CUPE 4207’s Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ Draws Widespread Support Across Niagara

The Niagara labour community came out in force on Thursday, October 23rd to support CUPE 4207’s Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ, held outside Glenridge A at Brock University. The event brought together workers, students, and community allies in a powerful show of solidarity and unity for CUPE 4207’s Unit 1 (Instructors, Course Coordinators, Teaching Assistants, Lab Demonstrators, and Marker-Graders) and Unit 5 (Faculty of Education Instructors) as they continue to fight for a fair deal at the bargaining table. 

The community solidarity rally highlighted three key issues central to both bargaining units:

Fair Wages: keeping pace with the rising cost of living;

Class & Seminar Sizes: protecting quality education and working conditions for in-person and virtual learning spaces;

Preference in Instructor Hiring for PhD Students: balancing teaching opportunities fairly so that there is no risk to academic progress, and so that no teaching group is used to undermine another teaching group.

The event was well attended and strongly supported by Union locals across the Niagara region, including: CUPE Locals 9102, 1263, 4156, 1317, 911, 1295, 2328, and 2977, as well as members of BUFA (Librarians and Faculty Members), OSSTF Local 35, OSSTF District 22, OSBCU, COPE 343, and the Niagara Regional Labour Council. Community organizations, such as the United Way and local political allies, including City Councillor Caleb Batzlaff and representation from MPP Jennie Stevens’ office (NDP), also joined in solidarity.

Undergraduate students, graduate students, and post-doctoral fellows from Brock University added their voices, emphasizing that improving working conditions for CUPE 4207 members means improving learning conditions for students. “I was the last one to arrive in my seminar and it was standing room only – there was no chair for me to sit in. It was awful,” shared an undergraduate student.

“We’re fighting not just for fair wages, but for the integrity of education at Brock,” said Tracy Kennedy, Vice President Unit 1 Instructors for CUPE 4207. “When instructors and teaching assistants are overworked and underpaid, students lose out. The show of support at our Solidarity Rally and BBQ proves that this fight belongs to everyone in the Niagara Community, and the labour movement across the province.”

The message was clear: the Niagara community is united in demanding fairness, respect, and quality education at Brock. 

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 and Unit 5 members won’t back down until wages, class sizes, and hiring practices reflect the true value of the education its members deliver.

Pathways to Permanent Residence with Ian Wood

Join us for an Immigration presentation with Ian Wood: Pathways to Permanent Residence. Ian will give members valuable insights on current immigration program dynamics. This is very timely for International Students, given the country will be announcing its new immigration targets this week. Let’s hope it’s good news for our members.

Some of our bargaining team members will be available to chat about concerns specific to international students and to ensure everyone’s voice is heard at the table. International students face unique challenges, and our bargaining team is committed to addressing them at the table.

Please join us & bring a friend!

Limited space is available so you must register for your spot. Click on the link to register for this in-person event or use the QR code in the poster:

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/e7pyN-l5Qv6MGOVZPRzh1w

Once you register, you will receive an email confirming your in-person seat.

See you there!

#MakeItFair

“Job security, fair pay, and benefits for contract faculty will deliver fairness for workers and protect the high‐quality education our students deserve.”

Many thanks to the Academic supporters who work with us everyday and see our value and contribution to the university: Brock University Faculty Association (BUFA), Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT), and Ontario Confederation of University Faculty Associations (OCUFA).

When Brock chooses cuts over investment, it traps contract workers in unstable jobs with low pay and no job security. Precarity isn’t an accident. It’s the business model that austerity builds. It’s the model that Brock uses to keep contract workers paid unfairly and bumps long-term contract holders out of their work.

We say: NO AUSTERITY. NO PRECARITY. NO CONCESSIONS.

We won’t be nickle & dimed anymore. Our work is vital to this university.

Quality Teaching Deserves Quality Pay

Quality teaching deserves Quality pay. It’s time to pay us what we’re worth.

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 members play an essential role in delivering and supporting high-quality education to students at Brock University.

Brock’s reputation for academic excellence depends on the people who teach, grade, and support its students everyday. It’s time to invest in us: over a thousand instructors, teaching assistants, course coordinators, marker-graders, and lab demonstrators teaching the next generation of youth that will shape the future.

Austerity and precarity are choices that hurt both workers and students. We’re standing together to demand a fair contract that reflects the value of our work.

Fair wages now!

No austerity.
No precarity.
No concessions.

Game Night

Once again we invite all members out to board game night. Come to the Sanky Chambers at 6:30 Wed Oct 29th for great board games and some chips, pop and other snacks. Wet wipes will be provided. Please send any game or snack request to Dan the M.O.O.

Sign Making Party

We need to show our presence on the Thursday BBQ and we need some good signs to help out. Come on out to lend a hand and make some amazing signs. Come to the Union office in Glenridge A121, Wednesday October 22nd 12:30-4:00pm.

CUPE 2025 National Convention

Delegates at this year’s National Convention in Toronto received a copy of Judy Darcy’s Leading from the Heart. Judy Darcy is a former CUPE National President and served as the Elections Officer at the 2025 Convention.

Pronouns Matter: Small Words, Big Impact

Join the CUPE Ontario Young Workers Committee for an interactive webinar exploring the importance of pronouns in building inclusive and respectful communities. This session will help participants understand the basics of pronouns, why they matter, and how small changes in language can make a big difference in supporting gender diversity and belonging. All members are welcomed to come to the zoom meeting. Please register here.

Overcrowding Isn’t Pedagogy

Quality education can’t happen when learning spaces – whether in person or virtual – are packed beyond capacity.

Unit 5, Our Faculty of Education Instructors, are standing up against the normalization of overcrowded classes that undermine student success and exploit academic workers.

Unit 1 is facing the same challenges, as seminar sizes are beyond room capacity. Our online members are being exploited with dozens of extra students without extra pay.

It’s time for real investment in education, not austerity disguised as efficiency.

CUPE 4207 Unit 1 & Unit 5 Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ

Join us for our CUPE 4207 Solidarity Rally & Community BBQ!

Date: Thursday, October 23rd, 2025.

Time: 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm.

Location: Outside Glenridge A (corner of Glenridge Ave & John Macdonell St).

Parking: Paid parking in Lot E or Lot Glenridge (HONK app).

We’ll have hot dogs, hamburgers, drinks, and vegetarian options on the grill.

Both Unit 1 (Instructors, Course Coordinators, Teaching Assistants, Marker-Graders, and Lab Demonstrators) and Unit 5 (Faculty of Education Instructors) are standing together on three key priorities that resonate across the labour movement.

We’re not asking – we’re demanding!

Reasonable Class & Seminar Sizes – because we teach to students, not Stadiums;

Fair Hiring Practices – because we earned our Seniority, it’s not optional;

Fair & Comparable Wages – because we need to afford our rent and groceries.

JOIN US!