CUPE 3903 members and student and labour allies rally at the main gate picket line.

The CUPE 3903 Bargaining Team (BT) met in the afternoon of March 13. The BT discussed the latest communications from the Employer. The Employer says it will entertain proposals that fit within the objectives of its latest offer, but wants the Union to initiate proposals, particularly on tuition indexation.

The BT reiterated to the Employer its wish to see movement on its priority areas of tuition indexation, LGBT equity language, and a minimum funding guarantee for Unit 3. It is the opinion of the BT that, as the membership has rejected the Employer’s latest offer, it is incumbent on the Employer to present to the BT a settlement it believes will meet the needs of the CUPE 3903 membership.

There are currently no meetings scheduled between the mediator and the Union. The BT has indicated its willingness to meet on Sunday and invites the Employer to come to the table.

The CUPE 3903 red-star logo

According to the bylaws of CUPE 3903, the Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the annual election of the Executive Committee take place around this time of year. Voting in the election begins at the end of the AGM and continues for five days afterwards, with polling stations open on Keele campus from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at Glendon College from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

However, it is highly unusual for an election to take place when a local is in the midst of a strike. Paul Moist, the national president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees, has directed us to postpone the AGM and election until all our members have returned to work. Once members have returned to work, an AGM must be held and the annual election completed within 30 days.

As soon as the strike ends, the list of nominees will be posted and the campaigning period will begin. The nominations period closed the day before the strike began.

For more information, please email our National Representative, Russ Armstrong, at rarmstrong@cupe.ca.

CUPE National logo

National Strike Fund Regulations

As of Friday, March 13, strike pay for CUPE 3903 members will be covered by the CUPE National Strike Fund.

Our National Representative has indicated to us that members that (for a valid reason) are not able to provide 20 hours of strike duty per week will be provided with $60/day for each four hours of strike duty.

Members will be paid a maximum of $60/day. In other words, members will not be paid extra for shifts (i.e. double-shifts) of more than four hours per day.

A picket captain reads a copy of The Excalibur, with news of the CUPE 3903 strike on the front page.

On Wednesday night, March 11, the state-appointed mediator sent word to the Bargaining Team (BT) that the Employer is refusing to come to the bargaining table, and is instead focusing on restarting classes. Shortly thereafter, however, the Employer made an about-face: CUPE 3903 received a subsequent call informing the Union that York University will return to the bargaining table.

The BT met today, March 12, to discuss next steps. In response, CUPE 3903 sent a message to the mediator reemphasizing our priorities: tuition indexation for all members, LGBTQ recognized as an Equity-seeking group, and some reasonable financial relief to Graduate Assistants. York University could end this strike now by granting these provisions, which cost the university almost nothing, but which are vital to keep graduate education accessible. The Union asked to meet Friday morning, as well as Sunday, to move forward. We await a response.

We call on all picket lines to stay strong to support the Bargaining Team and the Union. We call on our Unit 2 comrades to continue to join us.

We are encouraged by the over 4,600 undergraduate students who have expressed their solidarity in this statement. We are also encouraged by roughly 275 members of the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) who have expressed their support, as well as by the countless letters to the Senate Executive from individual departments across campus. We are encouraged by the 188 members of Unit 2 who have signed their names to a letter to the Senate Executive in solidarity with Units 1 and 3. We are encouraged by the 140 law students who signed the letter in support of the CUPE 3903 strike. With our allies, we are strong!

We call on all allies to show up in force to the rallies planned for Monday, March 16 at York, in order to send the message that the York University administration cannot undermine the membership’s will with threats to restart classes and a refusal to negotiate.

We call for the continued support from undergraduate students and YUFA to continue to put pressure on the Senate Executive not to restart classes in support of CUPE 3903.

President Shoukri: Call your negotiating team back to the table, and tell them to give us the University we deserve!

CUPE 3903 has released its fifth video, “A message to students from CUPE 3903”. The latest video features coverage of student support on the picket lines, and an appeal from CUPE 3903 members to undergraduates to support the strike – and join the fight for a better York.

Please share widely!

To view the video on the CUPE 3903 YouTube channel, please click here.

On Tuesday, March 10 on the Sentinel picket line a group of picketers repeated lyrics of a song being played which included explicit racial language.

The People of Colour Caucus of CUPE 3903 sees the casualization of racial slurs as part of a colonial and white supremacist power structure which Canada, York, and the local are part of.

The issue of racism is a reality in our local. In the lead up to and during our strike, members have raised issues of racism at membership meetings and most recently raised Tuesday’s events to the Strike Committee meeting.

As members of the same union local we must commit to creating spaces which not only claim to be welcoming but are also spaces where members feel welcomed.

