We’re not backing down.

After the huge turnout at last week’s membership meeting, your negotiating team was back at the table on Monday with a new mandate to prepare for job action if necessary. We are continuing to work for a deal that addresses the top priorities of the membership that you made clear at that meeting.

We signed off on two articles:

Education 3: AI and technological change

The University agreed to stricter timelines for meetings around technological change. They also agreed that if members’ jobs are affected by technological change (including AI), they have the right to a meeting (with a Union representative present). If jobs are displaced, workers will also be entitled to preference for an equivalent position and paid training if required.

Article B 6: sick leave for Graduate Academic Assistants

We agreed that GAAs are entitled to the same rate of sick-leave accrual as teaching assistants and that GAA will also be able to bank their sick leave time up to 24 hours.

Monetary proposals: 

We responded to the university’s first offer. We reiterated the proposals that the University failed to respond to in our last bargaining session, including:

• monetary proposals for the English Language Institute,

• proposals for members at the Centre for Accessibility,

We also re-emphasized the Component 1 proposals for healthcare, ending the minimum funding clawback, wage equity, and a fair wage for GAAs. 

We expect the university to respond on Wednesday.