York University’s teaching assistants, graduate assistants, and contract instructors went on strike on March 5, after the union rejected the university’s final offer on March 2, according to the union’s website.
Members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) Local 3903 began striking after six months of negotiations. The union is seeking a pay increase, improved benefits, and sexual or gender-based violence leave among other demands, according to the latest proposal document.
On the first day of the strike, the union attempted to resume talks by making an offer through a conciliator. But, according to a statement by the university the demands remained “significantly outside the reach of the university.”
“Our members have loudly and clearly given York University administration the same message we have been telling for months—namely that the positions they were advancing at the bargaining table were unacceptable,” said Devin Lefebvre, chair of CUPE 3903, in a press release.
While the union was initially requesting a four per cent wage increase each year of the collective agreement, this was lowered to 3.5 per cent per year in their latest offer to the university. This still exceeds recent settlements at all other Ontario universities, according to the university’s statement.
Rhonda L. Lenton, president and vice-chancellor of York University, said in a public statement that she is proud of the offer the university put forward.
“It represented a marked improvement in financial, social, and academic terms and ensured that York’s compensation package remains the best of all Ontario universities,” she said. “I am disappointed and saddened that the academic year will be disrupted, especially for our students.”
According to the CBC, four out of every 10 classes at the university will be suspended as a result of the strike, while other classes will operate as usual—other services and facilities on campus remain unaffected.
Second-year mechanical engineering student Aryaman Doctor told the CBC that labs and tutorials are cancelled since they are run by teaching assistants.
“Feedback is really important to us, and we’re not able to get that and that makes it a lot harder to know if we’re on the right track,” he said.
However, in a statement, the university is urging CUPE 3903 to provide the university with a “realistic counter offer as soon as possible, that shows renewed collective agreements are achievable through continued negotiations.”
The university is also offering to go to arbitration where an independent third party will decide what’s fair and make a decision on the key issues, according to the statement.
CUPE 3903 last went on strike in March 2015. That strike ended after nearly a month.
Meanwhile, at Carleton University, administrative, technical and clerical staff have also gone on strike as of March 5.
CUPE 2424, which represents approximately 850 members, took to the picket lines with talks breaking off after disagreements about pension language emerged as the key issue in the negotiations.
Alastair Summerlee, Carleton’s interim president, said in a statement that he remains confident the two negotiating teams can come to a resolution.
“I want to be clear that CUPE members are highly valued and respected members of the university community, and the university remains committed to reaching a negotiated settlement with the union,” he said.
As of publication, both unions have entered their third day on strike.
