Letter from the Bargaining Team on the Employer’s Final Offer

On February 16, CUPE 3903 will vote to decide on whether to accept or reject the final offer presented to us by the Employer on February 15. For the past eight months, we have engaged in rigorous negotiations with the Employer, advocating for meaningful improvements to the collective agreements of Unit 1, Unit 2, and Unit 3. In advance of today’s Joint Executive–Bargaining Team Meeting and Final Offer Special General Membership Meeting, we are additionally providing here a brief, updated comparison of the Employer’s final offer and our proposals in the four priority areas that we discussed in December in the lead-up to our Strike Mandate Vote.

The full, final offer packages for all three units can be found here:

• Unit 1 Comprehensive Framework for Settlement

• Unit 2 Comprehensive Framework for Settlement

• Unit 3 Comprehensive Framework for Settlement

Updated Compensation proposals from February 21st:

• Unit 1 – Employer Counter Proposal Unit 1 – Compensation – 2024-02-21
• Unit 2 – Employer Counter Proposal Unit 2 – Compensation – 2024-02-21
• Unit 3 – Employer Counter Proposal Unit 3 – Compensation – 2024-02-21

You can also view our full proposals chart, which provides a side-by-side comparison of the last version of proposals exchanged by both sides during this round of bargaining. We are in the process of updating the chart with the many proposals exchanged on February 15, so some of these may still need to be reflected in the chart. However, you can view all the individual proposals exchanged during bargaining, including on February 15, in the Bargaining Proposals section of the CUPE 3903 Bargaining 2023 webpage. (Proposals are listed chronologically).

What Disappoints Us About the Employer’s Final Offer?

1. It Fails to Adequately Address the Cost of Living Crisis

Winning significant improvements to salaries and benefits is a central issue, if not the central issue, in this round of negotiations. Members made that clear in the Bargaining Surveys conducted last summer and at the Red Lines GMM on January 19. Inflation sky-rocketed during the three years of our last collective agreement (2020–23) when the cost of living increased by 15.8%. At the same time, our wage gains were artificially suppressed at 1% per year due to the Ford government’s Bill 124, which has since been found unconstitutional. The cost of everything—food, housing, utilities, medical expenses—has increased dramatically. This is a reality highlighted in our bargaining surveys and, more recently, in the National Post (not usually known for its sympathetic treatment of our Union). We need to secure a better offer to ensure that increases to our salaries and benefits keep ahead of the rising cost of living so that we can afford the necessities of life.

The Employer’s final offer on salaries and benefits falls far short of even our lowest expectations. The retroactive wage offer is well below what other unions in our sector have received and far below what we need to keep pace with inflation. Similarly, we remain far apart on wages for the renewal collective agreement (2023–26). Perhaps even more exasperating are the Employer’s rejection of all 18 of our benefits proposals and its refusal to acknowledge that proposed salary increases should—as they always have in the past—apply to all parts of Unit 1 and Unit 3 remuneration. The Employer’s exclusion of the GFA (Graduate Financial Assistance) from any of the proposed increases and the GIA (Grant-in-Aid) from retroactive increases mean that the Employer’s paltry salary offer is even worse for Units 1 and 3 than it is for Unit 2.

This chart has been updated to match the February 21st wage proposals:

2. It Fails to Adequately Protect Our Members’ Rights

The Employer opened this round of bargaining with proposals to make it easier to discipline members and harder to file discrimination and harassment grievances. We experienced our first bargaining win when the Employer retracted a discipline proposal that would have made it easier to initiate disciplinary procedures against our members. And, we’ve reached some agreement on proposals to streamline the grievance process and institute (as a pilot project during the life of the renewal collective agreement) a new mediation-arbitration process for Unit 2 appointment grievances. Yet it’s clear that we still need better processes, protections, and supports for all members, especially those facing harassment and discrimination. This is evidenced by the Employer’s growing intransigence in dealing with policy and individual grievances—delaying their timely resolution by pushing them to arbitration—and York University’s recently demonstrated repression of academic freedom and trampling of due process rights

3. It Ignores Most of Our Job Stability Proposals

The Employer’s final offers provide little to either Unit 2 (contract faculty) or Unit 3 (graduate and research assistants) that addresses our job stability needs. The Employer continues to ignore our Unit 2 job stability proposals. Instead, it offers marginal improvements to the flawed Job Stability Program (JSP) that we have repeatedly told them the membership is not interested in pursuing. (The JSP originated in the failed Job Stability Committee process that emerged from our last round of bargaining.) The Employer responded to neither our proposals to counter the union-busting tactics the Employer has been using to eliminate Unit 3 jobs nor our proposals to address future job losses (in all three units) due to restructuring. And, it has failed to respond to our proposals to prevent the imminent loss of work faced by instructors in the Department of Kinesiology due to arbitrary and egregious changes to job classifications and qualifications language.

