The Simon Fraser University Student Society battle against a greedy union continues

Back in July, I wrote about the stand Simon Fraser University's Student Society took against its so-called Public Interest Research Group (Self-Interested Marxist Propaganda Bureau is usually a better description for Canadian university "Public Interest" Research Groups that extract student funds to pay themselves as they engage in fanatical anti-Western activism), that resulted in a lock out and eviction of CUPE employees.

The Peak, SFU's student paper, published an editorial by the Student Society's Kyle Acierno this week about the ongoing dispute. CUPE seems to want to gouge the students of SFU for their own benefit. Who would have believed that a public service union would do that, eh?

From Acierno's editorial:

Most employers (like, say, the Canadian government) hire professionals to bargain collective agreements with unions so that there is a fair result for the employer and the employee. The case of the Simon Fraser Student Society, however, is different. In the past we haven’t had trained professionals to bargain agreements, we have had students with little or no experience thrown against the massive CUPE union.

What is the result? Well, it’s obvious: an agreement that heavily favours the union and gives close to half of the society’s money to pay 16 staff people.

Please remember that as a student elected to represent and work for students, I also share responsibility for running a $1.7 million operating budget. We must make the best fiscal decisions for the society. When we have a deficit of $800,000, is it right to pay all of our permanent employees over $30 an hour?

When we are forced to slash funding for all of our clubs and departmental student unions (such as the Economics Student Union which was cut from $1200 to $700 to $300), is it fair to pay our few student employees $21.64 an hour? When we can no longer afford bursaries that assist dozens of students in desperate financial need, like the $10,000 bursary contribution that is doubled by the government, should we not be looking for ways to solve our financial problems?

The quick and easy answer from most people supporting the union is to raise fees — charge the students more! The fact is that if we raised student fees to increase revenue by $20,000, we would only barely cover the average raises these employees receive each and every year! The following year we would be back asking for your money again. More money — not to provide extra service, to have more events, or to give back to you, but to pay for raises we are contractually forced to give.

Our answer to this dilemma: Why not make better use of the money that we already collect? Why not work to get a fair deal for students?