(updates below)
York University teaching assistants are set to strike if a settlement between CUPE Local 3903 and the York administration cannot be reached by Nov. 6.
A strike mandate vote held last week garnered 85 per cent support from the union’s 1,192 members, including teaching assistants, graduate assistants, and contract faculty. As a result the union’s position has gained strength at the bargaining table.
The union’s demands include wage increases that account for inflation, an annual adjustment reflecting the cost of living, elimination of tuition fees for union members, and increased job security for contract faculty.
Faculty of Arts dean Robert Drummond is negotiating on behalf of the administration and has stressed the importance of reaching a compromise.
“Nobody gets everything that they want in a deal, but we want to find out what things they think are most critical,” he told the Excalibur, a York U campus newspaper. “In some cases we will be able to find a resolution, and in other cases it may be more difficult.”
Christine Rosseau, chair of the CUPE Local 3903 spoke to Excalibur, criticizing the administration’s lack of urgency in reaching a resolution.
“It’s been the administration who has been delaying things. We’ve been bargaining since June, and we’ve been met with nothing.”
Both sides maintain they are hoping to find a resolution without the need to disrupt classes. However, neither remains very optimistic.
York Federation of Students will be endorsing CUPE Local 3903 and supporting their actions to reach a fair collective agreement.
“YFS is supporting CUPE 3903, who are primarily students,” said Hamid Osman, president of York Federation of Students. “Teaching assistants and graduate assistants want a fair deal, and it is up to the administration to come to the table and propose that.”
While many York students support the union, but many fourth year students are concerned about how a strike would affect their commencement.
Keshini Budhoo, a fourth year psychology student, said, “The TA’s are an important part of classes and they do work hard. I think they are entitled to a pay raise but it is unfair to students who are looking to go to graduate school and are in their last year. They will be put at a disadvantage if the semester has to be extended.”
It remains unlikely that a resolution will be reached before the strike deadline. However, talks between the two sides are set to increase in frequency as the date draws closer.
Update November 7
By the Nov. 6 deadline the administration and CUPE 3903 were yet to reach a settlement, and York University’s contract faculty, teaching and graduate assistants, went on strike. All classes are cancelled, with picket lines at every university entrance.
“York University says their hands are tied. We’re earning a wage we can’t live on. We can’t afford to go on strike, but the long-term benefits tell us we can’t afford not to strike,” says Punan Khosla, a York University teaching assistant.
The strike could potentially be debilitating for undergraduate students. “Some people are saying that [the strike] is causing an inconvenience for so many students, but it’s the administration who is causing the inconvenience because they’re not willing to compromise,” says York student Deena Dadachanji.
In 2000, CUPE 3903 held the longest strike in Canadian university history, lasting 76 days.
The administration has not returned the Varsity’s repeated phone calls. The union has said they will continue the strike until the administration agrees to go back to the bargaining table.
–Saron Ghebressellassie
