CUPE Local 2361 fights for fair wages

Hundreds of community members and Western University’s groundskeepers, caretakers and tradespeople represented by CUPE Local 2361 held a strike solidarity rally on August 30 amid bargaining with the university for a renewed contract.

The Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2361 represents Western University’s building services and facilities operations employees, including landscaping services, trades workers and caretakers. The union entered a legal strike position on August 29.

Workers and community members gathered at Western University’s main gates on Richmond Street for a solidarity rally at 12 p.m. on August 30.

The atmosphere at the rally was energetic as CUPE 2361 workers were joined by community members including those from unions representing Western’s faculty, staff and graduate and postdoctoral researchers.

CUPE 2361 workers have been without a contract since June 30 when bargaining with the university began. Western’s administration says the union has been offered a competitive compensation package with a 22 per cent wage increase over the next four years.

But the union’s vice-president Chris Yates said the 22 per cent figure is misleading, as CUPE 2361 workers have received sub-inflation wage increases.  

“The main reason we’re out here is that our members have had their wages stagnated basically over the last decade,” said Yates. He explained the union is still feeling the effects of Bill 124, which capped salary increases for provincial public sector workers, coupled with high inflation rates.

Bill 124 was enacted by the Ontario government in November 2019 and capped annual salary increases for provincial public sector workers at one per cent per year. The bill was repealed in February after being ruled unconstitutional by the Court of Appeal for Ontario.

“There are other groups in our market area that have been made up for that inflation, they’ve received wage increases, and we haven’t,” said Yates.

Nickolaus Brunet, a caretaker at Western, added although CUPE 2361 workers received a small wage increase after Bill 124 was repealed, the union had received zero or one per cent wage increases for four years before it even came into effect.  

“So realistically… we’re trying to get what we’re owed here, but for 10 years’ worth. That’s why to some people it looks a little outlandish, but it wouldn’t be this bad if we kept up with everything,” Brunet said.

The stagnation in pay has affected hundreds of current and prospective CUPE 2361 workers, Yates explained. Madeleine Grawburg, a caretaker at Western who attended the rally, said the stagnated wages have made it more difficult to support her family.

“We shouldn’t have to work more than one job to make ends meet,” she said. 

Western caretaker Tracy Morton agreed, saying CUPE 2361 workers need to be paid a living wage.

“I’ve been here for 10 years — at the beginning of my 10 years, we were $7 above minimum wage. Now we’re about $1.50 above minimum wage,” said Morton.

As the strike enters its fifth week, parts of Western’s campus are reportedly messy, despite the university hiring temporary workers to replace CUPE 2361 labour. London Transit Commission buses have been rerouted away from campus as unionized drivers represented by the Amalgamated Transit Union refuse to cross picket lines in solidarity with the strike.

“It’s going to take a community effort and pressure to get Western to come back to the table with us, to pressure them into saying, ‘Hey, your employees deserve fair wages. Come back to the table. Get a deal done so that they can go back to work and make the campus great for the students,’” said Yates.

— With files from Emmanuel Akanbi