Toronto - After three days of intense negotiations, CUPE Local 3903 and York University have reached a tentative agreement. A deal was reached after considerable movement on the part of the university around tuition protection for Teaching Assistants and a wage and benefit increase for Graduate Assistants.
A ratification vote on the tentative agreement is expected on or before Thursday, January 11.
This is a victory for every university student planning to attend graduate school in the future. And its also a victory for accessible, public post-secondary education for everyone, said Joel Harden, spokesperson for CUPE Local 3903.
In achieving their objective, Local 3903 members have ensured that other university administrations come to the negotiating table and bargain in good faith. This is a strike that would not have happened had York University committed to bargaining a negotiated settlement, said Sid Ryan, Ontario president of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE).
Ryan points out that the issue of tuition indexation is central to the bargaining of many CUPE locals in the university sector. Teaching Assistants at Carleton University are looking to achieve tuition protection in their negotiations, now ongoing.
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For further information, please contact:
Sid Ryan 416-209-0066
Michele Lowry 416-877-2109
Joel Harden 416-887-7270
Or visit the CUPE 3903 strike site