The countdown is on until Unit 1 of CUPE 3902 can legally go on strike after the Union filed a “No Board” report on February 26, 2021. This comes after members overwhelmingly voted “Yes” to a Strike Mandate on February 17, 2021.
Unit 1 of CUPE 3902 represents over 8,000 teaching assistants, course instructors, tutors, markers, exam invigilators, and Chief Presiding Officers at the University of Toronto. Of the 3,219 of them who voted on the Strike Mandate, 90.6 percent voted in the affirmative. There have been months of negotiations between the Union and the University, beginning in November of 2020. Their current collective agreement, valid since January 2018, expired on December 31, 2020; it will be enforced until a new agreement is reached. A “No Board” report is a notice sent to the Ministry of Labour after a failed conciliation. Once the Ministry receives it, there is a 17day countdown until it is legal for either side to strike or lockout if a tentative agreement cannot be reached during the interim mediation.
The Union has made demands across four areas: workload standards, compensation/job security, inclusion/anti-oppression, and health/safety. In terms of work, they are requesting transparent parameters, provisions for dual-delivery and remote tasks, and review processes that are both regular and flexible; they are also fighting for increased wages and benefits, lowering the amount of CUPE 3902 work counted as “base funding”—and against subsequent cutbacks as a result— and improved access to subsequent appointments. Bargaining priorities include fair hiring, anti-oppression training and support for the workplace, and better mechanisms against institutional inequities. Improved crisis support, better access to sick days and leave, and clearer and more accessible accommodations procedures round out their demands. While UofT has so far said little publicly, their website reads that “it is the University’s goal to reach a negotiated agreement that represents the important role that TAs play in ensuring that UofT is the leading academic institution in Canada.”
If a strike is called, members of CUPE 3902 will cease their teaching duties. Given that their membership includes teaching assistants, course instructors, tutors, markers, and exam invigilators, this impact will be widespread; however, the University has an Academic Continuity Policy that authorizes making changes to minimize the impact of disruptions. CUPE 3902 will also be holding in-person pickets following public health guidelines, placed with the intention of impeding work access. Meanwhile, other members will be phone-banking, leafletting, offering peer-support remotely, and putting pressure on donors and other targets.
CUPE 3902’s last strike was from February 27 to March 26, 2015. At the time, The Varsity reported that “many academic activities were cancelled, suspended, or otherwise disrupted as a result of the labour shortage. Labs and tutorials were lost, and large numbers of assignments went ungraded.” It ended with members returning to work after voting to accept the University’s offer to send the negotiations to arbitration. As part of its academic continuity plan, UofT offered unlimited credit/no-credit as well as the ability to drop after the end of the semester for courses impacted by the strike.
“We are hoping to resolve these issues amicably but are ready for collective action if UofT doesn’t accept our reasonable demands,” stated CUPE 3902 chair Amy Conwell. “The University has agreed to some of our proposals and we would like to continue making progress. However, we have been told not to expect any improvement on pandemic-related matters. That is unacceptable.”