We call all self-identified Indigenous, Black and People of Colour members for a meeting this weekend (day, time and venue to be announced shortly). This would be a space for us to come together, share our experiences and strategize ways of fighting white supremacist and colonial violences within our local, and perhaps beyond. Please e-mail 3903POCcaucus@gmail.com for more details on Saturday’s meeting. We have set up a list serv, to join it please email kasim@riseup.net to join.

The CUPE 3903 red-star logo

Violence against women is an issue that affects all women, regardless of their race, sexual orientation, age, ability, and socio-economic status. It is a systemic problem that permeates all spaces in which we live and work. And it is a problem that all of us must confront, oppose, and organize against – especially as trade unionists.

A member of CUPE 3903 has recently advised the Executive Committee that she is a survivor of a sexual assault and that the accused has been criminally charged. We were deeply troubled to hear this news. We are aware that sexual assault is pervasive in our society and that many sexual assaults go unreported due to the barriers that survivors face in reporting such incidents.

The Executive Committee of CUPE 3903 wishes to offer its unconditional support to the member who came forward to report this incident, and to acknowledge her courage and fortitude in speaking out against sexual violence. We are taking action to support the member by committing ourselves to developing serious, long-term measures that begin to address systemic and structural problems such as sexism, misogyny, sexual violence, and rape culture.

The Executive Committee recognizes the bravery of the survivor, and wishes to send a strong message of support to all survivors of sexual violence, whether union members or members of the broader York community, and to help create the conditions that make it possible for them to come forward and find the support they need and deserve.

A graphic image of a flower held by two hands

Family day of action
‘We’re calling a “time out” on U of T, York and Ontario over poverty wages’
Wednesday, March 11
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
King’s College Circle | Map
University of Toronto

Join and share on Facebook.

Join striking parents/caregivers from CUPE 3902 and CUPE 3903 to call a “time out” on the University of Toronto, York University, and the Province of Ontario over poverty wages for adjunct professors, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants.

On the current wages striking parents and caregivers receive, many struggle to provide basic necessities for their children, while the thought of one day affording tuition at the very institutions where they teach seems unattainable.

With rising tuition fees confronting all students, and the precarious working conditions confronting their instructors, it’s clear that the current model of education in this province is broken. The strikes at U of T and York are more than just about the issues at the bargaining table. They’re also about the future of postsecondary education in Ontario.

We can continue down the current path of treating knowledge as a commodity and postsecondary education as a business – taking a low-road approach that is built on low wages and precarious working conditions – or we can build an accessible, democratic, and equitable model that treats students and their instructors with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Join striking parents and caregivers on the picket line this March 11 as we deliver our “time out” to the university administrations and provincial politicians who are responsible for the current situation. It’s time to stop, take a deep breath, and consider where we’re heading!

York undergraduate students walk the picket line with striking CUPE 3903 members.

An amazing undergrad petition in support of CUPE 3903 is in circulation and has already been signed by over 4,000 people! Thanks so much to our undergrad allies!

For the full text of the petition and more information (or to sign), please click here.

A picket captain reads a copy of The Excalibur, with news of the CUPE 3903 strike on the front page.

Nearly 1,300 members of CUPE 3903 participated in the ratification vote on March 9, an increase in the turnout from the “final offer” Special General Membership Meeting.

Unit 1 voted 59 % to reject the Employer’s latest offer, while Unit 3 voted 77 % to reject. Both units remain on strike.

Unit 2 voted 65 % to accept, and have thereby ratified the Employer’s latest offer.

These are the official results of the vote:

Ballot question: 

“Do you accept this offer?”

Overall turnout: 

• Total eligible voters: 3,728
• Total votes cast: 1,283
• Voter turnout: 34.42 %

Unit 1 vote: 

• Yes: 289 (40.59 %)
• No: 420 (58.99 %)

Unit 1 turnout: 

• Total eligible voters: 1,872
• Total votes cast: 712 (3 spoiled)
• Voter turnout: 38.03 %

Unit 2 vote: 

• Yes: 208 (65.41 %)
• No: 106 (33.33 %)

Unit 2 turnout: 

• Total eligible voters: 1,029
• Total votes cast: 318 (4 spoiled)
• Voter turnout: 30.90 %

Unit 3 vote: 

• Yes: 56 (22.13 %)
• No: 196 (77.47 %)

Unit 3 turnout: 

• Total eligible voters: 827
• Total votes cast: 253 (1 spoiled)
• Voter turnout: 30.59 %

If there is any discrepancy between the numbers posted here and the numbers posted in the CUPE 3903 office, the latter shall prevail.