Carleton University and CUPE 4600 have reached a tentative collective agreement for contract instructors, less than a week after instructors voted in favour of a strike.
On Dec. 8, CUPE 4600 announced that 86 per cent of contract instructors who participated in the strike vote cast a “yes” ballot, according to an email obtained by the Charlatan from the union.
A strong “yes” vote, which does not automatically trigger a strike, gave the union “additional leverage at the negotiating table to reach a deal,” according to the email.
Carleton announced the tentative agreement in a Saturday email, adding that details about the agreement will only be released to “relevant parties” until the deal is approved by contract instructors and the university’s board of governors.
“We want to thank the bargaining teams for their cooperation in reaching an agreement,” Carleton said.
The tentative deal only affects contract instructors — teaching and research assistants, who are also represented by CUPE 4600, are still bargaining.
TAs also voted in favour of strike action, with 83 per cent of voters casting a “yes” ballot.
The collective agreements for contract instructors, teaching assistants and research assistants expired earlier this year, and the university has been in negotiations with both sides of the union since September.
What were contract instructors asking for?
Bargaining for the contract instructors’ collective agreement came after the university slashed available teaching positions in half before the academic year. The move came as Carleton is in a “financial crisis” and considering cost-cutting measures to reduce its deficits.
The union is well aware of the university’s “financial pinch,” according to Ryan Conrad, president of CUPE 4600.
“When we went into this round of bargaining, we were really focused to improvements to working conditions that were not monetary,” he said.
Conrad said the university is trying to take advantage of teaching assistants and contract instructors, who make up a small part of the university’s overall finances.
“They are trying to squeeze blood from a stone,” he said.
During the bargaining process, the union was asking for more access to a professional development fund, a modernized job posting system and better employee benefits, Conrad said.
The union would also like to see visiting scholars included in the bargaining unit for contract instructors, he added.
“Visiting scholars are coming and basically taking jobs away from contract instructors, and there’s no recourse to this,” Conrad said. “We just want these people included in our bargaining unit.”
What are TAs asking for?
For TAs and RAs, the union is advocating for improved health benefits, addressing high workloads and seeking protections around artificial intelligence, Conrad said.
Conrad said he is still concerned about pay, charging that his union has not received adequate offers from the university that keep up with inflation.
“The offers that have come from the employer are absolutely absurd,” Conrad said. “They are nowhere near the rate of inflation and they are completely out of step with what is being seen in the sector.”
Conrad said his union also has concerns around academic freedom and the recently passed Institutional Impartiality Policy.
“It says this policy has no impact on the collective agreement rights of faculty, contract faculty, librarians,” he said. “The proposal they brought to us says the exact opposite.”
The policy is of particular concern to TAs, Conrad said, many of whom are worried their status as university employees will prevent them from engaging in political or civic activities on campus.
Carleton did not reply to questions from the Charlatan about the proposal given to CUPE 4600.
Will there be a strike?
The tentative agreement between contract instructors and the university means it is very unlikely the instructors will strike, but the agreement still has to be ratified.
TAs and RAs are still in bargaining, but the university has previously said it has made progress in its negotiations with CUPE 4600 and both parties have “reached agreement on many articles.”
“The university’s goal continues to be achieving negotiated agreements that are fair to both units while reflecting the significant fiscal challenges facing the institution,” Carleton said in a statement.
“The university is hopeful agreements will be reached through continued discussions with both units at the bargaining tables.”
Conrad said he hopes his union can reach a deal with the university to avoid a strike.
“I’m hopeful to completely avoid job action with either unit,” Conrad said. “No one likes going on strike.”
“We do this work because we love it. We love being in the classroom and that is how we would prefer to continue.”
Featured image by L. Manuel Baechlin/The Charlatan.