4. It Ignores Our Proposals to Protect and Improve Our Working Conditions

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we teach. New technologies and pedagogies, along with increasing student needs, have increased our workloads. Unfortunately, the employer does not agree and has responded very minimally to the proposals that would most directly impact undergraduate students. Our working conditions are students’ learning conditions!

When and How Will the Final Offer Vote Take Place?

On Friday morning, February 16, the Executive and Bargaining Team are meeting to discuss the Employer’s final offers and decide whether to recommend strike action. Like all BT and Executive meetings, our joint meeting is open to all members of CUPE 3903.

We will take our recommendation to members at the Final Offer Special General Membership Meeting later that afternoon. At this meeting, we’ll present and discuss the Employer’s final offers to the membership. Members will then vote on whether to accept or reject them. Should members reject the offers, we will then discuss and plan our next steps, including striking. In keeping with our local’s practices, the Executive will only call a strike when instructed to do so by a motion from the floor and the vote of the membership. If the membership deems the final offers acceptable, we will then hold a formal ratification vote.

Joint Executive and Bargaining Team Meeting (Online)

February 16, 2024 @ 10:00 am – 1:00 pm, online via Zoom

FINAL OFFER Special General Membership Meeting (Hybrid)

February 16, 2024 @ 3:00 pm – 6:00 pm

Where: In-person in ACE (Accolade East) 005 or on Zoom

To join us over Zoom, please register in advance for this meeting by clicking on the link above.

What Happens After the Final Offer Vote?

If the membership votes to accept the employer’s offers, they will go to a ratification vote. If ratified, these offers become the new collective agreements for Units 1, 2, and 3. If the membership votes to reject the final offers, members will immediately discuss the next steps, which may include returning to the bargaining table, initiating a strike, initiating other forms of job action, or any combination of these options. To find out more about what a strike could mean, all members are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Strike FAQ 2024.

PDF VERSION OF LETTER AVAILABLE HERE

Strike FAQ 2024

Members of CUPE 3903 Unit 1 (Teaching Assistants), Unit 2 (Contract Faculty) and Unit 3 (Graduate/Research Assistants) may vote to go on strike in February 2024. There are a lot of questions about what being on strike means and how it happens. This page attempts to answer all your burning questions! Of course, if there’s anything else you want to know, you can always reach out!

Please read this letter from the bargaining team to see what is at stake this round of bargaining.

Strike Basics

What does it mean to go on strike?

A strike is a legal step that unionized workers can choose to take when they can’t reach an agreement with their employer when bargaining new collective agreements. A strike is a strong leveraging tool for workers. Being on strike means withdrawing your labour to pressure the employer to move at the bargaining table. The withdrawal of labour means not doing any of the work associated with your contract, e.g. if you are a TA, you’re not running tutorials, not attending lectures, not grading assignments, not holding office hours, etc.

How is the decision to go on strike made?

The decision to go on strike comes from the membership – these are your contracts that are being negotiated, and you get to decide whether what’s being offered is good enough. The first step was to hold a strike mandate vote: this happened in December 2023, and 84% of members voted to authorize a strike if necessary. The next vote will happen on February 16th, when the membership will consider the employer’s “final offer” and decide to accept it or reject it. If it’s rejected, the membership can vote to direct the bargaining team to return to the table with specific directions, or to go on strike.

What do I need to do before going on strike?

There’s a few things members can do to prepare for a strike, and a few things that are not required to do. Before the strike begins you can sign up for picket pay! The registration form is forthcoming and will be distributed when ready! We encourage members to communicate with students about the likelihood of a strike, what may happen, and how this may (and may not) impact students so that students are not taken off guard. You can also communicate strike updates with students during a strike. You may also hide or remove course content or your own intellectual material from eclass.

During a strike action, the Union will be calling on members to withhold submission of grades as part of work-to-rule action. Despite recent communications from York administration, CUPE 3903 members are not required to upload any grade on eClass before a strike action.

As stated by YUFA: The request that YUFA members and/or their Teaching Assistants upload grades on eClass appears to be motivated by a desire of the Employer – currently in negotiation with CUPE 3903 – to undermine solidarity between campus unions. YUFA has expresses its support for CUPE 3903 in negotiations for a fair contract.

At the end of the year, course directors are required to upload final grades to the SIS Student Information System) portal once a course is completed. But a strike does not change timelines and there is no need for any of this additional workload being downloaded to course directors before reading week. That is the extent of what CUPE 3903 members have to do, and of how to do it.

What if I keep working at York University during the strike? 

Working during a strike is a form of strike breaking, also called scabbing, and it is against the CUPE National Constitution. This means that you could lose some or all of your union privileges or face fines.

Withholding your labour during a strike is crucial for two reasons: First, the stronger the strike, the more effective it will be, and the faster it will conclude. Therefore, by undermining the strike you are working against your own interests. Second, and most importantly, all members get the same contract. Undermining the efforts of those who are fighting for your rights alongside their own is counterproductive and disrespectful. All members get a say in whether there is a strike or not; once that decision is made, it’s to everyone’s benefit to work together towards a resolution of the strike.

