UBC Alma Mater Society Chooses Playground-Like Slides Over Fairness for Workers

April 23, 2012

Media Release
April 20, 2012

UBC Alma Mater Society Chooses Playground-Like Slides Over Fairness for Workers
MoveUP Says $50,000 Slide Project Demonstrates AMS Council Making Bad Choices

VANCOUVER – The Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union Local 378, which represents security workers at UBC’s Alma Mater Society, responded today to the AMS’ announcement that they are spending $50,000 to build two playground-like slides as part of ongoing renovations of the Student Union Building.

“This is really a slap in the face to our members,” said COPE Communications Representative Jarrah Hodge, “To see the AMS spend this kind of money on playground-like slides for adults shows they really don’t have their priorities straight.”

MoveUP members who work for AMS Security have been in bargaining since February and are now in a period of mediation. The main issues are job security and wages, since AMS Security workers, many of whom are also students and some of whom also have families to support, are paid significantly less than other security workers on campus and elsewhere in Vancouver (most make $11.50/hour). The AMS’ proposal would bring in a two-tier wage system where new hires would be paid only $10.50/hour, and no employees would have recall rights.

“The AMS President Matt Parson told the Ubyssey that our wage proposals would likely mean ‘drastic reduction of services elsewhere in the AMS’. But the fact that the AMS has money to spend on a project like this shows the only problem is their misplaced priorities,” Hodge continued, “They’ve been fighting tooth and nail to avoid having to pay UBC students equal wages, but apparently $50,000 for slides is no big deal to them.”

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Media Contact: Jarrah Hodge, jhodge@moveuptogether.ca