A union representing custodians, groundskeepers and tradespeople at Wilfrid Laurier University is drawing a line in the sand over the University’s attempts to contract out their work to companies that pay poverty wages.
In what is shaping up to become a battle emblematic of the broader fight for good jobs and against precarious work in this province, the members of Local 926 of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) may end up on strike or locked out by the University over an issue that would also affect the next generation of workers at Wilfrid Laurier.
A quick drive around Waterloo might leave you with the impression that we’re undergoing a major population boom. Whether it be the handful of new condos and apartments being built in the uptown core, or the ongoing forest of student-oriented condominiums sprouting out along University and King, mattress manufacturers should be doing well going forward.