Workplace discrimination on campus

Pay equity should mean equal pay

Chantal Adolphe

Because of a grievance I am filing with the University of Manitoba, I’ve learned firsthand how labour relations have been far from satisfactory here on campus. Specifically, I have been in an ongoing labour dispute regarding my right to union membership. Further, through my discussions with an UMSU representative, it’s been confirmed that troubles like my own are a long-standing problems. Workplace grievances at the U of M exist in the dozens. There are roughly 93 students employed by the university, all of whom are trying to earn a living while they pursue their studies. It was decades ago when the decision to exclude full-time students from bargaining rights was made by the U of M Food Service representatives in conjunction with the CAW3007 Workers Union, and it’s this archaic decision that I am concerned about.

Interestingly, there has been a lot of ambiguity regarding what the definition of a full-time student is in this situation. Sometimes the definition has changed from regular-session basis to a term-by-term basis. It took me three months to get a solid answer from the food service representatives. But for years, the human resource administration stated that for the purpose of exclusion from union membership, a full-time student is anyone who registers for 60 per cent or more of a regular session (from September to April) course load in their program (usually 30 credit hours). Full-time students are the only group excluded from union membership. This deal restricts their role in the union force, which means they have less power to dispute a disagreement with their employer, that their wage is an average of $3 per hour less than a union member’s wage, and that they are not protected by the employment standards in the collective bargaining agreement. This does not make any sense. Why are full-time students being discriminated against because of their enrolment status?

In the course of my grievance with the U of M, I discovered one shocking example of a disadvantage that a student can face when excluded from the union. With the support of Frank Wright, a chairperson of Local 3007, and Brian Kelly, the president of Local 3007, I had a meeting with Daryl Lucyk, the general manager of U of M Food Services, and Dave West, the human resources staff relations officer, this past November. Frank Wright asked Daryl Lucyk and Dave West three simple questions. First, “Do all the students make the same wage?” to which the U of M representatives responded, “Yes, minimum wage.” Second, “Does experience within the university workforce count when determining wage?” “No,” was the U of M’s response. Finally, it was asked that if a full-time student works for 20 years with the U of M, do they still make the same rate of pay at minimum wage?” The U of M’s response? A resounding “Yes.”

To compare, a worker in the union generally gets raises of pay on a yearly basis or after a bargaining motion is passed. Why this discrimination? Why this maltreatment?

According to the CAW3007 website, the U of M’s position to exclude full-time students in the union during the October strike is fairly blunt: “the university frowns on full-time students working full-time.” This is not a sufficient response. If a student is paid at the rate he or she should be, then it would be possible for them to work less and study more. The discrepancy of pay is not between part-time or full-time employees, it is between students and non-students.

Let’s be honest here: the U of M’s agenda is to save money at the student worker’s expense. The perks of being a union member far surpass the U of M’s so-called rationale for excluding them. Is it not the individual students’ choice to decide whether he or she can handle work while they are in school and to frame their schedule accordingly? And if a student chooses to work, shouldn’t they receive the same benefits and rights as everyone else in the workplace and abroad? The issue at hand is this: pay equity, equal work for equal pay. According to the Employment Standards Code of Manitoba section 82(1), discrimination in the wage scales are prohibited on the grounds of sex. Reasonably one can infer that this should apply for any group membership including student enrolment status. (Keep in mind that most of the 93 student workers are international students as well!) According to the Labour Relations Act of Manitoba, every employee has a right to be a member of a union. Why then does a full-time student working around campus make an average of $3 less per hour than another person working the exact same job? I’m sure everyone would agree that money is definitely a scarce luxury when you are a student, particularly when it is necessary to support yourself while pursuing a degree.

Chantal Adolphe is a third-year Arts student and a U of M Food Services worker.