CUPE 3902 members voted 91 per cent in favour of a strike, following negotiations between the union and the university.
The landslide vote claims the highest member turnout in the university’s history and clears the way for a strike declaration as early as the new year.
Grievances listed by the union include growing tutorial sizes, dwindling research funds, and the revocation of a long-standing grant to PhD students.
“This vote reflects the frustration that has been building amongst our members,” said Wayne Dealy, CUPE 3902’s chair. “We’ve issued a call for the University of Toronto to take our concerns and negotiations seriously. They would be wise to heed it.”
The latest vote does not necessarily mean that workers will be on the picket lines soon — only that the union has received the go-ahead from its membership if a deal is not reached.
Previous strike votes, most recently in 2008, have put pressure on the university to reach a deal.
