York TA strike ends after eleven weeks
Reka Szekely, Excalibur (York U.)

The two-year agreement includes the much coveted tuition protection for both teaching and graduate assistants. It also establishes a first contract for graduate assistants, including a base pay of $5,880 for the first year, plus an $882 signing bonus and $7,300 in the second year. The university initially offered a base of $4,500 in October. All units will receive a two per cent pay raise.

"It's more or less exactly what we were asking for right from the beginning," said Mark Hiller, chief steward for the teaching assistants, one of three units of Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 3903. "By judging the mood today, people feel a real sense of victory and it was well worth our energies."

The deal was struck after a forced ratification vote last Friday which only saw one of three bargaining units-the contract faculty-agree to the university's proposal.

The vote was called by the Ontario Ministry of Labour in December and was strongly opposed by the union executive. When both the teaching assistants and graduate assistants rejected the offer, the two sides went back to the table for a marathon bargaining session. They reached an agreement at 7 a.m. on Tuesday, which was ratified by union membership on Thursday.

The major issue of contention during the strike was the inclusion of tuition protection for teaching assistants and graduate students, meaning any tuition increases will be met with a dollar-for-dollar rebate. This prevents the university from negating salary raises with tuition hikes.

Hiller said York is the only university in Canada to offer such protection, adding that he expects teaching assistants across the country to make similar demands when their contracts come up. The contract between SFU and the Teaching Support Staff Union expires on April 30 of this year, but since the TSSU is currently working on its bargaining position, organizer Kelly Boyd wouldn't say if the union will demand tuition protection when it comes time to negotiate.

"We look at the York collective agreement and say 'Wow, we'd really love to have that,'" she admitted, "but I can't say whether we're going to go for that or not."

Though no one from York University was available to comment on the agreement with the union, president Lorna Marsden called it "great news" in a prepared statement.

"There are no winners this morning except undergraduates. This is their day and it's taken far too long. We are a university with a spirit of tolerance, respect and the patient pursuit of knowledge, and we must immediately return to normal academic life," said Marsden.

Nikhi Puru, a second-year information technology major, said she is relieved the strike is over. "I actually feel much better," said Puru. "I wanted it to be done." Most York students agree, but many worry about the lost time.

"I'm relieved, but I'm still angry about the whole thing," said Emily Falls, a first-year music major. "I'm feeling pretty stressed out now because of all the stuff we're going to have to catch up on now."

The university's senate executive announced today that the term will resume on Friday and will continue until Feb. 12. Students will write fall exams from Feb. 13 to 23. The winter term will begin on Feb. 26 and go until May 11.

[ Back to issue 2 ] [ Send The Peak a comment on this story ]

The contents of The Peak are protected by copyright. For information on rights regarding specific articles (including reprinting, where applicable), please contact epeak@mail.peak.sfu.ca with the full URL of the content in question.