York University students and workers unions are holding a rally on September 25 from 11:45 am to 1:00pm, with the theme of Reclaiming York for Students and Workers. The rally will begin in front of William Small Centre and conclude at the Kaneff Tower.

Pervasive admin-led restructuring at York University has been severely detrimental to both students and workers. The planned and implemented austerity measures are wide-ranging and have demonstrably worsened educational quality, working conditions, and the overall experience of being a member of the York University community.

Slashing the budget for the university’s central purposes, while spending money on high priced anti-worker lawyers, private contractors and inflated senior administration salaries, jeopardizes the quality of York as an educational institution. This administration has shamefully funnelled money into managerial bloat, private security, and expensive union busting law firms rather than supporting its students and workers. In March, a CUPE 3903 picket captain was arrested at a three-decade old picket line on Sentinel Road. In June, York administration summoned police to the campus in a huge show of force and intimidation against students peacefully exercising their rights of political speech and protest. Research and pedagogy have been deprioritized, while expensive consultants are hired to implement austerity. The University’s own published data indicates a ratio of more than one manager to every two full-time faculty members. Join your fellow students and workers to demand a well run institution centred on achieving York’s central mission: “the pursuit, preservation and dissemination of knowledge” via commitment to “ academic freedom, social justice, accessible education, and collegial self-governance”.

Sign-making for this event will take place at the @CUPE3903 space in 143 Atkinson on Wednesday September 18 (12-2 pm) and Thursday Sept 19 (5-7 pm)!

Please join educational workers across #YorkU for rally prep.