A positive strike mandate seems to have yielded some positive results for members of CUPE 3902. The union and admin have settled on improved maternity leave, and introduced parental leave for fathers and adoptive parents. Other agreements include an additional hour of paid training and some release time from work duties around major academic deadlines for TAs. Assistant invigilators will enjoy a better wage rate. The university has also agreed to strike a task force to investigate ballooning tutorial and class sizes.
“It’s already looking good. We hope undergrads are paying attention to negotiations and will encourage U of T admin to bargain fairly with us,” says Chantal Sundaram, staff representative of CUPE 3902.
Several issues remain unresolved. The union wants U of T to cover pricey premiums of the private University Health Insurance Plan for international students, where costs can run up to $3000 per year for one family. So far, the university has said that they would like to see UHIP discontinued but haven’t agreed to lower the cost in the short term. Other sticking points include childcare assistance for student parents, improved health benefits, tuition assistance, better funding packages for grad students, and the duration of the new contract. The union will want a two-year contract that ends at the same time as TA contracts at other universities, in order to boost future bargaining power.
“Maybe the U of T administration is going to learn from the mistakes of York and offer a dignified contract,” said Farshad Azadian, member of Students in Support of CUPE.
“The situation at York is very different,” countered U of T VP human resources and equity Angela Hildyard. “CUPE 3903 at York is negotiating on behalf of TAs, stipend instructors and research assistants; at U of T, the bargaining is for TAs only.”
“We remain optimistic that we’ll be able to reach an agreement without the need for work action,” said Hildyard.
Upcoming mediated negotiations are scheduled for the last two weeks of January. The University of Toronto Students Union will be holding an Undergraduate Town Hall on TA Collective Bargaining, on Weds, Jan. 14 at the Bahen Centre.
