Carleton University lifted a suspension of the health and dental plan for teaching and research assistants after several days of bargaining with the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 4600, as of 12:30 p.m. today.
As previously reported by the Charlatan, benefit claims—including dental, vision, physiotherapy, chiropractic and childcare for undergraduate or graduate teaching assistants at Carleton—were suspended last week due to a lack of funds.
A sum of $170,000 was budgeted this year in benefits for teaching and research assistants on top of the surplus carried over from last year, according to a collective agreement signed between the administration and CUPE 4600 for the 2018-19 academic year.
Those funds were reportedly depleted along with any surplus that was carried over from last year, effectively freezing healthcare benefits until a solution was agreed upon by the union and the administration.
The administration agreed to make an immediate additional contribution of $78,000 today to reactivate the depleted benefits, according to an email sent out by the university to CUPE 4600 members.
“The union and the university will meet to discuss ways to ensure CUPE 4600 benefits are stable and sustainable, and to devise a plan for any shortfall that might result prior to September, 2019,” a joint statement made by CUPE 4600 and the university administration sent to the Charlatan said.
Wesley Petite, CUPE 4600 president, previously told the Charlatan that while the union aims to increase the amount of funding under benefits for next year, it “hopes, at the very least, to maintain the amount of funding for benefits currently offered.”
Carleton administration also agreed earlier today to make a contribution of $170,000 under next year’s funding for benefits, according to the email sent to union members.
Teaching and research assistants affected under the suspension can begin to receive healthcare coverage again, and have been asked to begin submitting receipts of their outstanding claims for reimbursement.
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