We are a group of Osgoode Hall Law School alumni writing to you in regards to the CUPE 3903 strike at York University. We wish to address both the administration and students in voicing our support for CUPE 3903 and the law students who are refusing to cross the picket lines in solidarity.
Our Message to the Administration of Osgoode Hall Law School
Why we support CUPE 3903 and Osgoode Hall Law students who refuse to cross the picket lines
The members of CUPE 3903 are exercising their constitutionally-protected rights to strike and bargain. Both of these are hard-fought rights which were only achieved through the hard work of lawyers and labour activists working together on picket lines and in the courts. It is not enough for the legal community to achieve these rights on paper—we must demonstrate our support for workers to actually exercise these rights in a meaningful way.
Further, we support CUPE 3903 in their demands for affordable education, fair compensation, and LGBTQ+ equity. The members of CUPE 3903 are demanding justice, fairness, and fighting against discrimination. These are all things which we, as part of the legal community, hold amongst our highest values and we support them in this struggle.
We fully support all Osgoode Hall students who are refusing to cross the picket lines in solidarity with CUPE 3903. We are aware that some students have expressed a desire to return to classes and have now done so. They mention student debt, high tuition fees, and precarious employment prospects as reasons why they must return. However, these are exactly the reasons why the members of CUPE 3903 are on strike.
We recognize that the decision to respect the picket line and to decline to return to class was a difficult decision for some students, especially as many law students and recently-called lawyers are affected by the same injustices to which the strike can be attributed. Their decision has shown courage. Law is a profession which values community service, justice, equality, and at times, selflessness. By refusing to cross the picket lines, these law students have taken the first of many steps in practicing a profession which will frequently require them to prioritize justice. We will be proud to have them join us as fellow lawyers in the near future.
Our request to the Administration of Osgoode Hall Law School
We are heartened to learn that Osgoode Hall Law School has offered accommodations for students who refuse to cross the picket lines. However, we are disappointed in the Osgoode Hall Faculty Council’s decision to seek an exemption to the strike and resume classes. As alumni of Osgoode Hall, we pride ourselves in being graduates of a law school that teaches and values social justice. This decision by the Faculty Council undermines that commitment and undermines the legitimacy of CUPE 3903’s demands as well as their right to strike and right to bargain.
As the decision to resume classes cannot be reversed, we ask the administration of Osgoode Hall to fervently demand that York University Administration negotiate a fair and reasonable collective agreement with CUPE 3903 that fully addresses the concerns and needs of the bargaining unit.
Our message to the students of Osgoode Hall
Finally, to the students of Osgoode Hall who are refusing to cross the picket lines, we wholeheartedly support you. Although we are no longer students, many of us remember the stress that we felt during times of strike while we were at Osgoode.
Those of us who refused to cross the picket lines in the past do not regret our decisions. When questioned by employers why we had “credit” marked on our transcripts instead of letter grades, we simply explained that it was due to our choices during the strike. In interviews, we were able to talk about our involvement in the strike as an example of a time where we did what we knew was the right thing to do, despite pressure to act otherwise. It prepared us to be lawyers who could take positions that advanced the interests of our marginalized clients, even when it made other lawyers, judges, and players in the legal system uncomfortable or angry. The true measure of our principles comes when they are tested by our self-interest. What kind of lawyers would we be if we didn’t stand up for what was right when it was difficult?
Sincerely,
Tressa Alan (2013)
Kalev Anniko
Danielle Bisnar (2010)
Mary Byberg (2002)
Eugenia Cappellaro Zavaleta (2002)
Jeff Carolin (2011)
Paul Copeland (1965)
Richard Elliott (1995, LLM 2006)
Jackie Esmonde (2002)
Jeffrey Garland (2008)
Cheryl Gaster (1991)
Emily Hill (2001)
Ray Kuszelewski (1985)
John Liss (1972)
Patrick Legay
Astrid Mrkich (2014)
Sarah Molyneax (2013)
Saneliso Moyo (2014)
Jon O’Kane (2013)
Risa Pancer (1991)
Geraldine Sadoway (1981)
Steven Sagle (2011)
Sarah Shartal
Oriel Varga (2014)
Mandy Wojcik (2005)
Kendall Yamagishi (2013)