Can I attend classes/use the library/work on my research during the strike? 

You are not strike breaking when you engage in activities that are not directly tied to the contract from which you are withdrawing your labour. However, members are encouraged to avoid crossing the picket lines as much as possible. That being said, no one will police you if you need to attend to time-sensitive experiments or otherwise use campus facilities.

If classes go ahead during the strike, all students, including graduate students, are protected by the Senate Policy regarding labour disruptions, which gives students who choose not to attend class during a strike “immunity from penalty, to reasonable alternative access to materials covered in their absence, to reasonable extensions of deadlines and to such other remedy as Senate deems necessary and consistent with the principle of academic integrity”.

How does a strike end//what happens after a strike ends?

Once the Bargaining Team achieves a tentative agreement, it will be brought to a ratification vote. If the membership votes to ratify the new agreement, the strike is over. During a strike, there are weekly general membership meetings, at which members can direct the bargaining team as necessary to reach a deal.

As part of the process of ending a strike, we negotiate back-to-work protocol – this will include plans for remediation of the work missed during the strike, including amended sessional dates and payroll dates. Members will get paid for all work done to remediate after the strike, up to 100% of your original contract depending on how many weeks of remediation there is to complete. Union officers and staff are here to fight for you if the Employer withholds work or pay after a strike.

Strike Finances

If there’s a strike, will I get paid? 

You will not receive employee pay* from York University because you are withdrawing your labour for the duration of the strike. All members who participate in approved strike duties are eligible to receive strike pay from CUPE National. For the first 7 weeks of a strike, strike pay is $300 per week, assuming five shifts of 4 hours each, for a maximum of 20 hours. Strike pay increases at the 8, 12, and 16 week mark.

*This is different from money associated with scholarships.

What if I need additional financial support?

CUPE 3903 will operate a Strike Hardship Fund (SHF) for members who are facing financial crises during the strike. The SHF is designed to assist CUPE 3903 members who are participating in the strike and is intended to supplement strike pay. The SHF supports members in purchasing items they need for picketing or alternate duty and in dealing with financial hardship resulting from reduced income during the strike.

To be eligible for the SHF, there is an expectation of strike participation: that people either picket, or register with the 8th line to arrange alternate duty strike work, unless they have exceptional circumstances.

A committee of members from the 8th line will adjudicate Hardship Fund requests on the basis of need and availability to help as many members as possible. The Hardship Fund is funded through a portion of the Strike Fund and also donations. More information on applying will be available as the committee prepares.

Strike Duties and Accommodations

What’s an approved strike duty?

For most members, strike duty means picketing, i.e. slowing down traffic coming onto York’s campuses. Physical picket lines need picket captains, people who move gates or pylons, people who keep time, people who talk to drivers, people who direct traffic, and of course, those who walk the picket line! There are also other necessary duties like strike coordinators (who coordinate between the lines), people responsible for loading and unloading equipment, people who are involved in processing strike pay, social media, coordinating supplies, soliciting donations, etc. Non-picket duties are reserved as much as possible for members who require accommodations.

What’s a Picket Line?

The civil law recognizes that striking workers and unions may wish to communicate to the public about the issues in their labour dispute.

Picket Lines Basics

1. The most important thing about a picket is the safety of picketers and this is everyone’s responsibility. Be alert, look out for one another and do not put yourself or others in a dangerous situation. Do not begin to picket until the proper equipment is present and enough people to properly picket the street/entrance/area have assembled.
2. Each picket line will have Picket Captains, who are in charge of safety on the line. All picketers are encouraged to work collectively with their line’s Picket Captains to ensure the safe and effective operation of the picket line.

How long are picket line shifts?

A picket line shift is four hours long. We will start with two shifts per day, a morning shift (7:30 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.) and an afternoon shift (11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.). Please arrive before your scheduled start time and dress appropriately for the weather conditions.

How to prepare for daily shifts on the Picket Lines

1. Dress warmly. Being outside for four hours in this weather is hard on bodies. Wear lots of layers. Also wear a toque, a scarf, and mitts or gloves. It sounds obvious, but it is amazing what we all forget!
2. Feet can get wet pretty easily. Bring an extra pair of socks, stored in a plastic bag. Try to wear shoes/boots that keep your feet dry and prevent slipping/falling (strike hardship fund can help if you don’t have the right gear).
3. Bring some snacks, and bring some water. Warm beverages like herbal tea are always nice too!
4. If you are freezing cold, tell your picket captain. Depending on the size and location of your picket line, you may be able to take a 10-minute break to warm up inside somewhere nearby. It’s important to work together so everyone can take occasional breaks to warm up!
5. Picket lines are as fun as you make them: bring some music and speakers, bring food to share if you can, bring games you can play while walking in a circle. Be creative!
6. Picket lines are also serious: pay attention while you walk the line.
7. Look after yourselves! Your safety and well-being are the most important things in this strike. If there are things we can do to help facilitate your safety and well-being, please let your picket captain know. They will communicate that information to the Strike Committee.

