Those fearful of a TA strike at U of T can heave a sigh for now.
U of T admin reached a tentative settlement Thursday afternoon for a three-year labour contract with CUPE 3902, the union representing TAs, course instructors, and Accessibility Service workers.
The CUPE 3902 bargaining team will present the contract to its members at a meeting this evening. If the members agree to support the tentative settlement, a ratification vote will follow.
CUPE bargaining team spokesperson Rebecca Sanders was optimistic about the agreement’s prospects for ratification.
“We feel that we did manage to address most of the core concerns that we were bargaining for, to our satisfaction. Our members will probably feel the same way.”
Though terms of the agreement will not be made public until after ratification, Sanders went on to say that the bargaining team is satisfied with the agreement.
“We feel it is a fair settlement, that’s why we’re recommending it. Obviously, every settlement leaves something to be desired, and more work can be done.”
If the tentative settlement is met with approval at tonight’s meeting, CUPE 3902 members will be able to vote for ratification by secret ballot starting this evening. Voting will continue on Tuesday and Wednesday, and the official results will be available on Wednesday night.
Should the settlement be ratified, the university will avoid the threat of a TA strike that has loomed since the expiry of the previous contract in April 2008.
Sanders said that if the agreement is rejected, the two sides would resume negotiations, and a strike would not be immediate.
