From:
YUFA in solidarity with CUPE 3903 [YUFA-CUPE@YorkU.CA] on behalf
of
cupe3903 [cupe3903@DOJO.TAO.CA]
Sent:
November 23, 2000 3:26 PM
To:
YUFA-CUPE@YORKU.CA
Subject:
Murray Ross (fwd)
[question
of YUFA '97 picketers below]
Date:
Thu, 23 Nov 2000 01:38:59 -0500
From:
Nelson <feedingcows@HOME.COM>
To:
York Grad P Sci Students <GRAPSCI@YorkU.CA>
Subject:
Murray Ross
For
some time now, most of us have been aware that a lot of cars have been
circumventing
the picket lines at Sentinel by crossing the field to the
east
of Sentinel gate, along Murray Ross Rd.
These "cross-country
drivers" pose a recurring problem at Pond, Founders,
and a couple of
other
gates, but the endeavours of the drivers who are circumventing
Sentinel
has been greatly facilitated by two pedestrian trails that cuts
through
the field, which has-- since the second week of the strike--become
two
muddy roads that converge into the 6A Sentinel East parking lot.
On
Tuesday morning, a trio of us stood at the southern edge of the 6A
parking
lot, facing Murray Ross Rd, intent on taking down the license
plate
of any cars that attempted to drive through the field, mainly to get
an
idea of how many cars "slipped through the crack", so we can report
back
to the picket lines and collectively devise a strategy. Between 8:20
am
to 9:30 am, we wrote down a total of 133 license plates. There were at
least
5 - 10 more vehicles that we missed simply because the cars were
streaming
in faster than my hands could not move as fast in the cold
weather.
Ideally,
on any given shift at Sentinel Gate, we may let in blocks of 8
cars
every 5 minutes. In the span of time it
takes for 112 cars passes
through
the Sentinel picket line, a potentially equal or greater number of
cars
cross the field to the east of the picket line, into the 6A parking
lot.
Clearly, the pedestrian trails leading into 6A parking lot has become
an
unofficial road being used not only by cars who are circumventing
Sentinel,
but traffic that may normally flow into the other gates.
The
"Murray Ross dilemma" was brought up at the SMM on Tuesday, as well
as
at
the meeting on Wednsday between the Police and the Executive, where the
issue
of "soft" and "hard" picketing was again discussed, and
perhaps
Dennis
will be able to elaborate on this in greater detail than I can.
The
bottomline is, as picketers at Sentinel, we have to collectively
decide
whether or not we will take action to stop the overwhelming flow of
cars
through that field, and what action we will take. The police has
effectively
told us that barricades and cars are unacceptable, but a
"soft"
picket would mean drawing people away from the main picket line.
My
main question right now is how
YUFA dealt with this situation during
their
strike several years ago. Did the
YUFA members picketing Sentinel
forced
to deal with the same difficulties during their strike? What
actions
were taken, if any, to deal with the Murray Ross problem?
See
you on the lines tommorow.
Nelson