The University of Toronto and CUPE Local 3902 Unit 1, which represents some 6,000 teaching assistants, exam invigilators and other academic staff, have reached a tentative agreement.
“We are very pleased that we have reached a tentative agreement,” said Cheryl Regehr, U of T vice-president and provost, in a statement.
“We hope all CUPE Unit 1 members learn more about the offer, attend the meeting and let their voices be heard,” said Angela Hildyard, U of T vice-president, human resources & equity.
Union members will vote on whether to send the agreement to a ratification vote on Friday at 3pm. Members will vote by double secret ballots.
Reports indicate that on Tuesday, the university sent an offer through the conciliator, which was then rejected by the CUPE 3902 bargaining team. The bargaining team then presented a counter offer, which was accepted by the university.
The CUPE 3902 bargaining team’s recommendation is reportedly not unanimous.
According to a bargaining team statement, under the tentative agreement a “graduate funding package top-up” would “bring all Unit 1 members within the funded cohort to a base minimum of $17,500 per year of the agreement.”
“This is a fund, not a per-person amount as we had proposed,” the statement adds.
Through the reallocation of funds, the amount available for the top-up to member’s minimum funding and for tuition assistance would increase from $3.3 million to $4.935 million for the first three years of the agreement.
Under back to work protocol, strikers would receive 15 of 22 working days of pay.
CUPE 3902 says it will offer no further comment on the tentative agreement until members vote on it.
Earlier today, approximately 1,000 students attended a walk-out in front of Simcoe Hall in solidarity with striking workers.
