Even if the rush of the Winter semester is over, and patios are now open around town, your bargaining committee is still meeting with the Employer (the University) to get the best agreement possible for our members – hopefully in time for the fall semester.

Some normative issues are still on the table, such as the posting system (art. 18), job security (art. 18.7), and union security (art.6). Those articles are almost complete, but the Union is still negotiating to improve access to jobs and transparency in the posting of TA/RA/Markers/Proctors positions.

The monetary proposals are those where the Employer and the Union are not close to agreeing. In fact, the maternity leave, the health and dental benefits, the conference fund, the financial bursary, the tuition fee rebate, and wages are still controversial.

While the Employer is trying to make us believe they are running on a short budget, the Union firmly believes that their proposals would contribute to create a second class of workers on campus. We believe that our members deserve a fair access to maternity leave, compensation for health and dental insurance, and a fair compensation for matters related to our student status in order to reach a yearly income that would not put us below the poverty line.

The Bargaining Committee will be meeting with the Employer next week, and remains dedicated to serve the best interests of our members, and the campus community.