On the 115th day of the strike at York University, CUPE 3903, which represents contract faculty, teaching assistants, graduate assistants, and part-time librarians and archivists, has sent a letter to University President Rhonda Lenton outlining how the strike could end immediately should Lenton choose to do so.
The letter acknowledges the recent communications of the incoming Ontario government, which has promised to use legislation to end the strike by sending outstanding issues to arbitration. This would not occur until at least the end of July.
The letter asks Lenton to reconsider the union’s offer from June 3 which accepted some employer proposals and sends the major outstanding issues to arbitration. Accepting this offer now would prevent the strike from being drawn out into a fifth month. “Our bargaining team asked you then, and we are asking you again now, to do better by our university and negotiate an end to this strike,” reads the letter from CUPE 3903 Chairperson Devin Lefebvre to Rhonda Lenton, President and Vice-Chancellor of York University.
Lefebvre outlines four key principles that are at the core of the dispute between the union and the university administration. They are a sexual violence support fund, code-based extensions, graduate assistant jobs and reprisals. Agreement on these core issues, with the remaining issues going to arbitration, could end the strike immediately.
The letter can be read in its entirety at: https://3903.cupe.ca/news.