CUPE at York will be Negotiating Many Agreements this Summer and Fall

Besides the Excalibur article below, CUPE Local 1356 will also be negotiating two agreements that end on August 31, and another that ends on December 31.

Excalibur
06 April 2005

CUPE 3903 will be bargaining soon

CUPE 3903, the union that represents York's contract faculty, graduate
assistants, teaching assistants and research assistants, is heading for
bargaining this summer.
Issues of job security, wage equity and benefits were some concerns raised
by their communications officer, Isabel Macdonald.

"Contract faculty members have to re-apply every year for their positions,"
says Macdonald, adding that there is no guarantee they will be rehired.

Macdonald also indicates that the University has been shifting on their
commitment to provide summer employment for PhD candidates who are teaching
assistants, "leaving them broke in the summer and overworked during other
times of the school year".

Another issue Macdonald stresses is health insurance for international
students, who are not fully covered under their benefits.

According to Macdonald, equity for Graduate Assistants (GAs) is also of
grave concern.
"GAs get paid much less than TAs and have fewer access to benefits in
comparison," says Macdonald, further adding that GAs "don't get full amount
of a tuition rebate as TAs".

Their current collective agreement expires August 31 and CUPE 3903 will be
bargaining throughout the summer.