Geography and Earth Sciences
  • Liss Platt, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Multimedia
  • Donald Goellnicht, Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Virginia H. Aksan, Professor Emeritus, History
  • Melinda Gough, Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies/Gender Studies and Feminist Research
  • Simon Orpana, PhD Candidate, English and Cultural Studies
  • Sara Bannerman, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies and Multimedia
  • Martin Dooley, Professor, Economics
  • Sandra Preston, Assistant Professor, School of Social Work
  • Anne Savage, Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Peter Nyers, Associate Professor, Political Science
  • Rachel Zhou, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
  • Wayne Lewchuk, Professor, School of Labour Studies and Department of Economics
  • Janice Hladki, Associate Professor, School of the Arts
  • Caroline Fram, Masters Student, School of Labour Studies and Vice President External, CUPE 3906
  • Dan Douma, Master’s Student, School of Labour Studies
  • Randy Kay, OPIRG McMaster
  • Travis Kroeker, Professor, Religious Studies
  • Grace Kehler, Associate Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Peter Graefe, Associate Professor, Department of Political Science
  • Ahmed Shafiqul Huque, Chair and Professor, Political Science
  • Don Wells, Professor, Labour Studies and Political Science
  • Nancy Bouchier, Associate Professor, Department of History
  • Michel Grignon, Associate Professor, Department of Economics and Department of Health, Aging & Society
  • Bianca James, Graduate Coordinator, Institute on Globalization and the Human Condition
  • Tina Horton, Academic Advisor, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Janice Hladki, Associate Professor, School of the Arts
  • John Fox, Professor, Sociology Department
  • Jocelynn Vieira, Executive Officer, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Kathy Ball, Director of Assessment, Mills Memorial Library
  • Jon Kruithof, Learning Technologies Analyst, MIIETL
  • Netina Tan, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
  • Craig Jennex, PhD Candidate, Department of English & Cultural Studies / Gender Studies & Feminist Research
  • Eugenia Zuroski Jenkins, Associate Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies
  • Vera Chouinard, Professor, School of Geography and Earth Sciences
  • Emily West, PhD Candidate, Department of English and Cultural Studies
  • Philippa Carter, Teaching Professor, Department of Religious Studies
  • Matthew Root, President, Unifor 5555
  • Rosemary Viola, Vice-President, Unifor 5555
  • Beth Couchman, Unit 1 Chairperson, Unifor 5555
  • Stephen Goertz, Sergeant-At-Arms, Unifor 5555
  • Emily Heikoop, Trustee, Unifor 5555
  • Neil McLaughlin, Associate Professor, Sociology
  • Nadine Attewell, Associate Professor, Department of English and Cultural Studies
  • Lori Campbell, Associate Professor, Sociology and Health, Aging and Society
  • Kathy Ouellette, Guide, Unifor 5555
  • Catherine Graham, Associate Professor, School of the Arts (Theatre & Film Studies)
  • Sara Mendelson, Associate Professor, Arts & Science
  • Michael Anderson, Master’s Student, School of Labour Studies
  • Chris Sinding, Professor, School of Social Work & Department of Health, Aging and Society
  • Jennifer Petteplace, Trustee, Unifor 5555
  • Jim McAndrew, Health and Safety Coordinator, Unifor 5555
  • Janet Dassinger, Senior Research Officer, Canadian Union of Public Employees
  • Sarah Brophy, Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Stephen Jones, Professor, Economics
  • Nibaldo Galleguillos, Associate Professor, Political Science
  • Melanie Heath, Associate Professor, Sociology
  • Roger Hyman, Associate Professor, English
  • Evan Johnston, PhD Student, English and Cultural Studies / Vice President, CUPE 3906
  • Kathy Garay, Arts and Science Programme and Department of History
  • Catherine Anderson, MA Student, Department of Work and Society
  • David Hitchcock, Professor Emeritus, Philosophy
  • Ryan Sparrow, MA Student, Work and Society
  • Chantal Poitras, MA Student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Robyn Lew, MA student, Cultural Studies and Critical Theory
