Security Update #3

UWFA members have been asked to submit to searches of their bags when they enter a campus building. Faculty members have also been asked if they are able to volunteer some to time to assist with baggage inspections. UWFA has responded to these measures by consulting with our lawyers and CAUT. We are providing the following information as a result of these consultations:

Volunteering to Assist With Searches:

This is strictly voluntary and in no way compulsory. Should you consider volunteering your services you might consider the potential risk to your own safety and matters of privacy between you and your colleagues or students. UWFA has been told that there is training for those who volunteer but we are not in a position to judge the adequacy of any such training. Our lawyers recommend against assisting with searches.

Submitting to Searches:

In labour law, there is a principle of “obey now, grieve later.” Additionally, an employer has the right to conduct searches if it is reasonably necessary. Our lawyers feel that in the short-term the bag searches are probably justified and to decline a search could result in discipline. UWFA will be meeting with the Administration on Tuesday. At that time we will be asking them to agree to a protocol that would include but not necessarily be limited to the following: A limit to the period when searches will be conducted, no searches to be conducted by anyone other than trained security staff, and clear limits on what can be looked for during a search. If we are unable to reach an agreement we are prepared to file a grievance.

Other Undertakings:

The UWFA Executive met on Friday and we discussed the events of the past week. We have formed a subcommittee of the Executive to examine the issues. The subcommittee members are Karim Dharamsi, Joan Grace, Samantha Arnold, and Lisa McGifford. The duties of this committee will include creating a comprehensive list of issues as well as some recommendations. UWFA has been attempting to deal immediately with the most pressing safety concerns as events have occurred, and we have been keeping a list of broader concerns to be investigated and acted upon as soon as possible once the current situation subsides.  We also have received a variety of comments from members. The subcommittee will address this list of concerns and also will solicit further input from UWFA members.  This process will take some time, given that the committee members mostly are volunteers and that there is much to consider. Members should note also that although UWFA represents its members with respect to employment conditions, there are other routes for members to express their opinions, e.g., directly to administrators , through Department  Chairs, and in forums that the Administration might make available.

In the winter term we will be arranging for CAUT to provide a workshop on campus security issues. This would be made available to other campus unions as well. And finally, the current Collective Agreement does not contain a Privacy Rights clause, but we will be introducing one in the course of Collective Bargaining.

The last 10 days have been a stressful ordeal for all concerned. While we can never be certain that similar events will not arise in the future, we can press for security measures that accomplish their purposes while respecting the nature of the academic environment in which they are implemented.

Lisa McGifford, Staff Officer
University of Winnipeg Faculty Association