TORONTO, Jan. 29, 2018 /CNW/ - Contract Faculty, Teaching Assistants, and Graduate Assistants at York University have voted by a margin of 85% in favour of a strike mandate. A record high turnout cast their votes between January 22-26. Full results are available here: https://3903.cupe.ca/2018/01/26/85-strike-mandate-for-education-workers-at-york-university/
These education workers are members of the Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903 (CUPE 3903).
"The strong mandate delivered by our membership is an indication of how highly they value their role as mentors and front-line educators," says Julian Arend, CUPE 3903 Vice-President for contract faculty. "When instructors are given the resources they need to deliver a quality education, the biggest winners are thousands of undergraduates who rely on them to provide them with the tools they need to succeed in an increasingly competitive world."
The union's contract expired on August 31, 2017. While the union has taken bargaining seriously, York's administration has been unresponsive on issues of job security for contract faculty, protecting funding for Teaching Assistants, and maintaining employment levels for Graduate Assistants.
"We've gained a strong strike mandate because graduate student workers are deeply concerned about the massive restructuring of graduate funding," says Lina Nasr, CUPE 3903 bargaining team spokesperson. "We're dealing with the effects of unilateral changes York has implemented in the last two years."
CUPE 3903 and York University have been in bargaining since September. The parties have been meeting with the assistance of a Ministry of Labour-appointed conciliator since January 8.
RELATED LINKS
3903.cupe.ca/bargaining
SOURCE CUPE 3903
Lina Nasr, bargaining team spokesperson: [email protected]; Julian Arend, executive committee spokesperson: [email protected]; Maija Duncan, French-language media spokesperson: [email protected]
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