Bill 18 discriminates against union activists in post-secondary sector

Bill 18 - the Advanced Education Statutes Amendment Act - which has been introduced to the B.C. legislature with no consultation, contains anti-democratic changes to the College and Institute Act that would:

Ban union activists involved in collective bargaining or dispute resolution activities from being elected as staff representatives on college, institute and university Boards of Governors.
Prohibit elected board members from serving as board chair.
Give government-appointed board members unprecedented powers to remove elected staff members from the board with a 2/3 majority vote.

The proposed amendments are not only undemocratic, but likely contravene our members' constitutional rights to freedom of association.
Conflict of Interest legislation already provides clear guidelines of conduct for members of public bodies. Union activists are no more potentially in conflict than regular unionized employees, who are both equally affected by Board decisions.
You can help convince the B.C. Government to drop this ill-conceived legislation. Send an e-mail here to Naomi Yamamota, the Minister of Advanced Education, and NDP Opposition critic Michelle Mungall, telling the government to pull this legislation.
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