On October 6, K-12 teachers represented by the Alberta Teachers’ Association (ATA) went on strike. Yesterday, the province introduced legislation to force teachers back to work. This prompted some students to contact the SU, sharing their concerns and asking us to organize a student strike. The emails we received drew a parallel between provincial funding to K-12 education, controlled by the Ministry of Education and Childcare, and post-secondary funding, controlled by the Ministry of Advanced Education (AE).
We recognize that these events have been distressing for many students, so we wanted to take the time to clarify our role as your campus advocate and our abilities regarding strike action.
To paraphrase the Canada Labour Code, a labour strike is when employees stop work, or refuse to work, with the aim of forcing employers to address a grievance that workers have in common. Strikes must be organized by a labour union to be lawful.
Despite the name, the Students’ Union is not a labour union. Our name is a holdover from when we were established in our current incarnation in 1945, but we are actually a students association. This is a distinct class of organization that exists to ‘promote the general welfare’ of undergraduates at the University of Calgary. Our status means, among other things, that we cannot legally organize strikes. If we tried to in this case, it would be classified as a partisan protest, which would still violate our mandate.
Furthermore, the ATA has asked students not to organize their own protests or demonstrations. In a September email to the Education Students’ Association, the ATA asked for students to attend existing events organized by the ATA. More information on those can be found on the ATA’s website.
We appreciate that post-secondary education funding is a pressing affordability concern for the students we represent. However, change may already be on the horizon. AE recently received recommendations from a panel of experts who reviewed how our campuses are funded. This panel, which received and addressed input by your SU, concluded that our post-secondaries require additional provincial funding. We remain in communication with AE as next steps are decided.
While the SU cannot organize action in this case without violating our mandate, we can help students to meet mandates of their own. We recognize that standing up for what you believe in takes genuine nerve and integrity. We will fully support and protect your right to exercise free expression, or advocate in ways that align with your concerns.
Your SU Executive team can provide advice on organizing grassroots action and other advocacy measures you can take to effect change. We invite students who want to take advantage of this resource to contact your student leaders to set up a meeting. We can also provide the following information to support you.
- Your right to protest and enjoy free expression at the University of Calgary is protected by its Statement on Free Expression.
- The SU also stands ready to protect your rights as outlined in the Student Charter of Rights and Responsibilities. We encourage you to read the document to know what those are.
- If anyone limits your freedom of expression on-campus, the Student Ombuds Office can help.
- Off-campus, the SU partly funds Student Legal Assistance, a clinic that can give advice to students and low-income Calgarians on matters including student disciplinary procedures.
- The University of Calgary has two labour union offices right here on campus that students may wish to contact for specialist advice. The Alberta Union of Provincial Employees (AUPE) Local 052 chapter represents the University’s non-academic staff, and the University of Calgary Faculty Association (TUCFA) represents academic staff.
We urge students to take advantage of these links, or to get advice from your SU Executives by requesting a meeting. If you have outstanding questions or concerns you would like us to address, please email your Executives and we will get back to you as soon as we can.