  • Glenn Fletcher, Research Coordinator, Oncology
  • Mozafer Rajabali, BSc Student
  • Kasim Husain, PhD candidate, English and Cultural Studies
  • Cassel Busse, PhD candidate, English and Cultural Studies
  • Emma McKenna, PhD student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Romita Sur, BA (Political Science) /BSW (Social Work) Student
  • Carly Hunter BSc/BA Student
  • Kitty Toews, MA student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Clorinde Peters, PhD Student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Alina Sajed, Assistant Professor, Department of Political Science
  • Samsun Nadia, MA Student, Work and Society
  • David Ogborn, Associate Professor, Communication Studies and Multimedia
  • Terri Aversa, MA Student
  • Jeff Denis, Assistant Professor, Sociology
  • Vic Satzewich, Professor, Sociology
  • Sunia Hassan, BSc student
  • Bilal Bagha, BSc Student, CUPE 3906 Undergraduate Officer
  • Kerry Bailey, PhD Student, Sociology
  • Salah Abdelrahman, chemical engineering student
  • Atif Kubursi, Emeritus Professor of Economics
  • Brenda Wall
  • Mary Ellen Campbell, PhD Candidate, English and Cultural Studies
  • Ismael Traore, PhD Candidate, Sociology
  • Sylvia Dion, Blended Services Mills Memorial Library
  • Julieta Rodriguez Heredia, MA student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Daniela Giulietti, MA Candidate, Work and Society
  • Sarah Wahab, MA student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Kevin Malton, MA student, English and Cultural Studies
  • Diana Elborno, BHSc (Honours) Child Health Specialization student
  • Eric Gillis, Student, MSU SRA Social Sciences Representative, Labour Studies
  • Brittany Wilson, Student, HBaArts, Social Psychology,
  • Angelina Vaccaro, Student, BA (Gerontology) & BSW (Social Work), MSU Operations Committee
  • Matt Jelly
  • Louis Greenspan, Professor Emeritus, Religious Studies
  • Ruth Frager, Associate Professor, History Department
  • Esmonde Jamieson-Eckel, BA Student
  • Bethany Cowley, Alumni, BA Health, Aging & Society, Bachelor of Social Work
  • Allison Abdilla, BSc Student
  • Muhammad Fahad Arshad, Chemical Engineering and Society 2015
  • Nicole Kristensen, BA/BSW Student
  • Fathima Nabihah Samsoodee, Chemical Engineering Student
  • Karen Sutton, Recording Secretary & Women’s Advocate, Unifor 5555
  • Sadaf Rahman, BHSc (Honours) Alumnus, MD Candidate
  • Bernice Kaczynski, Professor, Department of History
  • Daniel Coleman, Professor, English and Cultural Studies
  • Christine Quail, Associate Professor, Communication Studies & Multimedia
  • Amin Sadeghi Vasfi, Civil Engineering Student
  • Isabel Szczygiel, Student,  BA Labour Studies & Bachelor of Social Work
  • James S. Quinn, Professor, Biology Department
  • Joseph B. Rose, Professor, DeGroote School of Business
  • Alan Mendelson, Religious Studies, Emeritus
  • Dr. Henry Giroux, Professor of English and Cultural Studies and Global TV Network Chair in Communications
  • Nadwa Elbadri, Civil Engineering and Management Student
  • Beth Marquis, Assistant Professor, Arts & Science Program/MIIETL
  • Parathy Kandiah, Masters student, Mechanical Engineering,  Equity Officer, CUPE 3906
  • Marguerite Marlin, PhD Student, Political Science / Chief Steward Unit 1, CUPE 3906
  • Luxi Li, PhD Student, Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour
  • Meaghan Ross, Sessional Instructor, School of Social Work
  • Joshua Buzzell, Peace Studies and Cultural Studies Student
  • Wisam El-hassan, Engineering Student
  • Tracy McDonald, Department of History
  • Rebecca Collins-Nelsen, PhD Candidate, Department of Sociology/ President, CUPE 3906
  • Hayley Goodchild, PhD Candidate, Department of History
  • Tara-Lynn Williamson, Student, BA Sociology & Bachelor of Social Work
  • Nick Marquis, Staff/Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Nicholas Griffin, Professor, Philosophy Department
  • Michael Abraham, Student, BA Religious Studies & Bachelor of Social Work
  • Stephanie Baker Collins, Associate Professor, School of Social Work
  • Ryan Price, Masters student, Communication Studies and Multimedia
  • Kathleen Steeves, PhD student, Sociology
  • Tyler J. Pollard, PhD Candidate, Department of English and Cultural Studies
  • Miriam DeCock, PhD Student, Religious Studies