The USW Local 1998 Residence Don’s unit set March 26 as its legal “strike or lockout position” deadline against U of T. The strike or lockout position would allow the unit to begin a legal work stoppage. 

This unit represents 200 dons in all residences across U of T’s three campuses. Currently, only the UTSG and UTM dons are involved in bargaining. Dons are responsible for community development, policy enforcement, and the overall wellbeing of residents. 

The unit’s legal strike or lockout deadline has been set after months of negotiations for a new collective agreement with the university, which is a contract set between unions and their employers.

In an email to The Varsity, unit President Jake Perreira and the Chief Steward and Bargaining Committee member Jack Lewandowski discussed the situation.

What happened?

The unit’s collective agreement with the university expired on December 31, 2024. This agreement was the first one the don’s unit negotiated with the university. Since then, both the union and the school have agreed to extend the terms of the agreement while continuing negotiations for a new one.

The unit’s bargaining proposals focus on improvements to the members’ compensation package. Non-monetary proposals include improving terms “dealing with job security, work-life balance, and housing security,” wrote Lewandowski in an email with The Varsity.

In particular, the bargaining team is concerned with late notices from management about whether a don will be rehired for the next academic year, which Pereira noted raises significant stress and accommodation concerns. Their current agreement does not specify deadlines for the university to notify dons about rehiring decisions. 

Pereira emphasized the important role dons play in the university community, as well as the stressful nature of the job. 

“I have personally provided 1on1 support to students after a sexual assault, assisted in filing a police report after a safety concern, and I have provided multiple SafeTALK and ASSISTsuicide prevention support … my fellow dons have similar work experiences and stresses,” wrote Pereira.

Between March 10 and 12, the unit held a strike mandate vote among its members. The vote passed with 97.6 per cent in favour of the mandate and an 82.7 per cent voter turnout. 

“So far, the university and the union have come to agreement on changes to several non-monetary issues, but significant non-monetary proposals from the union are still outstanding,” wrote Pereira.

The unit is currently working with a conciliation officer — an impartial third party — from the Ontario Ministry of Labour to help reach a tentative agreement with the university. Either party can request conciliation at any point during negotiations if they feel unable to reach an agreement independently.

 The unit requested a “no-board” report from the Ministry, which indicated that a conciliation board would not be appointed. The report allows both parties to set March 26 at 12:01 am as the deadline for a strike or lockout, since an agreement was not able to be reached during conciliation.

Moving on

Periera explained that although a tentative agreement has yet to be reached, negotiations have been proceeding well between the union and the university. The strike or lockout deadline was initially set for March 22, but was extended to March 26 by mutual agreement between the two parties. “We have a couple of days [this] week set aside for more negotiations,” wrote Periera.

Pereira emphasized that the unit setting a strike or lockout deadline does not indicate stalled negotiations with the university. Instead, “having a strike deadline helps sharpen the focus on getting a tentative agreement,” wrote Pereira. 

“We are confident that we will reach a tentative agreement with the University, but we have plans in place that will be implemented if bargaining takes a turn for the worse,” wrote Lewandowski. 

When asked about the progress of negotiations, a spokesperson from the university wrote in an email to The Varsity that “labour relations matters are addressed directly with the relevant labour unions in the normal course, including through the collective bargaining process. The university has no further comment regarding ongoing collective bargaining at this time.”