CUPE Strikers Need To Suck It Up

CUPE (Canadian Union of Public Employees) is one the largest unions around. Unfortunately, that means they have workers in many different areas that can affect our lives when they go on strike. For the past month or so, CUPE members at the U of S and U of R have been striking. They've mainly been striking for more money and the fact that they don't want their pay increases based on performance reviews. Well, welcome to the real world. I know that in the union you feel you're above all the rest of us poor laborers who have to work everyday where our performance is evaluated, and thus come year end, our increases are directly related to our performance.

All I have to say to all of you is BOOHOO. Suck it up and deal with it. The only ones who should be worried are thosewho don't perform well. The rest of you shouldn't have any problems getting the more than generous 17.85% raise over the next three years. The ones who perform well shouldn't be carrying those who don't. My raise only amounts to barely 3% each year, so consider yourselves very lucky to be getting that much. They complain that their standard of living is suffering because their raises aren't large enough. With inflation at around 2-3% each year, your raise is well above that. Some of these people are the same ones who are the first to complain when their kids' tuition increases just to pay for their wage increase.

You can bet that tuition will be increasing as a result of this wage increase. So, I feel for the students who are paying for this more than once - first by missing classes because their professors won't cross the picket lines (which is completely stupid) and then next year when their tuition increases.