Langara College teachers walk out of morning class to spur on contract negotiations
By JESSE WINTER and MIKE HAGER
The Langara Faculty Association made good today on its threats of job action.
Dozens of Langara instructors walked out of their classrooms at 10:00 a.m. and marched to a Jewish community centre near Oakridge Mall wearing custom shirts reading, “'Nothing' is not a solution.”
Instructors marched the eight blocks to their "study session" (Photos: Thorsten Gohl)
"[My professor] left at 10 a.m. and it was supposed to be a three-hour class," said photography student Emily Edgar, whose morning class lasted 30 minutes. "Only the people that showed up a half an hour late [were pissed off]."
The instructors held a “study session,” which LFA president Lynn Carter described as “a terrific meeting.” Afternoon classes ran as scheduled.“The LFA had a full and wide ranging discussion,” Carter said.
Today’s walkout was the first job action taken at the school in an ongoing labour dispute between the LFA and the college.
"It sucks for students, especially if our semester gets pushed back I'll be really upset about that," said photography student Cathlin Gulewitsch Broadley. "But I definitely support the teachers."
Yesterday the LFA met with the college for mediated talks.
Ken Jillings, Langara College’s director of human resources, said he “thought the talks were productive on the items we had on the table.”
Jillings said the main sticking point is the “net zero” mandate, which he said was handed down directly from cabinet.
“This is not just about Langara College, or the college and institute sector,” said Jillings. “This mandate applies to all of the provincial public sector.” He said Langara is “unequivocally” bound by the net zero mandate.
LFA President Lynn Carter (The Voice file photo)
A series of other disputes have been taking place at colleges and universities around the province.
The Vancouver Island University Faculty Association is in the 14th day of a strike that has seen incredible student support.
CUPE 13, which represents the teaching assistants at Langara, is also in the midst of a dispute with the college. They will be taking a strike vote on Thursday to show support for the LFA, according to one CUPE 13 member who wished to remain anonymous. If that vote passes, CUPE 13 will join the LFA in having the legal grounds to stage a strike of their own.
Click here to listen to an earlier Voice Online interview with Carter where she explains the LFA's demands.
