In a moment of apparent déjà vu for the university administration, graduate assistants (GAs) at the Ontario Institute for Education Studies (OISE) reached a settlement and avoided what seemed like an almost sure strike.
The two parties reached an agreement early Thursday morning after a day-long mediation session, and members quickly ratified the deal with 95 per cent in favour of the new contract. It mirrored the last-minute solution that prevented teaching assistants from going on strike.
“They seem to take you to this final place and only then do they start to put things on the table,” said CUPE 3907 bargaining chair Maureen Giuliani of the administration’s change of heart. “It’s all so senseless, because they waste a tremendous amount of our time.”
“I don’t know if it’s because they want to test your resolve to see if you’re really serious, or to see how much they can get away with,” said Giuliani.
When asked to comment on why the administration’s position changed so dramatically between conciliation and mediation, Angela Hildyard, VP of human resources said, “I don’t know, to be perfectly honest,” but indicated that both parties moved “quite a long way” during mediation talks held on March 6.
“It was always my intent and my hope that we would reach a mutually acceptable agreement and I am very pleased that we eventually managed to do it in mediation,” said Hildyard.
“They understood that we were determined and we came up with some creative ideas to get what we needed,” said Giuliani. This included a $100,000 fund which will create additional GA positions in the form of research & development graduate assistantships. Half of these funds will be allocated exclusively to students in their second year of a Master’s degree or beyond the fourth year of their Ph.D. And contrary to the offer originally put on the table by the administration during conciliation talks in February, there will be no limit in the years of eligibility for these funds. GA’s will also receive an additional $50 in benefits raising the yearly rate for domestic students to $250 and $550 for foreign students. Similar to their teaching assistant (TA) counterparts, CUPE 3907 members will also receive a graduate financial assistant fund that will provide some relief to students as tuition fees continue to rise. In addition, members of the CUPE 3907 bargaining team will now receive payment for their work.
Giuliani is also pleased that the three-year contract includes: leftover GA money for additional summer appointments, improved discrimination and harassment language, reimbursement for GA expenses and improved pregnancy leave.
