York University has requested a forced ratification vote on an offer which is not meaningfully different from the one that was rejected on March 2. This offer needs to be rejected — again — in order to ensure fair contracts which include basic equity provisions and a modicum of job security for all three units, as well as proper compensation and protections once the strike ends.

See the Notices of Vote: Unit 1, Unit 2, Unit 3

How Do I Cast My Vote?

The vote will be online, and will take place between Friday April 6 at 9 am and Monday April 9 at 10 am.

To vote online, go to www.olrb-crto.isivote.com and follow the instructions.
To vote by telephone, call the toll free voting phone number: English 1-888-359-2308, French 1-888-359-2309 and follow the instructions.

You will need a PIN to cast your vote. If you believe that you are eligible to vote and do not receive an email on April 5, 2018 outlining how to vote and providing a personal identification number (PIN), you may contact the VOTER HELP CENTRE toll free at 1-888-281-8683 (8 am – 4 pm ET). If you lose or misplace your PIN, contact the VOTER HELP CENTRE toll free at 1-888-281-8683 (8 am – 4 pm ET).

If after following these instructions, you still have trouble casting your vote, you can call CUPE 3903 HOTLINE – 416-466-8421

Friday April 6: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Saturday April 7: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Sunday April 8: 9:00 am to 9:00 pm
Monday April 9: 7:00 am to 10:00 am

We can guide you through the process and if you are still unable to vote we will take your information (name, email, phone number and bargaining unit). We will compile a list of those members who were unable to cast a vote, and we will be informing our lawyer of these irregularities.

If we are on the line, please leave a voicemail with your name and number and we will call you back. Please be patient, depending on caller volume, it may take a little while, but we will return your call.

What’s At Stake?

A quick summary of issues can be found below. For those who want more detail, follow these links:

Have questions? Call the CUPE 3903 Hotline Tuesday-Friday 8:00 to 12:00 at 416-466-8421, and 12:00 to 4:00 at 416-831-3960 (not available Thursday afternoon)

Information on the offer is also available in the following languages:

Most of the email addresses provided to the Ministry of Labour are employee email addresses. Make sure that you can access your employee email account (not the same as your student @yorku.ca email): How to Access Your Employee Email

Why Vote NO on the Forced Ratification Vote?

Concessions Remain on the Table

The offer you are asked to vote on is not meaningfully different from the one that was rejected on March 2.

It does not protect Teaching Assistants from unilateral changes to funding or claw backs (reductions of funding) of scholarships or additional work.

It worsens job security for Contract Faculty, with no protection from unilateral changes to qualifications language, no improvements to job security programs like the Continuing Sessional Standing Program (CSSP) and Long Service Teaching Appointments (LSTAs), a Special Renewable Contract program that the York University Faculty Association (YUFA) has clearly indicated they would reject, and a Conversions program gutted to two conversions to tenure-track jobs per year, down from eight.

The offer does nothing to address the elimination of more than 800 Graduate Assistant jobs, thus severely impacting the accessibility of graduate education.

Finally, the offer does not sufficiently address equity and accessibility in the workplace, refusing key anti-racism proposals, lactation rooms, and a functional Sexual Violence Survivor Fund.

A NO vote is a vote for a fair contract that addresses job security, equity, and accessibility for all three units.

No Back-to-Work Protocol: No Pay, No Protections

A back-to-work protocol is typically negotiated at the end of a strike in order to set out the conditions of our return to work. This protocol sets out what amount of pay we can expect to receive in order to finish our contracts for the semester, and what protections from reprisals we can expect.

There is no back-to-work protocol included in York’s offer. This means that you are highly unlikely to get paid for the work that you still have left in your contract, and that you will not be protected from reprisals, either for participation in the strike or lack thereof. York may say that they will honour pay and protections without a protocol, but as we have seen again and again, if there is no negotiated agreement, signed by both parties, there is no guarantee. Even in binding arbitration, we would have more say over the terms of our return to work.

A NO vote is a vote for a negotiated back-to-work protocol that includes pay and protections.

The Deal Can Only Get Better

The fact is that this deal is the worst that we will get. The employer can only force a supervised vote once. If it fails, they will be pressured to do what they should have been doing for the past six months: bargain in good faith. Even if bargaining fails and we are legislated back to work, an arbitrator is very unlikely to settle on an agreement that is equal or worse to one that was already rejected.

A NO vote is a vote for a better deal.
A NO vote is a vote for job security, accessibility, equity, and respect.
A NO vote is a vote for our right to collective bargaining.