CUPE 3903 members vote to send bargaining team back to the table
TORONTO, Ont. - At a general membership meeting today, nearly 90% of CUPE 3903 members in attendance voted to send their bargaining team back to the table with York University administration with a strong mandate to continue bargaining.
Although negotiations have progressed significantly in the past five days, the union affirmed that the university's current offer does not yet address key priorities set out by the membership. The union feels confident that further negotiation will achieve a collective agreement that addresses these needs and end the strike soon.
“We're very anxious to get back to class,” said Unit 1 member Cat Ashton, “and we look forward to doing so as soon as York agrees to a fair settlement.”
Though the two sides have come much closer and binding arbitration has been dropped from the table, the bargaining team has identified major shortfalls in some priority areas, notably job security for contract faculty. Members spoke at length about the need for a real commitment to improving the working conditions of contract professors and maintaining the existing levels of conversions into tenure-stream positions. The union's bargaining team is looking forward to going back to the table first thing Friday morning, with a renewed message of strength from the membership.
“We have a great deal of faith in the bargaining process,” said contract professor Ryan Toews, “and frankly, we were a little insulted that, this far into a strike, the employer would present such a clearly inadequate offer.”
The two sides will be meeting at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, January 9 to resume negotiations.
For more information, contact:
Tyler Shipley, CUPE 3903 Spokesperson, 647-295-1674
Christina Rousseau, Chair, CUPE 3903, 416-736-5154
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 8, 2009
