Approximately 3,000 academic staff members at York University poised for Monday strike.
Three thousand academic workers at York University are poised to strike Monday morning unless the university presents a “real plan to address the affordability crisis,” according to the union.
CUPE 3903, which represents the school’s contract instructors, teaching assistants, and graduate assistants, stated that picket lines will be established on Monday if an agreement is not reached. At 11 a.m., workers will be joined by faculty, other campus employees, students, and labor leaders for a rally outside York University subway station.
On Friday morning, three units of the union voted in favor of initiating strike action.
“Members made this very important yet difficult decision because the key bargaining issues, especially those tied to compensation and job security, are about survival,” the union said. “After eight months of bargaining, this is the situation we’re in: a university run by an administration that will happily give itself massive raises while our members increasingly rely on food banks.”
Yanni Dagonas, York University’s deputy spokesperson, informed the Star that “Following the CUPE 3903 vote, the university and the union convened as scheduled for collective bargaining negotiations. However, an agreement has not been reached thus far. Negotiations between the university and the union may extend into the weekend and the following week by mutual consent of both parties.”