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In a statement after the association's annual general meeting yesterday, Macdonald said the date for the certification vote, which must be by secret ballot, would normally be at the end of next week. But he thinks the OLRB will probably delay it for a few days so that voting would be in the week of April 15.
The faculty association voted in January to begin the process of union certification.
Snow, yes; but we've had worse storms than this in April. Old-timers will remember, I think, the blizzard of April 3, 1975, which closed the place down.
"There will be no problem getting to work," said Stan Fogel of St. Jerome's College, who is organizing people from UW and other educational institutions to take part in the day's protest activities. "The quarrel is not with the university by any means," he added. In fact, he said, people are encouraged to come to campus -- and to join in a mid-morning protest rally here, details to be announced. After that, participants will head to downtown Kitchener to join up with people from other areas for a central march and rally in Victoria Park.
Fogel said there will be "information pickets" handing out pamphlets, but "I can assure you that there will be absolutely no attempt to stop anybody."
Meanwhile, a memo is going out on campus today from the provost, Jim Kalbfleisch, about the April 19 protest. Here's what it says:
Representatives from the Ontario labour movement have indicated that they intend to target the Kitchener-Waterloo area for a general strike and demonstration on April 19. Similar demonstrations have been held in London and Hamilton.As I indicated in my memo of March 22, the University will be operating as usual on the 19th with the exception of the exam schedule which has been postponed until April 22.
Although April 19 will be a normal working day at the University of Waterloo, we recognize that some faculty, staff and union members may wish to participate in the strike/demonstration. In this event, they will need to request from their department heads, by April 10, a vacation day or an unpaid leave of absence to cover the time. In some areas it may not be possible to grant all requests because of staffing requirements. Unscheduled absences on April 19 will result in a loss of pay for that day.
While we are not anticipating difficulties with picket lines or obstruction of our students, faculty and staff as they attempt to come to work, there may be some delays experienced by a few people. We hope that these will be few and the day will unfold without mishap or incident. Please try to be patient if you encounter delays because of the strike.
The church colleges offer various services of worship: on Good Friday at 10:30 a.m. at Renison College (Anglican), 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. at St. Jerome's College (Roman Catholic); Holy Saturday at 7 p.m. at Renison, 8 p.m. at St. Jerome's; Easter Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at Renison, 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. at St. Jerome's.
Essential services available on campus 24 hours a day during the long weekend:
It's back to work Easter Monday, April 8, at UW though not at many businesses and government agencies. Exams start bright and early Monday morning. But we'll all be a little bleary-eyed, as Daylight Saving Time starts in the small hours of Sunday morning.
Final note in case you haven't seen this morning's newspapers: the Federal Bureau of Investigation thinks it's caught the Unabomber, a former Berkeley mathematics professor.
Chris Redmond -- credmond@watserv1.uwaterloo.ca
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