What measures are in place for picket line accessibility?

Each picket line will have a wheelchair accessible portapotty. Many lines are also close to businesses or other buildings where someone can use the washroom or take a quick break to warm up. Picket lines will have tables and chairs. While maintaining an active picket line is important for the strike, no one should police anyone who is sitting down or taking a break. All picketers should commit to being mindful that different people have different needs and can play different but equally important roles on the picket line.

Who is eligible for accommodations? 

All members who cannot picket for reasons covered by the Ontario Human Rights Code (e.g. disability, illness, caring responsibilities for an ill child, lactation, etc.) are eligible for alternate duties, also called the 8th Line. CUPE 3903 commits to strike pay for these members regardless of whether CUPE National approves them.

Accommodations for other reasons, e.g. living very far from campus, incompatible work schedules, etc. will be accommodated if possible; however, priority will be given to Ontario Human Rights Code-based accommodations.

How do I request an accommodation?

Members who need accommodations should indicate as much when they fill out the picket pay form. Members who have an Accommodated Work Plan through York will not be asked to provide additional documentation. However, we recognize that walking a picket line represents a different accessibility standard than teaching duties. You can request strike accommodations even if you don’t have formal accommodations through the employer.

More information on how to apply will be posted as soon as possible once the process has been approved by CUPE National.

What if I’m travelling/out of town during the strike?

There’s no punishment for just not being on the picket lines. If you’re travelling or away from town during the strike for any reason, that’s fine. However, if you’re not contributing to the strike by carrying out strike duties, you will not be eligible for picket pay during the period that you’re away. If you live far away and cannot reach the picket lines to complete regular duties, you can apply for accommodations and work alternative (“8th line”) duties. See above for more on accommodations.

I’m in International Student – what does a strike mean for me?

Not only is striking entirely legal for international students, it is a protected activity under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. You cannot be punished for participating in a strike, performing strike duties, and/or showing support for the Union during contract negotiations. In additional, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC) protects foreign workers’ right to lawfully strike and provides protections to study permits when international students are unable to complete their studies due to circumstances entirely beyond their control, such as a strike.

We’re created a specific Strike FAQ for International Students, please click here to find out more!

How do I get more involved?

The best way to make sure you hear all the latest news is the sign up for the weekly newsletter: http://eepurl.com/iFC9Oo

As per Article 19 of the bylaws, the Strike Committee is responsible for strike logistics, including things like strike policy, finances, choosing a strike headquarters, and more. There’s a lot of work to be done and we need many helping hands! We encourage all members to get involved as they can.

In particular, we need volunteers to help support strike action preparation and join various subcommittees. Some possible roles you can fill are picket captains and strike coordinators but a full list of subcommittees can be found in Article 10 of our Strike Policy. Please take a look and let us know what role excites you most!

Interested members should reach out to one of the lead stewards:
Unit 1 – Matt Lomas, cupe3903csu1@gmail.com
Unit 2 – Chris Bailey, cupe3903chiefstewardunit2@gmail.com
Unit 3 – Imran Syed, cupe3903csu3@gmail.com

Elections Officers Needed for TFAC Co-Chair and Trans Fund Elections

Nominations Open for Vacancies on Bargaining Team and Executive Committee

The Executive Committee has decided to open nominations for candidates to fill two vacancies on the Executive Committee and two vacancies on the Bargaining Team, as per Article 14 V.(b) of the bylaws.

The following positions are available to members in good standing of the relevant bargaining unit:

Lead Steward Unit 4
Bargaining Team Unit 2

The following positions are available to members in good standing of any CUPE 3903 bargaining unit:

Chairperson
Bargaining Team Recording Secretary

For more information or to nominate yourself, please email Imran Syed (Lead Steward Unit 3) at cupe3903csu3@gmail.com by February 26 at 5:00 p.m.

Bargaining Team Report February 5–9, 2024

Courting a Strike, Employer Fails to Make Movement on Key Issues

As we approach a legal strike deadline of Feb. 22, the Employer’s actions at the bargaining table suggest a lack of serious commitment to finalizing new collective agreements for Units 1, 2, and 3.

A Strike Is Within Sight

On February 5, we received our No Board letter, which means we are in a legal strike position as of Thursday, February 22. We have indicated to the Employer that we need to see their final offer by February 15. The following day, we will hold our “Final Offer” SGMM where our membership will vote on whether the Employer’s Thursday offer is good enough to avert a strike. Unless we receive a substantially improved offer for all three units on February 15, a strike seems unavoidable. 

