U of T’s administrative staff have reached a tentative collective agreement with the university, averting the threat of a strike. The administrative staff union, members of the Steelworkers Local 1998 (USWA 1998), will go to the polls today to vote on the contract.
The union membership crowded into Convocation Hall yesterday afternoon to hear the bargaining committee explain the new contract. Occasional bursts of applause indicated the members’ support for the deal.
“Did we get everything we asked for?” said Marie Kelly, a member of the bargaining committee. “No. Did we get more than this university wanted to give us? You’re damn right we did.”
Among the things the union got at the negotiation table were pay raises, pension gains and job security. USWA 1998 members will receive three per cent raises for three years, increases in the payments the university makes to their pension plans, and promises from the university to hire internally before offering jobs to outsiders.
Stuart Deans, Toronto area co-ordinator for the Steelworkers, did most of the explaining: “When any external candidates are considered, our members are considered, they get interviewed. Our people get first crack at all jobs.”
The contract, which is retroactive to June 1, is a relief after months of tense negotiations, which broke down over the summer until a provincial conciliator was sent in. The agreement members are voting on was hammered out in a marathon 30-hour negotiation between the bargaining unit and the university.
“It was a tough fight, but it was a respectful fight,” said Ron Wener, another member of the bargaining committee.
Angela Hildyard, the vice-president of human resources for U of T, said she was “very pleased” with the agreement, but agreed the talks had been uphill work at times. “Yes, it was tough. Both parties had very specific views on what they wanted accomplished, so it was difficult at times,” she said.
Deans said several times in his presentation the union had “held the university’s feet to the fire” during the talks. Hildyard didn’t go quite that far: “There were some difficult issues,” she said.
USWA 1998 president Mary Howe says she is “very confident” the members will vote to accept the agreement on Thursday. “People recognize that this is a good agreement,” she said.
A short time ago, things didn’t look so certain. A group of dissatisfied union members calling themselves the Staff Representation Network (SRN) circulated a petition in September and October asking members to decertify the union. The division in the ranks of Local 1998’s membership threatened to disrupt the contract talks, but things have calmed down for now.
Judi Schwartz, chair of the SRN, said she thought it was a good agreement, despite the problems she has with the union itself.
“This looks like a fair settlement…but I think this agreement would have been reached without the threat of a strike by the union,” Schwartz said on Wednesday. “[The SRN] agrees on the agreement, but not the methodology.”
Thursday’s vote will decide whether the university’s staff accepts the agreement. Everyone seems sure of the outcome, however, and both the union and the university are predicting overwhelming support.
Joanne Hunter, a member of the bargaining unit, was glad to see the process ended, at least for the next three years. “Anything worthwhile is worth waiting for—in the end, the hard work has paid off.”
Photograph by Simon Turnbull
