Students show their support

Jordan Janisse

Over 100 students, faculty, staff and supporters walked on Monday, March 7 in solidarity with the University of Winnipeg Faculty Association.

The UWFA have been negotiating a new contract with U of W administration and set a strike deadline for Wednesday, March 9 at 12:01 a.m., which they then pushed back a day.

The solidarity walk started at the university’s Portage Avenue campus and culminated at the UWFA’s strike headquarters at 309 Balmoral St.

UWFA president Kristine Hansen as well as University of Winnipeg Students’ Association representatives Lana Hastings and John Macleod Arnould were on hand to respond to questions about negotiations and the show of solidarity.

Macleod Arnould gave a passionate speech highlighting the concerns of students about the quality of the education at the U of W.

“The quality of our university should be measured by the quality of the professors, not the building,” he said.

The UWFA have been without a contract since March 2010.

Salary continues to be the primary issue preventing the UWFA and U of W administration from reaching an agreement.

Member dues from the UWFA are financing the rental of the space at 309 Balmoral St., which sits across the street from the U of W’s Wesley Hall.

For more coverage, go to http://uniter.ca/view/6125/.

Karlene Ooto-Stubbs and Aaron Epp

Published in Volume 65, Number 22 of The Uniter (March 10, 2011)

Related Reads