Employer’s Monetary Offers Continue to Leave Members Behind

The two sides remain far apart on many key issues, including salaries and benefits. On February 7, in our fourth bargaining session with government-appointed conciliator Erinn White, the Employer tabled an updated monetary proposal, including retroactive wage increases and increases in our next collective agreement (CA). The new offer marginally increased the retroactive salary increase for 2020–23 from 3% to 3.75%. For the next CA, the Employer moved from 3%, 2.5%, 2% to 3%, 2.75%, 2.25%. This would amount to a loss of real wages of 8.9% for September 2020 to September 2023, when we experienced inflation of 15.8%. And we would continue to lose ground relative to projected levels of inflation during the next three years.  The week before, the Bargaining Team was extremely disappointed but unsurprised by this anemic offer; on February 2, the Employer spent much of their time at the table trying to lower our expectations of their forthcoming offer by giving us a presentation that showed that our salaries and benefits are sector-leading. We reminded them that our organizing and militancy had achieved these outcomes. 

An equal indication of the Employer’s lack of seriousness to avert a strike can be seen in their complete lack of engagement with our fifteen benefits proposals (#22–36), some of which we presented last August. (Numbers in parentheses refer to the proposal numbers in our Bargaining Proposals chart.) These range from increasing the amount of overall coverage, to removing the internal cap on individual services, to new coverage for healthcare expenses not covered by OHIP. After a pandemic that has left many members struggling more than ever and with inflation reducing the value of the benefits available to us, the Employer’s actions show a callous disregard for our members’ well-being.

Employer Fails to Act against Racial Discrimination

The disregard for our members’ well-being was also reflected in the Employer’s rejection of our proposals for accommodations and support for members who experience racial harassment, discrimination, and violence in the workplace (#1, 42). The Employer responded, instead, with a letter touting the university’s existing equity commitments and initiatives, most of which offer members no real protections. Ironically, one of the initiatives cited is the Security Services Review, which members of the joint Employment Equity Committee (EEC) were told revealed the lack of accommodations and support for members who experience workplace racial harassment, discrimination, and violence. Either the Employer is not aware of the results of their own review or such reviews are meant to give the appearance of taking action without doing so.

Some Positive Movement on Union Rights

Our strong rejection of the Employer’s proposals to increase management rights—to amend Articles 8 and 6 to make it easier to discipline our members and to initiate “Employer grievances” against our Union, respectively—led them to finally withdraw these proposals. 

We have reached substantial agreement on streamlining the grievance process by reducing the number of steps (#55) and on a new mediation-arbitration process to speed up the resolution of Unit 2 appointment grievances (#57). We remain steadfastly opposed, however, to the Employer’s proposal to channel all cases of harassment and discrimination into the university’s complaints process rather than through the grievance process (#107), which offers members much better protection and agency.

Employer’s Refusal to Engage Key CUPE Priorities Leaves Us Far Apart

As in the case of benefits, the Employer’s refusal to even engage with or respond to many key priorities means that we remain far apart, making a strike seem increasingly inevitable. Although we’ve reached agreement on some minor issues, the Employer has been largely or entirely unresponsive to our proposals to 

• Ensure all aspects of remuneration for graduate-student members are included in across-the-board salary increases—in particular, Grant-In-Aid (GIA) and Graduate Financial Assistance (GFA) (#46, 48)*
• Increase the amount of the York Graduate Fellowship and reduce the frequency and severity of “clawbacks” (#53, 54)*
• Secure and enhance our existing job stability programs for contract faculty (#74)
• Protect Unit 2 members in the Kinesiology Department from being put out of work by the restructuring of courses and arbitrary changes to job qualifications (#92, 95, 96) 
• Increase post-retirement benefits to make it easier for senior contract faculty to retire with dignity (#89)
• Increase the number of Graduate Assistants hired through the GA Training Fund (GATF) from 40 to 80**
• Prioritize hiring of Master’s students for GA positions**
• Increase the pool of money the Employer provides to cover Executive honorariums, which has remained stagnant since before Units 3 and 4 representatives were added (#60)
• Allow members to retain email and library access beyond the end of their contracts or retirement (#62) 
• Protect the work in all bargaining units against technological change (#61) 
• Clarify the workload, hours, and remuneration of Tutor 3 contracts (#63) 
• Reduce tutorial class size limits and the triggers for obtaining marker/grader assistance (#64, 65)
• Provide a minimum 10-day turnaround time for the grading of assignments, exams, and midterms. 

Much as the Bargaining Team hopes to avoid a strike, with their insulting wage offer and failure to engage with our priorities, the Employer seems to be courting one.

–

* The Employer has not engaged at all with Unit 1 proposals to increase the York Graduate Fellowship, reduce the frequency and severity of “clawbacks,” and increase Graduate Financial Assistance (GFA). Both GFA and Grant-In-Aid (GIA) are key pieces of graduate student funding that were capped at 1% in annual increases from 2020 to 2023 because of Bill 124. To address this, we have proposed retroactive increases and increases in the next CA for all these funding pieces. While the Employer has proposed some increases to GIA for the next CA, they are proposing no retroactive increases and no increases at all for GFA (retroactive or otherwise). 

** So far, the Employer has engaged minimally with Unit 3 proposals on the GATF, showing zero engagement on increasing the GATF from 40 GAships to 80 or prioritizing MA students for GA positions. The bargaining team is currently working on a further Unit 3 counterproposal on the GATF, along with an answer to the Employer’s proposed memorandum of settlement in regard to their mismanagement of the GATF funds during the 2017–20 and 2020–23 collective agreements.

Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings

Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend both our weekly Bargaining Team meetings, which take place online, and our meetings with the Employer, which usually take place in a hybrid format (in person in 519 Kaneff Tower). As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from any of our meetings as your schedules allow. Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates.

Bargaining Meetings with the Employer (advance registration required):

Thursday, February 15, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Wednesday, February 21, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Friday, February 23, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Monday, February 26, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Wednesday, February 28, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

For all bargaining meetings with the Employer, CART closed captioning will be available. If you require ASL interpretation or reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care or have any other requests for accommodation, please contact our Equity Officer, Nadia Kanani, at cupe3903equity@gmail.com.

Bargaining Team Meetings (no registration required):

Monday, February 19, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86147429020?pwd=ZlRzR1dpb0tjYWN5OWhrSGt6WFFQUT09

Thursday, February 22, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86828310546?pwd=TU5RMGpPaFErU0hpVGU5ZmtNY2d4UT09

Fact Checker on the Toolkit for Teaching Palestine

You might have seen that we have been in some really awful and distorted news this week. There have been some abhorrent claims about CUPE 3903 as a local and the activism of our members, this type of backlash is unfortunately common to organizations and activists who speak out in support of Palestine. We understand how reading these articles may have contributed to anxiety or confusion for some members. We want to offer some clarity and support.

What is the Toolkit for Teaching Palestine?

The toolkit is a resource developed by the Palestinian Solidarity Working Group, a group of rank-and-file members whose mandate was overwhelmingly approved by the membership. The Palestinian Solidarity Working Group is a group of members from diverse identities, including both Palestinian and Jewish backgrounds. The toolkit was developed as a resource for members who wanted to participate in a teach-in action in response to a call for global solidarity with Palestine from January 21st – 28th.

Members felt the need to produce such a resource as a result of the reprisals students, faculty and student organizations have faced for simply speaking about Palestine in the workplace. The member-to-member document talked about collective, moral and professional responsibility to speak, write and teach on Palestine in spite of the culture of fear that has dominated much of Western academic institutions. It provided a list of readily-available educational resources, outlined potential risks, and, if members chose to participate, highlighted supports that exist as union members. 

Why solidarity with Palestine?

As a part of Israel’s occupation of Palestinian lands, Gaza, home to more than 2.3 million people, has been under an unrelenting land, sea, and air blockade since 2007. Since the Israeli bombardments started in early October there have been over 25,000 Palestinians deaths and, according to the Human Rights Watch Organization, the displacement of nearly 1.9 million people – more than 85 percent of the population in Gaza. This is a catastrophic level of human suffering, destruction and ethnic cleansing. Recently, the International Court of Justice’s preliminary ruling indicated that it is plausible that there is a genocide underway in Gaza and all actions must be taken to prevent further genocide. 

CUPE 3903 has a long-standing member-driven history of Palestinian solidarity. We were proudly one of the first unions to support the peaceful Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions campaign, called by Palestinian Civil Society in 2005, to pressure Israel to comply with International Law and Universal Principles of Human Rights. Since then, our members have called on the York University administration numerous times to divest from on-going investments in weapons manufacturers that profit from Palestinian suffering. It’s not just us either, CUPE Ontario has supported BDS and campaigns against Israeli apartheid since 2006. Unifor, PSAC, CUPW and many other Canadian unions all now have BDS policies at the national level too. This is a part of the proud and important internationalist tradition of the labour movement. We stand together and practice solidarity. As workers united, we oppose all forms of oppression and champion freedom, justice and equality for all

Did the toolkit target Jewish students or blame students for Israeli state-violence?

No. That is truly an abhorrent claim and fundamentally against the values of CUPE 3903 and our members. The toolkit brought to question York University’s institutional economic and academic connections to the Israeli state, following many state-led actions being recognized as war crimes by the international community. The toolkit was explicit in rejecting the dangerous and extremely harmful conflation of Jewish communities with the actions of the Israeli state. 

The toolkit stated: “to equate anti-semitism with anti-Zionism would deeply disrespect Jewish activists demonstrating unyielding solidarity with Palestine; homogenise the diversity of beliefs and practices within Jewish communities across contexts, thus dangerously positing the Zionist Israeli state as the legitimate global representative of all Jewish people; and serve to erase the historical origins of the Zionist colonial project” 

Please follow the link to learn more on anti-semitism and anti-zionism:
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/2023/11/09/antisemitism-dangerous/

Did the toolkit give a directive from CUPE 3903 for members to “hijack” classes? 

No. The toolkit does not contain a directive from the CUPE 3903 Executive for members to participate in any action, but the document does inform members of their rights, responsibilities, and resources in the event that they should choose to take up a call to action. This is consistent with CUPE 3903’s past communications when members have wanted to participate in similar circumstances, such as the Scholar Strikes of 2020 and 2023.

