Concordia Trade Union Workers Protest

Trade union workers rallied outside of Concordia University Tuesday during their lunch hour. They are angry about a contract proposal from the university that offered little raise in salary.

The Metallos union local 9538 represents carpenters, steelworkers and other tradesmen that uphold the buildings on Concordia’s two campuses. One member called out the university for raising tuition fees for students while executive’s wages stay high. He doesn't feel that union workers can survive on these low wages.

According to union member Pat Tafuto, the proposed deal did not offer three categories of tradesmen raises at all. Tafuto and about 20 others picketed outside of the Loyola campus in solidarity with their colleagues from the Sir George Williams Campus. Despite being in the same union, the two campuses have different contracts.

The staff at SGW have been without a contract since May 31, 2008. About 60 of them have protested angrily, chanting loudly in the street.

The Loyola union workers are not in contract negotiations yet, but they will be soon. They are awaiting anxiously the outcome of negotiations downtown. The members would not say if they will resort to a strike, but Tafuto hopes it will not resort to that. Until then, workers plan to picket during their lunch breaks to get the attention of Concordia administration.