Ottawa A tentative agreement was reached early this morning between Carleton University and Teaching & Research Assistants after a marathon round of bargaining that went through the night.
This settlement shows that our members were prepared to stand up for the issues of accessible and quality public post-secondary education, says CUPE 4600 President Aalya Ahmad. They voted to strike in order to have their issues addressed and they were prepared to get the results they needed. Without the mobilization of hundreds of our members, none of these breakthroughs would have been possible.
While details of the tentative settlement cannot be released until the members have been informed, the tentative settlement does include breakthroughs on all three key areas the members were seeking to avoid a strike. A tuition increase assistance plan has been established; a fund exists to help cover the costs of UHIP for international members, and a report on the effect of the double cohort on class sizes for TAs and the quality of education will be completed by May 2002.
NEWS CONFERENCE TODAY AT 10:30 IN PORTER HALL
Local 4600 will hold a media conference today at 10:30 a.m. to announce the deal to their members and the public in Porter Hall, Unicentre at Carleton University.
Speakers include:
- Judy Darcy, CUPE National President
- Sid Ryan, CUPE Ontario President
- Aalya Ahmad, President CUPE 4600
- Libby Davies MP, Federal NDP Spokesperson on post-secondary education;
- Clive Doucet, Ottawa City Councillor
- Joel Duff, Canadian Federation of Students
Speakers will be available for media interviews following the event.
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For further information, please contact:
Chris Bodnar, CUPE 4600 Communications
613.715-2590
John Gillies, CUPE National Rep.
613.237-0115
Robert Lamoureux, CUPE Communications
416.292-3999