The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 2424 ratified an agreement with Carleton Nov. 16 after holding an information picket the previous morning.

Ninety-seven per cent of union members, made up of more than 800 technical, administrative and clerical staff, voted to ratify the agreement, confirmed Wiz Long, president of CUPE 2424.

“Everyone’s happy. We were just really concerned that they might push us out,” Long said.

The new contract will last four years, longer than previous agreements, Wong said.

A day earlier, CUPE 2424 and 4600 members held a picket information session. The picket session was attended by more than 60 union members chanting, “Our campus, united, will never be defeated. What do we want? Fairness! When? Now!”

The event caused traffic delays at Bronson  Avenue and Sunnyside Avenue during morning rush hour.

Police looked on as picketers handed leaflets to passersby on foot and in cars for two hours.

Honking cars were met with loud cheers from picketers holding posters that said, “TAs for Fair Wages” and “Quality Contract = Quality Education.”

CUPE 4600, which represents Carleton’s teaching assistants and contract instructors, has yet to reach an agreement.

Its 2,400 members will be in a legal strike position as of Nov. 22.

The aim of the picket session was to open the eyes of the wider community to the current disputes, according to James Meades, co-president of CUPE 4600.

“We’re hoping for speedy negotiations at the bargaining table.”

The university will continue to meet with the bargaining units and keep the needs of students in mind, said Jason MacDonald, director of the department of communications.

“We continue to meet with our bargaining units in mediation,” MacDonald said. “Our goal is reaching a settlement that meets the needs of the university, while providing our staff and faculty with the kind of work environment that is rewarding and helps us to meet the needs of our students.”

The distributed flyers accused the Carleton administration of pursuing dangerous policies.

They also stressed that employees at Carleton are becoming increasingly alienated from their employers.

Racha Al-Abdullah, a TA for Law 1000, said she wasn’t too optimistic but that she hoped the event would catch the administration’s attention.

“Hopefully the administration will get a hint,” she said. “I’m not keeping my hopes too high though, as the admin aren’t very nice.”