Take action on stalled proposals by attending an upcoming BAM!
UBC has expressed an unwillingness to move forward with discussing three bargaining proposals centred around improving training, maintaining staffing levels, and academic freedom. Due to UBC's refusal to discuss these items any further, these items will only move forward if YOU and YOUR CO-WORKERS take action and make it clear how important these items are to us as a community of workers. More information can be found below on the specifics of these bargaining items, but first: how can you can get involved?
We need to know if you are willing to take action on our proposals to improve training, maintaining staffing levels, and academic freedom. Introducing: BAM! (Bargaining Action Meetings). These meetings will provide you and your co-workers with the opportunity to get informed on the issues and plan actions to take with your union to show UBC our power as a collective. Together, we will decide our next steps.
There will be two BAMs taking place this week:
May 12, 12pm (hybrid): Gateway Health Building (GWHB) rm 4290
May 14, 5:30pm (hybrid): Earth Science Building (ESB) rm 2012
OR on Zoom for both meetings.
We will be communicating the same information from our end at each meeting, so there is no need to attend both meetings unless you're interested in helping to co-ordinate the planned actions from each meeting.
RSVP for the meeting HERE.
There will be food at both meetings, served 15 minutes before the meeting starts.
TLDR: Unless you and your co-workers take action on these bargaining issues, they will not move forward any further at the bargaining table. Come to the first BAM! on May 12th @12pm or May 14 @5:30pm.
KEEP READING TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE IMPORTANT BARGAINING ISSUES.
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Education 1: Improved training
What is this proposal?
We want TAs to have paid training that sets us up for success as TAs. The training would include pedagogical and curriculum-specific training, as well as training on de-escalation and classroom management and equity, diversity, and inclusion. We want to make sure TAs are provided the tools to deliver quality education to undergraduates and are no longer forced to learn these skills on the job. And we want to make sure that training is paid and equally accessible to all TAs. You and your co-workers endorsed this proposal as part of our bargaining package in May 2025.
What have we achieved so far?
So far, we have got the University to agree that workplace safety training is included in paid time and that Workday onboarding online modules are included in paid time.
Where are we stuck?
The University doesn’t want minimum standards for training. They said they aren’t willing to talk about it anymore. We want all TAs to have paid training that will contribute to safe workplaces and quality undergraduate education.
Education 2: Maintaining staffing levels (Class size and TA hours)
What is this proposal?
We know that there are budget cuts across the university, particularly in Arts and Applied Science. In response to these cuts, the University and its departments are reducing TA hours, even as class sizes stay the same or grow. We have heard from TAs that courses that have had staffing standards for years are now seeing decreases in standard staffing levels–meaning more work for TAs and decreasing support for students. When budget cuts come, TA hours are the first to go.
We want to maintain staffing levels to support quality undergraduate education and keep workloads in check. To do this, we are requesting information about historic and ongoing staffing levels and proposing that the University must maintain these historic staffing levels. You and your co-workers endorsed this proposal as part of our bargaining package in May 2025.
What have we achieved so far?
The University has not given any formal response on this proposal. They are unwilling to talk about it.
Where are we stuck?
We want to maintain historic TA staffing levels, the University wants to make cuts and increase TA workloads without compensation.
Equity 5: Academic freedom
What is this proposal?
As educators and researchers at a University, we need academic freedom to be able to do our jobs. We should be able to pursue all avenues of inquiry, to teach and to learn unhindered by external or non-academic constraints, and to engage in full and unrestricted consideration of any opinion. You should not be disciplined for expressing the right to academic freedom as a Teaching Assistant or Graduate Academic Assistant. You and your co-workers endorsed this proposal as part of our bargaining package in May 2025.
What have we achieved so far?
The University is willing to put a reference to the Senate policy on academic freedom in B1.01. But this only speaks to the distinction in our student and worker relationships with the University–not to whether the University can discipline members when they’re exercising academic freedom.
This would only mean that students may have academic freedom, and that expressing academic freedom as a student couldn’t be used to discipline you as a worker, but doesn’t confer any protections for TAs or GAAs who are exercising academic freedom as part of their jobs.
Where are we stuck?
We want protection from discipline for exercising academic freedom at work. The University is saying Academic freedom is an issue for students, not workers.
Where do we go next with these proposals?
These issues have stopped moving at the bargaining table. We have made the progress we can with good arguments. If you want to see these improvements in the workplace, you will need to get involved and take action to do so. The first step to winning this is coming to the Bargaining Action Meeting this week on either May 12 or May 14.
We are looking forward to seeing you there!
In solidarity,
Your Component 1 Negotiating Committee