Did the toolkit provide a list of CUPE 3903 resources for members who face reprisals for speaking about Palestine?

Yes. Our position on this is clear, CUPE 3903 supports the rights of all academics, students, unionists, and activists to speak out against all forms of violence and oppression without fear of intimidation or reprisal.

As stated through the Executive Committee endorsement of the Academic Alliance Against Antisemitism, Racism, Colonialism & Censorship in Canada (ARC) Call To Action, we are committed to supporting and fully representing members who are targeted because of their scholarship, political work and community organizing, as well as holding the employer accountable to its duty to provide a safe and inclusive workplace.

Click here to see a list of possible supports.

Why is this only coming out now?

Some members have asked why we did not engage more quickly with the media, especially with such misinformation at play. The reality of the situation is that we could not, in good conscience, risk redirecting vitriol or backlash onto any members at such a moment. 

As mentioned at the beginning of this page, unfortunately backlash of this nature is a common tactic used to detract from the ongoing genocide in Gaza and the longstanding occupation of Palestinian lands, as well as discredit and discourage pro-Palestinian voices. On campuses across the country we are experiencing and documenting a pattern of what could be perceived as excessive scrutiny, coercion, intimidation and repression around any discourse on Palestine that is not in alignment with the University’s position.

For months now we have witnessed members and allies experience first hand and in real time the material and political consequences of the repression of pro-Palestinian activism, both on and off campus. Unionists across the education sector are aware of the policing and surveillance of what is being taught in classrooms. This situation was no different.

If you are facing reprisals, harassment, or discrimination, or believe you might be, get in touch with us as soon as you can

Bargaining Still Stalled Even with a Conciliator

Bargaining Team Report for the week of January 22-26

On January 22, the Bargaining Team and the Employer met for the second time with the government-appointed Conciliator, Erinn White. However, even with the Conciliator present, we have seen little to no significant movement from the Employer, especially concerning the priorities members identified at the Red Lines SGMM on January 19, such as increases to wages and benefits. We know that members are really struggling with the cost of living, and with racism on campus, as we saw in the strong strike mandate given to the 3903 bargaining team.

Academic Freedom and Members’ Rights 

After the land acknowledgement, we read a statement standing in solidarity with Palestine as we have at each bargaining session and named the concerns we have with the Employer’s disciplinary actions and reprisals against students and workers who teach and speak up about Palestine. We also highlighted serious concerns members voiced at the Palestine Prohibited event, where they spoke about loss of academic freedom and how racialized members, in particular, are censured for their advocacy and solidarity. 

The Union stands firm on the right to academic freedom, which is protected by our Collective Agreements, and has also brought forward proposals that provide supports to members who confront and navigate an attack on their rights. For instance, proposals on accommodations and funds for racialized members who experience discrimination, harassment, and violence (proposals 1 and 42) would significantly support many of our members. To date, the Employer has not offered any response on these important Union proposals that we brought forward on November 7, leaving us to wonder whether the Employer sees racial violence as a bargaining chip to leverage against other proposals, or whether they intend to continue a course of inaction on a serious gap in supports. The Employer’s treatment of racialized members who openly speak about and call attention to colonialism, genocide, and racial injustices further underscores the importance of protections such as these ones the Union has proposed. 

Pressing the Employer to Provide Us with Better Tools to Work for Fair Representation

We continued to press the Employer to provide the Employment Equity Committee with better, more comprehensive employment equity data. We need this date in order to be sure we can accurately work toward fair representation thresholds, a commitment the Employer has repeatedly stated it shares. We have presented proposals to produce more accurate data, including intersectionality totals that are correlated with information including number of positions held, position type, and salaries (in dollars). We questioned the Employer’s claim that it could not provide intersectionality totals correlated to more than two equity groups. The Union’s position is that, if this is really the case, the Employer needs better software to report data. We insisted on the importance of being able to count beyond two groups when discussing intersectionality; like the ‘denominator issue,’ there is potential for generating incorrect data if only two out of the five equity groups are being considered. 

Counterproposals from the Union 

Unit 2 presented the Job Stability proposals approved by members at the Red Lines SGMM. These included improvements to the Continual Sessional Standing Program (CSSP), Long Service Teaching Appointments (LSTA), Conversions, Transitional Continuing Appointments (TCA), Time-Limited Severance Program (TLSP), and Special Renewable Contracts (SRC). 

The Union also presented counters on equity-related proposals, including providing adoptive parents a paid leave that is the equivalent of a pregnancy leave, increasing the funding for the Lee Wiggins Childcare Centre, and to clarify language on the proposal for Code Based Extensions Requests. 

Conciliation 

Despite being in conciliation, the Employer has not engaged with most of our proposals, especially monetary proposals. We heard loud and clear from members at the Red Lines SGMM, as well as through the bargaining survey conducted in the spring/summer of 2023, that wages are a top priority. The cost of living crisis in Toronto is stifling for our members. Yet, conciliation has not brought the Employer any closer to taking our proposals on wages and benefits seriously. We will continue to make our best efforts during conciliation to fight for a fair Collective Agreement for you, our members, and we remain in communication about our next steps. 

