Dang, We're in a Tight Spot!

What a mess. I'm not sure of all the details, but just over a week ago all of the K-12 public school teachers in B.C. went on strike due to some legislation that is being passed in the provincial legislature. They are demanding that the government go back into talks with the teachers' union over their contract. Meanwhile, the government has said that this is an illegal strike and thus will not negotiate with the teachers as long as they remain in an illegal strike. (The government has also frozen the assets of the teachers' union and I believe is suing the union over the illegal strike.)

Now, since Victoria is the capital of B.C., there will be a huge protest on Monday. Basically, every union on Vancouver Island will not report for work on Monday and will meet for some march towards the legislature. Thus, the buses and such will all be closed.

Being a TA, I was required to join the TA union, which has decided to participate in the protest. My union has informed its members that the protest is legal because similar ones in the past have been declared legal.

As a consequence, the TA union, and possibly others, will be picketing to close off the UVic campus on Monday. Members are not supposed to cross the picket lines to attend work and are (I believe) eligible for strike pay if they are picketed out of their workplace. For me, it is not really a work issue because I don't work on Mondays.

However, the professors are not unionized and therefore have no right to join the protest. Thus, classes will be held as usual and the non-TA students that can make it to campus (remember, no buses) will probably cross the picket lines and be in class.

So, the real problem is that my union will be picketing to close off the workplace (campus), but I will not be working on Monday. I still feel the need to go to class (I have paid thousands of dollars for them). So, do I still go to campus to attend class? I think so, because I want to get what I paid for.

It has been made clear that many unions, including ours, are threatening a general strike if this protest does not work to get the government to enter into negotiations. Even if I do have to go on strike in the future because my union does, I still plan on going to class. I'm not wasting my money to not attend class, especially when the classes I'm in will never be offered again.