CUPE 3902 SUPPORTS THE SCHOLAR STRIKE

On September 9th and 10th, academic workers and their colleagues throughout Canada will be taking part in the Scholar Strike, meant to highlight the injustices Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPoC) individuals face on our campuses across the country. CUPE 3902 fully supports the Scholar Strike and calls on its members to find meaningful ways to contribute, and be a part of, this event. 

You should know that we are not in a legal position to collectively withdraw our labour. Moreover, the U of T has not cancelled classes and has made clear that they expect academic workers to continue with their scheduled work — they have asked departments to be flexible but work “within the University’s academic requirements and operational needs.”

There are many ways you can participle, and we encourage you to participle as much as you are able.

  • Reschedule lectures, tutorials, etc. if you are able. (Discuss this with your department and/or supervisor.) 
  • Replace class time with virtual teach-ins on the Scholar Strike Canada program if you are able. (If you are a tutorial leader, discuss this with your supervisor.) Or, encourage your students to attend teach-ins on their own time.
  • Attend teach-ins yourself! And join CUPE 3902 on Facebook Live this Thursday at 5 p.m. to discuss the impact of the pandemic on precariously employed workers, especially racialized workers. 
  • Discuss Scholar Strike Canada with your students. Open or close your lecture, tutorial, etc. with a conversation about the action.
  • Organize class time for your students to use their social media platforms to call on U of T to take real action for racial justice. Ask them to use the hashtags #scholarstrike and #scholarstrikeCanada.
  • Call out U of T on your social media platforms. The University has been claiming a leadership role in conversations around racial justice. Where is the structural change? Use the hashtags #scholarstrike and #scholarstrikeCanada.
  • Publicly support Scholar Strike Canada. Set up an away message on your email: “I am joining thousands of academics in Scholar Strike Canada, a collective action against anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, racist, and colonial police brutality in the United States, Canada and elsewhere. The action is taking place 9 and 10 September 2020, coinciding with the start of classes at most Canadian institutions. Read more and sign on here.” 
  • Sign on!