CUPE 4600, the union representing teaching assistants (TAs) and contract instructors at Carleton, has been bargaining with Carleton administration for a new collective pay agreement.
The union’s current agreement ended on Aug. 31, before the fall semester started, though negotiations began before then, said CUPE 4600 president Kevin Partridge.
According to Partridge, higher pay and better working conditions for TAs and contract instructors would greatly benefit the wider Carleton community. A union survey showed that 67 per cent of members see increasing salary as a key bargaining issue.
The union represents 1,800 TAs and 800 contract instructors, according to a statement from Carleton’s human resources department.
“The university is looking forward to productive discussions with the representatives of teaching assistants and contract instructors with the goal of reaching a negotiated settlement,” Carleton’s human resources stated.
Partridge said that negotiating a new collective agreement can sometimes take more than a semester, but they started early with a meeting in July, and negotiations which will continue this month.
Several changes have already been agreed upon, but negotiations concerning wages and benefits happen later in the bargaining process, Partridge said.
One thing the union is bargaining for is for the creation of a student-to-TA ratio limit. This would create better learning environments for students and make it easier for TAs to teach and mark assignments, Partridge said.
Teaching assistants often pay higher tuition than what they are paid, and they, as well as contract instructors, are among the lowest-paid in Ontario, Toby Moorsom told The Charlatan in March.
“Many of our members are struggling to do this work, however teaching, learning, and research is not able to happen very well when everyone involved must work at other jobs in order to survive,” Partridge said.
According to the most recent CUPE 4600 collective bargaining agreement, teaching assistant pay was raised in 2011 and again in 2015 by about five per cent.
The union said they do not expect any class disruptions at this point, though Partridge said they would be willing to strike if necessary, but would prefer not to disrupt the university.
A new collective agreement would mean that the union cannot strike or have a lockout for a certain amount of time, and if it were to happen, a specific process would need to take place.
Partridge said the union will continue to negotiate with the university and raise awareness about their concerns in the next collective agreement.
“[CUPE 4600] plans on bringing awareness to their bargaining concerns in many different venues by distributing flyers, talking to members of the Carleton community and through various media outlets,” Partridge said.