Get Involved! Upcoming Bargaining Meetings

Our union practices open bargaining, meaning all meetings of the Bargaining Team—including our face-to-face meetings with the Employer’s bargaining team—are open to all members of CUPE 3903. All members are encouraged to attend both our weekly Bargaining Team meetings, which take place online, and our meetings with the Employer, which usually take place in a hybrid format (in person in 519 Kaneff Tower). As members of CUPE 3903, you are free to come and go from any of our meetings as your schedules allow. Check the CUPE 3903 website’s calendar for any updates.

Bargaining Meetings with the Employer

Register in advance using the links below.

Friday, February 2, 2:00-5:00 PM (ONLINE ONLY): 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Wednesday, February 7, 11:00 AM-5:00 PM (ONLINE ONLY): 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Thursday, February 15, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Wednesday, February 21, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Friday, February 23, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Monday, February 26, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

Wednesday, February 28, 10:00 AM-5:00 PM: 

Register for the Zoom meeting in advance.

For all bargaining meetings with the Employer, CART closed captioning will be available. If you require ASL interpretation or reimbursement for childcare/caregiver/attendant care or have any other requests for accommodation, please contact our Equity Officer, Nadia Kanani, at cupe3903equity@gmail.com.

Bargaining Team Meetings (no registration required):

Monday, February 5, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86056814105?pwd=eU9BWlRPWVdJdDBVeWVrbENBeTl6UT09

Monday, February 12, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82686988222?pwd=WXdTV0xsWlNsUTBMYnJhYm85aTRmdz09

Monday, February 19, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86147429020?pwd=ZlRzR1dpb0tjYWN5OWhrSGt6WFFQUT09

Thursday, February 22, 1:00-3:00 PM: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86828310546?pwd=TU5RMGpPaFErU0hpVGU5ZmtNY2d4UT09

On Thursday, February 1st, CUPE 3903 Chairperson sent the following email response to the York administration in response to the administration’s request to meet regarding the Palestinian Solidarity Working Group’s Toolkit:

1 February, 2024

To: Laina Y. Bay-Cheng, Interim Vice-President, Equity, People & Culture Lisa Philipps, Provost and Vice-President Academic

Dear Laina and Lisa,

I am writing in response to your January 29, 2024 invitation to meet with me about the Toolkit on Teaching Palestine.

Please clarify the purpose of this meeting. Does the University have a practice of calling Union leaders in to discuss our internal communications with members? This would constitute unacceptable interference in Union governance. The events of the past several months indicate that this level of overreach and intimidation is reserved for policing any discourse on Palestine that is not in alignment with the University’s position.

Your letter contains several factual errors about the toolkit’s provenance and content that lead me to question your intentions and your comprehension of this matter. The toolkit is a resource developed by and for CUPE 3903 rank-and-file members in response to a call for global solidarity with Palestine. Members felt the need to produce such a toolkit as a result of the reprisals students and faculty have faced for simply speaking about Palestine in the workplace. Most egregiously, you fail to acknowledge the toolkit’s clearly stated alignment of solidarity with Jewish activists and a diversity of Jewish communities.

If you review the document more carefully, you might see that the toolkit does not contain a directive to members to participate in any action, but rather informs members of their rights, responsibilities, and resources in the event that they should choose to take up the call to action. This is consistent with CUPE 3903’s past communications in similar circumstances, such as the Scholar Strikes of 2020 and 2023.

Your communication comes on the heels of media coverage that denounces the toolkit and incites abusive behaviour towards CUPE and towards me in particular. As a direct result of this coverage, my CUPE 3903 email account has been inundated with hundreds of unwelcome and inappropriate messages. Your letter and President Rhonda Lenton’s message to faculty on January 29 neither mention nor discourage such doxxing. Your silence condones this ongoing harassment campaign. This has become a pattern in the University’s approach to those who speak up for Palestine.

In the midst of this vitriol, your framing of the issue as one of academic freedom is particularly galling. How does the University propose to uphold academic freedom when its senior administrators are actively perpetuating public attacks on a labour union representing thousands of graduate students and contract faculty members? What steps is the administration taking to mitigate harm in this extraordinarily repressive political climate?

Further, as senior administrators at the helm of one of Canada’s largest universities, how will you be accountable to the call to divest from the violence being perpetrated in Gaza? Last week, the International Court of Justice’s preliminary ruling indicated that it is plausible that there is a genocide underway in Gaza. Are your offices prepared to heed the calls of numerous global human rights organizations to halt arms sales to Israel and to demand an immediate ceasefire?

Unless you can present me with a clear agenda and rationale for this meeting that will not further threaten my ability to carry out my responsibilities as an instructor and as the Chairperson of CUPE 3903, I am not willing to meet with you at this time.

Sincerely,

Stephanie Latella
CUPE 3903 Chairperson