Support workers at Western University rally for fairer pay amid looming strike action

Members of CUPE Local 2361 listen to a podium speaker during a rally at the Richmond Street entrance of Western University on Aug. 17, 2024. (Sean Irvine/CTV News London)

With the threat of a return-to-school strike looming, support workers at Western University held a rally on Saturday.

Members of CUPE Local 2361 — representing 330 trades, custodial and landscaping staff — have voted 99 per cent in favour of a strike mandate.

A walkout could occur as early as Aug. 30.

"We're not asking for the moon," said a union vice-president to more than 100 supporters at the Richmond Street entrance of Western University.

"We're just asking for a level of pay comparable to with those people doing the same jobs... at the Thames Valley District School Board or the London District Catholic School Board. That's what we are looking for. We are asking to be made equal."

Currently, the lowest-paid members are housekeepers earning $17.05 per hour, while the highest-paid are lead elevator mechanics at $40.68 per hour. Most workers earn between $20 and $30 per hour.

This is five to seven dollars per hour fewer than similar staff at Fanshawe College, a CUPE official told CTV News London.

The official also noted that two-thirds of the membership work a second job to make ends meet.