Dear WLUFA,
We are writing to thank you for your support during our 2008-2009
strike and to share information about our current round of
negotiations.
As you may have heard, CUPE 3903, representing contract professors,
teaching assistants, and graduate research assistants at York
University and Glendon College, have set a strike deadline for 12
April 2012.
It is crunch time for us and we are writing to solicit your support.
We have been bargaining with the Employer since November. The Employer
is still dragging their heels on our priority issues, while offering
up concessions, in particular to our precariously employed contract
faculty members. This is occurring in spite of our far less ambitious
set of demands than in the last round of bargaining, in which we ended
up locked out for nearly 3 months, and then legislated back to work.
It should be noted, however, that in our last round we still made
significant gains.
Some small gains have already been made at the bargaining table this
round; however, the Employer refuses to take seriously the 4 priority
demands that our membership identified over the course of several
general membership meetings in early autumn 2011. Our 4 priorities are
meant to deal with aspects of employment equity and precariousness and
are as follows: 1) anti-claw back language to prevent the Employer
from rolling back research monies in response to wage gains won during
bargaining; 2) tuition rebates (often called post-residency fees in
our sister locals’ CAs) for graduate students who no longer take
classes; 3) a minimum funding package for graduate research assistants
similar to those already received by teaching assistants; and 4)
continuing appointments for CUPE faculty (e.g. renewable 3 year 3
course contracts for long service faculty, the restorations of
tenure-track promotions, and a minimum work entitlement for those who
have taught at York for at least 2 years).
We have issued a no board report after gaining a strike mandate from
our membership, and the bargaining team is working tirelessly to make
every possible gain and fight off proposed concessions. We need
support from the broader labour and social justice community, both in
these final days before our strike deadline as well as after April 12
should negotiations not come to an end and we find ourselves on strike
or locked out. For example, your union can sign on as a supporter of
CUPE 3903 and you can circulate our updates to your members. Your
union can also help with planning a rally that would open a potential
strike and help with getting speakers from across the broad
progressive community in Toronto. Your union can also help set up a
support network of non-3903 members prepared to participate and help
in any job action that may occur.
We hope to receive whatever support you can provide.
In solidarity,
CUPE 3903’s stewards’ council on behalf of the executive
http://3903.cupe.ca/